Highway to Happy

I shamelessly declared my love for the people I call my travel soulmates in a previous entry. I used the word ‘shamelessly’ because I never bothered to confirm whether I can officially call it an affair or it’s something that rings true only on my side of the story. But, whatever. I love these people too much I'm adding to the reasons why we are travel soulmates. As follows:

Coron crew! :)

We do not make fool-proof travel itineraries. What we are so good at is dodging bullets. Budget limitations, schedule conflicts; name it, we’ve probably succeeded avoiding the most usual travel boo boos out there. That includes thinking 1:00 in our plane ticket pertains to 1PM, instead of 1AM!

So, we dodge bullets. Unfortunately, in our most recent trip to Coron, what were fired to our direction weren’t bullets we can avoid. It was a storm. It was gloomy skies spread over the island. It was a disaster. Coron is known for its pristine beaches, snorkeling areas and diving spots. It has summer written all over the island. So when we found ourselves waking up to drizzle and occasional thunder, we did what we normally would have given the situation:

MAKE THE MOST OUT OF IT.

We took boat rides, run across the shore, swam in the rain and admired the magnificence embracing us without complain. Not one soul was dampened by the rain. We were kids, we were on an adventure. Everything was perfect! Our enthusiasm wasn’t limited to when we were surrounded by the ocean, mind you. We climbed the 700+ steps to Mt. Tapyas savouring the sunshine and went down the same path drenched in rain without a care in the world.

And that part in the middle of the sea when we went through a ‘subasco’, I can’t even begin to tell you how alive I felt inside that catastrophe. It was both scary and exciting that my brain was confused I just started laughing. 

I made a list before:

We jump cliffs, we topload, we swim with sharks, etc.

Today I add to that….

We do not shrink in the face of misfortune.

We do not throw tantrums when reality doesn’t live up to our expectations.

I am so proud that none of us threw a fit when Cebu Pacific announced that our flight got cancelled. TWICE. Although, I couldn’t exactly say I’m proud of how, in the 2^nd cancellation, when Cebu Pac informed us that they are shouldering our accommodations in a 5-star resort, rather than feeling somewhat disappointed due to the delay, we acted closer to winning the jackpot. Again, we’re kids on an adventure. We take what we can get. :)

The happiest stranded bunch!

This may sound overly contemplative of an experience that can happen to just about anyone but I’ll say it, still: I find it very, very comforting to have such optimistic people in my life.

All sorts of lovely!

There may not be any need for sunshine to appreciate how lovely Coron is. Nevertheless, we brought our own. :)