Monday, October 31, 2011
Bataan: the first solitary adventure
The Solitary Traveler
This is my first time to visit Bataan and I don't know anyone from the place. It was a challenge for me considering my fear of asking directions and poor navigation skills (I've known that since high school when I failed Trigonometry, I didn't want to participate in discussions and recitations and to me all right angles are wrong).
Big deal, right? But seriously, I'm like that Amazing Race contestant who is crying out of frustration for not knowing which way to go next. I could be James Franco in 127 Hours, except that if I died and no one recognized me, my poor dead body would be thrown out of the sea. Talk about a shark's happy meal.
Four days. Three nights. An unfamiliar place. One great adventure.
So who cares about directions? I guess at one point, every traveler gets lost. Then again, a wandering soul never does, because every place he visits is home.
This is my first time to visit Bataan and I don't know anyone from the place. It was a challenge for me considering my fear of asking directions and poor navigation skills (I've known that since high school when I failed Trigonometry, I didn't want to participate in discussions and recitations and to me all right angles are wrong).
Big deal, right? But seriously, I'm like that Amazing Race contestant who is crying out of frustration for not knowing which way to go next. I could be James Franco in 127 Hours, except that if I died and no one recognized me, my poor dead body would be thrown out of the sea. Talk about a shark's happy meal.
Four days. Three nights. An unfamiliar place. One great adventure.
So who cares about directions? I guess at one point, every traveler gets lost. Then again, a wandering soul never does, because every place he visits is home.
A white guy and a sand bar in Negros Oriental
While it was raining cats and dogs in Metro Manila, 6 travelers flew, sailed, walked and rode the bus for a getaway to Western Visayas. Beach hopping in August? Why not? After all, summer isn’t the only legitimate time to go on a beach adventure.
It was a fine Tuesday afternoon in Dumaguete City. After a short nap which was the usual for the group after every meal, we hit the bus to Bais, a town in Negros Oriental. The fish crackers, hard-boiled eggs and iced tea I got from the bus vendor made the 2-hour travel more fun, especially that it was like I’m watching a romantic film as one of my friends share stories and laughter with a passenger she met. He was nice, polite, and ahmm, quite alright. As of this writing, I bet they’re exchanging messages and engage in really long telephone conversations. A love affair in Dumaguete. I hope they end up together.
So my friend was lucky to find ‘love’ in our trip. I wonder what’s in store for me.
After that long bus ride, we sailed again. And after a few minutes, 4 cottages appeared from nowhere as if they were floating in the sea.
We’re here.
The Manjuyod Sandbar is beautiful. Nothing really special compared to the sandbar of Caramoan and the one in my hometown, Pagbilao in the Quezon province. But the place was peaceful and we’re the only ones there so the island was all ours!
We were like kids - running, jumping, doing cartwheels and all. Jumpshots here, taking pictures there, it was the perfect place for the six of us to bond and catch up.
We ended the day sailing back to the town while watching the beautiful sunset.
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