Remember when I don’t like birthdays? I think I’m liking it now.

The night of my birth date, I went on the road going straight to Sagada from Metro Manila. I booked this trip last January. Since it was my first time going to Sagada, I made sure I set everything well– booked my bus trips ahead of time, and my accommodation. I thought everything was going to go well. But I was on the brick of missing my bus trip since I woke up two hours before my scheduled trip. I was so stressed out knowing that I haven’t packed my stuff yet, and I was to buy a pair of sandals since I didn’t want to roam around Sagada on shoes.

Traveling to Sagada was no joke, for me at least. It was long hours of sitting inside the bus without WiFi, a broken TV and no sound system available. I was so bored even I have my phone and console during this trip. The trip took 10 hours. On arrival, I was clueless on where to go. Luckily, Sagada people were so helpful. I was able to go to my accommodation easily. I booked my stay at Coffee Heritage House via Agoda. This time, luck wasn’t on my side. The staff told me that my reservation wasn’t on the list. The issue was with Agoda still accepting reservations even the house was already full. What a bummer! I was so not in the mood to be mad at this moment because I was so tired and hungry. The house refunded my booking, offered me a cup of coffee and a one night stay since it was hard for visitors for get an accommodation for walk-ins.

Coffee Heritage House was priceless. Everyone was welcoming, friendly, and respectful. Even the house dogs. At first these dogs will bark at you but the second time you see them, they’ll be so friendly. Love ’em so much. Well, luck was really on my side, right? I had to wait for it and looked at the brighter side to witness it.
The house was inside the forest, I could say. You have to follow the trail if you’ll come here on foot, which I enjoyed. Or use the road if you have a vehicle. I was in Baguio upon writing this post. I booked mu stay at 3BU hostel, a new hostel near St. Louis University. It was easy to find. Most of the staff are young looking. For the time I stayed, yeah they all look young. It was my first time to stay in a hostel so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Good thing, few visitors were checked in during my stay. On the area where they assigned my bed, I was alone. It wasn’t totally quiet because I could still hear other visitors from the other area. It was co-ed, btw. Also, I have to mention their food was okay. It wasn’t special but it’s not the worst. Decent, at least.

I will not go into much details about this trip, but I want to share that there were a lot of realizations happened. My purpose of coming to Sagada and Baguio was to rest, not to think about work, rethink about life, and to found myself again. I wasn’t been feeling myself for the past weeks due to work-stress and family drama. I have been treating some people unfairly, and I know this wasn’t good. So I had to recharge and think about why this is happening. What needs to change, what can I do better? And it all boils down to self-care.

I thought I’ve been taking care of myself physically, emotionally and spiritually. But I was wrong. I know I still need to figure out self-care, and what’s best for me. I am looking forward for another year God has given me. Adios!