"In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips."
-Salmon Rushdie
College life is bearable because of these precious and amazing friends I have right now. So when one of them celebrated birthdays recently, I'm instantly down for the fun to make them happy. Since they're the one that makes my life sweeter in the midst of bitterness, we have a chocolate cake for this birthday boy, Joshua. Also, we've planned to celebrate an overnight party for him at a rest house where Luther is working at PNOC2, Murcia City. It was actually our third time going at his place but that was the first time for an overnight stay.
On the way...
We met at the bus terminal at around 8:00 am to catch an early ride after buying all the foods and things we need. As I mentioned on my previous posts about this place, the only accessible public transportation is a bus unless you have your own private vehicle. The fare can cost up to 50 pesos and buses are only available until around 4:00 pm, so it's better to have an overnight stay here to enjoy most of your time with nature.
We have a stopped at 
During the day...
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Thanks also to Luther as always for lending his place for our trips. He was the one who fetched us at the bakery, so we could save a little while enjoying this stay. When we arrived, we immediately settled ourselves and our things, then prepared to cook our lunch. We're starving from not having breakfast for an early jump off.
While Fria, Joshua, and Luther marinated and grilled the pork and cooked the Chicken Adobo, Persss cooked our rice, then I brought the fruits for us which are bananas and apples. When everything was ready, we lit the candle on his cake and made him wish. It was nice seeing him being happy like a kid after all that stress we've had encountered before our graduation ceremony.
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After that sumptuous meal, we rest for an hour, then proceed on walking towards the river. I noticed some changes over here. The roads were concrete, and there is a new resort and camping site that has been newly opened near the river where we are swimming for free. Moreso, the Russian Resort, the river where we can enjoy for free has a lot of changes, too.
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Rainbow painted nursery boxes, fishes on the ponds, lotuses, and more people coming over at the place. As usual, the water was too cold over here that we couldn't bear it for long. We have to get out from there before we shivers.
Walking back, we decided to check to Graceland Resort which is located near the place also. Luther is the local here, so he knows the shortcuts better than us.
Through the bushes...
We've entered the adventure through these bushes on a narrow path. It was a short walk through it and we came out to probably another rest house.
It has flowers.
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We stopped to adore these blooming Dahlia flowers. I just couldn't take a decent photo of it because my phone couldn't handle bright exposures that well. It's a bit dimmer or blurry, but those were the Dahlias.
Proceeding in, another bushy roads were encountered but at least, it is wider than the first one. And after a few steps, we finally came out to GRACELAND.
We didn't enter the place actually. We only took photos at the signage for memoir purposes, and now, here it is.
Going back to the Rest House...
There's a route going up and this is where usually visitors of Graceland passes by. This is connected also to Luther's Rest House, at the back of it, a shortcut. To divert our attention from the long walks we had from the river, we have made a little fun along the way.
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This couple thought of a piggy back ride even if her partner was tired from but he did it anyway, laughing off his weary face. Perssss have fun using their prankishness as a model to his photography, and proceed to mimic a famous Agriculturist on social media by identifying the plants we could see by its common name, scientific name and uses.
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Then Luther and his younger brother, on the other side, was trying to get Santol and Mango Fruits by throwing sticks or stones up high, trying their best to hit them to fall. They successfully got some Santol but exclaimed that it was very sour. They didn't got any Mango, though, for it was too high.
And me here, have my own business, by capturing photos of any flowers that I could see on the way. So, let me share what I've gotten.
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Later when we got back, it rained heavily for a while. The rain made the fog dissipate, revealing the lofty greeneries of trees covering the mountains at the distance. And yes, we had coffee while it's raining!
Since it was getting dark and the roads were damped with rainwaters, we decided to visit the abandoned helipad tomorrow morning.
By the next morning...
It was very cold during the entire night and we couldn't sleep that well. We have enjoyed playing cards and got tired from the activities we did. Next morning, we have woken up early. The couple cooked our breakfast while Luther was busy trimming the grass on the plants and the lawn.
After having breakfast, we proceed to the area of Abandoned Helipad. Fortunately, the weather blessed us with a fine one. We could walk and reconnect to nature without worries if rain drops would fall anytime from the sky.
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We had a great view from there unveiling more lofty trees above the mountains. At the distance, in the direction of Don Salvador Benedicto, we could see the towers at the top of the mountain, then later on recognizing that it was indeed the Campuestohan Highland Resort.
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Moving on, the warm breeze of the morning sun greeted us. We've hurried to take photos as we can. Then, we went back to the rest house to ready ourselves, then pack our things to leave. We have to go down early to avoid rainfalls for safety.
It was a fun and happy trip once again for us. This is our favorite place to unwind, celebrate, and heal from life's trauma. By the way, this is the end of my blog. Thanks for reading!