It didn't take long for me to decide to join the my friends going to Calatagan, again, a treat from Ludy, an extension of her recent birthday celebration. I figured it was my last chance to go out-of-town this year and to practice yoga for the first time on the beach.
Off we went on a convoy with Beth T's family in a separate van -- her children and her daughter's children here on vacation from Vancouver. All the other girls in Ludy's.
We gathered at the Shell station in Magallanes, everyone was revved up for the adventure.
Arriving at close to lunch in Tagaytay, we had lunch at Leslie's...the preferred dishes were Bulalo and fried Tawilis. I sat with health conscious Tina M. and Elvira S. -- three of us swore to no rice, replacing our carbo needs with veggies and corn from the Bulalo. So far, so good.
Calatagan Stilts was a charmer... we were billeted in two separate cottages, Beth and family were in "Dreams"; we were in "Inspiration". Right outside of our cottage was this quote from E.E. Cummings:
“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
It's always our self we find in the sea.”
The excerpt was a prompt in fact of what we expected in the next two days.
Soon as room arrangement was settled, the girls went for a round table discussion in the water, which was no higher than 3 feet. A minor casualty was Ludy who slipped while going down the ladder onto the water.
We must have tried all the great dishes. My favorite, Squash Soup with Malunggay became the favorite of others, to my delight. The Lumpiang Hubad was very good too, an order was enough for 3-4 people.
All hell broke loose for breakfast. I mean, the Adobo was irresistable and could not be eaten without rice.The pancakes, according to Beth T were to die for. So there you go, my confession that I had rice... not just plain rice, fried rice at that.
The last two hours in the pool must have jogged Marilen M's balance a bit. In the shower, she suffered a fall, had a lump on her head, thankfully, there was no bleeding. All the way from Calatagan till we got to Sta. Rosa to have her checked at Medical City, she had everyone worried.
Though she passed the six-way test for a fall, the doctors at Medical City urged her to have a more thorough medical assessment soonest.
The sea breeze and the sound of the waves had lulling effects on me. I slept for a straight 3 hours one afternoon and didn't get to join them to the Simbang Gabi Mass. When I awoke, it was as if I was still floating.
The charm of Calatagan Stilts, the warmth of the company, the sharing of life's deepest secrets, rekindling of spirits -- in two nights and three days, was one adventurous swoop. Precious and memorable for the long haul.
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