Siargao

We faced gloomy, seemingly-cautioning weather during our first getaway as a couple to Siargao Island. Anywhere we go, from day one to four, we hoped for at least a drier and safer road to travel. But just like this connection, we prepared for surprises.

Despite the weather, Siargao Island was a sight of wonder.

In General Luna, the tourism center among the nine municipalities on the Island, there are countless restaurants, bars, and shops for hanging out. People occupy the street or cycle back and forth on the Tourism Road.

A driver once said that foreigners dominate General Luna. And he could not be more accurate (drivers know everything). GL is a progressive town that serves as the center for parties and trade. Tourists drop at GL before scheduling short travels to the neighboring municipalities that offer equally impressive experiences.

We did the same, sort of. We stayed in GL for the last three days of our trip. But on the first day, which was the main thing for me, we lingered for a day in Del Carmen and experienced most of our firsts there.

DC holds the only airway entry to the Island. It is home to the famous Sugba Lagoon, which some people consider as mini El Nido, Palawan ( I still have to see).

Despite the attempts to narrow the difference, it is the opposite of GL. It is charming, with some buildings remaining ancestral. The tranquil setup, especially, is what I relish to this day.

More than anything, DC, being the witness to our fresh-page romance, is a sacred place to me now. It was the moon to our past-12 midnight walk from a local bar to the bakery for instant noodles before heading to the hotel less sober; and the light-turned-heavy-rain that pushed us to defy the unpredictable weather, especially during our walk to the Mangrove Eco Park that left us soaked to the bone.

DC knows our first meal at King Crab, the coffee date at Deja Brew, the shared buckets of beer at Quadro, the boat riding and swimming at Sugba Lagoon, and the inside rush from seeing the person you used to chat speaking to you in the flesh upon dropping at El Camelon.

All of this is new to me. Romance is clearly a discovery of many things about the other person and the person inside you that’s awakening.

A realization: no matter how strategic and intentional, there are bummers and outside forces capable of challenging your core. The weather was among them, which we tried ignoring as we planned the trip early January. But as discovered, the bubble you created can tune out irrational pressures and standards of this world. This is the most important lesson for me now.