Trish in Transit

“Ready?”

I look over the edge of the dune and flash a sheepish smile at kuya, who is all set to push me down the sloping sand. I’m not usually afraid of heights; the slide didn’t look that intimidating from below. But when you’re standing inches away from the edge with your feet strapped to a piece of wood – well that’s a different matter. I spent a few seconds thinking of all the horrible things that could go wrong. But before I could chicken out, I gave kuya a thumbs up sign and put on a brave face. I felt the board inching towards the edge. My heart was beating fast. The board was sliding down, gaining momentum. “Ahhhhhh!!!!”

Wooooosh! And before I knew it I was at the bottom, on my butt, laughing and shouting “Isa pa! (One more!)”

Monica and I lost our balance and fell sideways the first time, but we got the hang of it eventually…After each slide, we trudged barefoot through the sand, climbing back to the top, which actually proved to be a bigger challenge. The whole sandboarding experience left us breathless and sweaty (for those planning to do it, don’t forget to bring an extra shirt!).

We didn’t get to ride the 4x4s that day, but I can tell you that it’s a pretty awesome experience too! I got to ride one last year with my family and we ended up screaming and laughing the whole time.

When I was planning my trips for 2013, I left September blank. I figured I’d just spend the month working and earning a bit of money for my travel fund. So I was surprised when Monica and Dijo told me we’d be gone for two weeks in September for Bookie. Ilocos then Boracay, they told me. I was so happy I thought my heart would burst! Ilocos is one of my favorite places in the Philippines. I’ve been there a couple of times before but I never get tired of the food, the sites, the antiques, the culture – the whole place is just magical. And Boracay!! I left a piece of my heart there earlier this year when I went with my family. Dani and I had a great time building sand castles; we still keep talking about how much we want to go back.

Really really really (can’t stress that enough) grateful that these two crazies took me with them and made my September way more exciting than what I had in mind. Here’s to more adventures! 😀

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If you haven’t yet, please please like the Bookie Facebook page and follow them on Instagram. 😀 They will be posting more details on their available trips soon! And yes, that includes sandboarding at the La Paz Sand Dunes!! 😀