Embracing Change: Journeys, Connections, and Adventures

As Heraclitus said, 'Change is the only constant in life.' It is inevitable, making it a fundamental part of life. This reminds us that change is natural and, rather than resisting it, we should embrace it as an inescapable aspect of the human experience.

A few weeks ago, my mountaineering friends and I gathered once again to celebrate a farewell party for our friend An Jurvel, who will be leaving this October.

We rendezvoused at the Cebu South Bus Terminal around 10 to 11 AM, but due to unforeseeable delays, we arrived late. It was past noon when Chiarra, Bon, and I got there. Some of our friends had been waiting for an hour.

We were shocked by the length of the lines at the ticketing booths, and the poorly ventilated terminal only added to our suffering. Haha. James purchased our tickets to avoid the long lines, and we immediately went to the designated bus door.

We boarded a Sepo Bus, a regular bus with cramped seats accommodating three people in very uncomfortable conditions. Haha. These buses are notorious for being overloaded; passengers stand in the aisle for hours, paying the same fare as those who are seated. Of course, people do it to reach their destination on time.

As we were about to depart, it started to rain. We had to close the windows, making the inside of the bus humid. Fortunately, the rain stopped. The bus passed through Carcar City, the busiest in the South, and made a right turn at Mantalongon, Barili, heading to Aloguinsan.

Four hours later, we arrived in Aloguinsan near the junction leading to AC Nature Camp, where An Jurvel's father's friend's car would be waiting to pick us up.

After a quick 10-minute ride from the junction, we arrived at AC Nature Camp. We immediately pitched our tents and prepared our dinner.

Alton, who couldn't miss this camp, had to be absent from work to catch up with us at the campsite.

@iamcjestrada and I even decided to design and print a tarpaulin for the departing Disney Princess. Haha.

Dinner came, and, of course, An Jurvel's lumpia and dynamite were on the menu. I will surely miss these when An Jurvel leaves. Plus, Chiarra's Humba and Spaghetti completed our dinner. And it wouldn't be complete without our all-time favorite dessert, Fruit Salad, but this time it's cold. Yay!

Camp socials weren't complete without booze. An Jurvel even brought a cooler with all the booze and soda. She also invited a friend from another mountaineering group who brought three foreigners to the camp.

The foreigners brought a card game, and we played Kings Cup. Unfortunately, their rules were a bit different from what we usually play, but it was still fun!

We went to bed late because we had to check out at 8 AM to avoid paying the day-use rate. LOL.

The next day, we woke up super early, around 6 AM, bought hot water from the store for coffee, and a piece of cake from the night before. We decided to skip breakfast, as most of us aren't breakfast people anyway.

After breaking down our camp, we had a quick photoshoot at the campsite. Our stay ended with a group photo alongside the tarpaulin.

Our plan was to hike from the campsite to Hermits Cove. While some accompanied An Jurvel to buy our lunch at the market, the rest of us started our hike to the beach. We didn't know the trail, we were just following the heat map from Alton and James' trail map.

The first part was a cemented road with an overlook of the mountains until we reached a dead-end. We followed the trail going down near the cliff overlooking the sea.

We hesitated about which trail to follow, but we followed our instincts, which led us to the view of Hermits Cove.

We reached a narrow trail and followed it until we reached the shore. We entered from the opposite side of the cove where the locals live, and there was no entrance fee. We found a cottage in front of a local's house and rented it for Php500, which also had access to the grilling station, CR, and water.

Cell reception was elusive where we were staying, and we had a hard time communicating with other friends who had gone to buy our lunch. An Jurvel and the others entered the main entrance to the cove and paid Php100. But we decided to stay at the local's cottage since there were more seats and it was less crowded.

We prepared our lunch: grilled fish and pork, boiled Cardava banana, and boiled sweet potatoes.

The weather was unforgiving, super hot, but it didn't bother us, and we went swimming anyway, with umbrellas. Haha.

After lunch, we went swimming one last time. Chiarra and Bon went home first as they still had to work that night.

After washing with fresh water, we made our way home, but first, we had to climb the stairs going up. Haha.

This trip made me contemplate many things. That in the midst of uncertainty and change, these bonds, forged in the pot of shared adventures, remain unwavering. An Jurvel's departure reminded us of life's transience, of how people come and go, leaving behind memories etched in the sands of time.

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