First Vacation of the Year

Finally, we got to go to Panglao, Bohol! We booked our trip last year and had it rescheduled twice because cases soared just in time for our supposed flight. In December we rebooked for a third time and you know what they say about third time’s a charm.

Even though it’s a domestic flight, due to safety protocols we had to be at the airport three hours in advance. I have to admit as we drove into the NAIA Terminal 2 I had to keep my emotions in check. It’s been two years since my last flight, after all. Two years, but seemed like ages. Anyway, I was all geared up with my phone and Kindle fully charged, so time flew by fast after we checked in. Boarding the plane, my fear of being stuck in it for a couple of hours slowly faded away, as I realized that it wasn’t a full flight after all. And for the first time, the flight attendant’s words of “enjoy the rest of the flight” meant something, as I looked forward to the promise of a much awaited three days of sun, sand and sea.

We were picked up at Panglao Airport by the hotel’s shuttle. First sign that we would have a fantastic stay: South Palms Resort gave us a room upgrade, to a villa with a poolside view.

There was only a handful of tourists, so we pretty much had the beach to ourselves. As I swam in the cool waters of Panglao, I reminisced the last time I visited Bohol, in the summer of 1994. I went with friends for a two week youth camp, and at the time we stayed overnight at the Bohol Beach Club, the resort next door.

The next two days were quite laid back. Definitely the highlight of my month. I hope there’ll be more trips to the beach this year. We plan on making the most of our domestic travels. The Philippines has more than 7,600 islands after all.