The worst thing about a surprise visit home is that an 8-hour flight feels like an 8-hour carousel ride.

The best thing about that long trip was watching the Cinderella-rock story of Ariel Pineda, a Filipino singer-songwriter who is now the lead singer of the American rock band, Journey.

Fast forward to my welcome committee. Touchdown Philippines!

From Manila, it takes another 6-8 hours ride (in our case 10 hrs) going home to my province. The best thing about these long trips is the stopover – you get to stretch your legs and eat tasty roadside food.

There’s a new chain of awesome stopovers in the Northern Region.

Nothing beats the green green grass of home.

After almost 24 hours of travel and waiting, I finally reached home, straight into the arms of unsuspecting kids and family.

It felt so nice to be back in the arms of unconditional love.

Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need. – Sarah Ban Breathnach