"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."— Mark Twain
By Ebb Dirige Resella & Celia Arreza Espiritu
Ebb: Hello everyone! This blog format is something new and came out of Celia’s recent sympathy e-mail to me. An informal kind…ala….. Oprah talk show. The contents, comments, views are not fictitious but all true. Of course, I added & embellished some… to make it sounds more appetizing to read. As the original blogger of Gintong Daan, it’s my great privilege to have a dialogue w/ our dear classmate, Celia. Back in high school, I thought of her as a CELEBRITY. This chit-chat is not a Tessie M. regular column but my new idea of a talk- show-blog.
Celia: Ebb, my sympathies on the passing of your aunt. God gave her a long life. Let's pray we live long and fruitful lives too.
Ebb: Thank you so much for your delightful e-mail. It’s like a very refreshing shot after surviving lots of sad news about deaths from two families. My aunt who recently passed away was the last of the big Villa clan (my mother’s side). One by one we saw them died & got buried. The reality of death is….. scary. The whole clan was gone. Soon it will be our generation that will be next. But we should move on & continue to be fruitful. So at the end of our lives there will be no regrets.
You know, never in my dreams did I imagine that someday you’ll be writing me so many e-mails. When we were re-connected during our 50th reunion last Feb.20, 2010, we didn’t have much time to chit-chat. But we had lots of hugs & smiles. Look at our photo below. Taken during the Bali Hai dance practice.
Celia: I was so busy being the president & coordinator of our 50th & 79th reunion. Luckily, we didn’t get sick despite of hectic schedules, planning & endless dance practices. Hooray!
Ebb: When we were in high school, I didn’t remember having a long chit-chat w/ you either. You’re very studious, smart & sophisticated. No wonder you became the Valedictorian of class 1960. You probably didn’t noticed we were only together in Section A during our freshman & sophomore years. Some teachers disliked me so much they tossed me from one section to the other. Junior year, I was in Section D. Senior year I was in Section C. I wondered why? Anyway, I didn’t resent them. The good part was that I got to know many wonderful classmates from the other sections of class of 1960. More varieties.
Celia: Geez.....sorry, I had no idea about this….??????????? All I know was that I was the favorites of all the teachers. Shhh…… especially Mrs. Bonifacio. I made a scrapbook about her.
Ebb: Let’s changed our topic, okay? Let’s walk slowly down memory lanes & chit-chat about our once upon a time travels on the Golden Road (“Gintong Daan”). I am happy to write that many are now reading our new pwu blog: http://gintongdaanpwuhs1960.blogspot.com/
Celia: Ebb, you are so consistent and devoted to our blog it puts me to shame. I get bursts of inspiration which prompts me to write. Otherwise, I follow blog entries and the lively exchange of email. Sometimes I don't share my day by day musings because it may not be of interest to you or others. Oftentimes, my days are so full of activities I can't find the time or creative energy to write. Enjoyed going over your interesting blog entries with accompanying pictures of your travel highlights. Roby and I like travelling just like you and Rhod.
Ebb: I am glad you found my travel blog interesting. Also intrigued that you open up about your many travels. Cora, Puri, Evelyn NZ, Sari, etc. shared many of their travels through our e-mail exchanged. I hope you have been following. We could document & preserve our travels together in our pwu blog as heritage for our future generations. When you write about your travel, it would be nice to SHARE photos. I am happy you had cruised many times. Tell me where you had cruised before?
Celia: Cruising is the way to go at our age. We've done it as a couple to the Caribbean.
Ebb: How wonderful to know you’re a seasoned traveler too & you’re into cruising. How come our paths never crossed during those Caribbean cruises? We did Western Caribbean (Jamaica, Grand Cayman & Cozumel) in 2001. Eastern Caribbean ( Jamaica, Aruba) in 2005. So. Caribbean ( Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Sta. Lucia, St. Maarten, Antigua, & Barbados) in Spring 2007. I documented our So. Caribbean cruise on my art blog: http://forever-art.blogspot.com/
When you get to “Forever-Art”- Go to the BLOG ARCHIVE on the LEFT. CLICK on dates starting on July 28,2007 or ending on Sept. 10,2007. I posted 7 series entitled "ART OF CRUISING THE CARIBBEAN." Very long posts but good reading when you have nothing to do. When you get to the end of the series, “CLICK Older Blog”(found on the right side bottom). Or you can go to the left & CLICK the dates. It’s a little tricky to maneuver my art blog. Practice! Enjoy the Caribbean tour!
Celia: And the Mediterranean. With our entire family in Southeast Asia, my in laws to Alaska, with our Canyon Woods neighbors on the Baltic Sea 12-day cruise.
Ebb: We did the Mediterranean cruise to (Italy, Greece & Turkey) in Fall 2007. We traveled & cruised with cousins but NOT as a great. We’ve tried traveling w/ some of my sisters but were whinners. You need lots of patience when traveling. Rhod & I are very compatible travelers. We are very patient. We like the same food, tours, sights, & activities. We traveled w/ our own children a lot. Had very good times & memories. Never experience traveling w/ in-laws. We like warm & nice beaches, so we spent lots of vacations in places like Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico & Florida. Alaska & the Baltic are on our future bucket list. You seemed to have seen them all. Would you like to share your other trip?
Celia:But in a large country as China, we've gone on extended land travel with Roby's ex-officemates who are retirees themselves, taking one section of the country at a time. Memorable was our climb to the Great Wall- I was the only one who made to the top on that section and it took me an hour. I just took on the personal challenge so I could say that at age 65, (that was 2 years ago) I could still do it.
