More on the Surfing Life

19th Siargao International Surfing Cup

 
Truth to be told, I missed almost everything on the recently held 19th International Siargao Cup.  I had booked my flight to Siargao one day too late, so I only caught the Women's final.  It was my first time watching a surfing competition and I was just amazed at how the ladies showed all of us how it was done. And Cloud 9 did not disappoint, it was just awesome that day and I was mesmerized at the rumbling of the waves as it barreled down the reefs and gave hard-core surfers the time of their lives.  Also, I discovered that I actually was scared of the waves. No kidding, as I was readying myself to catch waves on my own, the sight of the wave barreling next to me was daunting and I kept falling off my board.

This was the match I was hoping to catch, but missed it entirely.  Osot, the only Filipino left in the semis against three Indonesian professional surfers, placed in second.  We were still very proud of him (Well, me in particular.  He was my instructor during my very first trip to Siargao).

A parade of colors at the Boardwalk.

When you are as good as Nildie Rietenbach, your caddies include great surfers like Piso Alcala and Mamara Tokong.

Heading out to surf Cloud 9.

The Blancada sisters competed against each other in the finals round of the women's cup.

I still hung out at Kermit out of habit (and for the good food) but did not stay there.  Which was a total shame, because of all the [gorgeous, sexy, Italian] boys that were staying in the resort. 

It's raining (Italian) men, hallelujiah!

I know, right? These boys are literally littered all over the place.

Meet my cute (and half-naked!) lunch buddies.

Including tattoo artist, Inigo (who will do my tattoo the next time I get back to the island).

An Italian film crew was in Siargao to see what the island had to offer.  They crew included Italian pro surfer Elena Bertolini.

I was super thankful resident yogi Lili Infinity let me hang out with her for the weekend, taking me to catch waves with Timoy at Pisangan, which was an other-worldy experience.  I could totally feel the difference in the ride, compared to Cloud 9 and Quicksilver - it was just amazing.  (No photos, unfortunately.  I realized when I was hanging out with hard core surfers that they more interested in catching the waves rather than documenting the entire thing.)

Lone long-boarder (literally, I was the only one with an instructor and a long board out there).

Morning line-up at Cemetery beach.

Our boat ride to Pisangan (which thankfully saved me 1 kilometer's worth of paddling).

Boards on a boat.

Tim is stoked post-surf even if he had to share the waves with everybody else at the line-up (including me hehe).

Yoga teacher and surfer, Lili Infinity.

My surf guy for the weekend, Timoy (thanks for helping me get stoked!).

However, I'm glad that there were no photos of us getting drunk out our minds (hello Tanduay Rhum, Red Horse, Gold Eagle beer, and only god knows what else were handed out that night) and dancing on top of tables at one in the morning.  Of course, it led to me flying again back to Cebu with a really massive hang-over, but it also included one of the best times of my life.  Salamat karajaw, Siargao and I'll see you again soon!

The awesomeness that is Cloud 9 never gets old, it only gets better.

I fell in love with Siargao!

Touchdown Siargao: the first batch of Surfistas in Siargao with Kermit Resort's Gianni Grifoni

Elaine Abonal of Surfista Travels took us to Siargao for six days of crazy fun and of surfing, naturally.  Siargao, known as "The Surfing capital of the Philippines" is probably the Mecca for Filipino surfers - we all just have to get there.

Soaking up the sun in Naked Island.  Photo by Xavier D'Souza.

Sun, sand, and sea on board the Marajaw.  Photo by Xavier D'Souza.

Casualties on the road to Pilar.

Me and my instructor, Osot Alcala, having fun at the line up.

Sunset walks on the island.

Anyway, I fell in love with Siargao after my six-day stay and I shared why on the Surfista Travels blog.   So, click on this link to head on over to the blog post to find out why Siargao is like home to me (and everybody else) already. 

On our way to surf on our favorite walkway in Siargao: the Boardwalk at Cloud 9

Summer in Boracay with FLOW: SurfYogaSamba

FLOW: SurfYogaSamba headed out to Boracay for Summer 2013

Willy's Rock: The Boracay icon

I marked my calendar alright for the FLOW: SurfYogaSamba Boracay retreat.  I mean, this was another FLOW event, which kind-of guaranteed that it would be epic, plus it was held in the middle of summer at Boracay Island, which was voted one of the best islands in the world in Trip Advisor.  And sure enough, at the end of this trip, I was on a natural high from the sun, the sand, the sea, and probably from everything else.

It's bliss.

