POSTCARDS FROM TALICUD ISLAND

Photos via Kristine Acharon

Back in our good old college days (naks, old? one month palang graduate! haha), we'd consume our long breaktime planning and daydreaming of an escapade somewhere far away in GenSan. We've been on several trips to the beach but we were really eyeing Davao and Samal to explore together.

So a week after graduation, we had our college-ender weekend getaway trip. It was four years in the making and weeks of allowance saving. We kind of pulled all the stops to make the trip happen because as we all know, life will be different after graduation. Just like now, PAT is already in Dubai living and carving out her own PATH. Uy, wordplay. Haha. Para di sad. :)

Anyhoo, the said getaway weekend was spent enjoying a Friday night in downtown Davao and an overnight stay at Isla Reta Resort, Talicud Island, Samal (pictured above).

I'm quite lost how to elaborate my sharing so here's a laundry list instead.

  

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR TRIP:

• I STEPPED ON A SEA-URCHIN! (PISS, PISS, PISS)

We were just about to start night swimming when I felt something thorny on my left foot. I thought it was just a sharp shell but when I felt hairlike strands piercing through my foot and was starting to get painful, I just knew that I stepped on a fuggin sea urchin ("tuyom" in vernacular).

Good thing my friend Melvin was gracious enough to give his pee (in a bottle) to partly remedy the situation while my other friends begged for more pee. (This sounds funny. haha). Luckily, there was a father who "donated" his pee (still in a bottle) since his own child also stepped on a sea urchin earlier that day. Thank heavens for kind people and warm piss. Haha.

• THE EUREKA MOMENT! (Or more likely THE "IT'S JUST A LUMINISCENT ALGAE, YOU IDIOTS") Haha

Pardon the awkward poses, but here's a photo of us discovering something so amazing....NOT. We were strolling at the shoreline when (not totally sure if it's) Kent spotted something blue and neon-ish thingy on the sand.We first thought it was just a shell (too much shell assuming) but when we touched it, it was "stretchy". Gaah, I don't know how to describe its physicality in an accurate manner but it was amazing! It's like neon powder or something.

So we were all giddy and excited since we thought we stumbled into something magical. We even started conjuring up our own amazing theories. But then turned out, those amazing things were only luminiscent algae or specifically Bioluminiscent algae something whatever. Thanks to Melvin who knows his Biology lessons well and enlightened us.

Not that biolumiscent algae aren't amazing. We were just thinking of something more magical than scientific. Like, a mermaid's poop or kryptonite? Haha.

Truly, ignorance is bliss. </3

• LYING AT THE SAND AND JUST STARING  AT THE STARRY SKY <3

Due to my "tuyom" incident, we stopped our night swimming early. Since we can't swim at the sea, we tried swimming at the sand instead. Hahaha. Joke. Seriously though, Pat, Kim, Kent and I spent the rest of the night at the shoreline. We lied at the sand and calmly watched the sky full of stars. The sound of the waves were so calming. We lay there and just forget the world. Chos. Hashtag pricelessmoments. We  loved every second of it that we almost slept on the shore! Kung wala lang high tide.

• WE ARE THE CHEAPSKATES

Since we were on a tight budget and there were other things to prioritize (food, accommodation, Starr Bar?), we had to scrimp on some things like the transportation. We had to get from point A to point B the cheapest way we can. TAXI was NEVER an option! Hahaha. 

The various modes of transportation we took were the jeep, padyak, tricycle (in the wee hours of the night and in the middle of downtown Davao!) and the yacht ferry boat (which stopped in the middle of the sea when we were on our way back to the city!).

It was tiring but also fun going through all the hassles just to push through with our plans. If there's a WILL (and WHEEL), there's always a WAY. :)

 

And to end this....

DREAM ON. Hahaha.

XX