Life of 1 dot on earth

The excruciating heat combined with the weight of my backpack does not do well after an eight hour bus ride alone. I caught myself surrounded by busy strangers, street vendors trying to make their final sales of the day, the gaggle of kids running around. Finally, as I said to myself, “I arrived at La Union.”

A friend recommended me to visit this place because of the popularity of the waves among surfers, but I was awestruck. Instead of magnificent waves there was water without current and an empty beach of hot glistening sand. On the horizon a tiny figure stood upright on the sea, a woman passing time trying to balance her petite figure on the surfboard while paddling. I had arrived the wrong month of the year. The extraordinaire waves had been replaced by a dull sea. I felt dejected.

My first experience of travelling solo was not meeting my high expectations. I dragged myself across the hot beach to find my hostel. The locals were very helpful every time I asked for directions. It might be that they mistook me for a fellow Filipino or that they just took pity on my gloomy state. After 30 minutes of wandering, I found Flotsam and Jetsam Hostel. I was transfixed. The wooden hut with many plush beanbags, swings, and bright colored chandeliers combined with the direct sunset view had me giggling. At last, something was right.

Time flies past. It’s 9PM. I know that going to bed is trivial, so I encourage myself to greet everyone. When suddenly I stumble upon Glenn, the famous mixologist of the hostel. He was constantly greeted by the guests and visitors who come only to eat dinner at the restaurant.His cheerful attitude carried me away. In no time, I’m carrying the special drink Glenn made me. I threw myself on the nearest beanbag I could find. I sat at the quiet sea front, stared at the endless stars, and listened to the faded guitar tone in the background.

I wondered if my experience was common to other travelers. I’m sure if I were to return, I would arrange my stay to match the arrival of waves. I would advise a friend to make sure the surfing competition is open and extend the stay by at least one day. But, there is relief in the inevitable silver linings when you’re on the road and things don’t go as planned.

That day my silver lining was the artisan hostel & Glenn the mixologist. My thoughts shift back to the moment, and then I’m lost in the conversation with Glenn and sipping my drink aptly named Glenn the Gem.