dream

I love this:

"Well, I had a dream I was running further than I've ever ran before"

*smiles*

pandan island: rain or shine

I usually plan my travels weeks before I leave. At the very least I know a little about my destination. Not this time. I received the message confirming the trip to Pandan Island the day before we were supposed to leave. I took a peek at my Lonely Planet guide, read the half-page entry, and that was it. I had no idea what the trip had in store for me.

On that same day I had just finished reading The Beach by Alex Garland. I still had all these images in my head of an isolated beach - the perfect getaway. I had to stop myself from daydreaming so I would not be disappointed if reality fell short of this paradise.

* * *

It had been raining the past few days with a low-pressure area forecast off the coast of Mindoro. It was drizzling when we got on the boat to Abra de Ilog in Occidental Mindoro. Our group was split in the middle with regards to the weather. The ladies were continuously begging the sun to come out with their sun dance while the men were praying for overcast skies.

It was well and good that we were initially rained in on the trip. The open bus ride to Sablayan (3 hours - P113) would have been insufferable if not for the rain. The highway was like a jigsaw puzzle with 50-meter stretches of asphalt road interspersed with kilometers of dirt road. The rain had spared us from suffocating heat and asthma-inducing clouds of dust.

We met our host (a friend of a friend of a friend) at Sablayan and was whisked by a tricycle to the water's edge where we took a fifteen minute boat ride to North Pandan island. It was still overcast but it had stopped raining for a while. The view that greeted us could well have been paradise.



We had a hut to ourselves with a sleeping space in the attic, enough food to last us for 3 days, beer and a whole island to explore. Rain or shine we were determined to have some fun.


A short walk on the powdery white sand brought us to a nice spot for a swim. Aside from the occasional snorkler or passing boat we had the spot all to ourselves. After hours of soaking up the seawater we headed into the heart of the island. A short trek through coconuts and forest trees brought us to a lagoon where the waves had carved small basins into the rocks and corals. We swam in tubs of bubbling sea water as it drizzled. Another shorter trek brought us to a tinier cove with a rock formation the locals called the Spanish Nose.

We took a different route going back to the hut. We walked over sand and sea grass, sharp rocks and corals. A slight misstep would have inevitably resulted into multiple abrasions and lacerations. I was glad I was wearing rubber sandals which prevented me from slipping. A friend was wearing 3-inch platform Havaianas, it was a wonder how she got through without a single scratch.

It was drizzling the whole time. The cooling effect tricked us into believing that the 40-minute trek back to the hut was effortless. As soon as we sat down, stomachs grumbled, muscles cramped and we all gave out sighs of relief.



The rest of our stay in Pandan Island was more chill time. The sun finally came out on our second day and we basked in its radiance. The water was clean and clear. Fish kept swimming in schools near the water's edge and we were on constant lookout for pawikan.

Not far from where we were staying foreign visitors in the island's resort sunbathed. Kids played in the sand while the grown-ups played volleyball. A French guy caught his breath near our hut before turning around to continue his morning run. And I had my third cup of coffee as I stretched on a bench reading a good book.



When it was time to go our host gave us an added treat and took us around the island by boat. The ride lasted only 10 minutes, but it was a good and satisfying 10 minutes. We passed all the now familiar places and then some: our small hut with the "No Trispassng" sign in front, the small lagoon, the Spanish Nose, underwater caves, the sandbar, the island's resort and the stretch of white sand where the sea turtles (pawikan) lay their eggs at night. Rain or shine we had enjoyed our short stay in Pandan Island.


The rest of the afternoon was spent singing our hearts out at videoke while waiting for the van to take us back to Mamburao.






Boat from Batangas to Abra de Ilog, Occ Mindoro (and vice versa) - P208 (+ P42 for an aircon upgrade)
Terminal Fee - P30
Van to Mamburao from Abra de Ilog (and vice versa) - P80
Tricycle to the Bus Station - P8/passenger
Bus to Sablayan - P113
Van to Mamburao from Sablayan - P230
Tricycle to Van Terminal P10
Contribution for food and lodging - P800

still running

Since I started running (jogging? or whatever you can call this slow shuffling gait) I've hit several road blocks.

Being overweight and unfit I could not even run for 5 minutes straight in the beginning. I searched for a newbie running program and decided to aim for a 5 km (The Couch-to-5k Running Plan). Getting to 3 km was easy enough. But after that I hit my first wall.

I mixed it up a bit. I run to the beach, not minding if I made several stops on the way. I run on a treadmill. Pretty soon I was running my 5 km. It was like sweet victory since it was something I never thought I could do.

Then I hit another wall. I could not get past 5 km this time. For a month I was only running 5 km/run. I took a tiny break, a vacation, then suddenly I ran a 6 km without even knowing it.

Then I hit yet another wall. After 2 weeks of doing short quick runs (to the point of feeling nauseous at times) and running out of safe roads to run on I was afraid I would never run more than 6 km.

Then I run 8 km. It took me totally by surprise!

All in all, progress may be slow but I can't say I'm not doing good. Except for a few misses I'm pretty much on schedule. Even the weight loss (which was never the primary reason for my taking up running) was surprising. As it is, it seems that I will be running a 10 km sooner than I expected.

