"While the old cathedral exudes peace and calmness, this area is the contrary. Almost everyone has a mission to accomplish. This street is action-filled."

What makes actual travel beautiful is the opportunity to see the small details not shown in travel magazines and shows. You are given the chance to scrutinize the place and discover what's beyond the most popular.

[DAGUPAN] all walks of life gather here

This journey to Dagupan is not the usual way of looking for the best place to eat, the best spot to chill, the best place to take a selfie or the best place to flaunt the traveler/tourist's aura that I am guilty of at times. This is the journey I've been where I had no real purpose but to search for meanings. I reached Dagupan with no actual plans in mind (sounds cliché for the 'no actual plans' but I can't find another words to best describe it).

Finding Inner Peace

This is the first trip I made after I am about to overcome some failures in life this year related to charting my future. I learned that everything you want will not be given to you while the things most people want to have is actually in your possession but you just fail to recognize and appreciate it, like in my case.

God must have been teaching me a lesson that I don't own the world and certain things are reserved for the right person. When I talk with my friends, they say I am so lucky. According to them, I have this, I can do that, or I can go there. But there are just things that I wanted to achieve more. You know, I failed to appreciate the great things I have in my possession. I went out of way on this real life journey because of extrinsic pressure that I wasn't able to handle.

[DAGUPAN]walking down the streets of Dagupan

This trip to Dagupan was more of a personal reflection. I was not after the enjoyment of traveling this time but it turned out that I enjoyed everything. I acted like an insane as I walk along the different streets in Dagupan without clear reason or benefit I might obtain thereafter. I was here to understand the place.

I turned ultra-happy just eating street food because I was able to understand the place. I got lost in my direction on board a jeep and yet it felt good because I was able to understand the place. So I was here to keenly observe, appreciate the simple things and learn a lesson from all of those encounters.

In the long run, Dagupan gave me the opportunity to reflect. I've found inner peace. I'm moving on.

The Real Life, Hopes, Dreams

I reached a cathedral in Dagupan I considered as a missing link. I am not a Roman Catholic, let's be clear with that. I don't even believe in religion established by man because for me religion is your personal relationship with the Creator. I happened to be very interested with cathedrals because of the history they posses, the art they show and the role they play in shaping a culture (and a society). In front of the cathedral is an instance of a living picture that contains a thousand philosophies and golden rules.

[DAGUPAN]hopes and dreams along Dagupan's streets

I noticed these street vendors in front of the Old Dagupan Cathedral ▬ a lot of them! While the old cathedral exudes peace and calmness, this area is the contrary. Almost everyone has a mission to accomplish. This street is action-filled. While some people might be joining the frenzy just for fun, most people take their tasks seriously (on my own observation). These tasks I am referring are the foundation for every family; and these tasks are motivated by the challenge to survive the daily tests of life masked by friendly voices and invitations to try their products ▬ mussels, oysters and some seafoods.

These people aren't usually seen in the glossy pages of travel magazines although they play a part in the travel industry. They serve as front-liners for the so-called tourism-driven industries marketed to tourists. I am not just talking about Dagupan here ▬ this is in general, most especially to tourism-driven economies. These people benefit though. At least their products are marketable but beyond what they sell are hopes for a better life and dreams that they want to achieve; out from these little industries.

[DAGUPAN] a pail of mussels for hope

[DAGUPAN] a pail of oysters for dreams

[DAGUPAN] or buying a cup of this for the vendor's food for the day

At the end of the day, this is reality. You'll see hardworking people under the guise of promoted local industries in many places. The reality is they do this for a living to realize their dreams and strengthen their hopes.

Things like the foregoing have opened my mind wider. Some people don't just go in this area to pray in that . It is more than the meditation and prayer. They also act and do something to make their prayers do come true.▬ to be continued...

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/THIS POST IS PART OF A SUB-SERIES/