I’m drafting this post while in a plane bound for Manila from Surigao. I’m going back to reality in an hour and a half, and just the mere thought of how ‘real’ things are when I get back, I need to write everything about our Surigao trip and how amazing and fun and ridiculously memorable it was. Here are my top 10 reasons, hot off the grill:
(Disclaimer: this is a long post, kids. Go get a cup of coffee).
10. Simple Life
Once in a while, it’s nice to get ‘disconnected’ from the rest of the world, just to enjoy the moment, the company you’re with and the days ahead of you. For some weird reason, I was the only one without a phone signal on both phones and no mobile wifi, so after placing important calls using my friend’s phone, I was officially offline. No work emails, no twitter, no facebook, no anything. I realized I forgot how it feels to wake up in the morning and not immediately check your phone. Weird, but I kinda missed it.
On our first morning in Cantilan, while Dom and I were walking down the road, rice fields left and right, I remarked how chill it is to live in the province. And by province, I mean nipa huts everywhere, rough roads, coconut trees lining the little streets, with tricycles and motorbikes passing once in a while, and people going about their day (farming, raising kids, cooking, you get the drift).
Simple Things (Usher)
9. Kuya B’s Wedding
More than a colleague, he’s a friend, and that’s why we traveled all the way from Manila to be there on his special day, or as Dom had put it in his speech (para saluhan sila sa kanilang pag-iibigan) haha! But if you’re going to ask me how was the wedding, I don’t think I can even begin to describe it. Let’s just say it’s probably the best wedding I’ve attended so far – blackout and money dance don’t care – with the stunning Surigao waves as the backdrop of the garden-themed sunset wedding (I hope I got that right).
The newlyweds: Kuya B and Anne
8. People
It’s always nice to meet people while on a trip, but in my opinion, it’s even better if your trip is full of memorable characters (who you may or may not know). In our case, we have some memorable people who made our trip sooo much fun. Of course, there’s Kuya B and Anne, Kuya B’s family (especially his mom with her animated stories of her first plane ride), the maid of honor and her multiple outfit changes, the maid of honor’s dance partner, the wedding host who had to remind the whole entourage what they did during the rehearsals, Tita Loreta (the owner of the Solar Beach Lodge where we stayed) who only speaks to us in English and her husband who woke up early in the morning to drive us to the bus terminal, the girl who had the Jollibee burger and fries with her on a 5-hour trip from Surigao airport to Cantilan (and who’s to blame for my Jollibee cravings the whole time!), the little boys in Cagwait beach who screamed like little girls when the waves ruined their sand castles (hahahaha!), the rowdy van operators/drivers in Butuan City terminal, and the tricycle driver in Surigao City who drove us to the hotel.
With the groom’s family
7. Food
A lot of food. We ate so much it’s a wonder that, during the weight check at the departure area (Surigao), Dom and I didn’t gain any weight and Boss and Ellen even lost a kilo each! I cannot remember how many times I ate, but I can remember (and will never forget!) the huge prawns and the yummy crabs (so yummy I cannot even afford one clean finger to brush aside strands of hair on my face haha).
Seafood, why so good??
6. Cantilan Beach
Black sand. Hot sun. Yoga poses. We had a fun day here before going to the wedding.
Cantilan Beach
5. Cagwait Beach
White sand. Huge waves (so huge they swallowed me a couple of times haha). More yoga poses. Best seafood lunch. Best billiard session.
Life’s a beach!
This whole time I was thinking it doesn’t get any better than this and hoping the hours roll by slowly.
4. Funny Moments
Okay, where do I begin?
From the scent of Jollibee french fries I thought was on Dom’s jacket (only to realize it was the real thing from the girl at the back of the van) to the hilarious cheerleading stunt we did just to take Ellen’s photo, this trip was packed with laughter. I am even giggling now as I write this, thinking about how grumpy Ellen was on our last night in Surigao (and how funny it was to talk about it the next day), Dom’s yoga poses, me talking in my sleep and Boss Manel’s macho moments. You might not get everything I just said, but they were funny times and believe it, you would’ve wished you were there.
3. Firsts
We were talking about the top ten things we experienced the first time while in Surigao. I cannot enumerate everything because I don’t remember them all (haha) and it kinda kills the point of this post. But anyway, you know that scene in the movies when, after a party by the beach, a girl just kicks off her heels and just walk along the shore? Well, I have a better version:
Imagine this: Four friends, all dressed to the nines, barefoot, walking along Cantilan beach with waves crashing to the shore while the dark sky glows with littered stars.
Nice thought, right? You’re welcome. : )
It was a really, really good (last) night in Cantilan. The only setback was, out of these four friends, only two had slippers with them; the other two cannot put on their shoes anymore, after having walked on a sandy (black) beach. There was obviously no choice but to walk barefoot all the way from the end of the shore, down the rocky street, along the pebble-lined path and through the front of the lodge (smile sheepishly to Tita Loreta who looked surprised), up the stairs, along the hallway and into the room.
There’s a first time for everything.
2. Those four friends : )
For obvious reasons.
(counterclockwise, L-R): Ellen, Manel, Jazz, Dom
1. Spontaneity
No trip will be an adventure without spontaneity. Come to think of it, the only ‘planned’ thing on this trip was the wedding. Hehe. It was ‘almost’ always last minute decisions, and I guess that’s what gave the trip a sense of adventure. I mean, we wanted to go to Siargao to surf, and look where we ended up. Haha. While packing our stuff to leave Cagwait beach, we didn’t even know we’d be boarding a bus (read: ordinary bus, packed with passengers) all the way to Butuan City (heck, we didn’t even know the day before we’d be going to Butuan City hahaha!)
It’s these little things that make a trip worthwhile. It was a very short trip but I imagine the hangover lasting a couple of weeks. It was indeed the best way to kick off the summer.
We love.
something fishy 