Aca-ganapan

#ThirtytaDiaries: Unang Hakbang

I know most people I know did 30 things before turning such age. I did plan on doing that too kaso, tinamad at nagprocastinate. But I think it still is a good idea to do a list now that I’m actually 30 so at least I have something to keep me busy (as if I’m not) and say nung trenta ako, eto yung mga ginawa ko.

D A N C E

Dancing has always been a big part of my life. I even wanted a career out of it. I’m not saying ang galing galing ko ha cause I know I’m not it’s just that it gives me so much joy and a different type of high. All I ever dreamt of was to become one of Michael Jackson’s back up. So nung nategi siya, I told myself ay, si aunti Janet nalang pala muna or Destiny’s child kasi sila yung uso. I did join clubs and contests in college but there were just too many things happening around me I had to take a step back and focus on my studies and later on, my career.

Yung step back ko, never nang nagstep forward ulit. I got too caught up with everything kinalimutan ko yung isa sa mga bagay na nagpapasaya sakin. Since my project 30 is about indelible memories and reconnecting with my passions (gusto mo yong may pa theme ako? Hahaha), it was just right to start it with dancing. Ayan na, finally taking my first step forward. Hasthag Ang unang hakbang.

Parang ang daling sabihin nung unang hakbang but I’ve actually lost all confidence to do it. I’ve searched for numerous programmes available- yung beginner friendly (dahil my skills are basically back to 0) and di sing mahal because you know, a true Tita is well versed with the term value for money. Luckily, I found one that offers a free trial session. Paaaak! Thiz iz it!

Napaaakaaahabaaa nung chika ko but to cut it a bit short (wow ha) I finally took classes after so many years of uncertainty and procastinatiob. Unfortunately, no videos or pictures were taken kasi nabusy ang lola nyo. I’m rubbish now compared to when I was so active but I was just so happy doing it ayoko na ngang umuwi.

I guess what I learned from this experience is that despite getting caught up with all your responsibilities like bills or work and everything adulting, wag din kakalimutan yung responsibility to yourself to make time to do the things that make you happy. Napaka iksi ng life! We will never really know when our time is due thus grab every opportunity or take chances as soon as possible.

Hanggang sa muli! Taaaaa!

Lamyerda Diaries

Highlands

Mabuhay!

We recently celebrated our first year of marriage and as per tradition, we’ve decided to reward our ‘hard work’ with of course, travel!

The original plan was going to Copenhagen (scored really cheap tickets) but due to unforseeable circumstances a.k.a me losing Gelo’s BRP (UK visa) we just had to ditch the plan and just go local. So for plan B, I let my ever dependable husband (why am I rolling my eyes typing this? Lol) plan the whole trip for a change. He arranged everything – from itinerary to booking the hotel to driving us there.

From Essex, it was more or less 10 hours getting to the Highlands. Since it’s winter season and the sun basically sets at 3pm, we had to leave early to catch at least a bit of light. Out first stop- Hadrian’s Wall.

Technically the wall still lies within England however, having taken our life in the UK exam (had loads of history questions) fairly recently, we understood how it was associated to Scotland and we got curious how it still exists considering the x amount of years it has been there. Honestly though, it’s literally just a wall.

From the wall, we drove for 4-5 more hours passing by the city of Glasgow to get to one of their famous Lochs (Irish, Scotting gaelic term for Lake), Loch Lomond.

This lake is actually one of the largest in the whole Great Britain. During this trip, I have been obsessed with taking pictures by the jetty (dock) and luckily we found this sweet spot. The water was so still and it almost looked like it was an extension of the sky. So serene I love it!

After that long drive, we had an early rest in a small town called Garelochhead and stayed overnight in the Anchor Inn. The next morning (day of our anniversary) we had the chance to enjoy the sunrise over Loch Lomond.

From there, we drove for another 2 hours planning to get to the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct. On our journey I must say we had to stop multiple times (too often that I may have annoyed Gelo a bit haha) especially when we passed by the Glencoe Valley just to appreciate the breathtaking views. If any of you are planning to visit and capable of driving on your own instead taking tours, I strongly recommend you to do so.

From the original plan to get to the duct by 10, we arrived 2 hours late lol. For food, we actually packed Adobo + Rice and just ate at the parking lot (Tipid techniques).

