I was in Boracay, Philippines for a week in November for a well deserved vacation prior to starting my new job, as well as to get my Open Water Diving License under the tutorship of a friend from university, and now a diving instructor based in Boracay - Anqi.
We had walked by the Spiderhouse Resort at Diniwid beach, and posed the following question: What is your greatest memory of this trip so far?
Straightforward question, but one which I was having difficulty answering. Was it:
1) The diving with barracudas in Maniguin island?
2) The wild partying with Bjorn, Geir, Dan and Rachel throughout the night?
3) The tasty food at the Smoke Resto?
4) Catching up with Anqi over walks and beers?
I was not able to answer - and I attribute it to an incident that happened five minutes before.
We had chanced upon the bar at the Spiderhouse Resort - a simple bar almost entirely constructed of cane and bamboo, and as I walked in, my attention was captured by a most attractive woman, laying on the daybed in a bikini (see pic above). She looked local - tanned and slim built, but her eyes captivated me, as they were directed at me, together with a most welcoming smile. Thinking that she was an employee of the bar or a tourist's "companion", I did not return the warm welcome and walked on.
Of all the above amazing moments that I'd experienced over the last couple of days, each had been captured at some point by someone's camera, which I would be able to relive each time I look at them. But the thought of what could have been had I responded to her remains what it is - a thought. The moment had passed, the picture opportunity missed.
The next evening, we went back to the Spiderhouse bar, where I asked the hotel manager about this lady. Apparently she was a Canadian-Singaporean tourist who had stayed for two nights, and had checked out earlier in the day.
Well, as my Spanish friend Laura reminds me - Keep Walking.
Straightforward question, but one which I was having difficulty answering. Was it:
1) The diving with barracudas in Maniguin island?
2) The wild partying with Bjorn, Geir, Dan and Rachel throughout the night?
3) The tasty food at the Smoke Resto?
4) Catching up with Anqi over walks and beers?
I was not able to answer - and I attribute it to an incident that happened five minutes before.
We had chanced upon the bar at the Spiderhouse Resort - a simple bar almost entirely constructed of cane and bamboo, and as I walked in, my attention was captured by a most attractive woman, laying on the daybed in a bikini (see pic above). She looked local - tanned and slim built, but her eyes captivated me, as they were directed at me, together with a most welcoming smile. Thinking that she was an employee of the bar or a tourist's "companion", I did not return the warm welcome and walked on.
Of all the above amazing moments that I'd experienced over the last couple of days, each had been captured at some point by someone's camera, which I would be able to relive each time I look at them. But the thought of what could have been had I responded to her remains what it is - a thought. The moment had passed, the picture opportunity missed.
The next evening, we went back to the Spiderhouse bar, where I asked the hotel manager about this lady. Apparently she was a Canadian-Singaporean tourist who had stayed for two nights, and had checked out earlier in the day.
Well, as my Spanish friend Laura reminds me - Keep Walking.
