We were at a bus station in Manila at 4 in the morning. Everything around us was pitch black, as the sun has not risen yet. We were in a sketchy part of the city, where buses and trucks and basically all types of vehicles would converge, where street vendors would sell their wares, and where people would be too busy or in a hurry to get somewhere. But at that moment, all was quiet. The city was still asleep.
About 7 hours later, after a very long bus ride, tricycle ride, and boat ride, we found ourselves in a cove enclosed by mountains, we were at Anawangin Cove in Zambales. It was off the grid, there were no phone signals, no electricity and no resorts within the area, so we had to rent tents to stay in for the night. It was not really a problem since most of us are used to roughing it out. And thank goodness for running water.
We hiked up the mountain on the left side of the beach one afternoon. I think it was about 4 pm because the sun was in its most golden glow. The higher we climbed, the more beautiful the view became. We were out of breath by the time we reached the top of the trail, but nothing was more breathtaking than the vista that was laid before us. There it was, the mountainous terrain. At the foot of the mountain was a forest covered with pine trees. Right across the forest was a coast within a cove. And right between the mountain and the sea was a flowing river.
We will remember this for the rest of our lives, I told Arian, who was huffing, puffing, trying to catch her breath just as much as I was.
I've read somewhere that the saints go up the mountains to pray, even Moses and Jesus would climb up a mountain at night to pray there until dawn. Perhaps it takes them away from all the chaos of the world down below, and gets them closer to God. And the mountain lets them pray in peace. And someway somehow I've felt that peace within when I was there at the top of the trail.
After the climb, our friends headed back to our tents. While Arian and I took a dip in the sea. It was refreshing after climbing that trail in that scorching heat. We crossed the river on our way back to camp. There was this big arching tree with a big branch with a rope hanging on it. And Mon hung on it and swung herself to and fro, over the river and back to the bank. She was always the bravest among us. After she did it, suddenly swinging on that rope became a dare to all of us. It was not a question of whether you could do it or not. You either do it or you won't have any dinner. And that was that. So we did it. All of us.
And it was terrific and terrifying at the same time! It was especially fun when Thesa did it.We all felt infinite within that short moment. And we felt young in a good way. No matter how old we get, we all still find that child within us.
That night, by the bonfire and over toasted marshmallows, grilled fish, and rum coke, Jason told us about his drunken episodes from way back. I can't tell them to you in detail, because they are Jason's own story to tell. But they were so funny we could not stop laughing. Looking back, it reminded me of that line from that book by Stephen Chbosky. It went like this:
There's nothing like the deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons.
On the boat ride back to the mainland the following day, we saw a group of dolphins. They were riding the waves from the boat. We saw their dorsal fins and tails coming up and out of the surface of water, almost as if they were waving goodbye to us and hoping to see us again. It was one of the many things that made this trip so magical and memorable.
It was nice to disconnect from the conveniences of technology and the comforts of home for a while, and reconnect with nature. We slept under the stars and frolicked under the sun. It felt so good to be alive. True enough, life was meant for good friends and great adventures.
'Cause we're young and we're reckless
We'll take this way too far
It'll leave you breathless
Or with a nasty scar
Photos by
Claudine Monsale
