Ilocos

“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)

it’s always ourselves we find in the sea”

-E.E. Cummings

 

I can barely remember the details of my first Ilocos trip, mostly because my memory is selective. I hadn’t enjoyed it much the first time, possibly because of the presence of too many strict teachers and unlikable classmates. Or maybe it’s because I never did enjoy high school. I was always that kid who teachers never seemed to be able to decide if I blended in the background or had a rebellious mind. In high school, I seldom got intro trouble because of this. As soon as I did a bad thing, people would instantly forget about it or think that I couldn’t have done it because of my older sisters’ reputations. It made things a bit boring to be honest. How can you even have fun breaking the rules if no one even notices?

I didn’t break any rules during our trip. No one really cared about what we did as long as we didn’t hurt ourselves. But I enjoyed my latest visit to that place. Annoying tour guides, bus delays, and classmates succumbing to food poisoning (?) aside, I’d loved it. I loved the ocean, the briny scent of the air and even the way sand clung to the insides of my shoes. It wasn’t like Halong Bay. The Philippines has more beautiful beaches and is richer in natural resources so it pains me to think on how locals don’t take time to travel within the country. But then, you can’t exactly blame them. A trip to Hongkong costs as much as a trip to Davao. I would choose Hongkong, given the chance.

But this…I hadn’t expected this. I would travel with them again–Kelsey, Anya, Khams, Jaz, and the rest. I’m not going to be dramatic and say I’d like to explore the world, but if want to travel again, it will be funner with those guys. Without the hospitals of course.