Tides of Flavor: Discovering Aloguinsan’s Beach Harvest

I wasn't kidding when I said that I’m lucky and blessed to have friends who are always down for my crazy and spontaneous plans. Just like how this trip came to reality, it was never included in my plans when I decided to visit home during my time off, and yet here we are!

When I went home to my hometown in Toledo, Erika and Lourence came with me as we had been invited to Shayna's thanksgiving celebration after she recently passed the licensure exam for Certified Public Accountant. The plan was to attend the celebration and travel back to the city the next day since Lourence still had commitments at university.

Aside from them, our other roommates from Toledo also joined us, making it a fun-filled night. We ended up going home at midnight.

It was supposed to end there, but then I found out that my other cousins were planning a quick road trip to the neighboring municipality of Aloguinsan. I immediately knew why they were so eager to go, even if it meant waking up before sunrise just to arrive before the tide rose.

Lately, they have been going to Aloguinsan with my other cousins from there (yes, I do have too many cousins and extended family) to find, collect, and gather sea urchins and sea grapes during low tide. Locally, we call this pag-panginhas. After a good hour of pag-panginhas, before the tide rises, they return to the shore with their catch, sharing and eating it by the beach.

I've never experienced them myself, so I was so eager to go with them despite the tiring and sleepless night. Aside from that, since Erika and Lourence are with me at home, I also invited them if they were also interested. Of course, as laagan as we are, we're down to another spontaneous road trip.

Unfortunately, when we got home from Shayna's party, I was told that the car was already full, and since we only had one, there was no room left for us. Which was totally understandable since it was really a last minute for us to go and other cousins wanted to also be there. So the three of us give up and just promise to go there when we have the time and money. Another plan added to our unending travel list.

Despite that, I woke up—or rather, I was already awake due to my messy sleeping schedule—when my cousins got up and started preparing around 2 or 3 in the morning. I also wanted to see them off before they left since, by the time they returned from Aloguinsan, I would already be on my way back to the city.

Anyway, I'm a firm believer that when something is meant for you, the universe will conspire to make it happen, even with zero effort.

When the call time arrived, my other cousins were nowhere to be found. They tried calling and messaging them, but nada. They waited a bit longer, and eventually, the missing cousins showed up—drunk. Too drunk to come along.

So, my cousin immediately asked me if I was still up for the trip. I was like—hell yeah! But then I remembered my roommates, who were sound asleep. I didn't want to go without them. I hesitated because I knew they needed proper rest, but I also didn’t want them to regret missing out. So, I woke them up and asked if they still wanted to go. And as true laagan, despite having no proper outfits or gear for the trip, they jumped up, changed, and got ready in less than 10 minutes.

We arrived in Aloguinsan around 5:30 in the morning. It was still pretty dark, but it was the perfect time since the tide was already low. Funny enough, my cousins who live in Aloguinsan gave us the wrong directions for what was supposed to be a shortcut—we ended up stuck in the mud instead. Luckily, my male cousins were quick to act and manually pushed the car out.

Once we found a good parking spot, they wasted no time, immediately gearing up and preparing everything they needed. Meanwhile, we just stood there, watching them like spectators at a show—hahaha.

I let my cousins do their thing as we marveled at the breathtaking view unfolding before our eyes. I felt so grateful for the chance to witness such a mesmerizing scene.

Imagine if we had visited during high tide—it would have been the perfect spot to dive in. Though, not for me, as I don’t know how to swim... yet.

It was supposed to be just a quick dive, but my cousins were enjoying themselves so much that we ended up staying longer than planned. While I was glad they were having fun, I was also low-key panicking because they were really taking their time, and Lourence still had to go to university in the afternoon. I didn’t want to be the reason she would be late or, worse, miss it.

Still, grace under pressure, I tried to stay calm. Since commuting back home would be too expensive, leaving them behind wasn’t really an option. So we had no choice but to wait and hope we could still make it back on time.

I'm so glad my cousins were able to enjoy their catch. We didn’t join them as they devoured it since I have a rather sensitive stomach, especially when it comes to vinegar.

We truly enjoyed our spontaneous trip to Aloguinsan, taking in the beautiful scenery and experiencing a new adventure together. Despite the unexpected delays, we managed to make it back to the city just in time, which was a huge relief.

Looking ahead, we hope to visit again when we’re not in a rush, allowing us to fully explore and soak in the experience without worrying about time. Though I’m not sure when that will be, one thing is certain: this trip will always be one of our many unforgettable memories together.