It was morning when I received the message, and they wanted to gather at a café to make sure everyone was present before traveling to the narrow, uninhabited place of Casa Del Mar. It was quite a long way from the national highway, and no drivers would want to bring us there because of the place’s remote status. So we made sure everyone was there at the café for us to be confident that everybody could have their tricycles secured.
And twenty minutes later, we found ourselves standing on the lush, green grasses of Casa Del Mar, a landscape nestled in Manyo San Remigio, Cebu, happy to finally arrive at this very quiet place, perfectly fit for our goal to relax. We actually planned this escapade because we were under pressure and stress during the start of the semester, which really took our bodies and minds working for weeks. We just all got tired and needed a breath. This place was the best choice to have it. Casa Del Mar is popular in our town since it is home to many memories a person can make in peaceful surroundings. People have their romantic dates here, some celebrate milestones, others spend family time, and sometimes—or usually—photographers and celebrants gather here for photoshoots. This place is also used by scouts during school camping. And after the recent earthquake, people nearby gathered here and made the place their temporary home, safe from debris and infrastructures that could collapse anytime due to aftershocks.
This is my group of friends, and we have belonged to the same section ever since our first year. Brilliant minds and pleasing personalities—these could be the finest definition I could give to them out of my adoration.
So when we arrived, we placed a mat on the ground for our food and snacks that we bought from the 7/11 store near the café we went to. We had plenty of food under an old tree of the Casa, with winds blowing gently on our skin. The daylight was moderate, and the sky, as you can see in the photos, was blue and perfectly formed. As much as we wanted to enjoy our food, we couldn’t do it because we forgot water. So one of our friends with a motorcycle joined the bond and just dropped by a nearby store in the middle of the travel before heading to the Casa.
We had a good conversation about all the things we wanted to talk about. Most of it revolved around our frustrations at the start of the academic year, as well as why we were experiencing this kind of stress. But one explained that we are already in our third year, so basically, we are putting things we have learned in previous years into realization and practicality. Sometimes we would laugh, and often my friends would just randomly share their real-life stories, which, fortunately, everyone was eager to listen to.
We took a group photo with the landscape and clouds as our background. Observe how the two complemented each other, almost making the place a paradise or a piece of heaven. We did jump shots and all the silly poses we could think of, and everyone was enjoying. Indeed, a quick escape but a therapeutic one, because of the laughter we blew out into the air. We found ourselves lying on the ground, laughing at our poses, and we couldn’t get rid of our smiles as if it was our first time laughing genuinely again.
We had a quick visit to the beach nearby the spot to have a breath of fresh air from the sea. The light and wind of the beach was fine and perfect that it took our tiredness away. Since it was just quick, we were only there for 10 minutes since we had to go home before we ran out of tricycle. I remember how I adored the beach because of the way the light looked like gold in the sea water dancing like jewels.
It was a day I’d always look back on—not because it was grand or far, but because it reminded me that happiness doesn’t always need a perfect plan or place. Sometimes, it’s simply found in laughter shared with the people who make you feel at home wherever you go.
