WAKE-UP!!! - LAGO DE ORO, JUNE 2,2007

Caveat: This blog was originally published in my friendster site, but I thought in the spirit of documenting new adventures, I'd repost it here. =)

*******************************************************************

Last weekend, Hubby Sweet and I went on a road trip--an old past time we haven't done in soooooooooooooooooooo long! Felt good to be back on the road. Felt even better to be on the way to some place we haven't been to, to do something neither of us has ever tried before. A whole new adventure. Yahoo! =)

My cousin was home from the U.S. for his annual visit. He's home because he misses US. Hahaha! Yeah, right! We were supposed to take a trip to Donsol, then take a side-trip to CamSur. He couldn't get here early enough though. Work stuff prevented him from coming in early May. And so it goes that by the time he got here, all the whalesharks in Donsol have already migrated to who knows where (probably California, hahaha!). A friend of mind advised me that unless we were serious wakeboarders, we'll only be wasting our money on plane fare going to CamSur.

Might as well go to Lago de Oro, she said. It's nearer and if we find that we really like wakeboarding, we can schedule the CamSur trip once the whalesharks are back. (I know, totally unrelated, but I like getting my money's worth when I travel. Hahaha!)

And that's how we found ourselves on the road Saturday morning on our way to Lago de Oro in Calatagan. Me. Hubby Sweet. Cousin Dooders. And his special girl. =)

First high of the day. Aga Mulach was wakeboarding with his posse. HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Man, he really looked like he shed off his baby fat big time! Hehe. Don't ask if I have pictures though. I took the scaredy-cat way out and rationalized that I shouldn't ask to have my picture taken with him because he has a right to privacy. Hahahaha!!! Yeah, yeah...=)

The starstruck moment eventually wore off though and it was time for lessons. Lessons took all of 5 minutes. Hahaha! Didn't mind really. I suppose, with wakeboarding, it's really a case of either swimming or sinking.

The biggest hurdle one has to overcome is the fear of making a fool out of yourself as the cable tugs at you and have you flipping face down into the murky water--in front of a line of people waiting for their turn! Hahaha. Amateur wakeboarder after amateur wakeboarder after amateur wakeboarder....either sunk, flipped, or dove practically as soon as they hit the water, or if they're lucky just a little over 4 feet from the dock.

'Twas finally my turn. Haha! I DID NOT sink, flip nor dive into the water. I was actually soooooooooooo surprised I didn't, I almost let go of the handle to raise my hands up and cry "WOOOOOHOOOO!!!!!" I, of course, didn't. I was determined to make the full round. Hahaha! It was not meant to be that day. 'Twas a good start, but I realized that I still have A LOT to learn. Try after try after try, I couldn't even navigate the first turn. Hahaha! Try after try after try, I slammed into the water as the stupid cable (yes, it's the cable that's stupid, not me--hahaha) yanked me violently everytime I tried to navigate a turn! I will eventually learn how to manage the stupid cable slack better. (In addition to completing the run, my additional incentive is so I do not have to walk back to the shore and--if the express is not yet in sight--walk back to the dock carrying the darn wakeboard! Waaaaahhhhh!!! How humiliating....Hahaha! 'P).

My body was soooooo sore the entire day yesterday, I had to insist that all four of us go straight to Tonton's for an authentic Thai massage before turning in for the night! (More on that in another blog.)

I'm back at work today, my body still sore (but a lot better than it was yesterday). Hubby Sweet and I are hooked though, so we're literally taking the wake-up call. Hehe.

We will be back at Lago de Oro.

SOON.

WOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! =)

************************************************************************

TIP!!! The water is murky. Toyang & Tweety and cousin Dooders' girl MJ actually had a grand time laughing their heads off when they saw one of the hired hands harvesting what looked like oysters. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! 'P 'Would be good to wear aqua socks. Not only will it make the "walk" back to the shore a bit more pleasant (you'll know what I mean if you ever try this), the aqua socks would also come in handy should you ever need to walk back to the dock because the darn "express" is taking too long! =) Also, it's not exactly cheap-- P820.00 per person for a 3-hour session--so if you want to get your money's worth, be there by 9:30 a.m. for the morning session. Lunchbreak is at 12:30 noon. Afternoon sessions resume at 1:30 and end at 4:30. (You get a discount if you pay for a full-day session up-front. You "only" have to pay P1,260.00. Ngyaaaahhh....but, yes, sooooo worth it! Visit www.lago-de-oro.com for more details. =))

P.P.S. - Cousin Dooders also sent me a copy of the Aga pic he "stole" for girl MJ. I thought I might as well post it as proof! Haha. =)