I’m sure any Potterhead would be familiar of this view – The Glenfinnan Viaduct. On arrival, there is an actual visitors area where you can buy souvenirs, food and use the loo. They also have a carpark and charge £3 for the whole day. On the side, they have a trail leading to a viewpoint which is the view you see from the picture above. If you want a better and closer look (which I’m sure you would), from the visitor centre turn right, walk until you see the next entry to your right.

We had to do a bit of hike (around 10-15 minutes) which wasn’t too bad considering you get this view. Thank god it was sunny too!

For our sunset session, it took us another 3 hours to get to our next spot, Eilean Donan Castle. Normally, there is an admission fee of £7.50 but they just finished a wedding event so fortunately the gates were opened to public. As much as seeing the inside of the castle is a treat, I personally preferred this view:

I couldn’t think of a better way to end this special day. Scotland continues to capture our hearts. Super stunning!

On our last full day before heading home, we visited more castles starting with Urquhart which overlooks the ever so famous Loch Ness.

Admission to the castle costs £9 and an hour would probably be enough to see the ruins. The next castle was Dunrobin and it was so dreamy I felt like I was in a Cinderella movie.

They are actually closed for winter but for some reason, they gates to the gardens were open so we just took the opportunity to snap some pictures! Would be a nice setting for pictorials or even weddings.

Overall, I think our anniversary trip is a success. Of course the most important thing is that we spent quality time and just enjoyed hours and hours singing and talking about anything. I also enjoyed the fact that I took a back seat in terms of arranging all details for the trip. Will let him do all the planning the next time we leave for a holiday.

That’s all for now. Taaaaaaa!

PS. Here’s our video!

Blabbermouth, Lamyerda Diaries

Chamonix Chamonix Shapopo

It has become a (sort of) tradition that instead of celebrating birthdays with food or booze or party, we just treat ourselves with travel- whether going somewhere new locally or take advantage of the cheap travel around Europe. Since we had to hold off with travel last year for the wedding, this year we figured it’s time to get back in the game- in short, nakaluwag luwag na po mga besh! So for this year’s birthday (Hubby my labs) destination… Bonjour Chamonix, France!

Ever since our trip to Zermatt (our favorite destination to date), I’ve always been amazed by the Alpine regions. So majestic and breathtaking (and I mean that figuratively AND literally)! And also, contrary to most people’s opinion, I adore snow.

Although Chamonix is in France, due to its distance, we opted to land through Geneva Airport and just ride the bus (1 hour only) getting to our destination. We didn’t pre-book any bus tickets anymore since there were loads offering by the airport anyway. But, if you’re planning to go, some bus companies offer advance booking anyway (just so wala nang hassle when you land). Also, there are different bus companies that offer a different price range so it would be handy to research beforehand to save a bit of money.

The weather forecast before we flew was rainy and cold. Much to our surprise, it turned out to be sunny after all! We were also lucky to have booked this B&B that offered this awesome view. Perfect for the gram!

Our itinerary was quite simple, Alps, Ski/Snowboard and chill. On our first day, we literally just stayed by our accommodation, had 3 hour naps, ate dinner and birthday salubong. On day 2, we just went around the small town then to the top!

Travel Crew <3

I swear everything around just looked like it was straight out of a desktop background. I sometimes catch myself smiling at these awesome and unbelievable views just because of it’s sheer beauty.

Going to the top isn’t that cheap. It costs 60 euros to the peak- Mont Blanc, and you can also avail the Midi for 31 euros.

I’ve already learned my lesson from the last time. Take note, there’s thin air with this altitude so if you’re asthmatic like me, it helps to bring your inhaler. Also, since you’re at a closer proximity to the sun, use sunscreen and any protection from its rays. And oh, bring extra clothes to change in especially if you plan to play around the deep snow. And finally, don’t wear Vans lol.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t ski season anymore so there were no stores open to rent the equipments. We ended up just playing around the peak for 3-4 hours then went back down, walked a bit around the town then called it a night. The next day, we went to the other mountain which was basically opposite Mont Blanc

Going up costs a bit cheaper at around 15 euros. We initially planned to go paragliding but.. budget cuts lol

As usual, we just relaxed and did the usual photoshoot

I wish I could show you more pictures but I’m afraid I would run out of memory space here in WordPress lol. Here’s a video I made anyway (Usual travel assignment: Hubby takes the videos, I take pictures then I edit video footages)

Siyempre, nakikiuso din. Charing!