A few weeks ago, when Crissy’s 29th (friends!) birthday was still coming up, I suggested that she celebrate it over the weekend closest to her birthday. And since I have been wanting to surf since last year, I also suggested surfing as part of the activities ;) She agreed saying Jim is also interested in surfing. So yesterday, we went with a bunch of friends and officemates, to Crystal Beach Resort in San Narciso, Zambales.
Crystal Beach Resort is a pretty big and spacious resort. They have a wide soft sand beachfront and the water is clean and quite shallow for quite a distance from the shoreline. Cogon-roofed huts of various sizes and purpose are line along the shore or interspersed between rows of pine trees. There is a liberal amount of concrete use but otherwise the whole place has a rustic feel to it. The only thing that spoils the atmosphere is the presence of videoke machines. I guess there’s just no getting away from these infernal machines anywhere in the country.
When we arrived, the waves were not strong enough so those who us who weren’t sleeping bummed around the beach. We finally started surfing late afternoon when the waves became stronger. We started on the sand with surfing theory then it was off to the water where the instructors taught us how to actually apply it. Of course, all that flew into the wind as we repeatedly mounted our boards, paddled to speed up (assisted by a push from the instructors), popped up, and wiped out.
After about thirty minutes of this, our skins were red and raw from all the chafing against the surf boards. It was then that, in a moment of enlightenment, I realized what a rash guard is for :P All the pain, however, is forgotten when you are able to catch a wave and ride it (not that I caught many, I think I really only caught two). Pure exhilaration!
Can’t wait till the next time.