Even though I’m a certifiable (yes, certifiable) beach bunny, I know there’s so much more to do and discover. There are mountains to be climbed, trails to be biked, waves to be surfed and oceans to swim… I just haven’t been able to get off my butt and do these things. But a girl can always dream, right?

(Photo from R.O.X. website)

I found myself at R.O.X. (Recreational Outdoor eXchange) at Bonifacio High Street three times this week. First it was under the pretense of looking at bikinis; I had the mistaken notion I should rock a Roxy or a Billabong next time I went surfing. (I ended up buying a hot pink bikini at Pink Belter.) While I was there, I got sucked into the bike section where I drooled over a Giant mountain bicycle designed for women that was small enough for me and had sexy paint details. This, despite the fact I do not bike up mountains and don’t even know how to shift smoothly between bike gears.

 I liked the bike so much I took photos.

The second time, I was looking at rash guards and found a nice local brand, Fluidsurf, selling both rash guards and board shorts. But while I was browsing the aisles I found myself getting excited over fanny packs and wash bags, of all things.

(Photo from R.O.X. website)

I found myself lost in a daydream about hiking and needing a fanny pack at my hip so I could have freedom of movement, and using a wash bag to contain all my toiletries as I roughed it in the wild. Then I realized the wash bag couldn’t hold my makeup kit.

Well, today I gave in to one of my R.O.X. fantasies and got myself a Fluidsurf rash guard. Before I hied off to the checkout counter, I caught myself casting a longing gaze at the DC skate gear in the corner.

I’m in retail therapy trouble, aren’t I?

I was feeling every bit of the rainy weather when out of the blue I got a text message from my friend Al. “Hey do u have plan [sic] today? We’re doing surf lesson in Pasig for Weekend Warriors. U wanna join us?”

Never mind that I had a VTR scheduled that afternoon (it was for support cast anyway). Never mind that I still had a 400-word article to finish for Action & Fitness Magazine (done in one hour, yo!). Never mind that it was rainy (I’d get wet anyway). I jumped on the chance to try out surfing at Club Manila East, which I’d already heard about from my friends.

  “Weekend Warriors” is an upcoming web show on Flippish.com with Ton Gatmaitan, Chris Tan, Jinno Rufino, and Al Galang. They’re a group of buddies in search of the ultimate adrenaline rush and great things to do on a weekend getaway. Naturally, they need guest Girlfriends of the Week to round out the cast. Jinno was knocked out by illness, and I was the only girl they could get to show up that day. Chris said, “If you hadn’t shown up, we’d have canceled the shoot. It would have been too much of a sausage-fest.” Yeah, but the problem with having a girl on an extreme sports show is she just might show you up.

The other girl was Lorraine Lapus, one of the coaches from the Philippine Surfing Academy, which runs the lessons at CME. She explained the parts of a board, basic safety procedures, and how to get up on the board. I’d already been through some instruction as part of the surfing lesson I had during a LAC trip to Zambales, but it was still great getting a refresher. After all, my first and last surf session was back then in 2007.

The boys were all avid wakeboarders so they already knew which was their back foot, but it came as a surprise to me that Al was surfing for the first time. “There was a lot of surfing back where I grew up,” he admitted (he grew up in LA), but he’d never had interest in anything else aside from balls. The bouncy kind. The sporty kind. Aw heck, sorry Al…

We took our boards into the pool and waited for the wave machine, which started sending out 3- to 5-foot swells. As soon as my turn came up, my muscles went and did their thing. What do you know? Surfing is just like riding a bicycle. You never forget how.

Let’s get it up, boys!

Soon enough, the boys were riding their own waves, with Chris getting the longest rides to shore. Ton had some trouble with his board, but got the money shot. And Al? I bet he regretted not starting younger.

After about two hours of this (mostly in the middle of a torrential downpour that had water drops bouncing from the waves into our eyes), we were wet, dog-tired, but happy. And I missed my VTR. But I wouldn’t have spent my afternoon any other way.

Hang loose!

Half the year, Boracay’s a fun summer getaway with calm waters and warm sun perfect for swimming and sunbathing. But what do you do the other half of the year when it turns into a literal wet blanket, with huge waves and frequent rainshowers?

My friends and I were lucky or unlucky to be in Boracay right at the turn of the season from dry to wet. We landed under a clear sky, but incoming rains washed out our second day’s plans at the beach. So, we turned to other pursuits… like riding a Zorb.

Er, wait a minute… what’s a Zorb? It’s a very large transparent plastic sphere with a hollow core. People get into that core and then roll downhill. I’d seen a small feature on TV about this extreme sport when it started in New Zealand, so I was definitely excited about trying it for myself.

