Saturday, April 21, 2007
[ beach weekend ]
You know who you are. You said we should be on trips by now. And you were right.
We went to the beach yesterday (by the way, this is an edit post, in case you noticed). Initially it was just a road trip to Batangas, because my dad had a hearing there and us girls - that's my mom, my sisters and I - were just in for the ride. Pero the day before we left they told me we might be going to the beach. THAT SOON? WAIT. I wasn't prepared for that. I need an advance warning for things like that. Besides, wala 'ko sa mood nun.
But there was nothing I could do; you couldn't reschedule a somebody else's hearing for the sake of your own mood swings, so there. It took us seven hours to get to Batangas. Mind you, if it's a beach, it should be on the tip of an island. So seven hours. We got lost along the way and wasted about an hour's journey in Batangas City, which by the way was in the OPPOSITE direction. By the time we got to the resort I was extremely bored. Ilang oras ka ding nakaupo sa kotse, no?
And then there was the beach. At first it didn't look like too much of a beach. After lunch, my sisters and I went to explore. I think I was in "the mood" by then. HA, HA.
So you're asking, where is this beach? It's at the very end of Batangas. If I tell you I went snorkeling in the Mindoro Strait, you should believe me. It's that far. The place is privately-owned, I mean a resort, but the beach is public. If you get what I mean. It's called Laiya Coco Grove, in San Juan, Batangas.
Which brings me to my next point. Would you believe, there are four pages of pictures of LCG on Google? Well. Anyway. Most of them are misc, but there are a few good ones too. There's even a website:
HERE. Hm. So the mountain at the right side of the beach was Mt. Daguldol. Hm.
A lady showed us a cottage and we were asked by our parents if we wanted an overnight stay, to which we said Kahit ano (any of which), our usual reply. So we stayed!
Only me and Arielle and Nadine actually went in the water. We built sand castles, etc. etc. I swallowed sea water, etc. etc. ...
And soon it was low tide. And I mean LOW. Because the shoreline had receded to about ten to fifteen feet, and what was once there was not. I was struck to think that we had been swimming in among seaweed, sand crabs, hundreds of tiny snails, and many other little creatures of the sea. My mom and I spent some time on the non-beach looking and poking at them. The water left was dirty, there was a lot of mud, and seaweeds - brown, mushroomy ones - formed a line on the boundary between sand and sea.
And so after several hours in the sun, during which Nadine collected a variety of shells, I climbed a lookout post on a coconut tree and cursed for fear of going down (SH*T!), we explored the stretch of beach that was the Coco Grove, and wrote our names in the sand, it was finally time to settle. Our family was the only one on the entire resort (excluding the happy campers in the lone tent on the beach), and it was good, because it was quality time with them 'rents and sibs. Since we had not originally planned on staying overnight, we had leftovers for dinner - cold chicken and all. But it still tasted good.
There were strange marks on the sand, like that of a little ribbon snake, extremely thin and loopy, and since we were the only ones there, I got kind of scared. But never mind, because morning came soon.
By then the water had risen a little. The ocean was beautiful. But! The peace was destroyed soon after, because a lot of people came. It was a large prayer group from Antipolo and they held a little Mass on the beach, which was fine because...
We went out into the sea. Sigayan Bay to Mindoro Strait. To think that it was only a strait and you could see Mindoro and Puerto Galera (another of the more popular beaches here) on the other side! We were on a boat with those things on the side to maintain balance - like we did before in San Fabian, Pangasinan when I was seven, the first beach I ever went to. There were two guys with us. One was Mang Nardo, who controlled the engine, and the other I don't know who.
Last night I had already decided I was going snorkeling for the experience, and I knew I could potentially be scared. But today I just went and jumped off. At first I sank. My head went below but I wasn't scared at all. I put on the mask and went in again. And brought some salt water in to my nostrils. Again and again I tried, and failed. I was always getting salt water in - nose or mouth. Finally the other guy told me to blow. BLOW AND SUCK. KEEP THE TUBE ABOVE THE WATER. Okay. So I clung on to the ladder at the side of the boat, and went in again. So much better.
I can still remember what I saw down there. When I tried Googling pics of coral reefs, I couldn't stomach it. Because what I saw down there is something you can't see in a picture, something you have to experience yourself. The depth of the sea - fifteen to twenty feet I think; the magnificence of the colors of the fish - blue, violet, bright yellow, zebra-striped; and the size of the corals - the size of a bedroom - was absolutely breathtaking and awe-inspiring. Very beautiful.
But like I said, you can get overwhelmed. Sometimes you can't stomach it. I was both at the same time, in awe and overwhelmed. This is a strait! Very small compared to the actual sea! And yet - very deep and rich in marine life. I always made sure to keep something familiar in view - the underside of the boat, my sister's foot - so I wouldn't get too scared. Fish were all around, the corals were below. And I have to admit this: I got kind of freaked. But don't get me wrong. It is absolutely beautiful. If you ever go to Sigayan Bay or Mindoro Strait, never forget to snorkel. It's an experience of a lifetime, and you won't forget it. Can't even describe it, because it will always be more than words can say.
Moving on. Back at the beach itself, you will probably see a lot of vendors peddling their wares - "Ma'am sampalok kinse lang" - but you watch out for the pearl vendors. They are mostly Badjaos, and they sell genuine pearls, straight from the sea, at only P100. How much of a bargain is that?
If you talk to them, they might even show you the oyster shell where pearls are just beginning to form. There are black ones, and pink, and blue (South Sea pearls I think), and of course white. Just think: a pair of earrings and a ring made of REAL pearls for P100. Plus you'll be helping the Badjaos. Sinisid pa nila yan para sayo! :))
Going back to Manila took only four hours this time, and we saw Christopher de Leon campaigning for vice mayor or governor I think, but for now, boy am I tired.
"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."
- H. G. Wells
Labels: happy days, memories, summer
chLoe was here at: 8:13:00 PM
