Working Vacation

Lisa said I had to make this good so close your eyes and pretend it is a literary classic.

If you are reading now, it means you gave up on it being good and decided to read on. I told you to close your eyes and pretend and you chose to read on. Now you just need to take what comes.

Tomorrow morning we are taking a working vacation in Baguio. It is a vacation because we plan to investigate some of the parks and scenery while we are there.

Usually we go to Baguio with the sole purpose of rushing through the many errands we need to do before rushing back to Bontoc. In fact, the last two times, I have gone alone. I catch the 5 am bus for the 6 hour ride there, do as many errands as I can, then catch the 3 or 4 pm bus for the 6 hour ride back to Bontoc.

It will be work because we still have a number of errands we need to do. Even our leisure activities are for a purpose beyond just our present enjoyment. My parents and niece are coming in a few weeks. We intend to do some sightseeing with them in Baguio. Before they come, we want to have some idea of what to plan for and what to skip.

So tomorrow we will take that luxury liner down the smooth, expressway to Baguio. Errr, the worn out bus over the bumpy, dusty, and twisting two lane (except where it is only one lane) road to Baguio. All the while, wishing I was only 5' 4" with knees that fit behind the seat in front of me. Of course, with the oncoming rainy season visibility may be more of an issue than the dust. The good thing is that these drivers make this run every day and know where there is no shoulder, just a 1000' drop down the side of the mountain. Mom and Dad, I am just making all that stuff after the first sentence of this paragraph up. You'll love it, really!

I know you are not supposed to announce your travel plans on your blog. It is a real possibility that thieves may monitor your blog and use that opportunity to visit while you are away. We have considered this potential and are not too concerned for a few reasons...

1. We live in a gated community. At least there is a gate at the entrance to our yard. Our building also has a gate. But gated community sounds so upscale I made this list up just so I could say it.
2. Our landlords now have a vicious guard dog. He is several months old now and about the size of a football when his hair is fluffed out. But he does have a nasty growl... which usually proceeds him running away and hiding under something.
3. 98% of the people who read this blog are so far away that the cost of traveling here far exceeds that cumulative value of everything in our apartment.

So now you have reached the end of this post. Perhaps you are thoroughly impressed with the deep, inspiring thoughts and the witty narrative. If not, I refer to my first line, "close your eyes and pretend". I gave you the opportunity to escape.

Grace,
Tom