I decided to embrace my inner rambunctiousness and agreed to go with my best friend for an adventure, little did I know that it was more than I was prepared for. With only tents as our shelters for the night and crickets as our lullabies, devoided of the technological connection to the world, somehow I managed to find the peace my heart is in desperate need of. Bliss away from our ever so feverish home…
Hello Potipot.
I cannot believe that it was a year ago when we last did this- go to a place unknown to us and hope that it would be, at least, forgiving.
It was a scorching hot Friday afternoon at the bus terminal. I waited in line to buy a ticket going to Dau only to find out that I can directly ride the bus without the hassle of falling in line. When I arrived, I transferred to another bus going to camiling where Lucho resides.
Prior to the trip, I was asked by a virtual acquaintance for coffee but had to respectfully decline because of the geographic differences, but luck seems to surface because he lives near camiling and my arrival is perfect timing. So I messaged him and told him that I might be around the area on Friday and if he would delight my invitation, it would be wonderful, however, the catch is, I have no idea what time I would arrive at camiling, Lucho told me that the roads are being repaired so it might be a longer trip. True enough, I arrived past 9.
At around 10:30 pm Lucho fetched me, and by almost 11, we’re at their home. I barely slept that night because of the brewed coffee I stupidly drank at dinner, I didn't know that it still has that kick, I tried to call it a night until it was dawn, I decided not to sleep anymore since we would be leaving for Potipot early in the morning and at this point I am 24 hours awake and counting. We got up from the bed and ate breakfast then we hurried at the meeting point where Mulong, Peechy and everyone else is waiting.
After almost five hours on the road, with Moira’s tagpuan on a repeat and with our energies still at an all-time high, we reached Candelaria, Zambales, an island hop away from potipot.
We rode a minuscule boat going to the island that took about 10 minutes to reach. It was packed with day tourists and a company having a team building, luckily, they were on their way back home when we arrived.
We settled at a spot far from the people, it was almost we owned the entire island, our neighbor is a few meters far away and can barely be noticed. We put up our tents and gathered some tree branches for the bonfire. The place was very relaxing, There was a charging station at the dock and there were 10 stalls of restrooms scattered all around the island, the toilet was well functioning and new and the bathroom had a shower. Everything there was comfortable yet the thrill of desertion was well kept.
The day went by swiftly, I lurked around the island looking for a spot while Tagpuan is playing in my head like a broken record. “ At ako’y pinili mo, Siya ang panalangin ko” Oh Moira, what a lucky girl.
The sky started to grumble and there were a handful of thunderclaps from afar, the distant shore was illuminated in every millisecond of the lightning. I was worried that it was going to rain hard but luckily for us, it didn’t push through.
When the faint rain stopped pouring, I went for a walk at the beach then I received a phone call that took almost two hours- Catching up, getting to know, happy times… Bliss.
It was around two in the morning when I decided to go back to our little campsite.
The stars were shy that night as we lay flat on the sand topped by a thin floor sheet of what seemed like a tarpaulin built as the base of the huge 4- person tent. My best friend Lucho was sleeping soundly by my side as I face the right corner wall of the tent feeling the breeze of the sea air coming from the sheer net ceiling.
When I closed my eyes, I was sent adrift to a dimension so fast and dark that when I opened them, it’s 6 am already. I decided to wake up to savor the morning at the beach, they awoke and have already prepared the water for the coffee.
At noon, we cooked lunch and ate, then we strolled some more, they swam, but I just stayed at the camp to guard the things and enjoy the luxury of the paradise.
The day was so mundane but it was so refreshing, it was what an escape from the city was all about. By 3 pm, we fixed our things, deconstructed our tents and took refreshing baths before we called for the boat. The petrichor started to dissipate and the sky started to get gloomy, fortunately, the rain didn’t push through until we were set to go.
On our way home, we found ourselves yearning for a perfect playlist that matches the gloomy weather, the songs were nice but there was this song that really made me feel nostalgic and made a perfect road trip moment… it was from Issa Rodriguez’s Unan,
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CONTACT NUMBER FOR POTIPOT:
09158018101
Look for RAPOY
BUDGET: P1,500/ person for 9 persons
100 pesos for the parking fee
100 pesos/ person for the boat ride ( to and from the island)
500 pesos/ person for an overnight stay
100 pesos for the tent corkage/person ( but we haggled and got 20% discount for 4 people and free kayak) * tents are available for rent there, even foam.
the rest is for gas, food, water and booze.
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