(As told by D. )'We have to remember this,' J. tells me as we drive past the stalls of roasted pigs and chickens by the sidewalk near the church at Lilo-an town in Cebu. We are aboard the Rough Riders' Bus going to our mini-vacation to a place called Malapascua Island. It is 'the little Boracay of Cebu,' according to the cab driver who took us to the Northern Bus Terminal at around 6:45 that morning. The driver, who spoke perfect Tagalog and English interchangeably, even offered to take us to Maya for Php 2,000. We refused and opted to take the 60-peso bus ride at the non-aircon bus which will take us to the port where we'll take the boat to the island.
The roads to the north are impressively paved and about four of the 12 towns one will pass through are located along the coast. Save for the speedy driving and the hot rays of the sun on our side of the coaster, the ride was what we had both hoped for. We shared an Ipod and relaxed as the music played from our earphones. At the end of it, we could not believe how far the 60-peso fare took us.
At the tip of Daanbantayan is Maya where you take the boat to Malapascua island. The fare is 40 pesos and the boat leaves as soon as it's full. Approximately 26 passengers can sit in one boat, not to mention, 20 gallons of mineral water. At that time, all the passengers were Filipinos, most of them spoke Visaya and a few were locales to the island. J. and I barely noticed the 40-minute boat ride as we listened to chillout music and took pictures.
We could hardly control our excitement when the island came to view. It is exactly what the websites described it to be---an idyllic island paradise with white sandy beaches, lush green palm trees, and aqua-blue waters. This little paradise has everything the sun-worshipper or adventurer seeks. Though not that adventurous, J. and I have both put the 'beach' as one of our Friendster-declared interests.
After we've settled at a beach front resort, we headed to try out the food that this pristine island had to offer. I had shrimp curry while J. tried the grilled fish with buttered vegetables. We were one of the few Asians at the restaurant. There was a whole bunch of Caucasians at one table and two pretty looking guys at the other. They looked like Matt Damon and Tom Cruise on their way back from a private holiday. Seeing the beach and all these people, I was reminded of the weekend trips I used to have with Julie, a British colleague, to Railey Bay, one of the spectacular beaches in Southern Thailand. I remember having so much fun just being around those foreigners or farangs. I had always wished though that I could do the same in my own country, travel and enjoy the white sand beaches where I will not be a foreigner anymore.
This trip in Cebu will always be a memorable, if not the only, one. I am with J., the love of my life, and we are on our way to fulfilling our dream in making our lives together truly a blissful trip.
