The drive from Baguio to Pangasinan was lovely. Again, my eyes feasted on the  mountaintops teeming with wild flowers and towering trees. I could see orchids and strange-looking birds from time to time. I felt sorry for Lee, he had to always keep his eyes on the road. He was too busy to even glance at the beauty around him. Einstein said that the value of achievement lies in the achieving. To copy Sir Einstein’s sentence pattern, I say that the beauty of the journey lies in the journeying.

Before going out of Baguio, of course we stopped by the famous lion’s head to take some pictures.

I especially loved the treetops that were swaying in the early morning breeze. The scenery reminded me of my hometown—and it reminded me of my days as a little village girl with dusty feet, running with the wind, taking a rest under those massive trees whose leaves and branches would sway in the wind. Everything was lovely—the big blue-green mountains, waterfalls, fluffy white clouds against the blue sky, crystal clear rivers winding down below,  fast streams that were rustling through big rocks, steep mountains,  waterfalls, Jason Mraz singing Mr. Curiosity on the stereo.

There were also mountains whose sides were made of rocks, not soil.

We drove for hours and we made so many turns, and each turn would lead us to another mountain with its own turns. And then I saw it. The car made one turn to the right and there was it—big, wide, green plains against the unending sky. I knew we were finally in La Union.

Due to the December festivities, there were so many religion-related parades, causing a temporary traffic jam.

We drove through La Union on our way to Pangasinan. I did not even mind anymore weather or not Waze was showing as a long way again. I enjoyed the countryside view— cows grazing in the green meadows, carabaos eating hays, sparrows on haystacks, herons on the earthen dikes, scarecrows in the middle of the golden brown fields, farmers with wide-rimmed hats, roads lined with trees, neat houses surrounded by ornamental plants, blue skies, cirrus clouds, late morning sunrays on the trees, children playing in the front yards, parades, sidewalk stalls. Along the way, we bought tupig, a Filipino rice cake.

At around 10 a.m., we were already in Pangasinan proper. Finally, when we could see so many arrows leading to Hundred Islands Alaminos, Lee turned off Waze and he just enjoyed driving.

And then we were there— but Lee said it was not the place he wanted us to go to.  He had been to Hundred Islands twice before our road trip and he said that the place was not where the good accommodation houses were.

We had to drive again and this time, Lee did not rely on Waze. He raked through his memory until we found the place we were looking for. Finally, we reached a place, the proper Hundred Islands Park. We could see some small hotels everywhere. Again, I and I alone faced the challenge of finding an accommodation house that was comfortable enough but affordable enough for our limited budget. Lee waited in the car.