It was two in the morning in the middle of the third bottle of whiskey with my tipsy friends and we were all swimming in the state of drunkenness that was just full of euphoria. You know that vibe when you just start vibing with each other?
Yes, that’s probably it.
We often hear people say that drinking alcohol can make it hard for you to think clearly and make good decisions. And I can attest to that because I’ve had so many wrong and random decisions out of being overly drunk! But you know that drunk words are most likely our sober thoughts, right? So be it.
Anyway, going back to the story, my friends and I were just super drunk and we were talking about how we missed traveling and being near to the ocean so much.
(At least that’s how I remembered it.)
And by being drunk, we accidentally planned a trip outside of Manila. And thus being drunk can make it more likely that you will get into potentially harmful or dangerous situations that you will regret the next day.
Well damn I guess that’s what happened leading to this unplanned trip.
I was continuing with my typical Sunday: waking up late with a bearable hangover from last night’s drinking and was proceeding to ride my bike going to Manila anyway.
Until I received a message from my friend that we were already booked for the next day’s island hopping.
When our ability to think and make rational decisions is impaired by alcohol, there are many potential consequences.
That we may be willing to do or try anything that we will make us happy at the moment, without any thought to what may come next.
With no sleep from riding my bike the night before and straight from cycling, I packed my bags with whatever I first saw from my closet: a couple of board shorts, oversized T-shirts, and clean underwear.
Then I went to the nearest open Starbucks Store (which was also my former store) to meet up with my friends for this out of town that I didn’t know jack shit about because I was extra drunk when I agreed to join in.
So next thing I know, Kean, Paolo, Ara, and I were already speeding through Tagaytay City sliding down the empty highway going to Nasugbu, Batangas listening to the very rad 70s OPM.
Arriving at Barangay Calayo was a breath of fresh air. In a way that it is refreshing to see people living their laidback lives at six in the morning and children already playing in the outdoors. From where I’m from, kids their age can’t be up a couple of hours before lunchtime because most kids in the city are the internet’s late-night squad. And of course, not to mention the locals of this Barangay being friendly, welcoming, and helpful.
Anyway, the beach or Island that was the destination of this blog was in Nasugbu and is called Butuin Cove which is roughly around 20 minutes from the main beach in Barangay Calayo.
Sailing on the way there made me realize how much I love and enjoy moments like that – to be completely dazed by the panoramic scenery filled with revealing awe around me and getting used to the noise of the motorboat while weirdly liking it.
Basically we just went there to cook brunch, have a nap, and hop on a boat for a short tour. Then we drove back to Tagaytay to spend the night over getting drunk.
To give you an idea about what happened that night, my friend Paolo cooked Bulalo for us by only using two small pots in a span of four hours. Thanks, Pao! This is to say that your hard work didn’t go unnoticed.
And since Kean, my friend from “Elyu Classic: Accidentally Stayed Drunk” blog was there, there’s no way the sun will come up without us throwing up big time from too much beer.
Then there was also Ara, who is bouncing off the walls every time when she’s under the influence of alcohol – who streamed the lasing na tita sa videoke Spotify playlist and who was singing at the top of her lungs.
There were only four of us but there was a time when I thought we were five inside the condo unit! Not clearly sure if it was a wild spirit who chose to stay there because the place is uninhabited or it was just another friend’s doppleganger. The creepy part was finding out that I wasn’t the only one who experienced it.
I would like to write more about it but I guess that will just be saved for this year’s Halloween blog post.
Moving forward, if there’s a thing that I learned from this trip out of impulsive decision just because I was drunk: is how to properly live in the moment; to realize that the present moment, wherever we are, is all we ever have.
I also learned that time isn’t the most valuable asset that we have. What is more important than time is presence. Because being present in the moment is the most valuable asset that we have. We can waste time by doing a lot of things but we are missing out on the point of things that we should be experiencing.
Sure we can stack up on experiences, but those experiences will give us nothing if we are not present in the moment.
This whole pandemic has turned our lives upside down but this trip is a reminder that it’s nice to remember and do again what used to be good when everything was normal. And this blog should always be a nice reminder to open ourselves to the spontaneity of unplanned trips.
Soon.
Comments
I miss spontaneous trips! You’re lucky you can survive being hungover on a boat…I would have spent the entire day barfing. Love your story and sense of humor!
Author
Thank you so much, Megan! Hoping that this whole pandemic would come to an end – it’s nice to go on trips without the worry of COVID-19. Thank you for reading!