Ebb: After our trip to the Philippines last Feb. 2010, we took a 12 day Southeast Asia cruise w/ Diamond Princess. We started in Bangkok and ended in Beijing. Before sailing to Beijing we went to Shanghai. After the cruise we stayed in Beijing for four days. We joined a small private tour group. Our first day was a big disappointment because it rained half day, as we toured the Forbidden city, Tianamen Square, Golden Palace & Summer Palace. Next day tour, the weather was nice and a bit sunny. It was winter time (end of March). We had a private car & tour of the Great Wall. Just four of us - the driver and travel guide woman. Our climb was as memorable as yours. I know many people who didn’t make it to the top. But Rhod & I made it. I was 66 yrs. old back then. It was an exhilarating experience to get to the TOP. It wasn’t easy but we were kind to our bodies. We had to stop in between steep steps & catch up w/ our breaths. The great height drained our stamina but we did it slowly at our own pace. Good we were not competing in a marathon. The Great Wall is an awesome & amazing sight. Look at my photo below. Still smiling although naghihingalo. Ha! Ha! Ha!
Celia: We've also gone all over Turkey (that was 10 years ago) Israel and Egypt, touring these countries before the terrorists came in.
Ebb: Israel is on our bucket list too but not Egypt. With the recent uprising, I bet it’s not too safe. Many American where evacuated during the riots and warned not to venture there. So tell me what’s your favorite places?
Celia: But our personal favorite was the Spain Portugal and Morocco tour we took 3 years ago. We somehow felt a connection specially with Spain because of our roots. A few years ago on another cruise, we found ourselves in Barcelona during the month-long celebration of Gaudi's art, architecture and his famous Sagrada Familia. That was so special! I too appreciate art.
Ebb: I am glad you highly rated Spain, Portugal & Morocco. That’s next on our travel-list. We are planning to do a land tour of the 3 countries on September. We had been to Europe many times but somehow we never wanted to go to Spain. After our trip to the Philippines & Acapulco, Mexico in 2010, I finally convinced Rhod to go to Spain. We’d like to connect to our roots. After the land tour we plan to take another Mediterranean cruise starting from Barcelona. Last week I bought a colorful book on Barcelona & the Gaudi art & architecture. Could hardly wait to get there.
Celia: We've also tried to see parts of Europe using the Eurailpass, but I found it too challenging as we had to look for lodging each time we would get to the train station in another city. Good for the young and those who travel light (not me.) Not for those who have motion sickness like me
Ebb: Although Rhod is a good navigator, we never tried Eurailpass. His time is too valuable to waste scouting for places. Once, we tried doing our own tours of Italy/France w/ our 4 children. We ended up wasting lots of time looking for places, hotels, etc. & waiting in lines going to museums/attractions. We also spent more money paying for toll roads, gas & other hidden expenses. We favored escorted tours & full package. Although more expensive, it’s worth paying the extra dollars for convenience & less stress. During my 40’s, when I was going through difficult hearing loss, I suffered from motion sickness too. Traveling by air & sea made me threw up and took hours to get back to normal. I depended on Dramamine to survive traveling. We never took cruises till 2001 ( 2 years after I had a cochlear implant on my right ear in 1997). The implant was amazing because I no longer suffer from motion sickness. So far I could fly on the plane w/ out Dramamine. I had enjoyed 10 cruises w/out getting sea sick. And many land tours w/ out getting motion sickness. God knows I like to travel and He healed me.
Celia: Travelling has not only made us closer but has made us more in awe of God's creation and provision. God truly shows himself in his creation and just the thought that he made it all for our enjoyment is humbling. God bless you.
Ebb: That’s a beautiful thought to keep us traveling more in our sunset years. Here's a parting thought from Jonathan Clements- "Retirement is like a long vacation in Las Vegas. The goal is to enjoy it the fullest, but not so fully that you run out of money."
1st photo - Canyon Cove, Nasugbu, Batangas
2nd - Canyon Cove, Nasugbu, Batangas “Your life is an island separated from all other islands and continents. Regardless of how many boats you send to other shores or how many ships arrive upon your shores, you yourself are an island separated by its own pains, secluded in its happiness” Kahlil Gibran 
3rd - Tagaytay-“Work becomes our spiritual journey when our destination is no longer just becoming more successful or more wealthy, or getting a pay check, promotion, or job security, but when we also work to resolve a most fundamental question: Can we be at home in our lives - can we be open, honest, and at ease under all circumstances, moment by moment?” Michael Carroll 
4th - Tagaytay - “We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
5th - Tagaytay- "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another island. There is no other land, there is no other life but this."-Henry Thoreau (American essayist, poet and philospher, 1817-1862
TAGAYTAY,PHILIPPINES (2010)
A LOVELY VIEW OF TAAL VOLCANO
CLOSE UP OF TAAL VOLCANO & LAKE- As tourists we went to the town of Talisay, a few kilometers down the slopes of Tagaytay city. A motorboat & a guide took us to the volcano island (where this crater lake is) for approximately 45 minutes. For those who could afford, disabled, ederly or plain lazy — they normally take horses up the slopes to the viewing deck. By horses, the viewing deck is only about 20 minutes from the shore(where the boats dock). By foot, the same distance can be covered in an hour or so. During our visit, the path was very dusty.We decided to forgo the horse tour although it's included on our tour package. It was extremely hot and dusty and we don't like to get sick.
OUR HAPPY GROUP- My cousin Lita & her brother Carlos (our driver)accompanied us to this tour (left side.) Dave & cousin Cely fr.Maryland ( right side) joined us too.We were a happy bunch despite of the heat.
