Traditions... Summer Part 1
Note: This entry was started on November 27 and posted on December 3 at 3:15PM - Pia
I was chatting with a friend earlier today and our conversation turned to traditions. Actually, we were talking about swimming and I brought up the topic of traditions.
When I was younger, I always looked forward to summer and Christmas. For two reasons: One is that I didn't have school during these times, and the second is that we always went out of town. My parents would pack up all 6 kids and we'd head to our regular summer/holiday destinations.
Summer, particularly Holy Week, was always reserved for the beach. When I went boating with my cousin a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of how much I loved the water and this summer tradition is the reason.
I remember how we'd wake up early in the morning and pile up in the car (how we all fit in one car before my oldest brother learned how to drive is beyond me) to head to Anilao. We'd always stop at the Shell station right at the entrance of the South Super Highway - now known as the SLEX - to fill up the gas tank and have our first bathroom break. The next stop would always be the Seven Sisters restaurant for a delicious lunch of bulalo with lots of utak (marrow). My parents always made sure that all 6 kids had an equal share of utak to mix into our rice. This was the final stop before the last stretch to Dive Camp's parking area. Then it was a short trip, via bangka, to Dive Camp.
We were regular fixtures in that place. We saw all the changes - both good and bad - that happened thorughout the years. We were there when there was only one structure with about 10 rooms to house all their guests. Over the years, it grew to include 2 or 3 more buildings, and since my and my sister's ninong (yes, we shared a godfather) was managing Dive Camp at the time, we always got the best rooms and the best service at the restaurant/bar. Our favorite thing to order was the banana shake. I haven't yet tasted a better fruitshake since then.
Since Dive Camp was for primarily for divers, there wasn't much of a beach for us to swim in. What Ninong Noy did was built a jetty closer to the newer accommodations. He also had a raft set up a few meters away from shore so guests would have a place to dive off from. We loved swimming there and stayed there for most of the day. We had to make sure that we had on enough sunblock so we wouldn't burn.
Then came the deck at the other end of the island. Part of the wooden floor was a hatch that opened up to concrete steps which led to the water. That was another play area for us that offered more shade, but we still had to be careful of the barnacles stuck to the wooden pegs that held the deck up.
The final additions were the sandy beach and the sunset deck located just behind the huge rock that they had to cut through to build. Of course the sand was black, nowhere near the powdery white of Boracay or Palawan, but it was 100% better than walking over rocks and pebbles on the main beach. And nothing beat watching the sunset after a long day of swimming. Of course we'd be sipping our delish banana shakes, which made the viewing more enoyable.
Finally, there was Sombrero Island. A 15-minute bangka ride away from Dive Camp, we'd sometimes go there for a change of scenery. I don't know why we went there as much as we did, especially since the beach was mostly corals and pebbles, which made it hell on our feet whenever a tiny bit entered our jelly shoes. Also, there was no shade to speak of. Not one shrub, tree or huge rock to hide under. I guess the reason it was named Sombrero Island was that you had to be wearing one when you were there. That and that it was shaped like a straw hat.
I think the reason we went there so often was that we looked forward to the boat ride back. See, my sister and I loved riding on the bamboo poles on either side of the boat (katig ba yung tawag dun, Jo?). When were close enough to the shore, we'd jump off and swim the rest of the way back.
To be continued...
