Paradise Found

I slept on the beach last night, under the Milky Way. There were so many scattered stars, with Orion and Venus right above me. The sound of the lapping waves sweetly rocked me to sleep.

It was cool and breezy, I woke up at around 2 am with the bright half-moon. I tried to sleep but the moonlight was too much, even for my closed eyes. I went back to my room. In the morning, I had sandfly bites. D:

I’m looking forward to staying in my own secluded beach. I’m just waiting for the ladder to be constructed from the main beach over the limestone. :D

I tried to swim here from the pier yesterday. The current was so strong, it could carry me away to the deep ocean. I had to vigorously backstroke to the beach.

The beach was lovely, peaceful, and perfect. Behind the coconut trees against the limestone is a two-story cottage overlooking the beach. I’m thrilled to live there, create my own sculptures, add plants, and decorate the space.

I also found some human bones with a skull, probably from the people who used to live here. O_O I will bury them one of these days.

The main beach was built with a seawall to protect the land from erosion, high tides, and typhoons. The island used to be home to several hundred local people, until they started dynamite fishing, practically killing the corals that supported all the underwater wildlife.

Typhoon season arrived and it took only one typhoon to devastate all their homes. They moved to the mainland, and most of the land were sold to its current owners.

Since 2012, they have been rehabilitating the corals, creating temporary umbrellas for planting baby corals. Guests are encouraged to snorkel in the reefs and plant these corals, write about them, and share the island’s story. <3

We host small weddings here sometimes, with a honeymoon cottage on the cliff for the newlyweds. Most of the cottages are in the cool shade, behind the trees.

It’s common to witness monitor lizards, giant centipedes, spiders, and other insects making their way into the rooms. Many guests in the past, who grew up in cities, would go hysterical over these creepy crawlers.

The monitor lizards are the ones who make a scene, slithering in plain sight with their scaly hide and forked tongue. Sometimes I offer them bananas so I can pet them. Hopefully we’ll be friends one day, and they’ll welcome me to their lizard kingdom. XD

The beach assigned to me is just sweet, lovely, and gorgeous. I feel it can host about 20 people for yoga or breathwork. The sandy area inside is wide, flat, and shaded, just perfect for peace and relaxation.

There is electricity and water in the cottage inside, and an outdoor shower where one can look up and admire the limestone rocks and trees.

It just feels so wonderful being on this beach, and I can’t wait to spend my nights here and get stoked on peace and silence and the sound of the ocean.

The limestone makes a concave wall which can also be good for music, live or audio. It’s possible to make another fire pit here and gather the large stones for sitting.

I stayed on the island for three months a few years ago and even brought my best friend to stay for a month. She just fell in love with it. The food is amazing and tasty, prepared with fresh ingredients. It’s easy to get fat and lazy here. Lol.

I feel that my addition to the team will add some peace and balance to all the drinking and partying in the evenings.

Hopefully I will inspire the owners to build halfway to the highest cliff a yoga studio with a sweeping view of the ocean. For now, beach yoga will do.

I will still want to travel, but I will bring in things that will add more serenity and relaxation to the island. After all, most people come here to chill after doing all the island hopping and sunset cruising in Bacuit Bay.

We’ll have 16 guests arriving in a few days for a yoga retreat. And I’ll be busy in the kitchen teaching the head chef how to prepare plant-based dishes. :D

This monitor lizard says “hi” and “bye”.

// 02 Jan 2024