10 Ways on How to make the most of your coastal way of living : Kinabuhi sa Taga-isla

Living on a tropical island: Home Sweet Home

After visiting Santa Fe as a tourist, we fell in love with the place having its cream sand and the beautiful sunset.  Just living here is so peaceful and ideal way to escape from the chaotic world. Arriving here on 14th  of September and felt so much welcome by the Schaeffer Family. Well... that's a good sign that we will be living the island with full of joy and acceptance. We took the 10 a.m. Ceres bus via Santa Fe (200 pesos per person) and stopped us at the market. Actually, this is new to us since the last time we visited the place. It's very convenient. We had to get off the bus and took the ferry boat from hagnaya to Santa Fe (175 pesos per person). Then, when we reached the sea port, we rode back on the bus and  told the driver to stop us at the market, where Richard and his family were waiting for us. 

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Bantayan Island? Paradise. Wow. Beautiful place. This is what most expats or tourists say when they come to visit the island. I felt the same way too when I was a tourist. But, should I feel the same ?Should I be excited to live here for longer period?, or Will I miss the chaotic traffic, mall and noisy streets of Cebu? Slowly and slowly. Days had passed. Its beauty was being  overshadowed by my sadness and longings. (I missed my family in Cebu). Ooh... the day  is dragging too long. There were moments when  I cried while counting the days before December. I wish I could celebrate  Christmas with them in the city. 

BUT, I have to survive in this coastal way of living. This life is no longer the same as a tourist (3-5 days stay is enough to revive and rejuvenate your energy to start a new day at work). Every day becomes a routine and predictable.  if I let my emotions rule, I will get bored. Then, I told myself, I should have done something about this feeling I have now. I will take all these continuous dull moments as an opportunity to become a better version of myself. So, here I am. Looking at the brighter side of living in the island through these 10 ways to make the most of our coastal way of living entitled " KINABUHI SA TAGA-ISLA".

1.  Early morning, we have to wake up to see the sunrise. We walk along the beach to praise God for this beautiful day.

Enjoy the heat of the sun. Sunbathe if you can.( I don't recommend)  it's scorching hot.

2. If it is high tide, we never miss the morning swim. 

Of course, soak yourself with the fresh sea water before having your normal bath.

3. If it's low-tide, we don't worry because we enjoy doing the beachcombing activity.

ɢᴏ ʙᴇᴀᴄʜᴄᴏᴍʙɪɴɢ. It's low-tide awesome fun and the best educational activity for your children ---like extracting sea snails and finding sea stars(starfish). It's the best time to introduce them to different sea creatures.

Then, when it is already very hot, we love to stay indoor and take a long nap before going out again.

4. Around 4:00 p.m., we started strolling around the village and then, we go to Yoonek Beach to have another swim. 

Stroll around the village on weekdays.

5. On the beach, we let our daughter play in the sand and so we are. However, we can't find the sand castle set - spade, bucket and shovel here. So we just have to improvise for her toys.

Play in the sand with the kids -- digging, sifting, building, pouring, and exploring throughout time, it's good for them

6. Sometimes, we let her play with the other girls in the fishing village. She laughs and giggles playing with them. There was one time we brought them with bread. The kids love it.

Play with your new found friends.

7. At starry night, we always have our dinner at the beach while having stargazing adventure.

8. On Sundays, we love to visit the market. They have cheaper products like fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, we won't miss the lechon for breakfast. 

9. On the same Sunday, we always make sure we do catch up with our friends. Sometimes, we have beach outing and barbecue party.

10. At night, we enjoy  to party by singing the karaoke, drinking beer and eating pizza,  jamming with live band and just strolling around from one bar to another occasionally.

I'm glad that God  holds on to me in the midst of my sadness. He always ( truly) amazes me with his divine love manifested in many forms like nature. Now, I found a new hobby here on the island - the cloud spotting. I enjoyed watching these clouds- its different forms and shapes make me want to praise Him. Nature always reminds me that I have a great God.  Like the different picture of the clouds in the sky, my life will never be the same every day . And, it is up to me on how I make my life beautiful. So, that's why I  choose to look at the brighter side of life on the island where I stay. Then, I have more reasons to live.