Hello, Hive!
It's so hot! I feel like the Philippines, particularly Cebu, has turned into a "fire nation" at the onset of March. LOL. While summertime is great for a lot of fun reasons — beach outings, travel adventures, and the likes — the drawback is it can be too painful and annoying. The ongoing dry spell also brought critical water crisis in the city with Buhisan Dam, Jaclupan wellfield and Lusaran Hydro dropping their daily production. To worsen it all, fire alerts can be seen on a daily basis. What is wrong, Sugbo?
Anyway, back to main topic. For today's post, I'd like to share with you my recent poolside trip with the AMS team. The last time I talked about them was September last year during our weekend getaway at Mariegold Villa Resort.
The Kloof, Consolacion's not-so-hidden gem
Originally, we were supposed to hold our team outing at Musashi Resort but due to unforseen circumstances, the owner had to cancel our booking and refund our downpayment. Luckily, Eggy (our punong abala), was able to find an alternative spot which turned out to be a much better and picturesque choice.
Located in St.Francis Hills Subdivision, Barangay Tolotolo, Consolacion, The Kloof is a mountain resort that is perfect for family outings, group gatherings, team buildings, retreats, reunions, and more. It's only 2.7 kilometers from the national highway and motorcycles-for-hire are readily available near San Narciso Parish Church. And for only Php 50 per person, you get to enjoy the views of Consolacion's highlands along the way.
Eggy and I were the third batch to arrive, following the Atienza family, and the ride tandem Mike and Spencer. My first expression once I saw the place upclose was 'WOW'. The good weather amplified the beauty of the surrounding. The colors were vibrant, the wind was cool, the water was glistening to the heat of the sun, and best of all, we had the pool to ourselves.
Soon, the rest of the team arrived and we gathered under one cottage for some announcements. Cai, our supervisor, gave us both good and bad news. The bad news is one us has decided to leave the company after 15 long years, but the good news is one of us (ehem 
Afterwards, we said our grace and started digging into the food since it was already time for lunch.
Jenga with a twist
While the kids are busy swimming in the pool, the adults opted to stay in the shade. The heat was just too unbearable to our skin. While waiting, we played jenga by pairs: 
The challenge remained the same. We had to take turns removing the lower blocks and putting it back on top without toppling the tower. The twist, however, was some blocks had numbers on them. Each number from 1 to 8 corresponds to a specific rule which could either be playing on one foot, using the less dominant hand, skipping the next player, reversing the order of the game, and more.
Every successful turn was a sweet relief to each player. We had fun poking around the precarious tower, strategizing our next moves, looking for the easy blocks, and laughing for those who picked the numbered ones.
In the end, Danah and I lost the game coz I toppled the tower (a much-needed break since the taller it gets, the harder it becomes). HAHA!
Pool time and some vanity
By 4 PM, the adults decided to take a refreshing swim. We changed into our swimming attires and plunged right into the pool.
Of course, we also did not miss the chance to take some instagrammable solo and group shots to share on social media later on. Two of us, Danah and her sister, even spent almost the entire day taking photos and videos of each other in all the corners of the resort. HAHA!
Meanwhile, some of the men had a case of beer by the pool while talking about men things while the girls are busy marites-ing.
Since most of us are in work-from-home setup, we spent the rest of the afternoon sharing life updates (and chismis). We even extended an hour beyond our check out time coz time feels so short when you're having fun. Finally, at 6 PM, we bid goodbye to each other with smile on our faces.
Overall, The Kloof is an ideal place to cool down without having to go far away from the city. One that I wouldn't mind coming back to. :)
Maria is a hopeless romantic who travels in pages and places. She is an INFP who loves sunrises and moonlight nights and reading books in between. On weekdays, she works for a self-publishing company as a copywriter. On weekends, she lives her life as a poet or hiker. She hopes to share her love for words and the world with you here on HIVE.
If you like this content, don't forget to follow, upvote, and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want. Connect with her through PeakD, Tiktok, or Instagram. 🤍