My Boracay Travel Journal (part 4)
May 28,
2007
Morning
Final morning. The very dreaded day. Nearly everyone woke up feeling
woozy, as if tossed out from a centrifuge.
We ate without tasting our food. We drank without being quenched of
thirst. Everyone was frowning as the time back to Manila drew
nearer. I still hadn’t claimed my prize shirt.
Thankfully Joana was there, and we hanged out with each other again.
This time we took a much longer time being in each other’s company,
conversing about a lot of different things, almost like the
conversation I had last midnight, except I was dumber and less wittier
today since I didn’t sleep too well. It was funny that although we
did speak to each other a few days ago, we were usually just talking
about my food. But today, we discussed plenty of things that were much
more interesting than simply what satisfied the gustatory senses.
Being with Joana gave me a realization. I had traveled many places
but I had never made new friends on foreign lands with people outside my family’s
social circles. In Taiwan the people I get introduced to were my
cousins’ friends, and in Manhattan it was my sister’s boss (who was
terrific! He’s Bob Dylan’s friend too!) But Joana, she’s unique.
She’s the first I’ve ever befriended while I’m on a foreign land, and
thanks to her I now know how that feels. She made this vacation
more special than it already was.
Take a picture. Will last longer.
Current mood: Blissful
Current
song: Pennies from Heaven – Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes
Everytime it rains, it rains,
Pennies from heaven,
Don’t you know each cloud
contains,
Pennies from heaven?
Noon
The inevitable came. We had to leave. It was time for me to go
separate ways from Joana. I actually felt sad about saying goodbye to
her, although I tried not to make it too obvious to anyone. But gee,
Joana was, literally, clad in diaphanous draperies as I waved goodbye
to her. She looked exactly like the muse that I described 3 days ago
(based on my imagination, as she wasn’t wearing an angel outfit then). Thanks to how she looked,
she will become permanently etched in my psyche, as the
representation of the ubiquitous girl who would appear and make
writers/musicians/poets/artists feel euphorically inspired.
Lunch was just as insipid as breakfast, though the taste was probably
more affected by sadness rather than the ineptitude of any kitchen
crew.
We still had a few hours of wait before we finally check out of the
resort and go back to Caticlan. But there’s no more Joana this time;
her group went home to Manila 2 hours earlier than us (she works in
Manila, by the way). Deciding to spend the last few hours enjoying
the beach, I stayed while everyone else went back to their respective
rooms.
On the beach, I sat down under the tree, staring into the horizon and
just vegging out. I gathered my scattered thoughts of what had
transpired on our vacation. Then I started to think about what I’m
going to do next. Reality will come back to send me its threats as soon as I step
on Manila. Moments of happiness are fugacious, and only by what I do
after it can I determine when the next moment of happiness will come.
I was truly happy about exploring new places, getting to know few of
my colleagues better, meeting new friends, and having moments of
quiet reflection. Most of all, I thank God for giving me this
opportunity of reassessing my priorities and rediscovering myself, by
giving me my much-needed vacation.
And so, the time finally came. We checked out of Patio Pacific and
took the jeep. Going the same route as our 2 hour biking from 2 days
ago, all of us who had biked then recalled the memories of such day,
smiling at the tacit reassurance to our great achievements. Again, I
declare, that I wouldn’t trade mountain-biking to banana-boat riding.
By this time, all of us understood why biking was a fantastic idea.
The rest of our trip back to Caticlan wasn’t as special anymore.
About to leave…
I hate saying this, but we’re really leaving on a jet plane.
Current
mood: Quiet
Current song: Desafinado – Stan
Getz and Charlie Byrd
Love is like a never-ending
melody
Always have compared it to a symphony
A symphony
conducted by the lighting of the moon
But our song of love is
slightly out of tune
Night
We boarded on the Sea Air flight back to Manila. Plane ride
still blows. This was the few moments when everyone was together yet
was quiet. A few people fell asleep, and a few looked outside the
window, probably still reminiscing the times gone past. I looked out
of the window too doing much the same thing. And then I looked at the
clouds, observing what their formations resembled. One particularly
scenic formation looked like a group of pilgrims going to a promised
land. This image left a very strong impression to me, because its
mere presence was like a parable to our company. We were all just
lost souls, finding answers to a lot of our worldly problems. Boracay
was our pilgrimage, and it served a good purpose to us all. Our
company finally got more comfortable with its own people, and we’re
no longer crippled by awkward reticences. Maybe tomorrow, our company
will never be the same again. Or maybe it’ll stay the same.
What’s certain, is that the four days in Boracay will be a memory
that I’ll forever cherish.
Beautiful. Just, beautiful.
Current
mood: Self-assured
Current song: Where the Streets
Have No Name - U2
I wanna run, I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls
That hold me inside
I wanna reach out
And touch the flame
Where the streets have no name
THE END
