Destination: Dingalan, Aurora

Yesterday I was up and on the road for 23 hours straight. So I ended up sleeping for 14 straight hours as a result. I think next weekend I will just take it easy and not travel at all, even if I'm still itching to go places. But I have to find a balance in everything that I do, or else I will end up fatigued and penniless (although extremely fulfilled). A blog post containing pictures of cats will have to suffice next week!

So last Sunday I accompanied my sister and her students to the town of Dingalan, in the province of Aura. It was a beautiful place, although somewhat "raw". Looking at how this town runs their tourist spots, it was evident that they don't yet have a plan as to how to make the tourism business a sustainable one. Some of the places of interest are not yet fitted with accessibility features, making them extremely difficult to get to, especially during inclement weather. And just by looking at the amount of trash littered on some of their beaches just shows that this town has not anticipated the number of visitors they were expecting to receive.

But it was still a fun place to visit nonetheless. The people in this town were extremely warm and accommodating, and that alone makes is a good enough reason to experience Dingalan. Unlike some places in the Philippines which are outright beautiful but the people are rude and will try to squeeze every cent from you that they can get their paws on (I'm looking at you Sagada!), the people of Dingalan are honest and simple, and will try to help you to make your stay enjoyable without expecting anything more except their pre-arranged fee. And this makes this trip a very memorable one in my book!