It had been a really rough week, and the wife and I are almost drained. I was busy with a lot of work (no complaints here, i love work!), and the wife was exhausted from the household chores. Further heightened by Zeppelin forgetting how to pee in the bathroom which he just learned recently. It happens sometimes because Zepp also has absence seizures, as explained to us by our neuro-pediatrician, they're kind of like mini-seizures which occur inside his brain, and when that happens, his brain resets, and we're back to square one. Bummer.

The straw that broke her back, I suppose, was when Zepp peed on the newly replaced bedsheets and was peed on again the next day -- sheets, pillows, comforter and all.

So this morning, when she told me that she wanted to go for a ride and grab a bite, I obliged.

FIRST STOP: LILIW

We went to Liliw, Laguna to eat our favorite Palabok.

We always come back for this whenever we drop by Liliw, Palabok is Noodles smothered with Shrimp Sauce topped with squid, pork rind, smoked fish, and shredded chicken. A serving costs PHP50 ($1).

After eating, we bought some pasalubong for the kids and my inlaws.

Liliw Bakery's Yema Cake

And Lucban Longanisa

Bought some cashew nuts from Lolo as well

A wooden gun

I had a lot of fun with these when I was a kid, needless to say, we got one for Vedder.

A photo of our ride. I call him FINN, and he's a real head-turner

Another shot. FINN is a vain SOB LOL

SECOND STOP: NAGCARLAN

On our way home, the wife suggested that we take the route towards Calauan, to which I agreed to, the roads are good and has a lot of twists and curves (only riders can relate to this) the rush you get from leaning on curves is one of my stress-relievers.

Unli-benking!

Then we saw the sign pointing towards Bunga Falls. I've been living in San Pablo for 15 years, and my wife is born and bred there, but we both have never been to Bunga Falls. We just saw it in pictures. A friend of mine told me that it was only a short 10-minute hike from the parking area to the falls, so since we didn't have the kids with us, and it was still pretty early, we decided to visit it.

There is a 25 peso environmental fee that you'd pay near the entrance. I asked the caretaker how long the trek would be and she said it's only about 7-8 minutes. Little did I know that it involves a lot of steep climbs lol. I think it took us a good 15 minutes at least to get there, but it felt like forever, my legs were in agony from carrying my 220lb frame. But once we got near and heard the rushing waters and felt the cool breeze, the pain subsided.

The sight that greets you

Somekinda Long-exposure shot.

This was taken hand-held at about 1-second exposure. The stabilizers of the G7x and the built-in ND filter helped a lot to achieve this shot.

A group of boys jumping from the top of the cliff

Looks like a belly flop.

Mandatory Two-fie

I think we stayed there for less than 30 minutes. We didn't bring any change of clothes with us so we can't take a dip. And the water is freezing as well so I won't take a dip even if I have a change of clothes lol.

THIRD STOP: CALAUAN

Going through Nagcarlan was quick, the roads are good with only a few cars, I had a lot of fun with the curves with the occasional claw grip by the wife on my legs when she feels that we're going too fast. LOL

A damn cool off-roader, I had to take a picture to show Vedder

Parked by the road near Calauan's plaza to buy some fruits.

Got a couple of Pineapples

Probably not as sweet as those that come from @ellebravo's farm but these would do. :)

Got these citrus fruits as well.

FOURTH STOP: TIKIW

Ubeybe-beybe, Ubeybe-beybe

We stopped by Tikiw as well to get some Ube Halaya, a sweet dessert made from mashed purple yam. Zepp loves to snack on these.

After that, we headed home. We were gone for less than four hours, rode around 70kilometers, and I don't know how many steps during our short hike that felt like an eternity. Our kids were waiting when we got home, excited to see what we got for them.

We were tired and recharged at the same time, our bellies full and our spirit energized and ready for the challenges that the coming days will bring.

Now, it's time to eat the Yema Cake. LOL.

I'd also like to give a shout-out to the guys that I met in @bobiecayao's chat group in FB. They were a lot of fun to talk to, especially @veejay2312 who's a rider as well. It was awesome meeting you guys.

This post ends with a selfie

Shameless Plug

If you haven't read it yet, please do take the time to read the beautifully-written A Day In The Clouds which chronicles one of Zepp's misdaventures.