After a productive non-stop work week, we had an organized trip to a beach area this weekend which was about 3 hours from Manila. IBM / ABV sponsored the weekend so all we had to do was show up outside the hotel at 9AM on Saturday. (Side note: sometimes this trip feels like a long field trip where everything is organized and all we have to do is show up and go with the flow…nice change of pace from real life!). We had a windy and hilly ride in a van through various hill and coastal villages. We were heading to the south west of Manila, on the southern end of the island of Luzon. Once you get out of the metro Manila area, the ride is mostly small roads winding through the countryside…even though there is still traffic for most of the way! We started off with some lunch and down time at a nearby beach close to the hotel. It felt really really good to escape the crowded city and breathe some fresh air. I took a walk along the beach and then we loaded into the van to head to our resort, Club Punta Fuego. It was absolutely beautiful. We arrived later afternoon, so the sun was starting to set right over the pool and we all hung out there before a night of dinner and karaoke. We had our own room for dinner and there was a karaoke machine set up when we arrived. At first, the group was slightly hesitant to sing anything (especially with the bright lights and quiet setting). But after the ABV Filipinos started us off, we quickly warmed up…and I must say the Red Horse beer may have helped a little bit too 😀. I unfortunately don’t have great photos and I will spare you the videos on this blog post. But we did have a great time. Karaoke is a big part of Filipino culture and it doesn’t matter if you are a good singer at all…it’s all about the confidence and having fun. Hopefully we will get a chance to do it again while we are here..it was a lot of fun! My throat is a little sore today from all of the singing and laughing.
Today was spent at the pool and another beach. We had lunch near the beach with a fresh coconut to help hydrate for the day which was delicious. On the way back (which was much longer than Saturday AM because of traffic), we had some fun group discussions on lots of things…including most memorable moments in life, favorite travel places, how we met our spouses, sharing pictures of kids etc. It has been so wonderful getting to know everyone and sharing stories. So many different experiences and things we can learn from one another.
Ok, I’m off to bed now. I was able to catch up with my husband and kids, parents and sister all in one night which was so great. It will be an early morning tomorrow because we will arrive at 8 in time for Monday flag ceremony at the office.
Leaving the hotel:
Drive to Punta Fuego:
Beach near resort:
Club Punta Fuego
The Opposite Side of the World 