Just a typical day in Tapik Beach

I had a lot of fun relaxing with the employees of Tapik guesthouse. They are all incredibly nice, In the morning after breakfast, i made quick friends with one of the girls working here. We started with a simple conversation and ended up finding out that we had similar tastes and likes. From books that I have read that she has also read, to foreign Asian dramas and mangas and anime. She especially loves Korean dramas and anime, she even loves K-pop and Japanese and Korean game shows. When she found off that I went to Korea she was so excited and grilled me on everything I saw. I showed her the many pictures I took on my phone and she poured over every picture as if her life depended on it.

The day was bright and shiny. There was not a single cloud in the sky. Due to the womanly troubles, I couldn't swim in the clear blue and inviting waters of the Philippines for the first time. However, when the low tide rolled around just past noon and the sun was so strong, I ventured knee deep in the water looking at all the animals and coral visible. my new friend, Roda, came with me after I entered the water only ankle deep.

During low tide, the water falls back really far.

She was curious about the creatures and things she saw but had no name for or knew what they were and since I have had the experience at working at an aquarium, I told her the names of the things I could identify and a fun fact if I had one of it. Heal the Bay and my biology teacher, Mr. Benjamin Kay, would be proud I remembered their teachings.

This is Roda. She is this funny, curious, girl who I quickly became friends with.

Sea Urchin! These are also related to sea stars!

Another sea urchin.

Sea Hare, these are one of the gentlest sea creatures. It is a sea slug that resemble a bunny and can  shoot purple ink  at a predator, much like an octopus, if it feels threatened.

I saw sea cucumbers, and sea stars, tiny decorator crabs and blue crabs, I saw many tiny coral in several sizes from as tiny as an ant to as big as my forearm. There were also several small multicolored fish and fish that blended so well I didn't really notice until my phone captured one as I was reviewing the picture I just took. I had a waterproof phone case so I could take pictures while my phone was submerged in the water.

Sea Cucumber,  that looks tough on the outside but is a super soft and gentle creature. Its closest relative is a sea star.

Chocolate Chip Sea Star, aptly named and does look like chocolate chips decorate it.

Sand sifting sea star

Coral the size of my foot

Before we knew it, the high tide was rolling back again and we swiftly left the water as swiftly as one can be when walking on sharp rocks and avoiding stepping on the coral.

Coral that has lots creatures living inside

Cool picture that captures tiny bubbles in the sand and on the seaweed.

All my meals were all made here in the guest house. And I cannot believe how good it was. I was plenty satisfied with every dish that I was served. I do believe that by the end of my stay, I had all of the dishes they served that didn't involve seafood at least twice. Everything was made then and there on the spot. Of course, because of that it took a bit longer to make but it was well worth the wait. Like who else can say that the chicken curry had homemade coconut milk that they literally just made right on the spot before whipping up the meal. I mean it did take my lunch about 1 hour wait before I managed to eat the curry but I was worth the wait. Roda explained why she wasn't keeping me company on my table after she served me my steaming bowl of chicken curry and rice bowl. She explained she had to help her cousin in law make the coconut milk for the curry. I was like "Um, what?" And then she proceeded to let me know how they make curry. From scratch. My mind was blown.

The main hut. This is where people hang out and overlooks the sea.

For breakfast I had french toast and since I'm not really a coffee person, I had this amazing ice tea. For lunch I had Pork Adobo with rice and was more than happy to share with my new fans the dogs who surrounded me without me even having to call them over.  Having the dogs around did not lessen my ache to have Charlie Bear in my arms stroking his soft silky head.

Dinner was another delicious event. I had a chicken Cordon Bleu it had a light Filipino twist to it that I couldn't really put my name on it. One highlight of the day was when I caught the manager of the guesthouse singing and I joined him then told him we should do karaoke sometime.  of course i said this halfheartedly and as clearly as a joke. However, 10 minutes later, I found myself holding a microphone in my hands on the side part of the main hut, the main hangout spot that overlooks the beach.

Take me back.

The family that was only staying for a few nights, also joined for a song or two before they left, claiming that they had to catch a boat to another part of the island the next morning. I also encountered a couple who were also English teachers based of Nanjing China, yet were leaving Tapik guesthouse the next day. They joined us for our impromptu karaoke party and stayed just around 11pm.

So the employees and I drank and sang happily till the booze ran out and I felt a little buzzed.

Tropical

Since coming here, I finding it very easy to awaken at 6:30 almost every morning. I guess because I look forward to another day in paradise. On this particular day, I wanted to snorkel to Boubog island, a small unmanned island close to Tapik beach. A 10 minute kayak ride and you're there. However, I thought i would be able to swim it  since it was so close by but, boy, was I wrong.

First, I rented the snorkel gear at my guesthouse, then I loaded up my waterproof bag with some of the essentials. Water tumbler, sun block, towel, underwater camera and phone, plus snack. I walked for 5 minutes along the beach just so that i could be parallel to the island. then I swam it. Well, right from the start, I had problems with my mask. My face must be bigger than the mask because i kept struggling it and because of this, i kept getting water in my mask and in my eyes every 20 to 30 seconds.

First selfie after my mask managed to stay on.

I tried to deal with it, stopping and fixing my mask until the ground was several feet below and then the current happened. I was deeper in the water, the water around me now a dark blue, and fixing my mask was becoming more and more challenging. I tried floating on my back to adjust my but the small waves due to the current pushed at me, and I would occasionally swallow water. Now, let me tell you something. I am a good swimmer, I might even be a great swimmer, but this was truly a challenge. I began to panic the moment I swallowed water and felt something brush  against my legs. I mean come on, who hasn't seen jaws? And despite being reassured that the waters never had any sharks, anything that can creep up on me especially when I cannot see it, is cause for concern. Of course, a quick peek underwater showed me it was only long seaweed that touched my bare legs and this kept happening every time I had to pause and stop to fix my mask. I panicked. I freaked the fuck out. And because of that I kept swallowing up more water, my heart was beating fast in my chest and I had to yell at myself in my head that I needed to chill the fuck out. Once calmer, I debated on whether to continue the swim to the island or swim to shore. 

But when I looked back to see where the island was, I noticed it was exactly halfway there but now, the opposite direction. The current had been so strong I had literally been pushed of course and would have made it if I hadn't been fighting the current. I was irritated, and still feeling the damn seaweed brushing just barely my feet. I had to give myself a serious pep talk before ultimately calming down and forgo the whole idea of making it to the island. I decided to snorkel instead along closer to the shore all the way till i got to the front of my hotel. It took a whole 3 hours before I made it back in front of my guesthouse.

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