People had previously asked me why I kept popping up at the FLOW retreats, and I couldn't really say anything but "it's just so much fun".   I guess it's right time for me to make THE list  - on why I love FLOW and the FLOW Boracay retreat (and, really, who didn't?):

#5 Awesome sponsors (all that loot!) and one awesome day with the Lifestyle Network.  That very same weekend, we were treated to one full day of fun at the network's Summer Soul party, which began with an early morning yoga session, followed by day-long activities by the beach, and ended with a sunset cocktail party with great performances by Samba School Imperatriz Filipinense, Armand TJ, and Sinyma, among others.  As if the weekend was not enough of a treat already, we got tons of loot and freebies from the sponsors, including our own pair of Havaianas!

Maika and I got our hippie on after having our hair braided at the event.

All these people who showed up for a day of fun.

Toni sings for the crowd

Awesome beats brought to us by Sinyma.  Photo from When in Manila's Ida Noelle.

Freebies! I'm a sucker for all things free.

Watching the sunset with my new pair of Havaianas

A yoga pose in this retreat's FLOW shirt.

#4 Meeting new friends, reconnecting with the old, and a double birthday celebration!  I love meeting new people.  The more people I meet (and the farther they come from), the more I change the way I look at the world.  I met up with nurses (from Singapore) Fifi and Yusraa, Australian expat Zoe, preschool and kids' yoga teacher Maika, make-up artist Gerri, yoga teacher Bri and surf instructor Paolo (from Philippine Surfing Academy) and Fil-Am girls Christine and Stephanie, who were in the Philippines to reconnect with their roots and prove to the rest of the world that it is more fun in the Philippines.  I also caught up again with Paul and Mia, both of whom I met in the Zambales FLOW last year.

Maika, Denise, Yusraa, Zoe, Me, and Fifi chill out on the sand.

Mia joins Bogey, Denise, and Toni on stage for the night.

Christine (fourth from left) is back in the Philippines to reconnect with her roots...

As with blogger and photographer Stephanie.

Yoga teacher and surfer Bri - proof that yoga can be done anytime, anywhere.

Happy 4-20 birthday Todee and Paul!

#3 Boracay, baby! Okay, honestly, I'm not really a huge fan of Boracay because it has become overcrowded and I've been to probably even better beaches, but there's something about Boracay that draws people to it - whether it is its powdery, white sand beaches; the crystal clear waters; the energy of all that people (from dusk 'til dawn); or the majestic, gorgeous sunsets.  Boracay may have lost its appeal as the "perfect beach paradise", but it is still paradise, nonetheless.

Sun...  

Sand...

Sea...

And the breathtaking sunsets draw huge crowds to the island.

#2 Monica, Denise, and Noelle.  I call them the yoga goddess, samba queen, and surf siren, respectively.  These three ladies are not only cool, yummy mommies (with one boy each; and Denise is going to give birth the FLOW baby soon!) who shared with us their passions, they are also the most awesome hosts!  They made sure that all the participants were well taken care of, the venues of the activities around the island were beautiful and cozy, and most importantly, that everybody was having fun, if not the time of their lives. 

The three ladies and yummy mommies of FLOW: Noelle, Denise, and Monica (photo from the FLOW Facebook page)

Yogini Monica helps make sure get your "om" on.

Surfer Noelle showed us that surfing is more fun with family (with Luke and their little boy Kai).

And Samba Queen Dee is living proof that anyone can dance - even pregnant moms!

Check out our home for the duration of the retreat - the beautiful Boracay Terraces Resort.

Having fun yet?

And really, the real reason why I loved this retreat and I keep coming back (this is my fourth retreat since first joining in August 2011) is that:
#1 FLOW retreats are addicting! From the first FLOW weekend, and every other retreat I've joined since then, I have gotten hooked on healthier eating habits (more greens, less meat), I've managed to learn to dance to the beat of the drums, I've embraced a healthier physical and mental lifestyle from yoga, and I am learning (and working hard on it) to move with the flow of the ocean waves on a surfboard. 

The ladies of FLOW whip up a batch of healthy, and surprisingly delicious, green smoothies for all of us.

Swaying to the beat of the drums.

Yoga is not only for the body but also for the mind.

Surfing is a balancing act on the board with the waves...

...which I hope to perfect someday.

Until then, it's surfing lessons with the pros (with Paolo Soler of Philippine Surfing Academy).

And a whole lot of wipe-outs!

It made sound cheesy,  but yes, FLOW: SurfYogaSamba did (and always will) change my life.  So if you think you need to jumpstart a lifestyle change, or maybe just need an excuse to have fun, join them [us!] in future retreats and learn to just go with the FLOW.

Just go with the FLOW.

For more details (and pictures/ videos/ blog posts) on past and future retreats, visit the FLOW site or their Facebook page.  Photos grabbed from the Official FLOW Boracay Album (by Satori Photography), my own shots, and from the others on the retreat.