Indulgence

Full Moon in Samar

John Updike
Celebrity is a mask that eats into the face.

I just got back from Samar today. I was with the Planetzips crew and we had major fun. We were all, at one point, drunk and smashed. The resort we were in, The Surf Camp at Calicoan beach in Eastern Samar was a lovely, lovely place but it was sorta empty since the waves haven't come in and June, being typhoon season, kept it down to minimum guests. We were practically alone our whole stay. Or at least, if we wanted privacy, we had it.

Samar is a beautiful province. Lots of green scenery -- foliage and trees and beautiful sights to behold. We landed in Tacloban airport and had to take a rather long drive to the resort but it was worth it. We had to go on the San Juanico bridge and it is impressive. It's a huge bridge and it turns in the middle! What an amazing sight! I never saw a bridge that actually curved. Later on, we passed another bridge, much, much smaller but it's view was just amazing! We saw the ocean and a huge rock with a cave and the blue, blue water just sparkling. Suffice to say, it was a photo-op for all of us!

We saw mangroves on the way and all kinds of trees. It was just lovely.

We spun fire at night. We drank and some of us pigged-out! Lors, Migui, Tals, Paulino, Amanda and Paolo got to surf. Tals, Migui, Cat and I really worked hard on our tans. For Lors, tanning, apparently, comes as easily as breathing, so she didn't have to work too hard for it. We drank some more. Others slept at the weirdest hours. Paulino and I got some reading in, as did Cat. Paolo and Paulino caught up with old friends as did Tals and Cat. Some of us got caught in the rain while Tals and I got sick. Tals and I got to bond with Migui and we all celebrated Amanda's birthday. Oh yeah, did I mention we went drinking?

And it was a lovely full moon night for the three nights we were there. It hung high in the sky illuminating the whole evening, it looked like it was morning, even if it were still midnight or 1 in the morning. Everything was in a shade of blue because of the bright luminescence of the full moon. It was just lovely. Of course, the flip-side were all the rain clouds and the lightning that flashed brightly illuminating the moment for but a brief second before fading away back into darkness. That was nice too.

I had a great time with great, amazing people whom I have grown to love as a family. The Planetzips people are really some of the best people on Earth and I'm so glad to be a part of their group. I had a wonderful time in Samar and I may be sick now and paying for it in the next few weeks, but the truth is, I'm so much happier now for that experience and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

posted by wanggo @ 11:01 PM