Rough water experience

On my FB feed, I saw a post of compilations of humongous waves. They were not footage of tsunamis, although there was a segment that had waves that were tsunamis-like in size.

I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've been on a vessel: one was a fast craft patrol, another is a barge, a third is a cruise yacht, and finally a ferry boat.

Leisure ride

It was the ferry ride that was most pleasant and that's probably because it was a leisure trip, as opposed to a work trip. And it was in Canada, on our way to Victoria in British Columbia.

That was a memorable trip for many reasons. Imagine 16 people going on that one-week (or was it 8 days?) trip! Even better it was with family. My Dad and his two brothers were joined by their spouses and kids, plus my aunt, who was then based in Seattle.

The ferry ride was about an hour-and-a-half or so, but not two hours, and we caught the mid-afternoon trip. There weren't many passengers at that time so we could explore the ferry, lie down on empty seats, and feel the wind whip our hair and face on the upper deck.

At no point was there a section in Swartz Bay where the waters turned rough enough to trigger nausea or motion sickness of any kind. On the upper deck, you will at times get sprayed with water but nothing scary. I just loved the cold air and wind.

I guess that ferry ride made up for all the adventurous rides I had while on coverage. I think only one could be considered pleasant, and that was only because we managed to hitch a ride with the presidential ferry after 75% of the media threw up aboard the fast patrol craft we arrived in.

Not queasy

For the record, I was among the 25% with a tough constitution that no amount of rough seas can make me queasy. I will feel more nauseous watching people throw up around me because of the stench of vomit.

The fast patrol craft was indeed speedy, but since there were a number of us, the quarters were very confining. With little air circulating, and the vessel rocking every which way, it's no wonder many couldn't hack it.

Most ended up going above deck where it was open air. Never mind being sprayed by a lot of water, what mattered was they had room to breathe. I'm not quite sure what area we were in when they started pitching forward to throw up out to sea. That was gross! I've never seen so many green-faced people all at the same time in my life!

Even when we took the cruise yacht, the waters were just as rough in a particular portion en route to the island of Corregidor. And as comfortable as the yacht was, too much rocking motion could still unsettle tummies.

Source

The worse experience of course was taking the barge to Bataan. I know it was April 9, which is the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) where World War II veterans were honored.

We (three other reporters and I) were supposed to be onboard some other mode of transport. There was some mix-up and as an alternative, we had to go by barge, ( a small one) which was leaving Manila at 4 in the morning! It was a three-hour ride and for added challenge, it rained at some point.

Adventure times two

Barges are open-air. Only a small portion of the vessel had roofing of some kind. It was almost decrepit, and nothing like the modern vessels of today. Guess what? Also aboard the barge were war veterans! How are we supposed to compete with the elderly?

So, we ended up below deck, where they laid out monobloc (plastic) chairs for us to sit and lie on (if we prefer) as the barge chugged along for eternity. We did lie down, and even caught a few minutes of shut-eye, until we got drenched in the rain and water splashing from the sea due to the huge waves.

They gave us some dismantled sacks as makeshift cover, but come on, how much protection can that provide? When the rain pelted even harder, the grandmas and grandpas above deck became concerned for us.

Soon, they were calling us and scooted over to make space so we could fit under that teeny-tiny roof. (Good thing COVID was non-existent then!) Didn't really help much. And since we were already drenched from below, we decided to go back and sit on our chairs, exposed to the elements, for the rest of the trip.

By the time we were nearing our destination, the sun had appeared and we were dried out, ready to cover the event.

Fortunately, on the way back, we found a ride by land, and we were already so exhausted after that early-morning sea adventure.

But wait! I think there was another layer of adventure then... We were late arriving at the venue that is situated on a hill (Mt. Samat). Once the president arrives, they're going to close the entrance.

To make our way there, we had to hike up the mountain through the backway. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was a leisurely hike, but we were racing against time and that meant running uphill!

I honestly can't remember how we managed to get there before the program started. I do remember being out of breath, tongue lolling, and having to push or pull others just so we can all get there together. I guess I was fitter than I thought, even with the lack of sleep.

Without a doubt, I was so tired at the end of the day. Don't even remember how I made multiple stories to send in. But that was all in a day's work for journalists then. We didn't have the many conveniences and trappings available today.

Would I trade those experiences? Nevah! That's why being a journalist for me was really an adventure.

Images from Unsplash unless Source specified