Hola a todos! Hello, everyone!
I hope these past few months have been good to you. The second half of the year is moving forward and a lot of developments have come up in my life. I think I'll be swamped in the next few months but that's not necessarily a bad thing (except for lesser time for blogging). It's something to look forward to because there will be a lot of traveling (reserved content! š), meeting people, and culminating years' worth of work.
Speaking of culminations, this post will be the last part of my solo trip to Zambales 3 years ago as well as the latest one I had with my family a few weeks back.
Zambales is a province located in the northwestern part of the Philippines. It's outlined with coastal towns and towering mountains. A quick Google search of its tourist spots will make you want to visit it if you had the chance. And that's exactly what I did. Before I started my master's degree, I went on a solo trip to Zambales. And now, after 3 years and nearing the end of my graduate studies, I visited it again. It's like I went full circle.
Dark Days and Wide Rivers | My First Solo Trip
The start of my solo trip had not been the smoothest. There was the issue of the weather washing away my itinerary down the drain. I imagined this trip to be sunny and I had planned most of it to be at the beach playing on an inflatable park and riding boats to idyllic coves and an islet with white-sand beach.
Instead, dark days decorated my whole trip. It took me some time to fully accept my situation before deciding to make the most of what was left of my trip. I had relatives in that part of the country and I just dedicated the remaining time to spending time with time. On my way to Santa Cruz, Zambales, I was amazed to see the wide rivers that we passed by. They were something I'd never seen.
A Black Beach and A Surprise | My Trip to Santa Cruz, Zambales
When I arrived in Santa Cruz, Zambales, the most striking thing I saw was their black beach. The sand was just black and the rocks were even darker. The breaking of the waves on the shore created these white seafoam that was in stark contrast with the sand. The entire scene made for a dramatic backdrop for some introspection while I was at the beach alone.
When I went to my uncle's house, I was surprised to see that my aunt had prepared a feast to celebrate my birthday in advance. Another reason why I went on this trip was that I wanted to travel during my birthday. I didn't expect that my relatives would make a fuss about it. It was heartwarming having my mother's side of the family celebrate my birthday with me almost a thousand kilometers from home.
On the last day of my stay, I went back to the beach and saw that the waves were still raging against the black sand. I took one last walk by the share and I saw my uncle's boat. That was what I was supposed to ride in going to the islet just across this beach as I initially planned. But I am already resigned to the fact that I won't be getting what I initially wanted for this trip. There were more important things going on in my life. I was making a life-changing decision in quitting my job and pursuing my master's degree in Chemical Engineering.
Not being able to fulfill my travel plans paled in comparison to the things that needed to happen for me to finish my higher studies.
I said my goodbyes to my aunt and uncle and took one last look at their under-construction house. It's still not finished but it was looking so much better when I visited them recently.
On the day of my birthday, I went back south and headed for Pampanga. I booked a hotel there to celebrate my birthday by myself. Pampanga is where Clark Airport is located and that's where I was taking my flight in going home to Cebu. The weather was still rainy on my way to the last leg of my trip.
I took a bus to Dau, Pampanga and the bus terminal was beside a mall. I went inside looking for things to bring home. I bought my girlfriend two pairs of earrings and I saw a shop that sold trendy shirts. Mustard-colored shirts were a thing back then. There were shirts printed with lines from a popular meme back then. I'm glad I didn't buy them because they wouldn't make sense now.
I made my way to my hotel and it was at the edge of Dau. It's called Diamond Spring Hotel. It has quite a fancy name but it's really just a budget hotel. It's part of the RedDoorz hotel chain. The room was fine although looking a bit old. It was too dim and gloomy for me although that gave it a homey and relaxed mood.
After setting my things, I headed out in search of chocolates. Yes, my itinerary included visiting a duty-free shop that sold imported chocolates. They were going to be my pasalubong for my family and friends. As I've mentioned in part 1, I have this flaw of not wanting to ask for directions when I'm traveling. I guess I don't want to appear dumb for asking. I know that's not right but that's what I thought back then. I headed for the shop using only my Google maps. I walked for almost an hour before reaching the shop because I didn't know what public transport to take and I didn't want to take a taxi because I thought it wasn't that far.
After spending most of my money on imported chocolates, I went to a Mini Stop convenience store and bought a bottle of beer. I returned to my hotel and celebrated my birthday by drinking myself to sleep. I didn't even finish the entire bottle.
I have never been one to make a big deal of my birthdays but this was the first time that I decided how I wanted to celebrate my birthday. It was also the first time (and probably the last) birthday that I spent all by myself.
I went to the airport early in the morning and missed my free breakfast. I had to face my responsibilities at home and prepare for the next chapter of my life. This Birthday solo trip could've gone so much better but I still enjoyed it. You take what you can get, especially from things you seldom do.
And then three years later, I get to return to Olongapo, Zambales, and Pampanga. I didn't expect that my first travel outside the island of Cebu after the pandemic would be the place I went to before I started my graduate studies. It was so fitting to take the trip right at the end of my master's degree. You can read snippets of my travel from the Liketu posts I compiled.
Be careful what you wish for
Strange sights, familiar places
Fell in love with the mountains
Purple sunset on a black beach
That's it! I feel like a new chapter is opening again in my life. I'm a believer that our life is composed of cycles and the degree of how different those cycles are will be determined by our decisions and our learning. Does that make sense?
This was such a gloomy trip but I hope a few things still resonated with you. I promise that on my next return, I will showcase the sought-after coves and beaches of Zambales.
In the meantime, see you in my next post. Cheers!
