Cabin Fever

One effect of working at home is getting cabin fever...and I got it big time! I don't just want to go out and maybe have dinner and coffee with friends; or go to a bar and pretend to drink while munching on pica-pica; or go to the mall and add to the long list of stuff i wanna buy. I want to go to the beach!!!

I am not very well traveled but I've been to some of the popular beaches here in the Philippines.  Two decades ago, I had the chance to visit Boracay, when it was still not very developed. There were not many people during the time I was there because we arrived on a Sunday and the Ati-Atihan festival was just over in Aklan. I was in Aklan with my cousin and friends to attend a wedding and it was in Aklan where we stayed most the the week. We went to Boracay after the wedding, yes with the newlyweds, and stayed at one of the resorts owed by the groom's relatives. That whole week was a blast!

When i worked as a researcher in the early 90s, I went to Bohol and stayed for 3 weeks. I was able to go to Panglao Island and get a glimpse of the beautiful coastline. But that was it!  Didn't even get close enough to dip my feet in the water. Shame right? But nonetheless, going around Bohol is an incomparable experience.

Working on events sure has it's perks. In 2004, part of my event was a 2-day stay in El Nido Resorts in Palawan. We took over the whole Lagen Island, where i had a forest room all to myself! There were games during the day, dinner at the Big Lagoon one night and at the Sandbar the next night. The whole delegation was overwhelmed by the abundant food, the amazing sights above and under water, the world-class service and of course the hospitality of the Filipinos. El Nido is my perfect place to call sanctuary.

  

I've never been to Puerto Galera until a few years ago. I went there with my college girl friends and we had so much fun. It was after the last weekend of summer so the place was not too crowded.

When my friend, BJ, came home from the US, we went to Anilao, Batangas to go scuba diving. BJ is a US Navy man but has never been diving before. We stayed at Planet Dive, where some friends were also rescue-dive training. My intro dive was well worth the price I paid for it, but I don't think I will ever do that again. For one, I don't know how to swim, though that is not a requirement for scuba diving. Two, I admit that the sea scares me. But the sight 20 feet under is really amazing! The corals were beautiful, the fish were colorful and I even found Nemo! I just had a terrible scare when my dive master pointed to a huge turtle and started to go after it with me in tow. If I were able to shout I would have screamed at him not to go after the turtle. Also, i experienced having cramps while I was under maybe because of the cold water. The result of that trip? A great tan!

The year after, our destination was Cagbalite Island off Mauban, Quezon. From the time we jumped off the boat, we had that feeling we were in one episode of Survivor. There was no electricity in the whole island so we had to bring in a genset. There were mangroves along the beach, the water was warm, creepy crawlies were everywhere, a snake even dared to show himself.

Next month, I'm off to Nasugbu, Batangas with family. Yoohoo!