Zorbing had just started on the island the previous week, so even the tricycle drivers didn’t know exactly how to get there. Our trike had to go past Alta Vista de Boracay resort, then take a turn to the left and climb a steep hill. Since the trikes don’t have very powerful engines, each trike was limited to carrying 4 people (excluding the driver) and the drivers charged each of us P50 per way (P100/person for the round trip).

We had two ride options: the harness ride where two people are strapped into the core opposite each other, and the water ride where one to three people can climb inside the Zorb, have it partially filled with water, and then have the hole plugged so they could roll downhill on a cushion of water. We all opted for the harness ride (P350/person).

Ideally both riders should weigh the same give or take five kilos, but the Zorb is safe to ride for people with up to a 20kg weight difference. None of the riders should weigh above 80kg though.

So my friend and I were strapped in, and once we started rolling down that hill, I couldn’t stop screaming! Part of it was I got freaked by a leg strap coming off, although I should have known I was completely safe because the chest straps and centrifugal force would hold me against the inside of that Zorb.

It was a thrilling ride and gave us something to be busy about that rainy afternoon. The gloomy weather actually helped, as we realized during the summer it might get stifling hot inside those Zorbs.

Next time I might try the water ride, but only if I were wearing the right gear, like a rash guard and a one-piece swimsuit. We were told a Korean tourist had gotten disrobed the other day during her Zorb ride — yikes!

Last month when my sister and I booked our stay in Boracay, I thought it would be just another of our outings there, with the same routine — tanning and swimming at the beach, watching the sunset from the Tides’ roofdeck, and dinner and dancing somewhere on the beachfront.

Marielle and me on the beach

But it’s the Lenten season, and it just wouldn’t be right without a little soul-searching. Apparently that’s what God meant for us to do because only a week before we left for Boracay both of us found ourselves in situations that needed prayers, thought, and time away from our usual pursuits in the city. In my case, I had to assess my job situation and career path, and I’d just broken off from a relationship that was going nowhere. Definitely soul-searching stuff.

a little light reading… not!

Monday was our first day. I was on the boat from Caticlan and I asked God to speak to me and romance me during the whole trip. After we’d spent a few hours on the beach trying to get tanned, we decided to head back to our hotel. It was then that we bumped into Joaqui Tupas and his fiancee Jana, who had just finished having coffee at Cafe del Sol. They invited us to sit down for a while, and we had a blessed, insightful, and encouraging conversation with them about relationships and careers — just what I needed. They prayed for me and my sister, and our serendipitous meeting left me feeling sure about the decisions I had made the week prior to our trip. Best of all, I began to understand that God was in control not just of my trip to Boracay, but also of my life.

I woke up for an early-morning beach run on Tuesday, drinking in the island’s beauty and just feeling very loved by God. I ended up running a distance approximately twice the length of White Beach and still had three hours of tan time on the beach to spare.

We spent the afternoon with some friends, hiking past the last resort on White Beach and going around the bend to some secluded spots on the island. It was such a peaceful afternoon, capped off by the best sunset I’d ever seen in Boracay. It was just us at the tip of the island, the sea, and the sun going down the edge of the world.

the view from Nami

Boracay West Cove

I was up early again on Wednesday morning and decided to have breakfast by myself at Real Coffee. I ended up breaking bread with Nadine, the owner, and just shooting the breeze with her about herself and Boracay. It was such a beautiful thing and is one of my favorite points of the whole trip. It helped me to realize that I should ask questions and engage people in conversation more often — not just in pursuit of a story, but also because people have great stories to tell.

I came home from Boracay yesterday with a golden tan, and a smile on my face and peace in my heart. It was a great way to kick off Holy Week, just relaxing and seeking God’s will in my life. I’m excited about what else He will reveal to me the rest of this week.

Last year during my trip to Laoag, we stumbled upon the windmill farm in Bangui as we were on our way to the Cape Bojeador lighthouse.

We drove up to a man standing by on the highway, and asked him how to get to those windmills in the distance. He told us to take a little dirt road and take several turns so we would emerge on the coastline. After a few dead ends driving through the dense thicket of bushes and trees the dirt road took us past, we broke through the foliage onto a desolate spit of beach sand. To either side of us, towering monoliths of steel with blades perched atop each of them stood like silent guardians.

the windmills of Bangui

Standing in the midst of these, I felt really small. It was as if I’d gotten warped into an alien world where the inhabitants were giants, and we were Lilliputians. And the fact that we were on a beach with gigantic propeller blades spinning overhead gave me a very strong Lost vibe. Any minute I expected maybe a plane to crash, or some disheveled survivors emerging to greet us.

