All my friends know that the first few weeks of 2013 have been quite rough for me, however hard I try to brush all the negativity off. And I just felt that I needed to do something pleasant, something that would give me time to clear my head and enjoy at the same time - and nothing does that better than a trip to the beach!
I am quite thankful to have guys in our barkada cos all we have to do is say what we want to do and they will plan everything. We decided that we wanted to go to Zambales and our friend Reuel did the rest of the planning, which was everything else besides (deciding on) the destination. haha
We left manila around 6am on Saturday and arrived around 11am, it was about a 5-hour drive including breakfast and buying groceries to be brought to Anawangin. I was expecting Zambales to be nice but the place surpassed my expectations and it was just breathtaking. It has mountains, pine trees, rock formations, salt water rivers and of course, the beautiful blue sea. I observed in amusement as the hot rays of the midday sun stung my skin. I just felt so uninhibited, away from the buildings, computers, my cellphone and all other distractions.
We rented a boat that would bring us to Anawangin cove and then to Capones Island. The scenery during the boat ride was magnificent, I have gone island hopping a couple of times before but this one was unique and amazing. The boat ride was fun, singing and laughing when we weren't mouthing oohs and aahs upon seeing caves, mountains and waves crashing into rock formations until they disappear into froth.
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| This view was the first to welcome us. |
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| On the way to Anawangin! |
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| Mountains! |
Anawangin is a cove, visitors are allowed to set up camps but there are also tables for those who only intend to stay for a day. We laid on a mat to rest after eating lunch, the thin foliage kept the sun from hurting our skin and we just stayed there talking and taking photos.
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| perfect day! |
After which we headed to the river and just played around. It was not exactly elegant but it was beautiful, raw and very... natural. haha
With much excitement, we then headed to the shore! There weren't much fishes in the shallow part of the sea but with great friends whom you can have great conversations with, who needs fishies to amuse them pa?
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| excited!!! |
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| Photo bombing reuel's homeless photo (which he needs to take everywhere he goes. why? beats me haha) |
Around 4pm, our boatman picked us up and off we went to Capones Island! When we arrived, we went to do our own thing. Kayla and Kat started looking for corals and rocks, Reuel did his mountaineering thing and went up every rock he fancied (haha) and I just went around to take pictures until we decided to climb up the top of one of the mountainy boulders and stay there and just watch the sea.
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| The gang! |
As I looked at the blue skies, the silent ocean, the paradise I was in and as the waves hug the shore again and again and again - calmly, persistently and beautifully- bringing with it surprises of corals with every sweep, I can't help but think of how simple life was at that moment. And how I complicated mine beyond necessary. At the end of the day, we all just want to be happy and we might get lost in perfidious winding roads on our way there but we need to learn and making painful mistakes are a necessary part of finding the path we should take. Destiny dictates many things we cannot control but if we want it bad enough and we fight for it hard enough, it would be kind enough to reward us with what we need. But more often than not, it already has without us knowing. There's always more in front of us than what we choose see. And sometimes, we just have to recognize that. I've been trying to be positive and it is so damn hard but it has made me a happier person :) and that's always a good thing.
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| Zambales! |
We left Zambales around 5 in the afternoon, had dinner in Subic, talked over coffee, talked some more in the car, sang, played games, then talked some more. I arrived home past 12mn. And I knew that I just had a perfect day.
