Hola, Hive!
I hope you are all doing well. It's the middle of the year and I hope you're looking forward to what's more to come in 2022.
This is the second part of my first solo trip journey some years ago. If you missed part one, check it out below:
At the end of part one, I was headed for Santa Cruz, Zambales. My itinerary had been destroyed by the terrible weather and partly because of my lousy foresight. My hopes were up as I arrived in Santa Cruz, a town in the northwestern part of the Philippines, because the skies were clearing up. It turns out, it was nothing but false hope.
I had accepted that there was no way to salvage my botched itinerary, so I decided to make the most of what remained of my trip. I had family in this part of the country and decided to spend as much time as possible with them.
My uncle and aunt whom I met in Olongapo City offered to accompany me to Santa Cruz. So technically, the trip wasn't a solo trip anymore. I welcomed their company. I don't remember them from my childhood because it's been decades since I have last seen them but there was no denying that we were related. I could see my grandfather from my uncle.
We arrived in Santa Cruz and headed to my other uncle's house. I won't forget the mango tree in their front yard. It was fully grown and I could imagine fruits dangling from its branches during fruiting season. There was a carving on the tree trunk with the letters "P" and "F" inside a heart. I didn't know what the letters meant but I knew it wasn't my uncle and his wife.
I didn't care to ask because I thought it was childish. I was to celebrate my birthday the next day. And growing old meant leaving the childish things behind, right?
My uncle's house was close to the beach and after setting my things, we all headed toward the sound of crashing waves. I saw the beach and instantly, I couldn't help but be disappointed. The sand was black! I have been used to the pristine white sand beaches in Cebu and I always thought black beaches were inferior.
The water didn't look inviting because of the strong waves and murky appearance. So I just stood at the beach and took it all in. I stared at the waves and something about the foam hitting the black sand rhythmically and retreating to the sea was hypnotizing.
I moved closer and let the sea foam lap against my toes. The stark difference between the white foam and the black sand was striking. I've been to black sand beaches before but this was different. Maybe it was the gloomy and cold weather or perhaps because I was growing older and I was seeing things differently.
What was unique about that beach were the huge black rocks lined along the sand as some kind of seawall. I approached the rocks and they immediately grabbed my attention.
They added to the whole vibe of the beach. I felt like I was in the perfect place to be reflective and sentimental. I remember I wrote something during this trip but I can't seem to find it. I'm sure it captured the feelings and thoughts I had of this remarkable beach.
I had a field day takings photos and videos. I was still using my old iPhone 6 which was dangerously close to its lifeline. It wouldn't last half a day without needing to be recharged. I had to bring a heavy power bank so that my phone wouldn't die on me. But it still performed well in the other areas. I was able to take some cool shots with its single camera.
The photo below is probably my favorite.
Big waves were crashing against the rocks and there were kids happily playing under the splashes. I still wasn't wearing my swimming attire so I had to avoid the splashes to stay dry.
I wanted to take good shots of the splashes against the rocks. I moved closer to get better shots and I bravely held my non-waterproof phone against the rocks as the waves came. I really like the shot below.
I headed back to the house to change into my swimming attire. I returned to the beach by myself not knowing that my aunt had a surprise already planned for me.
The tide was rising and the waves were still strong when I tried going into the water. It was cold and the waves didn't allow for easy swimming or just staying steady in the water. I decided just to explore the beach some more. There were beachfront properties that looked deserted and a bit eerie because of the briars surrounding them.
I encountered a stream going into the sea that was rapidly growing in size. The current of the water also getting strong. It was a small delta. I crossed it and made a mental note to be back before the stream became too big to cross.
I saw a few kids playing around and one threw his playmate's slipper into the rapidly growing stream. He was able to retrieve it but it was so cool being able to capture it all.
I explored further ahead and saw more people. There was this one group who was repairing a big boat and I wanted to spend more time watching them but I remembered the tide would be too high for me to cross the stream if I stayed longer. The winds were picking up and the waves were growing louder too.
When I arrived at the house, I was shocked to see so much food prepared. I'd only been gone for over an hour and my aunt was able to whip up a feast. She wanted to celebrate my birthday in advance because my uncle who accompanied me would go home later that day and another one of my uncles who was also in Zambales would be arriving in a few minutes.
I was touched by the gesture and impressed by my aunt's coking skills. They even had a cake with my name on it. That was probably one of my best birthday celebrations. One of my uncles brought out Tuba or coconut wine. It's an alcoholic beverage from the sap of palm trees. That was the first time I had Tuba that was white. It's usually added with a colorant to give it an orange tinge.
I downed two glasses of the drink and regretted it the next day. My joints ached and my thighs cramped so badly that I couldn't stand up properly.
This was still Day Two of my trip. The day after was my birthday and I spent it traveling to an unfamiliar city and drinking myself to sleep in a cheap hotel. But more on that in the next post. See you next time. Cheers!