Lingayen is All About Letting Go of What Lies Ahead :)

For almost two months, I had to be on a travel hiatus.There was this test that I had to take and it required me to be under a tedious review routine. The mortality rate was high and failure was not part of the picture. I had to battle between post stress travel syndrome and achieving above average scores in my review. Plus the fact that it was summer and all the social networking sites were flooded with photos taken either on the beach,on a mountain peak etc and status updates were about how good their vacation was. All these made me dead envious.I felt like a kid,having to do chores while watching other kids play.

Dagupan Village Hotel

It was like light at the end of the tunnel when we were given the option to take the test in Dagupan, Pangasinan. The test was to be held at a hotel in the outskirts of town and opted to stay there overnight in preparation for the 6:30am test. As expected,after the 3:30pm speaking test I was drained like crap. At the end of the exam, all the examinees had this certain look of hopelessness. 

Look at the HUGE ceiling fan ;))

After checking out,we left our bags at the mall and headed straight to St John the Baptist Cathedral to say a prayer and did a short walking tour around the town plaza.

I have read a blog post about the beautiful provincial capitol of Pangasinan and I wouldn't miss the chance of seeing it in person.From Dagupan,we rode the public jeep to Lingayen.

Though the skies were dark with rain clouds that looked like it was brewing a storm,the yellow provincial capitol stood out in all its grandeur. The newly painted posts in white that held the building together resembled to that of the White House in the US. 

Pretty :)

Not far from the capitol is a park where the WWII memorabilia are displayed. Pictures of warships that once docked the Lingayen Gulf are showcased in enclosed cabinets. Going through all these things took me back to when rice and meat and many other things were considered as luxurious by many. I felt proud in a way that though many have suffered, most have shown their gallantry and bravery for the love of their country. 

sucker for historical shizz

I could imagine how the Americans used the Lingayen Gulf as a docking area for their warships that also carried battle tanks,guns,canons and the like.

While walking along the vast grey shores of Lingayen Gulf on a quiet Sunday afternoon,a lot of locals were having their family picnics on the nearby huts for rent. "Pukot" is still being practiced there.We were lucky to have witnessed how the fishermen painstakingly pull their nets to the shore hoping for a bountiful catch. Unfortunately,even before the whole width of the net was pulled to the shore, many have already partaken on the catch supposedly divided into equal parts. And maybe because of the impending downfall,the catch,even if divided equally,wouldn't really suffice.

easy like Sunday morning

We feasted on fish balls, kikiam and chicken balls after walking almost the whole length of Lingayen Gulf. The salty breeze was good enough to wash away my worries about the dreaded results. I was more than thankful to be able to live that moment.

Choose your own path and LIVE IT!