She woke up to the sound of crowing and flapping of wings. These are things that you don’t hear when you’re in the city; not unless your neighbor is raising chickens which is highly unlikely. Her eyes were sore because she didn’t sleep well. She tried to go back to sleep but the waves were playing a beautiful melody… it was difficult to resist. Seeing that her friends were still asleep, she decided to go alone. She grabbed her camera bag before leaving the room.
She smiled and greeted Kuya Bot and Noel “good morning” when she saw them. She laid in the hammock for a few minutes before finally walking towards the beach. On the way she saw Phil, still in deep sleep.

The moon was still visible when she finally reached the beach. The waves were dancing and crashing, as if to give hints that it was going to be a beautiful day. She found a spot and sat there. It was nice to be alone for once. She buried her toes in the sand and basked in the beauty that was in front of her. The sun generously sprinkled bits of sunshine on her face and it felt good. The moment felt good.

She was busy taking pictures when a teeny tiny crustacean crawled out to greet her good morning. It kept her company for a good number of minutes before retreating back to its home.

The fishermen were in the beach too and they were busy pulling the net that held the day’s catch. The locals were also in the area with buckets in tow to get dibs on the biggest and the freshest fish. 

At around 7:30, some guests went to the beach to do yoga. She thought of joining, but her spot was comfy so she watched them instead.

Her trusty ipod kept her company. It was nice to listen to good music and just be one with the beach. It’s like being in a place where no one can harm you, where troubles don’t exist, where things are just cool, calm, and happy.

At 8 in the morning, she saw Noel skim boarding. There were rides and wipe outs but no matter what the statistics were, he still kept on trying. It was almost 8:30 when she made her way back to the room. This time she saw James who was still fast asleep and had no plans of waking up anytime soon. After taking his picture, she went to the room to change clothes and surf. It was a morning well spent in a place that has become her second home. It has become a place of comfort for her, an island of peace and sanity in a sea of crazy. Zambales has become a happy place for her, filled with memories she’ll treasure forever.