Getting Ready for Davao

Last July, My BFF's and I went to Davao.
Our first trip as a group.
Chaos & Riot!

Around end of May 2009, my friend Grace, who works at Singapore, just casually said that she wants to go to Vigan/Ilocos when she comes home for a vacay. I have been to Ilocos around the 90's, i want to go back because i want to see some "tourist" improvements. Time has caught up and changes have been made eversince. My other friend Zenna, is not quite open to going back there so soon, i think just a couple years ago. We exchange emails & IM's and decided we'll go to Davao. Everybody agreed. Next step is asking who would come, of course Grace's twin sister Rose is coming, our problem is asking Jenny, our friend who has a family already. But she dropped them like a hot potato when she found out! She's coming too! LOL

It all fell into place just like that! *snaps fingers*

Next step is finding cheap tickets, this went to our resident wow philippines model/traveler/tourist guide/travel agent, Zenna. Found cheap ones and in Promo from Cebu Pacific Airlines. She emailed us and delegated tasks to be done for the trip. I thought i was free! But nooo, she gave us things to be done, like a commander on a pirate ship. hehehe. The Twins took Azienda Meo, Jen got Pearl Farm & I got Hof Gorei.

I asked my Mom permission to go. It's not what you think. I just want her to know that I'm going somewhere. With my friends. They basically think i can't get anywhere, what am i? a 5 year old??

Countdown till the trip itself began, i was so excited, emails & IM exchanged every night, i could feel the excitement between my friends too.

For me, packing is a nightmare, i always overpack, i tend to bring so much stuff that i thought i need and ended up not using them anyways, so for this i edited almost every night before going to sleep. Since I'm a plus size girl, my clothes are big & bulky too, so i chose lightweight stuff and set my mind on not bringing extra clothes. My toiletries kit is another post, but i think i didn't edit it that much and it was the heaviest kit on my bag.

After choosing my clothes & whatnots, i have come to the hardest part, what kind of bag will i bring? do i bring a wheelie? a backpack? or a huge duffel bag?

Zenna, has perfected the world of packing light, suggested using a backpack, since we're all ladies and no boylets to carry our luggage around. But nooo, i had to use the wheelie because my stuff can't fit in the darn backpack. what am i? a mutant turtle?? When we met at the airport that morning, I had my wheelie, the twins had a small wheelie & a duffel, Zenna has this uber teeny tiny backpack at her back, i was like?? what do you got in there?? i don't believe it!

So on my next post, i'll tell the story of Day 1 in Davao.


XOXO,

Lele

Davao Trip Essentials

So....my friends and i are going to Davao next month, and it got me thinking, what kind/type of luggage will i bring?? do i bring a mini trolley(what do you call it)? the one used for check in luggages? My friend says NO. we will travel by land & SEA so she said to make sure that i don't have a hard time. since we're all girls. No boyfriends on this trip so no one to carry those heavy bags. =)

Overnight CarryAll: maybe this would be a good idea. but since i have to sling on ONE shoulder or maybe use one hand to carry it..naaahh... Okay, i will bring one that folds up small, so i can fill it with pasalubong going back...Suha & Durian, anyone?? ahaha...

BackPack: i don't want to look like those backpackers. hahaha..but i think this would be the ideal one. both of my hands would be free. i have no stuff to drop & toss on the floor and totally forget about it. so we have a winner. only problem is... i don't have a decent backpack. my back pack is a quilted chanel i got from Tresorie years ago. could barely fit a shirt in there, what more of a snorkeling gear?? so today...i hunt for the "back pack"...

Longchamp: I have washed my battered & dirty Longchamp, time to retire the designer goodies, rainy season na, better be careful of those vachettas. Also perfect for travel because of it's light weight & perfect size. Hope I win Mrs.T's contest and win that Herve Chapelier sac! wooot!!

Ricoh GX200: being on flickr makes me appreciate photos, colors, nature and just about everything God has given us, more. I thought about getting a DSLR but that would be too much for me, me with the shortest attention span in the whole wide world. So thanks to my flickr friends, i have found the perfect camera, for now. It works & functions like a DSLR, but has a body of a compact point & shoot camera. woohoo! can't wait to test drive in Davao!

Snorkeling Gear: ok i am afraid of SCUBA diving. even snorkeling!!! but i have to learn to love this or else i will miss out BIG TIME!!! will look for a decent set at the mall today...

OK..so far that's my checklist...will add more soon...any suggestions??

Davao

We're Going to Davao!

After years of planning, drawing, hee haw, and all that hullabaloo. we make it happen. Woohoo!!! Sadly not all of us cannot come.

Zenna, the twins Grace & Rose, and Me are good to go. Don't know about Jen ( she have a family now ) and Valerie can't go because she recently just got back to Dubai.

We have been "drawing" for an all girls trip to somewhere around the Philippines. We didn't plan an out of the country trip, which i wanted, because Zenna doesn't have a passport yet. (now she does! woohoo!) Everytime we meet during one of our birthdays, we plan this. We visualize, we schedule what to do. all the details are magnified. we all wanted this to happen. NOT.

Last week, Grace IM'd me, saying wanting to go to Ilocos. Grace works in Singapore and going home for a vacation this coming end of june-july. i said to her, ok let's go. hehe. then she said Zenna doesn't want to because she's already been there. Sadly i have been to also. I just said yes because that was ages ago. I also wanted to go back to Pagudpod. In Short, Ilocos was scratched and Davao was conceptualized.

IM, emails, SMS flew back and forth between Ortigas, Singapore, Valenzuela & Cavite. In a span of 2 days, we have a booking for Davao. At Cebu Pacific. OMG! i'm scared! this is my first time to fly that airline. We have always flew PAL. I hope everything's gonna be alright...i hate flying! why did i ever agree to this on the first place?! oh yeah. girl bonding moments...

Wait...can i still buy PAL tickets?? and just meet you there girls??