Another account from our featured guest this week, Jacquelynn See. :) Jacquelynn and her family spent their vacation in Arena Island last March 16-18, 2012. Upon return to Manila, Jacquelynn sent this to us and we were delighted to share these good words from them.
Barely 6am and cars filled the roads to NAIA. Strangely, traffic became worse when we got ON THE PLANE. We boarded on time, only to wait an hour for take off. It was a series of false starts and stops--like going through Cubao rush hour then getting into the thick of it again at Guadalupe--FRUSTRATING.
An hour flight later, we were in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Even there, cars lined up exiting the city to all parts of the province. It was only when we were 30 minutes away from the city center that traffic let up. And then, it was the open countryside. Only our two cars were in sight for miles of newly paved roads. At times, I was grateful for the seat belt around me. We went very very fast, out of the Princess city, through Aborlan, and to the port at Narra, where a banca would finally take us to our destination.
Though our "banca" turned out to be a 2-level very comfy affair that could seat 30, the seas became rough and my Dad became a little seasick... but more on that later. We had to change to a smaller boat so that we could get closer... and then... we're there, on our very own island for the weekend, Arena.
We're met with welcome drinks, seashell leis. We saw our casitas, the only two on the island, both of which would be home to just the six of us. We're wowed. Each casita opens to the beach, barely 50 meters away from the lapping shore. Our bathrooms had no roofs, and we'd be sitting on the "throne" and watch the swaying of the canopy of trees. Or be taking our baths under the sparkle of star dust. And guess what? There's absolutely NO TRAFFIC! No cars--no other modes of transport either--because who needs cars on an island only 4 hectares big? :)
Our package said it included the personal service of our own butler and chef. And "butler-ed" and fed we were! Our first meal consisted of two whole slabs of the best barbequed ribs ever. No exaggeration there! They were the most perfectly moist, caramelized, fall-off-the-bone ribs that I've had the fortune of partaking. There was also sinigang, sauteed potatoes ala moyashi itame, and slices of watermelon. I blame the ribs for our gluttony. How could 6 people, 5 of which were women, finish 2 big slabs of ribs? I was burping at the end when my sister asked, "OK ka na Dad?" That got laughs. My Dad, who was not long ago very seasick, had tucked in about a fourth of the ribs, clearly "cured". If our family/clan ever agreed on anything, it was most certainly FOOD. (Other meals of note included bulalo, sand lobster, and fried potato lumpia.)
Our 3 days, 2 nights on "our private island" became a blur of really sinful meals, playing cards and games on our casita's deck, walks on the sunny beach or quiet forest paths, dips in the sea, and sips of San Miguel or Nescafe in between. With no wifi and no TV, we stayed out, cracked a book, had chats. Most of the daytime, the generator was out. But I didn't miss electricity. The sea breeze was always a-blowing. When I became sticky with humidity and sand, I didn't mind... I just lazed around our deck, waiting for our "butler" Kaye to bring turon (really yummy, with langka and cinnamon), or local kakanin, or spaghetti. (Apparently, the BIG breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, weren't enough, they had to bring us morning and afternoon snacks too. No complaints from us though! :P )
On our last day, I couldn't sleep... Got up at sunrise and took a stroll on the beach... (Well, it was more like I circumnavigated the island, then crisscrossed it, and it took under an hour.) I caught a hint of Mr. Sun on my right as I left our casita, and the sea wind was blowing me faster along my walk... A few minutes later, I saw him on my left and my hair's flying behind me. I smelled the sea, the dampness of the small wood behind our casita. I noticed the rain from that morning going from our roof to 3 big tanks behind our casita. I catch hens with their brood, cocks fighting, black-white-yellow birds chirping overhead, and a really fast one racing across our beach. I've very much loved calling the island our own for the weekend. I could be still there, breathe deep, hear my thoughts, notice the small things of life.
The highlight of our trip came at the end. Kaye had taken us on a tour the day before, and she showed us turtle eggs incubating naturally on the beach, which they've protected from predators with plastic cages. She showed us the turtles, from 52 days to 200+ days old, that they've been caring for, eventually for release to the open sea. So as a family, we adopted JR, our pawikan brother. They tagged him (which had us worried because it looked like it hurt!), then set him down on the beach so he could walk on his own to the shore. Many times he looked like he was tired... but we just had to cheer him on. He finally went into a big patch of seaweed and we couldn't see him anymore. I just had to make a wish to the universe--that I hope we'd made the right decision for him, that it was not too hot nor too close to the sea when we released him. I hope he won't get lost being by himself, and that he'll find his biological family out there.
And so it was time to leave Isla Arena, our home for the last 3 days, our very own private retreat. We leave it for the hustle and bustle that is Manila. Budget permitting, and promos willing, we'll be back some time... Maybe when JR finally has his brood on the island...
