Watch out for the rain

by Maria Espinosa (Spain)

A leap into the unknown Philippines

A dive in the South China Sea, colorful coral reefs, turtles swimming around… and a typhoon about to hit unexpectedly. The truth is low season doesn’t necessarily mean a heavy storm will wipe out one –or several– of the heavenly islands that make up the Philippines. When the rainy season starts in this part of the world, tourists often decide to head to equally paradise destinations where they are more likely to enjoy sunny days at the beach. However, the most adventurous prefer to take their chances in search of not only heavenly but also off-the-beaten-track places. With cheaper flights, nice and affordable accommodations and quiet well-known secrets, what’s not to like? Any traveler with a free spirit would just take the opportunity and make the best of such a great deal –and I was right in. Europe was about to greet the summer season when my flight took off: the faraway islands I had been dreaming of since I was a child awaited me. After 40 hours of travel, I could finally behold a wonderful postcard scene through the plane window. Hundreds of what seemed to be tiny, lush-green islands surrounded by white sand and turquoise waters were just a few meters under my feet. A song called “Hombre de ninguna parte” (“Nowhere man”) played in my ears with exotic rhythms that seemed to have been picked purposely for this moment. The sun was shining and I could already feel the humidity that made it hard for me to breathe the first few days of my solo adventure. I was 12000 kilometers far from home and an unknown and fabulous feeling of freedom and peace flooded me. After driving through tiny villages, unpaved roads and green forests where it was easy to spot some stray dogs, I finally got to my destination. It took hours of flying, driving, sailing and waiting, but Nacpan Beach was right before my eyes, greeting me with kilometers of the finest sand, calm waters and the most amazing views I had ever seen. After settling in one of the few hotels by the beach –with no Wi-Fi, no signal, no way to communicate with anyone who wasn’t around– it didn’t take long until I met a German girl who shared my same desire for adventure. The next days were filled with quietness: very few people had decided to travel to this faraway corner at this time of the year. The feeling of reconnection with Earth in such a natural way is undescribable, escaping from your reality in a place that would make anyone feel like the luckiest person in the world. After endless walks on a sandy beach that felt like floating on flour and the most wonderful sunsets while bathing in a huge swimming pool we had for ourselves, it was time to get on a boat and head out of the bay to discover some new spots of this already breathtaking destination. Just as the previous days, the morning started out quietly as the sun came up and the local dogs begged for some food –and love– during breakfast. It was easy to fall in love with them and hard to leave them behind, but after some cuddling, we got on the boat and headed towards some spectacular diving spots. My first time in these islands, my first dive, my first reef. It is hard to imagine how mind-blowing it is to swim with turtles while observing colorful starfish and coral reef in a sunny day in the beautiful Philippines. But that quiet and exciting first dive was soon interrupted by a yell from the crew: “Watch out for the rain, get back onboard!”. An impressive shower of rain was approaching us from a short distance. The sun was suddenly out, it got surprisingly windy and, in a matter of seconds, the heaviest rain I have ever experienced hit as if it was throwing rocks at us –while we were still in the water. Far from seeing the risk, that heavy rain –which we later learned was the tail end of a typhoon– only garnished that moment with a truly unique and unforgettable view of the Philippines.