Riding Waves

Where: The Billabong Surf School, San Juan Surf Resort, La Union
When: June 27-28, 2009
Participants: TF Kaladkarins

Ready...Paddle...Stand up!

Surfing, Day 2

Your writer, riding that wave, girl! Woooooohoooooo!

According to surf babe Tikoy, one evidence of global warming is that surfing season in the Philippines has now started, when it used to be only during the -Ber months. But what is bad for the rest of the world is turning out to be good for me and other thrill-seekers. We’re all definitely in the mood for surfing!

The entrance to the resort

Luke’s baby

The beach

Warming up

In sync

Ready…Paddle…Stand up!

This is called surfin’ with your ass up in the air! ;p

Katz

Doc JV

Surfing, Day 2

Your writer, riding that wave, girl! Woooooohoooooo!

Cruisin’

The newest surfer girl in town

My next surfing destinations are Baler, Bagasbas, Virac, and yes, even Siargao, famous for its 9-foot waves. Even though the thought of surfing in Siargao somewhat terrifies me, I would still love to go there. Some Aussie surfers say that the Siargao surf is even better than the surf Down Under. So I definitely wouldn’t want to miss experiencing it!

The newest surfer girl in town

I’m saying goodbye for now, but I just have to write about one realization: I am now tan and extremely surprised that I’m actually loving my new skin color!

Till the next wave, dudes and dudettes!

One Sunday at the Taal Lake Yacht Club

Date: June 14, 2009
Location: Talisay, Batangas
Activities: Tandem kayaking on Taal Lake in the pouring rain, swimming in a big tub, hobnobbing with sailors
Participants: The thrill-seekers: Your writer and her partner-in-crime, Jen

The Paddlers

Your writer, quite eager to engage in yet another water sport

For the first time in ages, Jen and I had the same day off. So we decided to mosey on over to Talisay, Batangas, to engage in any water activity we could engage in at the Taal Lake Yacht Club.  We got to the club at around 4PM, which was already rather late. The proprietor, the very friendly and accommodating (not to mention charming) Joe Hagedorn, wanted all boats to be back in the marina by 5:30PM, to avoid having to rescue sailors/kayakers/tourists who may have ventured too far out on the water. But being the charming chap that he was, he allowed us to stay out until dusk. He said he didn’t want all the driving I did from Antipolo to Talisay to go to waste. So Jen and I got to do some tandem kayaking, in spite of the pouring rain.

Taal Lake on a dark and cloudy afternoon

A sailboat

I was hoping to do some wakeboarding or sailing on the lake. But since we arrived late in the afternoon, there wasn’t much left to do. We had to settle for kayaking, which, it turned out, was quite enjoyable. And the rain and wind, which picked up at around 5PM, proved to be somewhat challenging. It gave us a bit of a thrill, which was what we were seeking.

Here are some basics of  tandem kayaking:

• It involves a front paddler and a rear paddler.
• The front paddler sets the cadence. The rear paddler steers the kayak.
• Sit straight and relax your shoulders. Plant your feet firmly on the footrest.
• The basic stroke is called the forward stroke. This is used to propel the kayak forward. Basically,  you paddle on one side, then on the other side. (Whether you’ll paddle on the right side first or on the left side will depend on you and your partner.)
• To turn the kayak in the direction you want to take, paddle on the opposite side. For example, if you want to turn left, stroke your paddle on the right.
• If you want the kayak to move backwards, a backward paddling stroke is used.

The front paddler, Round 1

The front paddler, Round 2

After we surrendered the kayak to Joe (a bit hesitantly, I must admit, for we still wanted to stay out on the lake after dusk), we joined him for drinks at the kiosk. He then proceeded to give us a tour of the resorts fronting the lake. The inns looked more like country homes than inns, and the whole neighborhood had a community feel to it. I remember thinking that it felt like I was in an exclusive subdivision where the neighbors all  knew one another. I can describe the atmosphere as cozy, with everyone in the “neighborhood” making even strangers feel comfortable and familiar with the surroundings.

Needless to say, I loved the place. And I know for a fact that Jen loved the place, too, as well as the experience.

The view while we were docking at the yacht club

We had dinner at the Flamingo Lake Resort, Taal Lake Yacht Club’s next-door neighbor. There was a 4-foot deep pool that looked more like an enlarged tub or jacuzzi. But the water was warm enough, and in between swims, Jen and I spent the rest of the night taking pictures of each other.

