To Fly and Be Free!

14 November 2012

Maricaban Bay, Busuanga, Palawan, Philippines

On this day, I ran along the beach and hiked up Hunter’s Rock for my morning exercise. It’s a 15 minute climb up a conical hill in the bay where Paraluman and I are living in for a month. It is a short but steep hike on uneven steps in a makeshift trail. Downhill is more difficult because of the layer of dried leaves and loose soil which makes the way slippery. But it is a very rewarding climb as you have a panoramic view of Maricaban Bay, a vibrant blue body of water fringed with coral reefs surrounded on all sides by lush green velvety mountains nearby and far off bluish slopes, and you have the view of the open sea on the other side of the hill dotted by islands. If you’re lucky like I was on this day, you will see a bayawak (monitor lizard) along the way.

Hunter's Peak in the background, Paraluman in the middle

When I got to the peak, I saw an eagle- below me! It was quite startling to see one below me rather than above as I usually do. I saw it clearly with its white head, brown body and wings with white tips. And I wouldn’t say it was flying- it was soaring! It was gliding without so much as flapping its wings, effortlessly gliding through the sky over the water. Then it slowly started climbing in a big spiral until it was higher than me, up in the sky until it faded into a dot. Then it started to dive down, slowly, gracefully, like it was just playing until it was near the water again and it repeated its climb in another big circle.  

It looked so effortless yet powerful and graceful. Whether the eagle was just having another day in its big playground or putting on a free show for me, I couldn’t tell.  I could feel the eagle’s spirit in my heart. I was ready to burst with a feeling of freedom, playfulness and happiness. I felt blessed to witness this display of beauty and elegance. I could have watched it all day.

People have always asked me what my 2 tattoos are to which my standard answer is, “It’s a bird in flight.” Then the conversation moves on to the colors and design style but I have never bothered to explain why I chose these designs or what they stand for. I’ve always felt that my reason for doing so is too cheesy or dramatic so it’s always been some sort of a personal secret. To properly explain why I chose a bird in flight to be engraved in my body permanently, 2 times at that, I would have to explain what I felt as I was watching that eagle soaring, soaring, soaring in the sky.

There Are Sand Mites In Paradise

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Ditatayan Island, Busuanga, Palawan- secluded picture-perfect island with a long stunning sand bar (see this post). We were so happy to find this place, we were literally jumping with joy… until the sand mites devoured us and drove us away.

Relaxing in Ditatayan island before the attack of the sand mites.

Malcapuya Island, Busuanga, Palawan- another one of those beautiful tropical islands with a long wide stretch of white beach. We were enjoying the peace and quiet until boatloads of orange life vests aka tourists shattered the reverie with their loud voices and rowdy music.

You think Boracay’s White Beach would be the perfect place to sail to? Wait till you try to sleep at night and the music from the multitude of bars on the beach travel over the water to you, different tunes all at the same time, each one trying to outdo the other. Or try relaxing on deck during the day amidst the drone of the engines of the bancas that ply White Beach during the day, at least one passing by every 10 minutes.

Mt. Guiting-Guiting in the background. Sibuyan Island.

There’s a piece of bright yellow plastic garbage in the waterfalls deep in the woods in Sibuyan Island, Asia’s version of the Galapagos Islands, garish amidst the lush green forest and crystal clear cold rushing water.

There’s a dead dog in Bulabog Beach in knee deep water a meter in front of me and I almost step on it. It must have been there for several days already because it is bloated, skin so tight it looks like it is ready to burst, with some parts missing, its skin a sickening white color. I run before I throw up...

There are jellyfish, invisible stinging critters in the clearest waters with the most vibrant underwater life.

Mosquitoes keep you awake at night in the most serene anchorages, the ideal spots you dream of spending the night- calm waters, quiet, uninhabited, peaceful. And during the day, the heat can be oppressive.

Birds will roost and poop on your pristine deck, leaving foul-smelling black streaks that are difficult to clean.

No, I am not nitpicking. I am just reminding myself that there is no such thing as a perfect world. Maybe the perfect world is in heaven when you die but I’m not going to kill myself to get there. In the meantime, I appreciate and cherish all the blessings around me, right now, in this beautiful world, sand mites and all.

Sailing and the Terrible Twos

Diego Buhay, my grandson, joined us on our 10-day sailing trip to Busuanga, Palawan in Paraluman over the Christmas holidays in 2010 when he was 2 years and 4 months old. This was the first time we brought him on a long boat trip. He sails with us regularly albeit on day trips and had never slept overnight in the boat.  I was nervous about this arrangement. I was worried that we might lose him as he has a habit of unexpectedly jumping into the water. Or that he would get cabin fever in our snail home as there’s not a lot of room for his boundless energy. Or that he would burn his soft baby skin. Or get seasick and miserable and therefore make everyone else miserable.

Inseparable from his Caterpillar dump truck

All our fears were unjustified. Diego seems to have been born with sea legs. Diego was happy and comfortable in Paraluman and didn't need a lot aside from his milk, his yellow Caterpillar dump truck and a free spot for his head when sleepy. He ate when he was hungry, slept when sleepy, jumped in the water when he was hot. He could entertain himself with his beloved yellow truck and when he gets bored, would just move on to whatever is at hand. He would smile or knit his eyebrows with wonder and curiosity at any object around him, whether it’s a broken shell or a piece of seaweed. He particularly enjoyed pinching us with the crab claws after we had eaten all the meat (those claws are painful!). When sleepy, he would just curl up on the mattress on deck or squeeze in an empty corner, wherever the shade is.

With Raul, his grandfather, wrapped around his finger

I will not sugarcoat this and admit that he had his usual share of terrible twos moments- his crying spells, times when I felt like giving him a dose of Benadryl just to make him shut up or go to sleep, when I wondered how many more times he can run around the boat with us chasing him to make sure he didn’t fall off, waking up in the middle of the night when we had just passed out from too much alcohol, or too early in the morning when it was too early to wake up and please oh please can I have just a few more minutes of sleep I’m on vacation. On New Year’s Day, I woke up at 9am after a night of a bit too much of champagne to strange cracking sounds and Diego’s laughter to find him contentedly playing by himself in the midst of broken egg shells. There were broken raw eggs all around him, on the bed, the saloon walls, the floor, with that revolting smell everywhere, and Raul, his grandfather, fast asleep beside him oblivious to the mess on his face and clothes.

Whatever. It was an absolute joy to have Diego, my grandson, the sailor, on the boat with us.

This trip reminded me so much of how Marina, my eldest daughter and Diego’s mom, spent almost all her childhood weekends for about 10 years since she was 2 in Lake Caliraya. We slept in a tent then and on rainy days, slept in our Toyota Corona stationwagon or Lite-Ace. We camped out every weekend, bathed in the lake and had a hole in the ground for a toilet covered with bamboo walls. She enjoyed every minute and has wonderful memories of those weekends. She did not need too many toys and was very happy simply playing with her friends in the mud. 

I realize that kids adjust to their surroundings easier than we think, maybe even better than adults do. That they are born with no fears and prejudices. It made me appreciate that we need so little and need not stress over every small detail or overthink things.

I think we should all find the inner child in us. Life would be much simpler.