I Will Treasure This Moment Forever

22 August 2010
Bauan Bay to Ditatayan Island to Culion Island
Busuanga, Palawan, Philippines

This was the day of the CamSur (Half) Ironman 70.3 km race where Raul and I had registered for a team relay. However, about a month before the event, we realized that there were 3 non-working holidays between August 19-30, giving us a rare opportunity to go on a 12-day vacation out of a 5-day leave (the consequences of being an employee). After a frantic search for replacements, Raul and I decided to pull out of the event and go on this sailing trip instead. It was a major decision as we had been training for several months and were looking forward to the race.

On this vacation, we kept ourselves free from work and detached ourselves from our cell phones and email. This was the first day I kept in constant touch with the outside world to keep track of how my family faired in the CamSur race- my 2 brothers, sister-in-law, nephew, brother-in-law and numerous friends. My parents who are in their late 70s- our biggest fans and cheerleaders- were even there to root for everyone.

It was drizzling in the evening and we couldn’t hang out on deck. Precious moments indeed, with the whole family snuggled indoors. We fit perfectly, tight and warm in our snail home. With nothing much to do, I cooked a full Chinese meal. The boat was full of cooking smells, love and laughter. The CamSur event felt like a world away. I had only one thought in my head- “I will treasure this moment forever”.