I don’t really remember the last time I breathed that salty air and basked under the bright yellow sun until my skin turned tan. It’s been years since I got drenched in that salty water that always seemed to sting my eyes whenever it got in.

This year, I was really looking forward to summer break, as school had been draining all the color out of me. From exams to clinical duties to paperwork and then back again to caring for patients, it sucked every bit of energy out of me and left me with dark circles darker than coal.

Summer break here I go!

But when summer break finally came, so did the rainy season here in our country. Just my luck, right? Just when I could finally do fun things, rainstorms blocked my plans and greeted my vacation with a muddy start. Summer break had me going back and forth between the city and my hometown like they were only a street apart, because of school duties that still needed to be done. (Mind you, it takes four to five hours each way, depending on traffic.) Here I was, thinking summer break was supposed to be a break from school. LOL!

Then, my boyfriend’s family invited me to join their island-hopping adventure! He said it would be a one-day weekend trip that would last the whole day. I was both excited and nervous, since it would be my first time meeting most of his family and relatives. All sorts of scenarios crossed my mind about how the day might go, but more than anything, I kept thinking about finally breathing in the salty air and feeling it linger on my skin.

Boat San Pedro

Last Saturday morning the trip happened. My boyfriend's sister rented a bus to make the travel comfortable. It took us about an hour to travel from the city to the port of Lapu‑Lapu. Since we set off at 6 a.m., there was no traffic yet, so it was faster compared to usual. The boat we rented was for 30–35 people, but judging by its size, I think it could have fit five more. It was my first time on such a large boat.

At first, the boat rocked intensely. I'm prone to motion sickness. With that much rocking on a boat, the worst could happen. The weather looked a bit gloomy as well, I could only hope that the skies were on our side. Thankfully, as the boat began moving and sped up a bit, the rocking lessened. Every time I glanced back at the shore, the buildings looked smaller and smaller until they disappeared, and all I could see was an endless body of water.

First Island

Our first stop was near a small island. From the beginning, we’d already agreed to just stay on the boat and swim around instead of hopping from one island to the next. Each island charged a set entrance fee (about ₱100 per person), and with how many of us there were, it would’ve cost a lot.

Emerald Waters

Last Island

Series of events

Eventually, I went into the water. There it was, that cool and refreshing feeling like it's a hug from the ocean to you. I didn’t even notice how long I had been swimming until my boyfriend pointed out that I looked darker. I couldn’t care less about my skin turning dark. All I cared about was the fun. We then went to two other spots and just kept swimming. I guess the heavens listened because it was surprisingly sunny all day long yet was raining in the city. 

Time flew by quickly, and soon it was time to go home. Everyone was tired, yet happy and content. Although we started summer a bit late, it’s never really too late when it’s the ocean calling, right? That day, we left not only with red cheeks and darker tones but also with hearts full and souls refreshed by the gifts the ocean shared with us.

Big thanks to my boyfriend and his family!

_{All images used are purely mine.}