It was once a dream, far
from becoming a reality. But it did.
The moment we received the DepEd
advisory announcing the venue of the 4th National English Jazz
Chants Festival, our heart never stopped the rush of beat. Maybe from
excitement, maybe from fear of the competition, or maybe from the series of
endless and exhausting rehearsal ahead. Our efforts have finally paid off. Here
we go to the best travel of our lives.
I could still remember moments when
I pointed my finger on the sky and tried to imagine what it feels like being
there. Now I could feel it the moment I stepped on the air plane. Chill ran
through my spine. I grasped the hand of my co-performer as though it was the
last moment of our lives. The “fasten
your seatbelt” sign was on and there went the surge of force as the machine moved
forward with all its might. We did not breathe until it lifted itself, until
the distant houses looked like candies, until the highways looked like thread,
until Mt. Apo was on the level of my altitude.
For almost an hour we treaded the
sky watching the clouds of varying sizes and hues of white, locking our eyes
below on the islands with white edges and protruding breast. Then we landed on
Ilo-ilo airport amid the vast expanse of rice field. There we released a sigh.
It was not bad after all.
 |
| Region XI's Jazz Chants Team together with Education Supervisors Mrs. Agnes Arabejo and Mrs. Antonia Bugna |
We passed through mountain roads,
provinces and municipalities for almost four hours until we reached Caticlan.
Where was my dream destination? My eyes wandered. Maybe we still have to travel
by boat for an hour. But I was wrong when somebody pointed on the nearby
island.
Welcomed by the southwest winds, our
medium-sized boat was tossed and almost torn (just a hyperbole). Waves even
splashed on the floor of the boat drenching my pants. Then we reached the port.
Boracay! I conquered you at last.
As we arrived at DepEd hostel, our
quarter, on an early afternoon, we never wasted time. We explored the long
stretch of white sand as if it was ours. It was not a surprise to see almost
naked bodies sprawled on the beach basking the heat of the sun.
Whites, tans and dark skins – all sort of
nationalities were here. Boracay is indeed owned by the international community
more than the Filipinos. Sexiness here is a common commodity.
By the next day, we transferred at
the La Carmella Hotel de Boracay along Station 2, the venue of the competition,
where we experienced first-class accommodation with towels, cold and hot water
available anytime with just one call.
Guided island hopping was never left in our “to-do list”. With just
P1,500 as fee, we walked by the road about a kilometer until we reached the
other side of the island – the east side Bulabog Beach. Here the sand is
whiter, the water clearer and the sea calmer.
Excitement was reflected in
everyone’s smile. Then we started to sail and stopped a little while at the middle
part of the sea. With snorkel and life vest, we managed to conquer our fear and
took a swim but the current was strong. We needed to paddle our feet and hands
so as not to be taken away making the dip more exciting.
There we were able to
see all sorts of corals and fearless and colorful fishes that swam right in
front of our faces.
 |
| Crystal Cove Island |
Ten minutes away, we passed around
Crystal Cove Island which was made up of almost rocks and a small patch of
white sand.
I wondered how it feels like to pass through the caves and tunnels
of the island finally emerging in the end of each tunnel by the sea.
I just
wondered since we don’t have the luxury to get in. We were supposed to go to
Puka Beach but the turbulent seas did not allow us.
As we returned, we passed by the
five-star hotels erected along the mountains.
Along one of the mountains was
the 300 meters zip line. Our eyes enjoyed all the luxury of water sports from
windsurfing, kite boarding, parasailing to boating of all types.
No reason to
be envious but a reason to dream bigger that one day, we can come back and with
us are the luxury of time and resources.
 |
| Fire Dance |
And not to miss the water which is
the best. Same depth of water never seemed to stop -a reason not to be afraid
of drowning. Riding on the wild splash of the sea, we never stopped to fill the
air with shouts of glee. And the water is always warm even during night time.
Going home offered a bittersweet feeling. When
we dropped by Kalibo, Aklan, Sampaguita Gardens offered a different kind of
experience.
Angels and doves welcomed
us. As we entered the museum of Christmas and the Precious Moments Gallery, we
felt like children again.
Life-size dolls to the smallest dolls were there for
sale.
As we reached the second floor, Christmas music soothes the ear. Why
celebrate the season this early?
This is what they call Christmas all year
round. We met the life-size Santa Claus with all his reindeers and bundles of
gifts.
Then we went to SJB Mansion where
the features lived up to its name. Wood-paneled mansion as shiny and slippery
as a pearl houses. Invaluable treasures, artifacts, utensils and furniture
coming from the different parts of the world wowed us as the caretaker shared
the price of each.
Then we ended our itinerary at Jaro
Church in Ilo-ilo where the miraculous Our Lady of Candles resides, the only
religious icon crowned by the late Pope John Paul II.
It was the moment to look
back on the travel that made us richer. It was the moment to lift our
gratefulness to the source of this blessing and the bonus of winning Best in
Choreography in the competition.
It was a moment so profound that we realized
our nothingness without Him and His greatness manifested through his precious
gifts.
......wow!
ReplyDelete