The breast stroke expert, catching her breath

They call it a pool, I call it a tub.

We promised Joe we’d be back to do some sailing. And I’m certain we’ll deliver on that promise. After all, we haven’t really explored the lake yet, have we? There’s still a 3-hour boat ride around the lake that we’re planning to take. And I long to try wakeboarding behind a speedboat, which one can only do on Taal Lake, not at Lago de Oro or in Cam Sur.

If you want to check out the Taal Lake Yacht Club, just visit their website. It will provide you with information about their rates, facilities, and programs, as well as directions to Talisay. I would definitely recommend the place. The rates are reasonable, the facilities are clean, the programs cater to water sports enthusiasts, and the water is warm and tempting. Best of all is their customer service, which is superb. Joe personally entertains his guests. Even one of the manongs at the Flamingo Lake Resort went over and beyond the call of duty…and wouldn’t even accept gratuity!

Let me end with (what else?!) my mandatory sexy pose:

Showgirl

Till my next adventure/travel/new water sport, folks!

Places to go in Twenty-Oh-Nine

1. Sagada, Mt. Province
2. San Juan, La Union – June
3. Samal Beach, Davao
4. Hong Kong and Macau – Aug. 7 to 10
5. Amsterdam, the Netherlands (to visit Sander and Belle) – September
6. Mt. Pulag, Cordilleras
7. Coron, Northern Palawan
8. Calauit, Northern Palawan
9. Malapascua Island, Cebu – October
10. Bantayan Island, Cebu – October
11. Calaguas Island, Camarines Norte
12. Bagasbas Beach, Camarines Norte
13. Caramoan Island, Camarines Sur
14. Virac, Catanduanes – Aug. 28 to 31
15. Kalinga-Apayao, Cagayan Valley
16. Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte
17. Baler, Aurora
18. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia – Nov. 13 to 16
19. Apo Island, Dumaguete
20. Batan Island, Batanes

I learned recently that a cable park as big as the one at the Cam Sur Watersports Complex will open in Clark, Pampanga in September. Yippee! That’ll make wakeboarding more convenient for me. Clark is much more accessible than Bicol, though I wouldn’t mind going back to Cam Sur at all.

Causing a Commotion

I can sum up the unfolding of events in the last couple of weeks in one statement:

The pen is, indeed, mightier than the sword.

About a couple of weeks ago, I wrote a seemingly innocent blog about the death of a friend. Then I left my site alone. Well, my, my, I had no idea how much havoc that seemingly innocent article was wreaking on some people, until 2 friends sent me text messages about the commotion my blog was causing. I logged in to WordPress the same night I got the SMS. Lo and behold! Several hostile, accusatory, and rude messages were waiting for me. All messages were ordering me to do one thing: Take down the blog.

I understand where they were coming from, of course. However, I resented, and still resent, the harassment, especially since I did not write the blog in a spirit of meanness. I most especially did not appreciate being ordered to do something on my own personal site. I didn’t deserve the harassment. In my opinion, I didn’t do anything wrong. And my opinion matters more to me than anybody else’s opinion. I wrote the article in good faith, after all. And, after all, I didn’t send anybody a link to this site. The people involved just found it.

To the people involved:

I didn’t put a gun to your head and force you to keep coming back. You did that of your own accord.

Am I being hostile now? Yes, of course, I am. Am I being sarcastic? Yes, of course, I am. Am I still annoyed? Yes, of course, I am. Like I said, I resented, AND STILL RESENT, the harassment.

I reiterate, though, that I understand where you were coming from. That is why I have changed the blog’s title and password-protected it. I’m sorry, I can’t and won’t take it down. I never delete any of my written works. My site is for posterity. Don’t worry, only I and my best friend know the passwords to The Beat. You can rest now.

A reminder to the readers of The Beat

All comments are screened before they are posted. Comments that are rude and disrespectful are immediately marked as spam. They will be submitted to WordPress and reported as abuse.

Of course, I welcome comments from people whose opinions differ from mine.  If you do not agree with or disapprove of any of my articles, you may leave your comments or suggestions here.  They will be regarded as important. This is, after all, the blogging universe, where democracy and free speech abound and are highly celebrated. Comments, however, should be respectful and non-combative. Please, I refuse to waste my time on individuals who think they have the right to be abusive. No matter what the circumstances in your life may be, you have a duty to act the way a human being should.

