Many things happened during the holiday, but I'll write about a certain day at a beach in the Philippines called Boracay. Boracay has white, sandy beaches, wonderful water... but not many fish. I was there with my dad's side of the family, meaning two grandparents, three cousins, two uncles, two aunties, five siblings, and my parents. We all flew from Manila to Boracay on same plane, went on the same boat, the same jeep, the same bus... you get the point. Our family was going to spend five days there, and we went snorkeling on the third day of our stay there.
I got into the boat all set to go, wearing my swimsuit and prepared to have fun. After my grandparents boarded the boat, and everyone was all set, the boat zoomed off to the first site. When we arrived at the designated spot, I changed my mind about going snorkeling rather suddenly. The shining sun had vanished behind grey clouds, and the waves were strangely strong. Even though I was reluctant to jump into the water, my mom and dad encouraged me to go snorkeling.
"This is probably the only chance you'll get for a really long time." My dad told me. So, hesitantly, I dipped my foot into the water. I decided that I had to jump in sooner or later, since my cousins were right behind me. They, unlike me, looked extremely eager to start snorkeling. I sighed, then plunged myself into the water. I was momentarily engulfed in an icy layer of cold water, with the waves splashing over me. The minute my head was above the water, I gasped and made my way over to my sister, Trina, who was desperately scouting the water for fish.
It didn't seem like there were any. Pieces of bread we had thrown into the water to try to lure the fish toward us were bobbing along on the water's surface. No fish seemed to have come. I eventually spotted my Aunt Maricel waving frantically to me some distance away. Maybe she had spotted some fish! I swam over to her.
"Under there!" She exclaimed. I ducked my head excitedly under water. She was right! There were fish, though not many, all clustering around a piece of bread she was holding. Trina soon came out of curiosity, and we three looked quite a sight, floating and gawking at the fish under water. Twenty minutes later, we boarded the boat, and went to the second site, which was pretty much like the previous one, but with less fish. Aunt Maricel complained that there weren't any fish.
" The current is strong," the guide, Manong Eric explained, "So there aren't any fish."
Since lunch was included in the trip, we had lunch at an island which was called 'Magic Island'. Funny thing was, there was a ton of coral on the beach. This meant that you couldn't take a step without a mound of coral and sand entering your shoes.
"This place should be called 'Coral Island'," I grumbled. My cousin Julia and sister Denise didn't think so. They were happily collecting coral and shells of all shapes and sizes.
"It shouldn't be called 'Magic Island'!" Denise exclaimed. "It should be called 'Treasure Island'!" Later, I climbed up to the dining hut for lunch. Delicious aromas filled the air. Aside from our staple food of rice, there were platters of succulent squid, a wonderfully flavored and cooked chicken, some steamed oysters, A LOT of 'tahong' (a long, greenish kind of clam with appetizing meat in it), a scrumptious fish, and a tray of pork. Also, there were three bottles of soft drinks and two big containers of water. Everyone enjoyed the meal, and when the meal was done, there wasn't much left except a pile of leftovers!
After the meal, I found out why the island was called Magic Island. If you went down a flight of extremely steep steps to a little platform on the island, you could see the ocean. When I cast my eyes on the marvelous sight, I gasped in wonder. (I don't think I can tell you what the ocean looked like, but I will try.) The ocean was a deep, deep, navy blue, and the sound it made when it crashed into the rocks was like a pair of cymbals crashing together, except it was stronger, more majestic, more powerful, and more wonderful. This, with the sound of a light wind whistling softly in my ears, was truly music. It was as if the sea was playing a song of peacefulness and happiness. To make the scene prettier, the sun had come out and was shining over the ocean, and the sky was a beautiful azure, soft, pale, and delicate. I took a deep breath of salty sea air and sighed. The place was perfect.
Later that day, when we got back to the hotel, and after we showered and changed our clothes, our family watched the sunset. (I don't think I will be able to describe this to you either, but I will try.) As the sun sank in the horizon, the sky turned a pale golden color. As it sank lower, the sky kept getting darker, from a pale golden color to a rich, ripe, yellow, which turned into a strong, fiery, orange. The orange color evolved into a sensational shade of red, glowing with a heavenly radiance, and at that moment, the whole sky seemed alight, as if it was day again. Then slowly, slowly, slowly, the sun slipped to the other side of the world, leaving ours in darkness.
I smiled happily. 'Wherever I was, whatever what I was doing,' I thought, 'the sunset would always be something to remember.' It was a sunset I had never seen before. It was... out of this world! And so the day ended, with everyone happy, and of course, when watching other sunsets... I would always remember and think of this one.
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