Their Most Unforgettable Summer Experience

Summer vacation has always been something I look forward to every year since I was a child. It is a great time for bonding with family and exploring interesting places. Here are some memorable experiences from some friends which can validate my thoughts...

Stephanie Rose Basubas Señires
Ms. Cebu 2006 (Photo by Iste Sesante)

My most memorable summer vacation was probably when my sisters and I went to the States for the first time. We were all really young then and it was our first time to go to Disneyland, Universal Studios, etc. It was a fun experience and thinking about it releases the inner child in me.

Dr. Erwin Lim
Dentist/Professional Photographer/Scuba Diver

My most unforgettable summer experience was during Holy Week of last year. It was a six-day diving expedition in Tubbataha Reef and Bastera Reef. Memorable, I would say, because on the third day, on our way to the dive site (MV Del San wreck), the dinghy which we took, sank due to huge waves and overloading. The maximum capacity was only for 8 people but we were around 12 all in all plus our dive equipment. We were rescued after an hour by our dive buddies who were on another dinghy. Yes, all of us were accounted for. The dinghy was salvaged the next day, 230 feet underwater.

Before that incident, I wasn't much of a dive freak. But after that, I became a frequent diver for all of us became close to each other. In fact, the group is now planning to dive in the same area this coming Holy Week where that very unforgettable "Good Friday" incident happened.

John Ferriols
PBA Heartthrob/ Talk n' Text Forward

As a professional basketball player, we often have the chance to travel around the country and even abroad, all expenses paid. But the sad part is, we really don't have the luxury of exploring the place like a tour group does. It's usually airport - hotel - practice game - gym - actual game - hotel sort of thing.

So as soon as a certain conference (PBA) ends, I really try my best to at least unwind even for just a couple of days. And it's usually in Cebu, my hometown Davao or Boracay. Every vacation spent with my precious daughter, my angel, Mary, frolicking and bonding the whole day at the beach will always be memorable to me considering the fact that she is based in Bacolod and I am in Manila. I always look forward to those short vacations spent with her.

Christine Inocencio-Aldeguer
Ms. Cebu Tourism 1993/Businesswoman

I guess my most cherished vacations are those which I spend with my family. My children make every moment special with every antic they make. One memorable get away was last September 2004 when my husband, Michael, and I headed off to Los Angeles. We usually leave for the States to attend the annual Golden Retriever National Specialty show which is the culmination of the grandest and biggest show of the breed. What made that vacation extra special was because we took part in the event, not mere spectators. We brought our prized champion, Bru. I handled him myself amidst a throng of professional handlers. I did a pretty good job as Bru and I made the cut out of a very competitive group. We had a blast and I definitely enjoyed every single minute of it! Our rendezvous at doggy wood will certainly not be our last.

Alex Montelibano
Accounts Specialist

Vacation for me maybe is almost an obsession. Blessing, I should say, because it comes naturally. Unexpected chances of offered vacations just occur and happen and, thank God, all of them have been great and unforgettable, especially the one I spent in Israel.

It was indeed memorable to take a dip in the Dead Sea, sail through the Sea of Galilee, have a glimpse of the Roman Amphitheater and the Chariot Racing Arena, climb the top of the Mountain Fortress of Masada where the grand palace of Herod the Great once stood, pass the Judean Desert, take a side trip to the City of Jericho, enter the old city of Jerusalem, walk down the Palm Sunday road and explore the modern Holocaust Museum which was built in remembrance of the six million Jews who perished during WWII. There were a lot more!

Most of all, I can't help but feel so blessed for having been given the chance to renew my baptism in the River Jordan, for visiting the place where Jesus was born, places where He spent His childhood until His dying days. The feeling was indescribable because until now, I can't believe spending a vacation in places which I thought do not exist and are only stories in the Bible.

Kray Becero
USC Faculty

Beach is a beach is a beach is a beach is a beach until one summer. Boracay Beach was my barkada beach. With good company and good food, Boracay was the perfect backdrop for my group of friends who have kept in touch after college and have promised to get together once a year. It was a wonderful chance for my hubby and me to be together for three straight days without being hampered with work and other concerns of the yuppie life.

Jackie Uy
Branch Head, Travelex Travel Services

My most memorable was when I joined a tour group to Switzerland. At the beginning, I thought I was going to be uncomfortable being the only oriental in a group composed of Caucasians and a handful of Indians. But it turned out to be fun in the end.

The tour was interesting and breathtaking. We visited Davos, where the world's economic meetings are held. We spent overnight in Zermatt where only electric cars are available means of transportation. But the highlight was riding the cable car to Matterhorn, the highest elevation in Europe. We also visited St. Moritz, a famous ski resort in Klosters, the favorite ski resort of Prince Charles.

As added attractions, the tour took us to the Italian border of Stresa along Lake Maggiore where Isola Bella a famous old castle is located and to the French border of Yvoire, a Medieval city along Lake Geneva or Lac Leman where we took a boat ride to view places like the Evian, source of the famous spring water.

The tour lasted for only a week, but it was such a very memorable cultural experience for me.

Paolo Varela
Host - Island Hopping Cebu Channel 28/ Gameplan Host Search Finalist

Everyone must have a summer experience they can't forget, mine was around three years ago. It was the summer of 2003. I went to Bantayan alone, expecting that my buddies would follow. There was an adventure race there, and I was one of the marshals. I went there 2 days early, so I could get more out of my all expense-paid trip. I had a handful of money, my skimboard (skimboarding was still relatively young here in Cebu then), and my bag. I was told of the contact person I still had to find. This was my first trip to Bantayan Island. I spent six days there, slept on my trusty hammock, waking up with the sun on my face. Oh, yeah, my other job there was to watch over a number of female models (as a P.A. of sorts). One of the models I had to take care of then, is now a celebrity (With her face seen everywhere, I'd be a chicken if I didn't wanna be her sugo *winkwink*)

So there I was, watching over beautiful models, looking at a race, skimboarding till I dropped, partied at night. By the end of the week, I was golden crisp. By the way, I forgot to bring extra clothes, I had a couple of undies (but who needed em anyways, hehe), 2 boardshorts, 2 shirts, 1 sando (go figure). Hey, I wasn't really expecting I'd stay that long. Definitely an unforgettable summer.