Last week, we went on a weekend getaway on a not so obscure part of Luzon's east coast, on the Province of Aurora. on the way, we were greeted by winding roads and one of a kind view of the Sierra madre Mountain Range. as the mountain roads became flat, we knew we we're near. the town of Baler, on the east end of Central Luzon, is a community most contemprarily known as a surfing spot. historically, It was the last stronghold, the Spaniards held in the islands, where the Spaniards withheld a yearlong siege against the Philippine Revolutionary Army.
today, the town is a buzz with activities, it's transformation from a quiet, rural town, into one of the busiest beaches come the amihan season (northeast monsoon) unfortunatelly for us, being almost all of us, first timers in the area, we went during the time of habagat (southwest monsoon) and the waves are smaller than anticipated. but it all ended up in our favor, being first timers on trying out surfing. we didn't have a hard time. we hired instructors to teach us the basics, and before we know it, we were... well, surfing, in an amateur way though, but it still feels good! not long after, it was time for our instructors to leave us on our own. (we only hired them for an hour) and the other hour, we did it on our own.
our first tries were futile, and we almost ended up just lying on our board letting each wave pass us.but then, we realized, it will take a few months in order for us to be able to do surfing again, so we decided to give it another shot. Not dar from us, i noticed a few local surfers are also waiting for a swell, I went near them, and to my surprise, they were our Instructors, and they were off duty already, but that didn't stop me from taking a few pointers from them. I decided to stick close. As soon as I see them paddling for the shore, i paddle with them. shure enough, my persistence bore fruit, and they gave me additional pointers; on the house!
"as soon as we saw a swell on the horizon, paddle like your life depended on it!" that was the pointer! and I did as they did, as soon as I felt the wave carrying the board. i went from my ready position straight into a stand, and roade it almost to shore, wave and board! it was on e of the best feeling I have ever felt in my life! of course, i didn't waste my time to brag about it to my friends who we're watching. I looked back at them and made a Shaka pose, tounge out. as we went back to our rooms, I was still smiling, remembering the time how i got to do it on my own. one of my friends explained to me that that is what it felt to be stoked! all this time, I have been hearing the word, but I do not have the slightest idea what it meant. so that's what stoked meant. it feels great!
