I left Laoag City at 5:00 AM today on board a car to Manila. It was a slow ride due to heavy traffic in almost all the towns and cities we had to pass through along the way. My son enjoyed the scenery of the rice fields and mountains on the east and the sea shore on the west and most of all, the food we had to eat along the way. In a few days, my son will be going back to Los Angeles.

The trip took us almost 13 hours to reach Manila. We were delayed by a “flat tire” which was brought about by a 4-inch nail that punctured one of the car’s rear tires. We were fortunate to bring the car with air to spare up to Tarlac City. The one who fixed/vulcanized the tire said that the nail came from one of the temporary wooden bridges somewhere between San Fernando, La Union and Tarlac City.

On my way to Manila, I was planning to have an evening run at The Fort but the long trip from Laoag City made me tired and undecided. However, after arriving in my quarters, I noticed that I have more things to do to prepare for my “official” duties and activities for tomorrow. So, I finally decided not to run this evening and I have to go to bed early and prepare for longer runs tomorrow.