I guess it's time to delete.
I scrolled over 10,000 photos in my gallery, trying to scavenge pictures worthy of being saved for memory-making sake.
That's when I bumped into this photo.
A photo of a duck on the sea.
It's a very simple photo, but it brought me back to a specific place. I remember I freed myself from heavy backlogs for a short period of nature's peaceful remedy. I remember finding this duck and laughing at how comical it looks in the crystal clear water. I remember it was a piece of tranquility, something that I'm craving today.
Where was this?
Ah, of course, the famous Boracay Island.
August of 2019
It was my second year as an employed teacher. I've been promoted as a Science Coordinator, and being new to this middle management position; everything was all over the place. Classes just started. The clock seemed to run faster than last year, and I remembered feeling choked up with the pressure and demands.
"Ta! Boracay."
In Cebu and some other neighboring provinces, "Ta" casually means "Let's Go." The invitation came from my classmates, and they, too, were dying for a touch of seawater.
"Ta!"
It was a perfect time to have a breather.
Starting The Journey to Detachment
I spent the trip with them. These are Mitzi, Mikay, Jai, and Josette. It's for you to figure out who is who.
This circle is a studious group. We haven't had a lot of trips together for the sake of a vacation. We had been traveling together in competitions, volunteer works, and school concerns, so this was one of the first times we traveled, detaching from our burdens.
Like myself, they have been bombarded with the demands of professional life as well. Sure, we were taught about the concepts of sciences and mathematics, but never about the pull and push of life's expectations on us - student achievers.
Instead of getting a plane that lands at a nearby airport, we decided to take a flight that lands towns further from the island. It's going to be a long and fun joy ride, we'd say. It was long indeed, but I don't remember it being fun. We lacked sleep from overnight travel, motion sickness from one of us, and regret not taking the nearby airport.
When we arrived at the island, everything was super strict. At that time, the island just reopened for redevelopment due to environmental concerns. Hence, the protocols. We had with us our bag of clothes, as well as a pack of worries, and we were unsure of what this travel would be like. Just another beach weekend, maybe? Maybe.
Regardless, this was the start of our detachment process.
When we arrived, pricy meals, Chinese people flocking over to different locations, and surprising traffic welcomed us.
We booked a room which was expensive for a night. Yet, we were thrilled to experience what Boracay has in store for us. Though the deadlines and deliverables still cling to us like leeches, we harnessed the power of "who cares?" just by stepping foot on the island.
The first thing we did was island hopping. It was cool and all, but frankly, it wasn't enjoyable. I mean, the activity was something that we could get in Cebu. Or Maybe the one we joined didn't have the paradise flair to it. Indeed, this isn't what Boracay can provide, right?
So we spent a long time asking people and searching where to go. Funny, we realized we didn't prepare much for this trip. So, we took charge by going to the edge of Boracay via tricycle. It was such a long uphill ride. We didn't know what to expect, but surely, there must be something.
Welcome to the Waters
Surely, there was.
We found a beach with a long shoreline, and there were only a few people in it. Well, it isn't probably the best there was on this island, but it was a catch. The name? I seem to forget. But you're welcome to explore the island's edge yourself. Undoubtedly, the locals know about it.
The waters were clear. The sand was white and fine. The sun is out. We took a lot of pictures and enjoyed the warm comfort of solar power.
We had a lot of things planned, but we dropped them. The melodies of the waves so consumed us. It would seem like we were in a deep slumber with the sun, and all our worries and burdens were slowly exorcised from us—no more leeches.
The waves, the waters, the sands. Feel the warmth of the sun. Nature is around us.
Welcome to the Waters.
In the middle of it all, we become one with nature.
It was divine.
A Tread of Rumination
As soon as the sun started to set, we explored the shore. We treaded, ran with the dogs, listened to the music played by a group of friends around a campfire, and ruminated.
We were 22 years old. We were confused at the crossroads of our 20s. Entering the threshold of adulthood. Busy from the chaos of a young professional's life. Do these productivities mean anything?
As the waves soaked our feet and the sand devoured our palms, it became heavier to walk. But in one way or another, our hearts became lighter. We detached from our worries of deadlines and found ourselves drowned in thoughts of life.
It's true that in travels, you find your future self.
Aftermath of Thoughts
That evening, we strolled at a famous beach near the place we stayed.
It was full of nightlife, drinking, beach parties, and rich, cool kids. We strolled around the stores, and oh boy, we couldn't even afford a single plate on the menu. So, we grabbed some food from the convenience store and trod by the nearby shore.
The waves sounded different this time. It was lighter, more sentimental. We didn't have many conversations that time - just camera flashes and a warm acceptance of the cold breeze and the sea's kisses to our feet.
The night ended drunk in thoughts, not in alcohol - since it wasn't allowed to drink on the shore. Sad.
Retrospect and Insights
This travel wasn't in any way the best one I had, nor the most perfect place I visited. I didn't even think it would make much of an impact on me until writing.
I've been very preoccupied lately, and my life seems to go by so quickly. A pandemic happened. I went two steps forward. I fell. So many things had given a jab in my jaw.
But as I saw that photo of the duck on the sea, I realized I had something to write about. I had grown on that travel, and I can return to that mental place today.
I remember we ended that vacation with a peace of mind. A year later, Josette and Jai got engaged. Mikay finally took her Master's. Mitzi resigned from her work. I got into Entrepreneurship. We took charge of our life the way we found that beach at the edge of Boracay.
Travels do make a lot of impacts, though subconscious. I believe this memory was short-lived for some time, but it was perpetual in it's significance.
It only took me a decision to look into my gallery photos to be reminded of this experience. Maybe, there are lots of experiences I could go back to share with you all. Perhaps this particular memory of mine made you remember your own.
Yes, I guess it's time to delete.
But as I scrolled over 10,000 photos in my gallery, trying to scavenge pictures worthy of being saved for memory-making sake, this Boracay trip shall stay.
Thank you for traveling with me in spirit. My name is Eu, and I am happy to have known you spent a little bit of your time reading my musings in my travel. I hope you enjoy my interesting take in doing travel blogs. I also do blogs on my volunteerism, teaching, entrepreneurship, self-improvement, literature, and personal contemplations. If you like this, do check my other posts.