Monday, July 20, 2009

The Sea rises


"Miss Arruba," my monicker as a kid - sea-shampooed hair, sunbaked arms and scalp, the playing ground of a battallion of kuto.

On weekends, our landlords who were way into their 60s tagged us along with their grandchildren to their resthouse in White Beach. Social barrier was an alien concept.

The sea was a get-away, an unjealous friend you visited on weekends who embraced you with a spirited welcome, a worthy destination that always revived your spirit.

A while back, I went to the beach and found myself alone. It was midweek, is everyone employed except me? There was noise around the swimming pool area. I counted a few people taking dips.

The ocean is out there, just a few footsteps away. Some people take long roadtrips to get to the nearest beach and here you are, in the swimming pool. I don't get it. I am surely feeling my age. I don't understand young people sometimes.

You go to a beach resort and prefer the artificiality of a pool, chlorined water and all to the natural beauty of the ocean. Someone is missing the point and darn hell, it sure isn't me.



4 comments:

Maria Ganja said...

I remember years ago, when my siblings and I went to Boracay. Mano and I were wondering why the resort built a pool when the beach and the dagat was a few steps away. And why anyone would prefer it over the dagat. Hay.

tailwagger said...

hehe. Imagine the hassle - traveling all the way to Boracay, only to dip in the pool. Well, different folks, different stokes.

I remember a family outing, someone suggested we bring a sound system, for music and videoke. And I was like, what's happening to our family? We are at the beach, for Christ's sake and all you're thinking is videoke, you're missing the point.

Amityville horror! Que horror!

alex said...

que horror talaga for people to dip at the pool instead of the ocean!

i was born in the sea so being an island boy, i miss it terribly now especially the white sand just a few steps from our doorstep. yes, that's how blessed we are, we inhaled the sea day in and day out.

is the pix taken at mcarthur? i remember my college days in tacloban . . .hay, those the times. we even conduct lit classes on weekends there pag sawa na kami sa botanical garden.

tailwagger said...

Yup! That's McArthur. The photo was taken by Ford Sinangote, my workmate then, who happens to be a grad of UPTC too.

We are all lucky to be surrounded by water. The whole stretch of Magsaysay is just breathtaking. I still get goosebumps sometimes kun naagi ako.

The Botanical garden - so many beautiful memories too, Alex.