Isla Jardin Escapade!

These are just choice pictures from my stash and continue to scroll down for the full article about our escapade

Over the weekend some of my officemates and I went to Isla Jardin, Glan, Saranggani to unwind and leave behind the stress and pressure of office and city life. It was really a good way to relax because the place is really far from civilization (in my opinion). Even our cellphones have no signal save for users of Globe Telecom. Tisha, an officemate and under the SALN unit, is the only Globe user I know who was with us during the trip. Had I known that the place have no Sun Cellular or Smart signal, then I would’ve bought a Touch Mobile ( TM ) sim card which is a sister company of Globe, by the way. However, at the end of the trip, I realized that it was also fun to have no communication to people back at the city because I was able to focus more and appreciate nature and the people around me. I’m getting ahead of myself so let’s go back to the vacation part. We, Nikki, and I, were fetched near our area on the way because the road we’re taking goes South which is where I live. Nikki is also part of the SALN unit, for your info. We waited until past 8:00 (I forgot the exact time) for the van to arrive. My parents dropped me at a convenience store so I can wait for the van with Nikki. I said goodbye to my parents and jumped into the van. Thank God it was quite spacious so I can relax and have a place to put my stuff! I sat beside one of my direct boss on my left and Nikki on my right. The travel was smooth sailing and we arrived at the area way past lunch time where food is waiting! Yey for lechon! Yummerss! We ate with gusto and drank soft drinks; hard drinks for most of the guys. Then we were free to lolly-gaggle after lunch. I don’t know what to do so I took pictures with my camera with Nikki and Tisha tagging along. It was too hot for swimming so we went back and chatted with the guys who were drinking. I passed on drinks since I’m not really a fan of alcohol. We played Kokology for a while since I brought the book with me and had fun interpreting the answers and kinda getting a gist of what type of person each of us are. When it was around 5:00 pm when the sun was setting and a warm glow was around the area, we decided to dip ourselves in the ocean. The water felt good but our friend and officemate, Beau, had another idea. We invited us to go hiking on this trail that follows the path around the massive rock formations. I was reluctant because I’m really clumsy and I’m afraid I might trip and fall on the rocky pools at the sides. Thank goodness nothing of the sort happened. We took lots of pictures as we followed the trail and was rewarded by breathtaking views that surprised us every turn! I did not regret going through such fear and anxiety because of the rewarding view I got. The beach that we found in a little secluded area after a few turns was really tranquil and inviting. The sand was softer compared to the ones near the cottages and the water was divine tinted with a beautiful shade of aquamarine. I wished to stay longer but the troop wanted to go on ahead and follow the trail. Beautiful after beautiful view greeted us every turn and it was worth the scrapes and tired feet I got afterwards. Lastly, we climbed back to level ground and followed a grassy path that was so quiet that it bordered on being creepy. We even saw an abandoned house that piqued my interest but unfortunately it was getting dark and my friends were not interested to explore a derelict looking house. Who knows what spooks live there so we passed by it quickly. We eventually arrived at someone’s backyard or so it looks. We were at the other end of the line of cottages, the expensive looking ones that really look like houses. We went back to our cottage to shower and change for dinner. We had another round of modified lechon and some grilled fish and the usual soft drinks and hard drinks. I walked along the beach with the cool wind to fan my face. I looked up and lo and behold! The Milky Way is visible from Isla Jardin! Wow! I felt really happy and sad at the same time. Happy because I finally observed the Milky Way and sad because I can’t crystallize the moment I saw it for I have no camera that can capture such beauty. It was just as I expected! A line of cloudy stars that spanned the sky dotting it with twinkling lights. I also walked with Beau and Nikki and talked of various topics about life. I also sang my heart out just so I can relax. We joined the other bosses on their drinking session and talked about psychology and choices and how it reflects who we are (not going into details! And no we didn’t drink. Haha). I decided I had enough human company so Nikki and I decided to call it a day and retreated to our cottages. My mind was still buzzing despite my tired body so I stayed outside the cottage even after I changed into jogging pants as my PJs. Suddenly a friend and officemate surprised me by talking to me despite the late hour. I was typing my feelings on my phone then and deleted it lest he will see what it contains. Feelings are sacred to me and I will not let some kid read it. We talked of random things from horror, creatures that “roam” our land, our college (even though we never met there) experiences and our experiences of the unknown to crazy ideas and how weird I am and how much of a kid he is. Despite the nonsense talk, I enjoyed talking and before I knew it, it was 3:30 am and my body can’t take it anymore. Some of our friends and officemates didn’t sleep and instead grilled bananas and offered some to us. We ate it and declared that it was good! After eating I was so sleepy and tired that I just dived into bed without thinking about my position or what and I fell asleep only to be woken by my alarm clock. It was like I just closed my eyes and suddenly my phone woke me up. I turned off the alarm and eventually woke up around 6:45. I immediately showered and changed and ate cup noodles before ordering breakfast at the hall/clubhouse. I wanted to order bacon but they said it was not available (much to my disappointment) and instead had beef tapa. I wanted to have coffee but I dare not trust my tummy for the long journey so I just had powdered juice. We finished it right away and headed for the van home. I was so groggy from lack of sleep that I had no appetite for anything else so I just slept for the most part of the journey. I woke up in between during stops at stores and shops where we bought pasalubong for our family. I bought bibingka and banana chips with sugar and sesame seeds (sorry! I don’t know the name!). I texted my parents that we were going home when the signal came back. I asked the driver to drop me near our neighborhood so I won’t travel far to get home. I said goodbye to my officemates and thanked them for the vacation. I jumped off where they dropped me and I rode a jeep that would enter our subd. so I don’t have to walk far to our house. When I got back home, I discovered a bite or itchy something under my foot. So bothersome! I planned on uploading the pictures right away but I was so tired that I slept most of the afternoon after eating lunch. After uploading the pictures after dinner, I watched RWBY (the latest “anime” I watched) until I couldn’t take it anymore and continued to sleep. I needed much rest for it was Monday the next day.