Once a comment is marked as spam, the IP address of the person who left the comment is stored in Akismet’s database. A new comment generated from the same IP address will therefore be automatically marked as spam, too. It will not appear on my Pending Comments page; it will be sent to the Spam folder. I don’t check my Spam folder. I automatically empty it.

One person has been leaving rude comments here. But my policy applies to all visitors of this site. Please be responsible, readers.

Again, all comments are screened before they are posted. Comments that are rude and disrespectful are immediately marked as spam. They will be submitted to WordPress and reported as abuse.

Wanderlust, amidst the effing rain

I’m so pissed off because if it were not raining in Luzon, I would be in Donsol now, swimming with whalesharks. Or I would be in La Union, being taught the basics of surfing by the hunky Luke Lansing, who’s featured on Men’s Health Magazine. But this effing weather has forced me to cancel my trips, so I’m stuck in old, boring Manila! Aargh! It’s so frustrating because our travel group was all set to tour Legazpi today and then head to Donsol so we could swim with whalesharks tomorrow morning. But on Thursday, the organizers of the tour decided to cancel the trip; they were advised that swimming in Sorsogon waters could be dangerous in this weather. My friend and I already booked flights with Cebu Pacific: Manila to Legazpi at 6 this morning, and the flight back to Manila was supposed to be on June 8 at 7AM. Up until 8:00 last night, we were still intent on going to Legazpi, if only to look at – experience – Mt. Mayon, visit the Cagsawa ruins, and see what else Bicolandia has to offer. But news of similar heavy raining in Bicol dashed our hopes of having a Legazpi weekend adventure. So we were a no show at the airport today.

Another option that was given to me by TF was to spend the weekend surfing in San Juan, La Union. According to Tikoy, “Rainy weather is perfect surfing weather!” What my surfer friend did not consider (and did not know), however, is that your writer has a very protective mother who was afraid that her only child would be swallowed by the big La Union waves. That is why your very annoyed, very disappointed, very bored, not to mention disenfranchised (in my opinion), writer is staring at the monitor screen instead of the perfect wave…or Luke Lansing’s muscular physique. Bummer!

I find it an utter waste of time to have to spend my weekends or days off in Manila. I’d much, much rather be hiking to the summit of Mt. Pulag or Mt. Apo, exploring the Sumaguing cave in Sagada or the Kapisaan-Alayan cave in Nueva Vizcaya, beach bumming in Calaguas or Caramoan, island hopping in Coron or El Nido,  exploring Siargao, wakeboarding in Camarines Sur or Lago de Oro, sailing on Taal Lake, white water rafting in Kalinga or Davao, learning to surf in La Union or Baler, learning to dive in the numerous dive spots in this archipelago, trying my hand at windsurfing on Lake Caliraya or in Boracay, skywalking in Cebu, or skydiving in Clark.

Do you see how frustrating it is when one is forced to spend her free time here in Manila, where one has nothing to do but shop, people-watch, hang out at Starbucks, or drink herself to oblivion?! I used to like going to the “happening” places in Makati and Taguig. But now I view clubbing as nothing but a social climber’s sport. It doesn’t do anything for the spirit. It doesn’t give one energy, at least not of the surreal kind. But being aboard a wakeboard, learning to maneuver the turns, completing even one trip around the cable park…ahhh, THAT is living! It’s exhilarating, breathtaking, and definitely food for the soul.

I still have my fingers crossed. The weather seems to be improving. If tomorrow turns out to be a brighter day, and I mean literally brighter, my BFF Gi and I will probably head to Ocean Adventure in Subic. There, for 3,750PHP, they’ll let us swim with dolphins and 8-foot whales for 30 minutes. I guess we’ll have to settle for those whales and say “Alas, we’ll see you in 2010!” to the whalesharks in Donsol. Chances of seeing the latter after the second week of June become slim to none. They come out in groups from March until mid-June, and then hide until the next dry season.

And what if it continues to rain tomorrow? Don’t you worry, dear readers, I’ll think of something. After all, a strong-willed wildchild like me cannot and will not let this effing weather get me down. No, sirree.