Malapascua Island---Wishing on Shooting Stars

I hope I am not trying to reach for the stars here, but there must be a way to do that. Do you think so? As I add a little story to this little public diary of mine, I thought of the crazy moments I had earlier today. He thought I screwed things up between the two of us, but if you get to experience that Kim-Maja-Gerald love affair, you'd expect your day to go insane, right? It may not be true to everyone, but it completely made my day (pun intended)! In case you don't know what I'm talking about, just think about realizing that the person you are so devoted to suddenly entertains the idea of having a romantic relationship with someone you know and worse, someone who claimed and declared of himself as your friend. Now, tell me if that's worth celebrating! If it is, then by all means I'll bang the gong and we can party all night long! That rhymed, didn't it?

When we were in Malapascua last December, I had my first real star gazing experience. It was the sweetest .We laid on the couch by the beach, listened to the music of the waves splashing on the shore, and watched the clear skies adorned by twinkling diamonds. And voila! We spotted some shooting stars and wished. And then there was that kiss! But were they really shooting stars? Do they really make wishes come true? I honestly didn't tell anyone what my wish was as it's bad luck, but what's happening right now is completely the opposite of what I wished for. I just longed for a peaceful relationship with my buddy and that I could finally use that line from Sex And The City from Carrie to Big saying, "You and me. Just us two!" The question in my mind now is "Am I still waiting for something or for someone? Or am I just trying to reach for the stars here?" In a few days, we'll see!


STAYING IN OCEAN VIDA

It was one of the best resorts to stay in. In fact, it was one of the busiest places during our stay. The room we had didn't disappoint. It was decent and clean with proper hot and cold shower, something that my buddy is so particular about. The architecture may have not been that gorgeous, but it definitely added up to that island experience everyone, especially foreign tourists, would want to experience. Get to know more about the place through their official website at CLICK HERE or contact them through +639173038064. You can also email the resort at reservation@ocean-vida.com!

We wished we had a sea view room, but that could have been an additional expense so we settled for the garden view location which was pretty enough. The white sand beach where everyone can witness the romantic sunset is just a few steps away. In the morning, there's a breakfast buffet served at the restaurant ,which is fronting the beach. The manager who happened to be a German national, but spoke really good English oriented us about the inclusions of our package when we arrived and talked about the breakfast. But I have to warn you. The way he described the breakfast was very enticing, but it turned out to be a little disappointing. However, the food was not as bad. Aside from the location of the hotel though, it was the manager's very accommodating treatment that I will never forget. It was kind of annoying at some point, but I appreciate the intention. After we were done checking in, he ushered us to our room and did a very lengthy , but I must say, concise and helpful orientation.

TREKKING THE ISLAND

We noticed the island was small so we thought we could tour around by foot aside from the island hopping that we did. I guess trekking was mentioned in my buddy's Lonely Planet book. I'm sorry he is in charge of the reading. LOL And my role was just to be a good company. I hope I didn't disappoint. Hahaha I lost track of the time and did not note how long the trekking was, but it was doable and we had a lot of fun. We got lost somewhere yet we were able to manage to get back to the main road. There was a digital map that guided us all throughout our journey, but we also had to ask questions from locals from time to time. We had a few stopovers somewhere for our version of photo shooting, to buy some drinks, and to basically just rest! Just imagine walking around under the heat of the sun. But you know if you're journeying with someone special, you become oblivious of all the hardships. Hahaha I hope that didn't sound cheesy!

THE ISLAND HOPPING

When our pump boat arrived on the island during our first day, we already got a lot of offers for island hopping packages. The offers were quite good and the men who spoke to us were quite kind and they did not sound like they would rip us off so we kind of talked to them, but did not give any commitment. My tip would be not to decide the moment you arrive. Try to relax in your hotel first and get more options as there are a lot of boat men just hanging around the shores of the hotels in the area unless you've been booked by your travel agency already. The island hopping tour we got was Php 1,200.00 pesos only, which was a bit cheaper compared to the Php 1,500.00 we initially got.

Now, I have to caption this. When I first visited Malapascua a few years ago with some friends, we stayed at this resort called Bantigue Cove. It used to be so pretty and where I'm stood at in this photo used to be the restaurant. The place was damaged by typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda and according to the woman I spoke with, she must be one of the caretakers, the resort will soon be renovated and reopened.

View of a white sand beach and that watchtower from where our boat was anchored. It was where the sunken Japanese ship was located. For some reason, the deep water scared me so I didn't really enjoy the island hopping that much, but I had so much fun looking at my buddy as he snorkeled like a pro and how hard he tried to convince me to dive in and snorkel too. I got a good excuse. Thanks to my broken snorkeling gear. Hahaha :-D

SUNSET IN MALAPASCUA (One of the best sunsets I've seen)

I once encountered a quotation saying there's never the same sunset. I'm trying to figure out why as sunsets are just the same sun trying to settle in the west that paints the sea with exaggerated shades of gold. But maybe they're not the same really. All I know is, again, I've said this many times before, it's something that thrills my buddy and I. Aside from the 'Instagramble' photos we get, I think we both agree sunsets are romantic. Do you think we'll still have that sunset moment again? Rush to each other and show the sunset photos we took and compare, which of us captured the sunset better? Or brag about the likes we get on Instagram? I'm longing for moments like these with him. And I hope he does too!

This Malapascua escapade was the last 'just us' holiday my buddy and I had last year. Malapascua means Bad Christmas. I didn't want to believe it because everything there was just ice cream. Ube ice cream to be specific, my favorite. The little quarrels while we trekked the island, the debate about which restaurant to eat in, the swim in the beach, the taste of the sunset together, the kiss under the stars, the silly conversations, and the star gazing while wishing on shooting stars were a few of the best moments that went against the real meaning of the island's name. It was a sweet Christmas. But what about now? Should I say what's happening is the real Malapascua? The bad Christmas? All I wished for is that 'us' again. But if I'm the only one wishing for it, then maybe I'm just trying to reach for the stars!

XoXo,

Red Eye

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