Blog | The Many Firsts of Summer 2019 – The Lefthanded Project

Last year I was able to go out-of-town because I had to work out-of-town. This summer, I’m finally able to travel without the weight of work dragging me. For the first time in a while, I travelled the country as part of an actual vacation!

I’ve been meaning to write a blog post regarding my recent adventures, but can’t seem to find ample time. And as the old saying goes for writing, if you wait for inspiration to strike, you will never write another word for the rest of your life.

I’m proud to say that I have already travelled to most part of the three major islands in the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. But there’s always a hidden beauty in this country just waiting to be discovered and appreciated.

The first stop of my trip was Baler, Aurora in March. Baler is situated in the middle, rightmost part of Luzon, facing the North Pacific Ocean – almost as if looking out at the West Coast of North America (to be honest, this idea sends me butterflies in my stomach).

I experienced so many firsts in this trip: first trek to the biggest waterfall in Baler, and first surfing lesson.

lumii_20190304_183509269 — Me (on the farthest right) and my co-workers after an hour of trekking at Mother Falls.

lumii_20190307_101302900 — I asked my local instructor to rate me from 1-10, after surfing. He told me I was 12/10, for the reason that I was able to ride both big and baby waves up to the shore. Aside from the beautiful beaches and natural falls, I love the locals! They were one of the nicest, most welcoming and warm people I ever met met.

On May 1, Wednesday, it was a holiday. We took advantage of the day to go out to Laki Beach in Mariveles, Bataan. It was a pretty little cove at the edge of Five Fingers, with white sand beach and crystal blue water. Boat ride was necessary to reach the destination, but there must be another way by land because I saw other tourists who had their own vehicles parked in the back.

Another first experience I had was cave diving. Well, not diving, really. But we swam in the bat cave. I have to tell you this one because it really bugs me. The very first time I dropped in the water from the boat, I freaked out a little because I thought I’d swatted a jellyfish. But it turned out it wasn’t a jellyfish. It was plastic. It happened not once but twice, in the same location. I immediately swam towards the tourist guide and handed him the plastic. He looked at me as if I was some kind of a freak he’d never seen before. I’m appalled by his lack of emotion towards the fact that there could be tons of plastic floating around. Heck, there are tons of plastic floating around who knows where.

lumii_20190501_225238129 — Cliffs along coastline of Laki Beach

The second first in my Bataan trip was cliff diving. The highest drop was 40ft, but me being the chicken I am, I opted for the 20ft. Not that it was less exhilirating. I did it twice. And I enjoyed swimming in the deep ocean water where I could see a school of fish swimming just right beside beside me. It was so *cool*

Last trip of summer of 2019 was in Baguio with college friends.

Traffic was the same as the traffic in Manila, which I expected since it’s Baguio — the summer capital of the Philippines. But the food… oh the food! They serve food like nobody else. Servings were large and the taste was authentic Filipino cuisine.