Counting the hundred Islands

My goal for this trip was to count how many islands there really are in the Hundred Islands... laki ng problema ko, 'noh?

We went to the Hundred Islands to snorkel and see the mangroves. I woke up at 4:40 a.m. to eat breakfast and get ready to go to school. My mother accompanied me because it was too early for me to go to school alone. I arrived just in time, and after waiting a few minutes, we left.

On the bus, I was with my friends. We just talked, listened to an iPod, took pictures, and ate for more than 4 hours. We arrived in Pangasinan at about 1:30 p.m., then we ate our late lunch. I think it was my first time eating that much, just from spending long hours inside the bus! We ate daing na bangus, lechon kawali, and vegetables.

We went to our hotel to drop off our things. Our room was just right for the four of us. We changed our clothes and put on our swimsuits, then we boarded a boat to go to the islands.

First, we went to the Pinoy Big Brother Island to see the Pinoy Big Brother House. Umakyat kami somewhere around 120 steps daw. At the top, we saw the 123 islands... hehehe hindi ko nabilang eh, sinabi ng tourist guide. Sayang!! We took pictures. It was quite tiring to go up and down.

After that, we went to Quezon Island to snorkel. It was quite relaxing to see the fish and corals down there. After that, feeling so cold because we were all wet and it was raining, we went back to the bus and headed somewhere where there were mangroves. Naglakad kami for how many minutes. It was getting dark already. So ayun… nagtanim kami nang madilim…

After those tiring activities, kain kami agad. Again, I ate a lot for the second time. Sa wakas, tataba na ako!! We took a bath, then straight to bed kami because the next day, kailangan pa naming gumising at 7:00 a.m… hayyyy…

NEXT DAY…

So we woke up at about 6:45 a.m. and ate breakfast. Again, this was my first time to eat a lot of breakfast. I’m not used to eating a lot in the morning. We needed to listen to someone who talked about the Hundred Islands. Then we went to souvenir shops to buy some souvenirs. I bought a shell with my brother's name on it.

I’m so lucky. Even though I was miles away from home, I was able to watch Sponge Cola on A.S.A.P. performing “Bitiw” in one of the stores there!

Then we had to go back to the hotel and pack our things to get ready to go home. We ate our lunch (it was still raining very hard), then we went straight to the bus. Another 4 hours there... my butt already hurt. We did the same things again, but this time, we also played sungka inside the bus.

Then I was back in Manila, back to my home. I ate a lot again. I’m so happy I was able to catch Sponge Cola again singing “Nakapagtataka,” a revival of an APO classic. When my parents heard it, all I heard were bad comments about their version. The original is very relaxing, while Sponge Cola’s version is full of angst. Sumisigaw lang daw. Oh man!! They are too old for this kind of music. For me, it’s their own take on the song. They sang it the way they sing their own songs.

Hay… I need to rest. I will not go to school tomorrow…