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The wind came strongly in from the sea, but it staggered me that it was blowing strong enough to cause tons of steel to move. The windmill blades were squealing and groaning, straining against the wind to catch every last gust of power. A small knot formed in my stomach as the thought entered my head, “Could these things possibly fall off? And could we avoid being crushed?”

fascinated and scared

Watching the windmills was both mesmerizing and terrifying. My intellect knew that these were harmless, simply harnessing wind power to light half the province of Ilocos Norte. But the animal part of me was awestruck — probably akin to the experience of isolated tribes encountering the modern city.

The windmill farm of Bangui is so picturesque that it’s been featured on local album covers, magazines, and the occasional ad campaign by a clothing company. It’s surreal, this juxtaposition of manmade and natural. There’s really nothing quite like this place anywhere else in the Philippines, and I’m glad we took the side trip to see it.

In 2009, I will:

1. take a flight someplace other than Boracay
2. tour a Southeast Asian country
3. take my turn driving during a road trip with a group
4. climb another mountain
5. pack lighter
6. try local delicacies instead of running to the nearest fastfood chain
7. keep a journal on my trips!

My friend and former schoolmate Mia Rocha-Lauchengco just sent me an invite to her husband’s exhibit of photographs taken during his travels.

I would have loved to be at the reception, but I have work on Tuesday evenings. I’m still planning to take a look at that exhibit should I be in the Makati area during its run. My sister took photography lessons from Raymond while she was in high school, so it should be an interesting way to spend an hour or so.

From the press release:

Raymond Lauchengco delved seriously into photography in the 1980’s and pursued it professionally in 1999. He has participated in various group exhibitions and had his first solo exhibition at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel in 2000. He has since undertaken various private and corporate commissions, creating portraits, product shots, and fashion editorials, as well as dedicating his efforts to his own creative vision as seen in “Travelscapes.”

When asked about what led him to pursuing photography, Lauchengco simply answers, “Light.”

Every time I head to Boracay, it’s always different. The first time, summer had just begun. The second time, summer was about to end. The third time, it was the New Year. The fourth time, it was midsummer. And the fifth time, it was one of the biggest party weekends on the calendar: All Saints’ Weekend.

Our friends Francis and Trondz had just opened a boutique hotel near D*Mall on the island’s main road. Island Nook has beautiful white walls and floors, large glass windows from which you could look out onto the island’s interior, and super comfy beds.

We five girls were able to fit onto two queen-size beds during our four-day stay (October 30 to November 2). That was plenty of time to do what we always do on the island — laze around under the sun, loll about on the sand, stroll on the beachfront, swim in the sea, and kayak out to deeper water.

Fun in the sun on our second day

But we were also there to experience the chance to get dressed in crazy costumes, applaud creative ones, and dance all through the night and sleep in all day. I had brought a pink wig just because, and eventually we decided I was dressed as a contestant to Miss Gay Philippines (LOL!). Other less wild costume ideas were the tiaras the other girls had brought.

Two of them had matching wands, which were stolen by Francis and Trondz.

I know I said I wouldn’t post this… or did I?

 This was only the second time that Francis, Trondz, Joel, Marielle and I had been reunited on Boracay. The first time was during our first trip to Boracay, when Trondz had introduced himself to us on the beach, and then invited his two friends over. I can’t believe it’s only been three years — it feels like much longer than that!

Lots of things have changed since then: Trondz now has a steady girlfriend (he had just gone through a major break-up when we first met him), Joel, my sister, and I now attend the same church (he was a bad boy back then! haha), and Francis has now taken up residence in Boracay most of the year to help grow their hotel and laundry business (he used to be firmly a Manila boy).

My favorite part of the night was chasing down a group of people dressed as Cruella DeVil and the 101 Dalmatians, getting a photo taken with them, and then realizing I was dressed in their color scheme.

I’m the 102nd dalmatian.

Every night during our stay in Boracay it would rain, and on the 31st of October it rained so much that I was glad I was wearing a bikini (anything else would have been a disaster!).

Rain shower. Literally.

It was definitely a night of fun, laughter, and good memories (some of which we’ll have to keep to ourselves for fear of embarrassment!). At some point, we made a pact to keep coming back to the island paradise on the same weekend every year.

I hope we get to keep that pact.

 

Watch this space for a new post about spending All Saints’ Weekend at Boracay. But first, here are some photos!

 

 

More at my Multiply album, Boracay October 2008.