Island Life on Siargao, Two Casual Days

August 15th

Of course our day started at Shaka Cafe, I learned this was the group's go-to breakfast place as they enjoyed the healthy options to start their day. To my luck this was a vegan cafe with one of the best views, so heading here to start my mornings was no compliant. At breakfast we made a plan for the day, Khay and Zane wanted to head to the gym, I had only worked out once while traveling, while in Kuala Lumpar, so this would be a good thing for me to tag along as I knew I would enjoy a good trip to the gym, and Louis was also down so we sorted it out to all meet there for an early afternoon lift.

Before, Zane and I needed to get our laundry done, so he drove me to grab my clothes at my hostel, drop them off at the store, and then meet Khay and Louis at the gym. We were the first to arrive, so it was just Zane and I for the first few minutes, doing some bench presses in the heat of the sun. I had no idea what I wanted to lift, deciding on a full body and kinda doing whatever was open and came to mind. It felt so good being back in the gym, a routine I was devote to back in Madison, going almost seven days a week. I love listening to my workout playlist, singing under my breath to songs that I haven't played since my last time in the gym.

We spent almost two hours at the gym, really getting in a good workout. Khay taught me how to properly use the leg press and relieve some of my fears around it. I also did a few sets with Zane, sharing a bench as the gym was pretty small, a cool outdoor gym but not a ton of equipment like I'm used to. But, it was a fun experience to workout there, unlike any of the gyms at home, mainly because it was an open air place with a wooden roof and had maybe only 10 others there at the gym with us.

After our lift, I wanted to get a protein shake post workout at their shop, but Khay mentioned having powder back at her place so we went there to make it and get our fix before continuing on with our day. She shared her vegan chocolate protein powder with all of us, we just mixed it with water which is what I normally do. I thought it was delicious but maybe because I am used to the different texture and taste but the guys thought otherwise, so watching them try to jug it was funny.

What the crew wanted to do next was an ice bath. I was super impartial to doing it, having done many in my time when I played high school volleyball, but I thought I might as well join along. An ice bath has many health benefits and I knew after the long lift it was probably best anyways so that I wouldn't be as sore the next day. Khay and Zane went first, Louis and I second. It was much different experience than when I did it for volleyball, our coach letting us wear socks and only submerge our legs. But here you put your full body in, up to your neck, no socks and hands in as well. Stepping in and going into the water brought my body into a cold shock. It really took my breath away and put so much focus on catching and regulating it.

They recommended staying in the bath for at least 3 minutes, 5 was the best, and no more than 10. I wanted to make it to five for sure, the first three minutes were the hardest, as my body was still getting used to the cold water, but then after that it all went numb, and I ended up staying in there for 7 minutes. By the end, it wasn't bad at all, I felt content with how I was feeling and thought after that amount of time I reaped all the benefits of the it. I escaped to the sun outside to heat back up, joining Louis, Zane, and Khay as they retreated to the sun as well.

After our ice bath, I felt refreshed, once I heated back up, and could feel a bit of my fatigue subside. Feeling good after working out and the wake up call of the cold water knocked me back in shape, the past few nights of going out and activities all day were wearing on me, but this was helpful to feel a bit back to normal. I won't lie and say I still felt a bit tired after it, nothing will replace a good nights sleep, but this was a close second. To cap off the experience, we got a free ginger shot, that being my first ever! I thought it would have a much sharper taste and sting so I was pleasantly surprised when it went down easier than expected. Today was really a health cleanse day, much needed after traveling Asia this long and going out each night in Siargao.

Khay and Zane had things they needed to do after the ice bath, so Louis and I had some time to kill before we would all get dinner together later in the night. We went shopping, stopping at the stores along the main strip in General Luna on the hunt for a specific local brand shirt, sadly out of luck on finding it. As time creeped closer to sunset, we made our way to the Cloud 9 boardwalk to spend the rest of daylight hours there. Getting there early enough to watch the entirety of the sunset, we sat down, chatting as we watched it.

We stayed there until dark, but then went back, got ready, and went to dinner at a sushi place. Of course after food we went out, tonight's bar being Bed and Brew, a hostel turned bar. This was my favorite place for music, the first bar that played more pop and rap songs the closest I've gotten to my match my music taste. When we got to the bar, we arrived on the early side so it was dead for the first half, but it picked up and the music got even better. Most of the time we were there we just stood around talking (photo of us waiting for it to get lively), and to be honest that is my favorite thing to do at night, so although we missed out on a good party, I still had a great night out with friends.

This was the first night we didn't go to SBC after, calling it early which is quite fitting for the healthy day we had thus far. Getting some quality sleep to energize us for the rest of our stay on the island.

August 16th

As you can expect, our morning started at Shaka Cafe, ordering up the usual smoothie bowls. It was just Khay, Zane, and I, Louis had a free diving tour this morning, so while waiting for him, we decided a spa session was in store for our morning. I really needed to get both my nails done, and Khay and Zane were down for a massage and facial. We went to Sirena Spa, it worked out that they had all those services there, so although we were each in separate areas, it was so fun being there together and chatting post spa treatment.

We were still at the spa when Louis's tour finished up, so he joined us there, sitting next to me in an open spa chair. While waiting for us to be done, he took a power nap, spurred on by the attempt to read up on some philosophy but it lulling him to sleep instead (I think the same would have happened to me).

After, we set out to go surfing. We got it sorted the day before to try this new spot called Symmetry and find an instructor who would help Zane, Khay, and I, us all being beginners. It was a really cool place because we had to take a boat out to the waves and it the waves were a perfect size for learning, a middle ground of my first two lessons. Zane and I shared a guide and Khay got her own as it was her first time.

It was so fun surfing again, I feel like I was making some more progress, finally getting the hang of it. In addition to standing and balancing, I worked on reading the waves so that when I go out alone I would know which to catch and which to let pass me by. Working on that felt like an advancement in my training, but it did cause me to struggle a lot more because I was never sure if I read them correctly therefore never feeling ready to take the wave. Plus, I had a massive board that was hard to maneuver, so by the time I decided to take the wave, I wouldn't have enough time to fully swing my board around, get set, and paddle all before the wave was pushing from behind. I missed so many waves because of that, but it's all a part of the learning process, and by the end of the session I was getting more acquainted with reading and prepping them earlier.

We were out there for almost two hours, until the sun started to set, and when we got back, they cut up a coconut for us to drink the water from. Both Louis and I don’t love the meat so we gave it to Khay to enjoy. It felt like the most local and wholesome activity to do, it was one of the highlights of the chill days we spent in Siargao, I felt like I could easily make this an every day thing.

I went back to my hostel after surfing so that I could change and meet back up with them at Casavia for the bbq night. Sadly, they didn’t have any food for me, but Khay drove me to a restaurant and got dessert while I enjoyed a vegan curry. We stayed and chatted until close, I had the best time with her because it was the first time we talked without being with the guys so I felt like I really got to know her that night. Khay and I decided not to join the guys for a night out, us both desperately needing to catch up on sleep, so we did precisely that.