After four years of dreaming and pining, we finally got our first family outing.

 

    I was the one tasked to plan it since it will be just Leejay, Lyka, Kylee and me going. Being the way I am, I can’t say that it was an easy thing. I had to check resorts, look up their rates, ask them about these and those things. Then I had to plan what to bring, make out a rough draft of what we would have done (i.e. when to watch shows, when to eat, when to be out in the water and the surf, etc). I wound up a lot in Leejay’s nerves what with constantly forgetting stuff like when the deadline for paying off the hotel was, the details about the stuff to be packed, calling the owners and the driver of the car we would be renting. It was hairy and it was harrowing.

 

    But eventually, we managed to get to the day of the trip and we were all so happy! The drive was short (less than two hours) and uneventful. When we finally got at the Camayan Beach Resort, it was a quarter past one in the afternoon. We had to wake the kids since they fell asleep during the drive. When they finally saw the blue ocean they went bonkers!

 

    They were practically all over the hotel reception lobby. A shriek here, a shriek there; It was a big chore just to look after them while they ran from one side of the lobby to the other, pointing at this Ficus, or that painting. Practically, they’re like super-charged Energizer bunnies. XD

 

    After a little while, we were shown to our room even though we were much early for our check-in appointment. It was a cozy affair, done in warm earth tones. There were two twin beds, three wall-mounted lamps, a CRT tv with Cignal satellite TV, a lazy ceiling fan, a single bathroom, a sink and a mini-walk-in closet. XD  Our room was on the second floor of the Beach View Complex of the resort. As the name suggests, the building was a couple of minute’s walk away from the surf. The let down though was that we couldn’t see the breaking waves from where we were because of the coconut trees and the cabanas, but it was a very minor inconvenience. Besides, the kids loved to see the trees – there were so few of them in Manila so they were satisfied, to say the least.

 

    It was an awesome time for all of us. Though there were some last minute forgotten details (punctured inflatable life vests, missing floaties, etc), we just let it all slide and had fun. It was our first ever vacation, after all. No time for petty arguments.

 

    We all dressed down to our swim wear and we headed for the sea. It was truly marvelous to be back into the edge of the ocean. The last time I came to any beach was back in the late 80′s. Practically a lifetime ago. I’m just glad that I could enjoy the sun and the surf with my husband and my daughters. They really let themselves go all out. With the sand and the water, they were building crude castles that they summarily demolish barely minutes after being erected. Then there was the tag game with the oncoming waves. They were screaming in delight, so high pitched they nearly deafened anybody within earshot.

 

    Such was the allure of the sea that when we came up, we were surprised to know that four hours have already gone by. All of us were reluctant. If not for Kylee’s teeth chattering in the cold, we might have been there till twilight. The kids really had a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that they fell right asleep after dinner.

 

    It was a first day for a vacation. The kids really got their first sun glow which would eventually turn into their first sunburns. XD I’ll post what happened on the second day maybe tomorrow. XD Too bad, we didn’t have any pictures: I forgot to bring the camera’s battery charger (boo!), only a handful of shots from my trustee cell phone. Still, we’ll all have our memories in our minds. And maybe, we’ll have another vacation soon enough. XD