"Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it’s the moments that take your breath away." - Hitch
I still can’t believe that I spent the past weekend in Puerto Galera. The boat ride from Batangas Pier was exhilirating… feeling the wind on my face, the sun on my skin, the motion of the waves, and seeing the immense sea surrounding us was just breathtaking. Stepping off the boat and into the buzz of the island itself was another wonder. I could feel the beach humming with life. There were so many interesting and beautiful people… men and women, young and old. I couldn’t help but drink it all in.
Although we had difficulty looking for a place to stay, it was compensated by how much fun we had on our first night there. I got to dance again! There we were on the beach, loaded with five pitchers of Mindoro Sling, and dancing to our hearts’ content. It was liberating. We also went swimming and got into trouble (which we promised not to talk about anymore haha!). But it was one of the most fun-filled nights I ever had.
Sunday morning was spent snorkeling and although I have a fear of the sea (Jaws traumatized me for life), I knew I would feel betrayed if I did not go snorkeling. It proved to be both scary and exciting. We saw plenty of beautiful fishes! I didn’t even know what they’re called. We fed them bread, and they made me think of birds. That’s what they seemed to me, birds underwater.
Sunday afternoon was our scheduled departure, but (un)fortunately, our boat did not arrive until 7:30pm. We all agreed that it would not be safe to travel at night. So there we were, stranded, with little money, and I was happier than ever. Frankly, I was glad we stayed. It was that night that I met someone… with whom I spent the most romantic night of my life.
We were with a group most of the time, but we were able to talk to each other about a lot of things. We have so many things in common, but the thing that took breath away was when he said, "Dapat ang mga WHAT IFs inaalis sa buhay," like he read the words from my very heart. Finally, we had some time alone and we spent it sitting on the beach, with our toes curling in the sand, and talking about anything and everything under the stars. He’s smart and witty, a perfect gentleman, and he’s quite cute, too. He brushed the sand from my feet, and that was really a very sweet thing to do. The time came that he had to take me home, and we held hands all the way to the our place. Then, he kissed me. It was indeed a perfect ending to my first Galera experience.
It’s unbelievable that just weeks ago, I was thinking that I’m having the most boring summer ever. And then Galera happened, and that changed everything. There on the beach, I felt free. And that feeling of freedom just took my breath away.
