ilingin

The idea of having a hiatus from a draining daily routine and the craving to seek for a diversion started with a call—an invitation from a travel buddy who informed me that we can go to Anvaya Cove because she happens to know someone who can sponsor our trip. The resort is exclusive for members only. Members can provide sponsorship, so that’s what we’re availing.

Membership entails six figures from your bank account and if you want to own a prime property, you need to have at least seven figures. Come on, as a government employee, I need 5-10 years to produce that provided that my salary will go straight to my savings. However, since 80% of my salary goes to my monthly expenses, I need to work like a horse for 20 years unless I win the lottery.

Bearers of good news came at the right time, just before I suffered a mental coma. A week after that invite, another friend approached me and recited the same invitation, adding that I could tag people along with me (just minimal).

I said yes to both invitations, but since the second inviter was so adamant, forcing me to map out an itinerary to Bataan and Subic right there and then, I labeled the first invitation as “in May this year,” which I earnestly hope to fulfill.

Came March 24, six happy creatures were set to meet at Trinoma when all else were in deep torpor. It was all systems go for four people while the couple was still traversing Edsa. We were already expecting that the two will be late, but since the lady-driver happens to own our service car, we were barred to say even a single rant.

We head off to our destination at 4:30 in the morning. Thirty minutes later, while Cindy was gearing our speed towards SCTEX, all of us were caught with mouth wide open. We almost got hit by a 10-wheeler truck; or it’s the other way around. We could’ve occupied the front page of the major dailies the next day (of Tabloids I suppose) with the headline “Tourists ended their trip when it is about to start with a failed stunt.” Bad construction of headline and bad ending of six fresh faces. The only good thing is our guardians with halos did not permit such ghastly incident to happen. Maybe there is a sign in heaven written as “never with these people.” 🙂

We all talked and laughed about it all throughout the trip and the only time we stopped discussing that ice breaker was when we took the first meal of the day in SBMA.

Upon entering the vicinity of Anvaya Cove, we became kids at heart again. How a child’s eyes spark whenever he sees something that is pleasing; how a child smirks whenever he notices something wonderful; how a child blabs something that is interesting; that’s exactly how we acted.

We all walked to different directions the moment we park our car. And in every corner of Anvaya Cove, there was bliss to treasure.

The infinity pool enshrouded by coconut trees overlooking the sea was my replacement to a whole body massage. When you are mentally relaxed, it circulates within your whole physique. But I believe physical massage is still something our body needs once in a while.

At first, we thought that we’re just here to be beach bummers. To our surprise, there are recreational activities we can avail for gratis such us the zipline, wall climbing, rappelling, and other outdoor and indoor games. We haven’t tried all, just the zipline. We also played table tennis and beach volleyball.

Our lunch was one of the best parts of our trip. There are various restaurants in the resort that offer buffet meal but we preferred to dine at Pawikan Restaurant where everything is grilled, except of course for the appetizers and desserts. While we were feasting on our food, trees became our shade; the wind that caresses our bodies was our fan, and the small waves whipping the shoreline served as our music. Forces of nature combined to give us a very soothing ambience. It was a perfect meal, making me wish every day to be the same.

We spent the whole afternoon doing nothing that is work-related and thinking nothing that is problematic. We were nestled in a place where the source of energy emanates.

However, just like every day, no matter how unspoiled it is, it has to come to an end.

When my friends started packing their things, I ran towards the beach. Then suddenly memories of my childhood began to revive.

Before it became Anvaya Cove, its famous name was Ilingin. Just before Ayala acquired and developed the property, the cove looked like a virgin forest. Its pictures remain vivid in my mind because I used to spend my childhood vacation days here. Its proximity with my grandparents’ house in Bataan is one of the reasons why my family prefers to be here during vacation. Summer is not complete without visiting Ilingin. I still remember how my cousins and I pestered our Lolo every time we visit his abode. We grew up forcing him to man his boat and bring us to this cove.

When I was in college, I brought some friends to Ilingin. Prior to that, we were warned that there was an ongoing construction in the area and it has already been cordoned. I was kinda stubborn, so we rented a boat and pushed through with our trip despite of the warning. When we were a few meters away from its shoreline, a man in uniform with a gun sling on his shoulder while blowing his whistle so hard appeared, and shooed us away.

I felt that part of my childhood days were taken away from me. We were so helpless that we ended up cursing the guard when in fact he was only doing his job.

Fast forward.

After almost 12 years, I was reunited with Ilingin. It still acquires almost the same features even if so many years had passed during the last time I saw it. I will be lying if I said that I’m not happy with its transformation as Anvaya Cove. In fact, I was mesmerized with its current shape. It is a perfect place for family and for people looking to release the stresses of everyday life. Some say it only gets to enjoy by people who belong to the middle and upper classes because it is exclusive for members and those sponsored by the members. Although there is a spirit of truth with the sentiment of others, I cannot discredit the advantage of its exclusivity. Aside from people get to enjoy more Anvaya Cove because it is not crowded, it also protects the place from harm. Remember, the more something is exposed the more it is prone to harm.