SERENDIPITY
I wasn't supposed to be on this trip. I have been staying at home since the start of lockdown doing my schoolwork and attending online classes. When quarantine restrictions were loosened, I decided to visit the school just to remind myself that I was still a student.
On the day that I decided to visit the school, my research adviser was there and he asked me if I wanted to go with him and some of our colleagues to Moalboal, a beach town in the south of Cebu, Philippines. I fought the urge to scream a loud 'YES' right away and kept myself composed. They were traveling in a few days and of course, I didn't have anything planned. After telling my girlfriend about the trip, I immediately informed my adviser that I could go with them.
GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT
On the day that we traveled, I saw places that I haven't seen for months. It felt weird to see such familiar places and yet I had the pressing need to recall the last time I saw them. It's like seeing again a movie you've watched so many times but for the first time in a long time.
We arrived at the resort and I wanted to just run around and take it all in. Of course, I had to behave around my teachers. We stayed at a Diving Resort although we had no plans of doing any diving. My adviser booked two bungalows for our accommodation. They were really cute and they resembled the native 'Bahay Kubo' house in the rural parts of the Philippines.
Quo Vadis Dive Resort
We arrived around noontime and I remember it was so hot. After having our lunch, we had second thoughts about walking around the resort because of the heat. We went to the pool area and it was just so inviting! We put on our sunscreens and went into the pool right away. It was deep because the resort used it for diving practices. I did a few laps but my long hair would get to my face. Growing my hair out was one of the things that happened during the pandemic. I haven't had it cut yet until now. My plan is to get a haircut in time for my graduation.
The resort was quite well-kept and the staff was really nice and accommodating. Their plants and trees were groomed and tended well. We even joked around which of the plants we could take back home with us.
I was really enjoying myself. This was something I haven't been able to do for several months. It might sound petty and simple but it was a strange experience after being cooped up inside the house for so long.
The resort also had a beach but it looked rocky and not really inviting or maybe the tide was just low at that time. My companions said that diving resorts normally had rocky beaches. It's the deep waters that the divers look forward to.
We found a spot at the far end of the resort with a big tree offering a shaded area. It was very relaxing. I remember just sitting and looking at the ocean while listening to the waves and feeling the cool wind on my skin. This was one of the things I always look forward to whenever I'm going to the beach.
I was very at ease. I remember I thought I might get anxious being around my teachers and superiors but I wasn't. We were all just there taking in the surroundings while sharing our personal experiences.
WHITE SAND AND ROCKY BEACH
In the afternoon, we decided to leave the resort and head to the most famous beach in Moalboal, Basdako White Sand Beach. We hired a van to take us to the town and drive us around. The municipality required a travel pass in order to get to the beach. We went to the tourism office to get our pass because it was one of the ways the local government could monitor and limit the tourists in the area.
When we arrived at the beach, we were just in time for sunset! And the tide was just right. We looked for a spot that was not very crowded and went into the water. I remember the water was very cold. And after going deeper, I also remembered that the beach here was quite rocky. I've been here before and I could recall the scratches and the wounds I got after swimming. Still, the rocks could not stop us from going further.
We could not stay long at the beach because it was getting dark. We had to get dinner and return to our resort. We found a place to eat near the beach but it was so expensive. We decided to head back to the resort and look for food to eat around there.
We walked along the stretch of the beach from where our resort was and there were a lot of restaurants and establishments. We found a pizza place and had dinner there. A lot of the food on their menu were unavailable because of the pandemic. It was understandable and we just ordered what was available. Their food was great. I did not get the chance to take a photo because we were all just quite hungry.
A REFRESHING MORNING
The next morning, I woke up feeling so refreshed. I had a really good night's sleep. We all had our 'pamainit' outside our rooms. It's the food you eat when it's still too early for breakfast. We had coffee, tea, bread, and 'biko' (sweet sticky rice).
A friend of my companions was staying at a resort nearby and we decided to go there and have a look. The resort was called Pescadores Seaview Suites. It was actually owned by an alumnus from our school. They had a restaurant and we had our breakfast there. They also had their pool and their own beach. The beach there was better than our resort but it was still a bit rocky.
One of the things you could do in Moalboal is island hopping and visit the famous Pescador island where free divers can swim with schools of sardines. It was not in our plan because we were going to have lunch at Hale Manna Coastal Gardens to celebrate the birthday of one of our companions. The resort is quite famous for its food.
We had to make a reservation at their restaurant and order food beforehand because they were limiting the number of diners due to the health protocols. When we arrived there, it only took a few minutes before they started serving us our food. They looked really good. And they tasted really good too. The photos below are some of the food we had. I remember being a bit sick from eating so much food when we traveled back to the city.
What a great experience for my first travel after the lockdown. I am so grateful to be able to go on that trip. It was such a care-free gateway. For a moment, I was able to forget what the world was going through. We still had our masks on and establishments still checked our temperature and sprayed disinfectants into our hands. But the atmosphere of the resort and the beach resembled the old normal. You'd be tempted to think the pandemic didn't exist but then you'd remember it's real and you still have to be extra careful.
And that's it! Thank you for spending your time reading my post. I hope you enjoyed the written account of my first travel after the lockdown. Many more came after it and, of course, I will be sharing it here.
This is my first post of the year and I know I have been away for quite some time. I had to focus on my studies and I spent the holidays to celebrate and to relax. I will be writing Part 2 of My Best Takeaways from Jim Kwik's LIMITLESS. Be sure to look out for that. I will still let my Hive Vision and Goals guide me on the path that I will be taking here in Hive.
Cheers! And see you in the next post.
