Mumbai To Manila (Week 4)

Week 4 and I just had an inflexion point in my stay here!

What can I say... There is just tons to write about but very few words to express them. In fact, if I had to summarise this week, specifically the weekend for me, it was "surreal". Here's why...

The week was pretty much a continuance of the last one. We had a busy schedule and lots done in the matter of 5 days. Made steady progress in what I intend to achieve, had some road blocks, turned them into stepping stones and walked on...

Weekend was actually the result of a dopey idea by my team member here. He asked me if I wanted to join him and the team for a trip to San Juan, his native village and an island paradise... Of course, I said yes! 

We started a little late than usual with yours truly staying awake (big surprise) till 6 in the morning and dozing off like a log after that. It wouldn't be a problem usually except that team arrived at my hotel by 7 a.m. literally waking me up.. So 30 mins later, we started off on what was to be a lifetime memory. 

The drive was peaceful, maybe because I could not understand a word of what was going on behind me (haha, not funny :)) What I did get to see was a new side to each member of my team. They laughed, joked, had those little idiosyncrasies that makes us all human... In spite of not understanding the language, I learnt it is inherent in the human spirit to understand emotions. 

We made a short stop at a drive-thru for breakfast and three hours later, we entered the beautiful town of San Juan. What amazed was how similar the place was to colonial parts of Mumbai and Goa. I guess the whites screwed us and beatified our cities pretty much the same way. First stop... San Juan church, a 300 year old masterpiece preserved in time. 

There was a wedding going on in the chapel, a traditional Catholic one. While the bride looks visibly beamish, the groom looked petrified. Love speaks a common language after all! :)

Also had traditional Pinoy ice-cream by the chapel... 

Anyway, we started for the beach albeit a few stops. My team mate Val tells me everybody knows each other here.. which would also explain his multiple pit-stops before we reach our destination (Val, if you're reading this I was just amused, the others were upset) 

So there it was.. the beautiful beach of San Juan, ladies and gentlemen. All I can tell you is the picture posted are not wallpapers but real live experiences captured in film and memory. 

Traditional Nipa Huts

Our resort

That is the look of absolute bliss

Once we were settled in, and enough picture were taken in the initial maddening moments, it was time for lunch. The team cooked up fried fish, fresh catch and an eggplant dish (not very different from baingan ka bharta, except this one had lemon, salt and onions) with rice. I'm sure you've experienced this yourself but food becomes two times more delicious once you have it by the beach with San Miguel pint in your hand. Bliss......

Post lunch, the team split into sleepers and avid karaoke fans. I never mentioned this before but Pinoys love karaoke. It is literally as close to heart as antakshri is to us. Also, more beers and some card games (which I barely understood) later, we were all off for a walk by the beach to a river nearby. As the evening dawned, the mountains next to the beach became all the more picturesque with clouds descending gradually over the top. 

Aftermath of Typhoon Glenda

Serenity

Breathtaking view of the mountains

Fishermen coming back for the day

Rescued a stranded starfish

The rest of the evening was spent trying to learn the damn card game (By the way, I won! Yayy!!) and more booze along with a siesta that lasted all of 8 hours.... Had to wake up bright and early for the most exciting part of the trip. 

The next day started off with a healthy breakfast of tuna, eggs and rice. Once we were freshened up, we headed out to the beach for a trip to the other side of the island. This part of San Juan is pristine and unexplored, full of corals and marine life. I am no water baby but I'd be stupid if I didn't sign up for this! So we headed off on a local boat fresh and excited. The ride was bumpy, with sea-spraying all over our life-vests and boy was that an experience!  

We were there 15 mins later on the other side, with coral rocks covering a beautiful landscape of forests, azure blue water (crystal clear) and a scintillating view of the coastline. You have to see it to believe it...

I was to believe this to be the highlight of the day... But hold on, someone had a dopey idea of feeding fish as well in the middle of the ocean! So I'm sitting in the boat thinking, okay that should be fun.. I'll just take out my camera and click a couple of snaps while we threw some bread crumbs overboard. Boy, was I mistaken! :)

So we head out to the sea again and suddenly stop. Suddenly the boatman starts anchoring in the middle of nowhere and takes out snorkels!!! Snorkels!! We were going into the sea to feed the fish!!! The others quickly jumped in without a moment's hesitation while I was pondering over all this. And suddenly, the call to jump..!

My first thought- If I drown today, I'm 5000 miles away from my homeland and don't intend to die here! :) Quickly, curiosity took over and 5 mins later.. Splash!!!! Just me, the life vest, snorkels and the ocean! The first 10 seconds were well, to put it mildly, scary.....

I couldn't even get back into the boat coz my "friend" asked me to jump on the other side of the ladder (Val, you and me are having a serious discussion tomorrow!) So I had to let go of the only support I had (a rope) and try and paddle to the other side. Things became slightly easier once I knew the ladder was in sight...

Disclaimer: Before you label me a sissy, try jumping into 50 feet of sea water in a foreign land without any swimming experience whatsoever, suckers!!

5 minutes into this, and I became calmer and looked down. Whoa, there it was.. schools of fish between my feet and a beautiful coral reef to complete the almost-perfect mental picture. I could see all kinds of fish, and for the first time in my life, understood first hand the serenity of the sea. And all this with people still splashing around! The snorkels made it so much more easier to see what was going on beneath me without the need to come back for air. 

For all of you who never tried jumping off a boat in the middle of the sea, it is exactly as crazy as it sounds. But, that first moment of peace and being one with the ocean is a lifetime memory. It literally takes away all your pain and stress with just one thing on your mind... tranquility! 

If you ever get an opportunity, I urge you to try it out for yourself and find out what I just discovered. We only have one life, and I just ticked one item off my bucket list! :):)

The seemingly enthused team 

Val, our tour guide and compatriot

One item off my bucket list

I never wanted to come out of the ocean, but for the team and the boatman... Okay okay, I have to admit I was a little skittish. But this experience was worth every scared breaths in those memorable 15 minutes. I swear, I will go snorkeling again and again and again..... 

After we got on to the boat, we quickly came back to the shore and freshened up. Had a quick meal and then started off for the long ride back home. On the way, stopped for some souvenir shopping and came back to my hotel by 5 in the evening. Had a hearty Indian meal after two days of Pinoy delicacies. 

Jeera Rice, Kadai Paneer, Dal Tadka and Raita :)

As I lie in my bed reminiscing the day gone by, I can't help but think of all the things I have aspired to do in my life and how much I have yet to see and experience. Hopefully, the week ahead is going to be as beautiful as the weekend. 

With these thoughts, that's fourth week in sunny Philippines for you. If you don't have a bucket list yet, please make one and ensure you tick off all items on that list before you kick the proverbial bucket.

Peace.