The Restless Firefly

I have always admired the skills of campers surviving all the hardships outside the comfortable lifestyle… haha… Because somehow, I can’t.

where will i pee? poop? bath? I can’t sleep, a centipede might crawl to me while asleep. Brr.. In my trips, i don’t actually look for 5-star hotels, i can stay anywhere but that doesn’t necessarily mean i can camp. . i’m looking for at least a descent comfort room where i can take a shower without thinking about creepy crawlers that will sneak out of the holes in the bathroom. But anyways, i still did it! Yey! Thanks to the whole environmentalist gang – Kalikasan-Lyceum Laguna chapter – for forcing me. Haha. .

We rode a boat going to Tingloy Island from Anilao Batangas. At the port, I can already feel the excitement and fright at the same time. The blow of the wind on my face seems telling me “no prima donna survives”. haha. .

When we were reaching the port of the island, i was saddened by the sight of lots of plastics and trash floating on the water. The government must do something! but overall, i guess it must be the residents’ discipline that’s needed to be addressed. But enough of the island’s bad side. 🙂

After reaching Tingloy, we walked, hiked and crawled unto the rocks going to the nicest beach of the island – Mapating beach. after an hour or two of burning calories and torturing my legs, I saw the most beautiful beach in Batangas. I swear that this one is my favorite. too bad I don’t have a good camera to share to you what my eyes had really seen.

I really enjoyed the view of the sun set here. 🙂 i will definitely come back.

And the camper-challenge started when i needed to help set up the tents and cook our food, the primitive way. They brought cook sets but of course i must try the stone-aged way. 🙂

I slept in the tent, i can feel the roughness of the sand compared to a very soft bed. But the sound of the waves of the ocean was so calming as heaven. Goodnight!

Of course, head aches the next morning are always part of the crazy night but i guess the sight of the shining water of the ocean and clear skies are the most effective aspirins. We crawled the rocks along the shore line again and swam a little along our way (yeah, it’s faster to track the shoreline than walk again on the narrow “main” roads of the island to get there) to visit another beach. And upon reaching, aaaaahhh, another jewel. . so beautiful.

We played with the sands under the sun like kids who had never been to a beach. . hehe. . then we went back to Mapating beach and walked to one of my company’s friend to take a bath. inside a forest near our company’s friend’s house, is a well – the water is what we used to rinse our whole body and shower. yes, we did take a shower and changed clothes in the middle of a forest. haha. .

the whole adventure is indeed very fun and challenging. the Prima donna in me had just been killed by this short vacation. I really thank these guys for sharing the experience with me. till we see each other again.

this is another reason why i am encouraged to explore Philippines’ hidden islands. Hope you are too. Choose Tingloy, choose Philippines.