Into TGL: A Day in Paradise
December 22, 2016
The Green Lion
Tigman, Aborlan, Palawan, Philippines
(A Day in Paradise is part of a multi-story series documenting the author’s visit between November to December 2016.)
5:45 AM – Someone from across the room shuffles in their bunk bed. I get up and hurry out to catch the sunrise.
6:15 AM – There’s a lone tree in the distance, on the left side of the beach. The sun begins to rise on that side and starts filling the early morning sky with a soft glow.
6:25 AM – The beach is lined with countless pebbles and shells. There are fishermen loading up their boats.
6:30 AM – I sit on a wooden bench. It’s unstable, and I knock over the cairn I erected two days ago.
6:35 AM – The sea is still, it has a dull blue color reflecting the sky, like a vast skating rink.
7:00 AM – White specks of crushed seashells reveal themselves in the light brown sand. The sun is up.
8:00 AM – Our simple breakfast is served. The pancakes are fluffy. Fresh fruit is plentiful: banana, pineapple, and watermelon. Black coffee for me, always.
8:30 AM – The landlord’s farmhands harvest the coconut trees in the property. They use a long bamboo pole with a blade at the tip, extending it with shorter poles as necessary.
9:00 AM – Participants scatter to their respective projects.
9:30 AM – Recess. Teacher Rachel’s 2nd graders are a loud bunch. They race around the schoolyard.
10:00 AM – A man walks on the beach with his child, no more than a year old, probably. He dips the child in the sea a few times. It’s a swimming lesson. They laugh together.
11:05 AM – The participants from the Environmental project are back. They’re working on mangrove reforestation. Their clothes are covered in mud.
11:20 AM – Lewis takes a hammock. He just finished some Kerouac and is now getting started on some Thoreau.
12:00 PM – Lunch is served. There’s the famous Philippine dish of adobo, some beans and squash, and tofu to keep the vegetarians happy. There’s more than enough rice.
2:00 PM – The sun is hot, but there’s plenty of shade. I pick the hut closest to the beach and read a few pages of Fr. James Martin, SJ.
2:10 PM – Finn, the house mongrel, keeps me company. He crawls under the table and digs a couple of inches into some cooler sand. These beach dogs spend half their days taking naps.
3:00 PM – Time for a dip. The water is warm. It’s clear enough to spot jellyfish. There are none.
4:00 PM – Peter returns from construction and pours himself a drink. The sea is calm, now taking on a deep blue color, the sky with its own light shade.
4:15 PM – The cool breeze is refreshing from our beachfront hut. Some of the boys take a sarcastic jab at how they have the same breathtaking view back in England.
4:30 PM – Some ladies hit the beach to catch some late afternoon sun. An adequate reward for the day’s work. Another group lays out yoga mats for a workout.
5:45 PM – The team goes for a few moments of silence while watching the sun set. Never gets old.
6:00 PM – Dinnertime. There’s fish, noodles with plenty of vegetables, and spring rolls. Fruits for dessert.
6:45 PM – I get into our tiny bathroom and wash the day away. I need to get the salt water out of my long hair.
7:20 PM – We discuss weekend plans over drinks. Some will head to town for a supply run. Others are choosing between a hike to the waterfall or a trip to the sandbar. Tough choices.
8:00 PM – Karaoke music can be heard from the plaza a few meters down the road. The town’s basketball league is in full swing.
11:00 PM – I brush the sand off my legs and get into bed. The air-conditioner hums me to sleep. Tomorrow’s another day in paradise.
