Last weekend I was a boat ride away. Actually a boat ride and a car ride away. We, my aunt, uncle, cousin, sister, and myself, went to Bacolod last weekend.It was a really enjoyable trip which had it's ups and downs like most but an enjoyable trip nonetheless. It all started with a ride to the pier and a voyage on the sea. We went to Bacolod, specifically Mambukal Resort. I'm sure a lot of people have gone there, it sure looked like it when I was there (fully booked!). The down side of that almost perfect trip (key word= almost) was the weather. Yes, how ironic , I spent more than half of my summer toasting inside my house and the one time I actually go out of my way to go somewhere it rains. Typical.
It would have been okay, I mean I didn't get sunburned (points for me!) but I felt damp and warm at the same time. It doesn't make sense, I get that but let me explain. Imagine what your feet feel when it's raining and you manage to get your socks wet along with your shoes. Lovely... Not. We trekked, and yes it was as cool and as tiring as it sounds. The terrain was vastly different from the hike I've experienced in Camp Regulus, Ajuy and in Bulabog Puti-an when I was in First year. For one thing the trail was stony, there were a lot of dark, glossy rocks. They reminded me of the tiny pebbles I used to decorate Max and Cody's (bless their turtle souls) bowl, only bigger, big enough to squash me and people wouldn't notice. Creepy. We lasted until the sixth fall (or was it the fourth? I always get things messed up) until we decided to pack things up and head back down. We were a group made up of young people (30- below) who had enough energy and determination to go through with it till the end, both however deteriorated through time when our under-exercised bodies couldn't take it anymore. Because of the rain (funny because I was literally in a 'rain' forest *laugh*...corny) it became difficult. That's an understatement because it was downright dangerous. We were on top of a freakin' mountain, no fences, no railings, walking on narrow, slightly muddy ground. I had a reoccurring vision of me falling and screaming to my death where my spine would break due to contact with one of those giant boulders. I have a sick mind, I know. The trek, from start to finish took roughly about two hours. I have to admit I wouldn't have spent those two hours any other way. Aside from the mud that seemed to be everywhere, the water that was never far away, and the wind that was bitingly chilly it was a pretty good trek. But there were sacrifices and these sacrifices were my shoes. It isn't as dire as it sounds, my shoes are okay they didn't rip apart but they didn't go unscathed either. That also includes my sister's and my cousin's shoes. How petty I was, worrying about my shoes when I could have fallen to my untimely doom wearing easily washable rubber slippers. Some of the people who were with us wore slippers but they were lucky. Very lucky.
Thank you Lord for that wonderful experience, thank you for keeping me safe and not making it my last. I hope that a lot of people will get to experience what I went through and learn to appreciate it as much as I do. For all my talk of it being uncomfortable and dangerous, I won't lie because it was uncomfortable and dangerous, there was more to it than that. I got to see different kinds of water falls, I now know the difference between mountain air and city air (very big by the way), I felt rich, damp , life-giving soil beneath my finger tips, and I saw what all the fuss was about. The fuss, being that we don't appreciate nature all too often. I'm not a die hard environmentalist but I do get pissed at all those ignorant people throwing trash anywhere and everywhere. Even there, there was trash, in the mountains imagine that. I don't want to get all passionate about pollution but I do hope that more people would realize and take to heart that it is a serious threat. I wouldn't want something as clean and refreshing as those falls and that trail to get ruined because of some moron's ignorance, pardon the insult but hey, you could only be insulted if you are that.
*To all the people who were there*
It was awesome, Right? :)