* * *

Last night I run my last 2 km under pouring rain. I thought it was just going to be a light drizzle so I kept on running. Then it started pouring really hard. I kept blinking as water dripped from my brow into my eyes. Since I was already wet I decided to finish my run. And finish it I did - with my fastest km (mile) to date =D

It's good to know that even with road blocks I'm not running out of motivation yet. I still think it would be great if I could run with someone else, though.

I do need someone to run with. It would make all this running even more enjoyable.

Is there any one in Batangas looking for a running partner? I'm a slow and plodding newbie who refuses to believe her hyperactive (asthmatic) lungs and airways are not suited for mid-distance runs.

all in a day's work

Nights on duty:

A year-old baby arrives at the hospital - a referral from another hospital. She is febrile and weak-looking. She is severely dehydrated and is breathing with difficulty. Pneumonia. Within the minute she arrives she goes into a seizure. Right away you consider meningitis and then cerebral malaria. You admit the patient immediately slightly piqued that the referring hospital did not call or send an SMS about transferring the patient. After admitting the patient and sending the ambulance away an SMS arrives regarding the referral. You conveniently forget to reply as you go on with your other admissions.

Two patients arrive almost at the same time. Both hypertensive with systolic blood pressures over 220 (normal systolic BP is 120 and below). Motor intact, sensory intact, no change in sensorium, oriented to person, place and time. Not stroke. One is congested, you start diuresis to rid of the fluid overload and bring down the blood pressure. One is diabetic and on insulin, blood sugar is in the high 200's. You give another shot of insulin. You monitor each patient closely the whole night.

A pregnant woman arrives complaining of lumbosacral pains. She has just gone into labor. A check reveals her baby is okay, fetal heart tones are okay. The woman's blood pressure, however, isn't. At 230/160 she is in preeclampsia. You start her on Hydralazine, load Magnesium Sulfate and inform her OB-Gyne. Her blood pressure goes down a little. In two hours time you are holding her baby. She had undergone an emergency Cesarian Section. They were okay.

Another pregnant woman arrives. She has been having uterine contractions since that morning. It was her sixth pregnancy. You do an internal examination which reveals that her cervix is fully dilated. You admit her directly to the delivery room. She delivers her baby within 15 minutes. The NA stands beside you to catch the baby. Both of you cringe as you notice a pinkish round noodle-like thing come out of her anus after the baby is delivered. A worm - Ascaris by the looks of it. You put a side note on the chart beside your post delivery orders and remind yourself to inform the OB resident to give the patient a purgative on follow-up.

You finally get some rest before 3 in the morning. You lie down and try to fall asleep knowing full well that the adrenaline coursing through your veins is going to keep you awake. Twenty minutes later just as your were about to doze off a knock on the call room door jolts you back into wakefulness. There is another patient in the ER. A mother has just brought her eight year old son. He has been vomiting and having loose bowel movement since the night before. He looks on innocently and smiles at me as he stands straight in his blue and white striped pajamas. You advise the mother to have labs done in the morning (the med tech had gone home for the day). Even though febrile, the patient showed no signs of dehydration. His clinical picture was that of a urinary tract infection - not viral gastroenteritis, not intestinal amoebiaisis*. You prescribed an oral rehydration solution, an antipyretic and an antibiotic, said goodbye to the kid and went back to sleep.

Two hours later you are awoken by another patient for admission.



*Labs done the following day did reveal a urinary tract infection.

back to work

I went on the trip alone. A colleague I usually go with had passed on work this month and was going home for a vacation.

I took an earlier trip. It was windy but the sea was flat and the sky was a clear blue. Another boat run almost parallel to the Baleno Otso before it veered a little to the left to head for Calapan. As the boat grew smaller in the distance I shifted in my seat and started reading.

"There is nothing nicer than doing nothing all day, then having a rest afterwards."

I agree. Take me away from the city any time. Take me away from the noise, the pollution, the congestion and anxiety. Give me space. Give me green trees and blue sky every day.

The boat docked at Abra in under two hours. I was lucky enough to get a ride on a passenger van that had gotten on the boat from Batangas.

I never get tired of the ride to the hospital. It is still a vision to see the clean green of rice paddies in the light of the setting sun. The coconuts frame the paddies in the distance. Only white cows and birds (egrets?) break the green sea.

Small towns always give me a warm and fuzzy feeling as I enter them. I always hope that this feeling of "home" is not replaced by a feeling of stalker creepiness. Small town people can be intrusive. They always know when somebody is new in town. In such a small place everyone knows what you've been up to.

After settling in and giving my dorm room a little clean-up I headed out to the hospital to chat up with the previous group of doctors. I had arrived just in time for a bon voyage party for two of them. After an unhealthy dinner of liempo and crispy pata we spent the rest of the night drinking and howling at each others videoke miscues.

I've never been much of a drinker. Occasions to drink don't come too often either. Recent R&R trips had me drinking more in a month than what I usually drink in a year.

At 2:30 in the morning I turned in earlier than the others. They would all be off in the morning while I was just going to start my work week. I made sure to hydrate and went straight to bed after I washed up.


I woke up early in the morning and run a 6k.



Reading:
Underwater To Get Out of the Rain: A Love Affair With The Sea (Trevor Norton)