A DRIZzled Life: The Heat is on

I believe if not next to Christmas Season, Summer is one of the most anticipated time of the year. Most especially here in the Philippines where Summer is almost synonymous to the words beach, vacation and fun.

We have our share of summer activities. Every summer is an excuse to go someplace you've never been (or at least to go back to that place you truly love) and spend money on fancy swimwear and sunglasses.

Here we have listed some of the places we went one summer ago. Well, these are actually the summer side trips we had. The major summer vacations will be posted separately.

1. The Bataan Challenge

This one goes to the record. It was an invitation from a churchmate that led us here. And since everyone was pretty much in the mood to go swimming, we said yes. We went to a nearby resort (swimming pools only) and stayed there until after dinner time. While eating dinner, we were asked if we wanted to go to a hidden falls the next day. Of course the very idea of a falls came to our minds thinking that we will actually have fun swimming our hearts there. There was a catch though: it would take us about two hours, on foot, before getting there. We got even more excited! If we were gonna hike before getting to the falls, this place must be something else. So we all said yes. We will wake up early the next day to have a head start and get to the falls by 8 AM. So that means we would have to start at around 6 AM. No problem.

As psyched as we may have been the night before, it wasn't easy to wake up as early as 6 AM especially since almost everyone stayed up late laughing and telling stories. The original 6 AM schedule started 7 AM with us not bringing much except towels, drinking water and bananas.

The hike wasn't too bad. The road we took wasn't as steep. Or so we thought. One hour after walking, everyone lost their fast pace moves. It was getting hot. And still an hour to go before we get to the falls. That's not even half of it. The last 45 minutes of the hike consist of having to hop in between stones and climbing over big rocks. Man!!!! The idea of the falls is fading away and all I can dream of is going back to bed to get some sleep. When we got to the falls area, the water was so icy cold that it was hard to swim. So much for fun! The worst part isn't over because we had to go back and still go to the same route we took when we went there. WhaaaT???This is the ultimate Bataan Death March!!!!!Still, an experience worth remembering. (Remember not to do it over again!!!!)

2. Not so blue, Blue Coral

Laiya is that beach place that has been there ages ago but was just not talked about too much. I guess it has been a secret hideaway of some sort and talking about it would mean exposing it to the whole world. Well, that's how I see it anyway. We went there last 2003 and you we had to pay for was the cottage. The water was clear and the beach was not crowded at all.

2005 when I got back to Laiya for my husband's (then still a boyfriend) company outing. The best part of being there was the snorkling experience.

3. Finally, Bato

My husband and his family's favorite place to be when the sun's heat is too hot to bear: Bato Springs. They rave about it all the time while I on the other hand have never been there. To my delight, they invited me one time and we spent the whole afternoon there. It was nice...really nice. Affordable and nice. The setting of the place is so cute, like almost being in a forest. The water is quite cold though, so better hit the showers first before dipping in.