The Perfect Place for a Summer Vacation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

When you hear the words “summer vacation”, what comes in to your mind? Exhausting weather? Wandering? Boring days? Messed up body clock? Here’s how I spent mine.

Last day of Junior Year, staring at my wrist watch, hearing the word “summer” echoing in my mind. And then I heard the dismissal bell ring. It’s officially the start of our summer vacation.

On my ride home, I kept on thinking what interesting things would and could happen during my two-month vacation: "Will we go to our province?",  "Will I meet relatives I didn’t know yet?", "Will we go to the beach?", "Or will it be tedious just like last year’s summer stay-cation?"

Well apparently, April was a staycation for me. My usual routine: eat, bath, household chores, read e-books, sleep late, wake up late and just repeat the process. I managed to finish reading Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy and Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush series. They are those kind of books that would make you tell yourself, “Just a few chapters left, I’ll continue reading.” That’s why I slept late and screwed up my biological clock (My body clock is still messed up until now). 

My E-books

There were also days when I had movie marathons with my family. On the second to the last week of the month of May, aside from reading, I also spent time bonding with my cousin, Ate Mel. We biked around the village with my brothers, Robin and Ram. We also taught each other some songs using the guitar. My dad also joined us. It was really fun to have people jamming with you and are also interested in the things you enjoy doing. 

Ate Mel went home to Pangasinan after a few days. Time really flies fast. I didn’t notice that the month of May has already arrived. A month before the school year starts. The questions I asked myself when I was in the tricycle came back to me. “Will we go to our province?”, “ Will I meet relatives I didn’t know yet?”, “ Will we go to the beach? “ As I was thinking about those, my mom approached me and said that we’re going to Pangasinan for the holy week. I just can’t contain my excitement when she said those words.

A day before leaving Pasig, I packed my stuff and had a good sleep. I had my Travel playlist on repeat when we were on our way to Pangasinan and got lost in dreamland..

My Wander Playlist:

1. Wanderlust - Nick Gallant
2. Four Mile - Nick Gallant
3. Best Day Of My Life - American Authors
4. Three Little Birds - Bob Marley
5. No Rain - Blind Melon
6. What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
7. Somewhere Over The Rainbow – cover by Norah Jones
8. All The Happy People - The Beatles
9. Live High - Jason Mraz
10. Everything Is Sound - Jason Mraz
11. Good Life - One Republic
12. Drive – Eraserheads

Sun Roof with Brothers at Pangasinan

I woke up to the breeze caressing my face and the sun's gentle light that warmly hugged me with its brightness and the hope of a new day that came with it. My dad opened the sun roof. It was indeed a beautiful day at Tebag, Pangasinan. We stayed in my grandfather’s hut or "kubo" which he built himself.

The food was really great. We ate under the mango trees which was a new experience for me. And what made it even more a new feeling for me was that a beetle flew to my head. Yes, a beetle. 

Ukelele time under a tree

I brought my ukulele and dad brought his acoustic beatbox. We really had a good time bonding and singing and jamming with our relatives that I just met. 

Hello, Cow!

The dwarf

Me, my family and our relatives in Pangasinan

I also borrowed my dad’s camera to take some photos. I’m still learning to take good photos though. There was this incident when I was trying to capture a cow and it suddenly ran towards me. Good thing, it was tied to a tree and because of adrenaline rush, I was able to run fast without tripping. 

at SCTEX

Before going back to Pasig, we attended mass at the San Carlos Church where I bought a bracelet as a remembrance. The ride home was really a hassle. Our van overheated 4 times and we had to stop by to each gasoline station. The 3rd time it overheated, we were at SCTEX. Good thing, my dad contacted the road side emergency team and got our van fixed and arrived home safely. 

Colours

By the end of the week, we went to Nasugbu, Batangas for two days with my whole family. “Jeez,we’re going to the beach! I can feel it!”, I said to myself. And I was right. On our way there, we passed this tunnel and the view that lies ahead was just breathtaking. I don’t really know what exact words should be used to describe the scenery. I quickly grabbed dad’s camera and took some photos. I remembered Louis Armstrong’s words from his song.. “And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

The Tunnel

The beach was a fun place to look at. I saw some fish vendors smiling as they approached the tourists, kids making sand castles, and families singing at the karaoke. The sea was calm. As I walk towards it I heard the waves getting louder, the sand was getting wetter and then suddenly…. A crablet pinched my foot which was a bit painful but I handled it anyway and continued to swim. After a while, my cousins joined me and I taught them how to swim. By the end of the day, we watched the sunset together with my family. We head home the next day.

The Fish Vendor

Reach for the Sky

Silhouettes in the Sunset

What Lies Ahead

Me, my family and our relatives in Batangas

Summer is not just about sleepless nights, the hot weather, or boring days. I realized that none of these experiences would be worth it or fun without my family. Even if we had a staycation during April, I realized that it was not boring after all. I just didn’t notice the little things like the time when my ate visited us and the movie marathons with my family because I dwelled too much on wanting to spend my vacation in other places. But the truth is, the perfect place for a summer vacation is where you could be with your family.


Contributed by Maureen Majella Frias

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