Traveling Back In P.E. Time, Part 1: Overnight at Pico de Loro

It can't be helped, old pictures will surely get dug out from deep under their hiding places. Reminiscence will take over.  Just like now.

This afternoon I embarked on a memory-preservation project. Mission: save old pictures from further dilapidation by preserving them in digital mode.  Scan and save.

I did unearth some college photos taken in 1990 when my PE class went camping on two occasions: one in a beach, and another up the mountains.  Both times brought  much-needed breaks in the humdrum of my college life.  Both times, too, tested my stamina for long treks and bus rides.  I'd say I did well, which surprised my PE professor. I didn't know he was keeping his eyes on me until he told me he was impressed that I could carry on without much trouble.  Did I really look that softie? :-)

My classmates and I, on a 30-minute boat-ride to Pico de Loro in Nasugbu, Batangas, to camp for two days in a beach cove that looked like one of the virgin beaches in Palawan.   Before we took this ride, we had lunch at a barangay captain's house where we stayed for a couple of hours to rest after hours of sitting on  a bus from Manila.  The boatride was fun, fun, fun because my classmates were full of humor.  I can't remember their names now, except of that girl on the left...her name is Baby.  She was my camp buddy.

Pico de Loro is just one of the  coves off Nasugbu.  There are a dozen others.  Back then, it was a rustic, very remote getaway sans amenities.   There were the lush trees, the fine sand, and the clear waters.  Guests had to bring tents for shelter.  Now the area is a prime development that boasts of modern facilities and recreational activities.

Breakfast by the sea.  

We were accompanied by members of the UP Mountaineers who were there to assist our PE Prof who himself was a member as well.  The guy in black on the right, we called him Peewee.  He wasn't a classmate, so he must have been a Mountaineer.  There were other groups, by the way, which are not shown in the pictures. There were four or five  boats that carried us all to the cove.

Our Day 2.  Baby and I were ready to go, but the boys weren't.  For them, the water was just too irresistible.  The evening before was filled with games and stories, and some drinking. Nobody was spared.  I literally crawled back to the tent because a capful of gin tonic hit me in the knees.  I'm pretty sure the boys had gone creative and mixed something more into the bottle which got passed around on the beach.

The new Pico de Loro is well-equipped, hence there are some world-class restaurants with great food to fill hungry stomachs.  Weekend vacations will always be very convenient, fun-filled and leisure is maximized. Arrangements can be made over the internet, which makes it all the more convenient.

 Despite the "high-rises" in the area, the contemporary architectural designs conform with nature and do not violate the serenity that people expect to find far away from the noisy urban life. Although for how long, we can't really tell. Commercialization always seem to devour naiveté.