Team Building @ Patungan Beach

 

Team Building @ Patungan Beach - Team Jenny Under Armour Makati

In my sophomore year in Alorica, never have i had so much fun in the form of a hoopla. What started out as a plan just in passing, with a small group of individuals, from other teams, turned out to be a wild but fun soiree in Maragondon in Cavite.

The Usual Suspect

I wouldn't be surprised if, again, this road trip will be planned by Jackie Aggabao. This mother of four cute little munchkins, used to be part of a company that handles events that caters to big corporate bigwigs in the Philippines. Her ability to see the things needed, foresee fortuitous happenstance, rectify unplanned skewered routes and see budget estimates makes her our go-to "guy", er ahhh, i meant "lady", at any given time.

Helping Jackie was Reniel aka as "Ren-Ren" in the planning stage and Rachel. This unlikely pair of colleague, cajoled most of our teammates in joining this road trip. Not to mention Ren-Ren was our "chef de patie" from our lunch and dinner on the first day and our breakfast the second day. More on that later.

The Hauling

Maragondon, Cavite is a long ride from Makati. Ren-Ren was the culprit in suggesting the place to the team. Now, to get there, there is this 'famous' tunnel that every vehicle passes thru going to the beach. Personally, i don't see what is the fuzz on this tunnel. Riders would stop at nothing in getting their selfies with the tunnel's entrance. The tunnel was also revered to a holy ground for most people. When the Kaybiang Tunnel is passed through, that means you are minutes away from the beach. The long ride from PITX (cost is PhP160 or $3.00) to Barangay Sta.Mercedes, where Patungan Beach sits, will take approximately an hour and a half ride from a commercial bus. That is, if you are lucky. The actual ride took a castrating two and a half hours ride. This is due to the fact that, all major thoroughfares is passed by; Kawit, Rosario, Tanza, Naic are the towns in Cavite, one need to go through to get there. And not to mention passing by at least 4 malls along the way, which added to the traffic jam, did not help at all. The route will eventually pass through the Nasugbu-Ternate highway and before heading out to a 25-degree uphill road, Patungan Beach is right at the foot of that road. Once you alight from the bus, you would need to travel fo a further 2 kilometers by a tricycle or you could opt to ride a motorized fishing boat to cross the unstable waves going to the beach front. SME Al, TL Jenny, Stephanie, Janine and Ryan went by the latter which costs them PhP400 (around $7.50) The trike ride would cost you PhP50.00 (roughly $0.90).

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

I have not heard of this place. And quite honestly, the name Patungan Beach is no ear-candy to me. And i think i share that opinion to almost everyone, except from the townsfolk of this place. The first time i heard Patungan, my dirty mind played on. But not before i learned of the place's history. Home to about 200 families, Patungan Beach, Cavite has long been known as a fisherman's paradise where the abundance of food and livelihood are mainly dependent on its surrounding waters. The destination was once described by the locals as a remote location accessible only by boat or foot. Once the Nasugbu-Ternate highway and Kaybiang Tunnel were constructed, Patungan Beach and its barangay was eventually connected to the rest of the province. 

Despite its development, the beach has remained an undiscovered secret to many. Yet recently, Patungan Beach has sparked the curiosity of those who like to veer off the beaten path. What attracts people to its beach? Clear waters, stunning neighboring islands, and jaw-dropping rock formations await you all in a matter of a two hour drive. While Patungan Beach may not be your usual white sand beach destination, its waters remain ideal for swimming. The destination itself is also surrounded by scenic views of nearby hills, which make for great photos. Guests can choose to rent a cottage for a day of basking under the sun while enjoying fresh seafood dishes.

Other activities beach goers can expect to enjoy include fish feeding, cliff diving, bonfire, and videoke. Recently, island hopping has also become popular due to the clear waters of its neighboring islands. With the guidance from locals, island hopping tours take you around nearby rock formations and the white beaches of Mugiw Island, Carabao Island and Crocodile Island all in one day. These islands offer pristine waters, friendly accommodations, and a charming vibe that will make you feel like you’re hours away from the city. 

 Operation: FUN

After being beaten from the trip, Jackie & Ren-Ren prepared our lunch. There was no gas stove to cook with, the only available method of cooking is by charcoal. Jackie had that charcoal burning in seconds. Her being an active member of the Coast Guard helped a lot. And i tell you, her survival skills is off the charts. it was actually about 3 pm when we took our lunch. The Chicken Adobo was perfectly flavored to its saltiness. The Tilapia and Pork Chop was grilled to perfection. Although, someone suggested it should have been marinated, it tasted perfect as it is. The pearly white rice is perfectly cooked.  After our hearty lunch, everyone donned their swimwear and hit the cold water. On the first day, the sun was hidden, which we thought was good so as not have sunburn. This was the concern of some teammates. But, no sun. We thought this was a good setup. Everyone was up and about, and we remember something: we haven't had any sleep, since we came off from our duty that morning and travelled straight from Makati. But no one was feeling drowsy or sleepy. The level of energy we have was over the top.

That energy tripled when the team settled down and had a relaxing drink (Red Horse & Emperador). Being a non-drinker myself, I was not so enthused with the idea. But I have to go with the flow, as they say. While this is happening, a game was suggested to be played to hype up the fun. "These Cards Will Get You Drunk", this is the actual card game name. It consists of a deck of cards, approximately about 100 cards, with a printed consequence which every one must perform or follow. The tasks are pure fun and will challenge one's ability to comprehend and follow simple instructions. Or so we thought. The game starts with the first person drawing a card from the deck and everyone will take turns drawing from the deck clockwise.

Sample cards would read: "All wearing glasses will drink". Or "The person before you will drink". Then there were special instruction cards that would read "Everyone will mention a nation, if a teammate hesitates to answer or repeats the answer will drink", something to that effect. Well, it so happened that this is the actual card instruction drawn by Rachel, and everyone followed suit. When it was Andrew's turn to draw a card and have to mention a nation, he blurted out, "CEBU!". That did it, everyone had a laughing fit for 15 minutes. All of us started to tease him, that from that day on he will be known as "Andrew Cebu". As the night went on, the game still continued, as everyone was wondering what would top that blunder, we need not wait long. As Andrew drew a card from the deck, he read the instruction that reads, "Switch your shirt/cloth with the person after you if that person agrees and would have wear it until the end of the game". The person after Andrew was Jackie. And Jackie was wearing a dress. And Jackie agreed with the switch. So from that time on Jackie was wearing Andrew's shirt and Andrew wore Jackie's dress. Again, a laughing fit was in order for the team. I remember that I laughed so hard that i experience stomach cramps and couldn't breath. And so was everyone else too.

After this game, the Karaoke was utilized and everyone took turns in singing their hearts out including TL Jenny which i discovered was able to carry a tune. Steph, Janine, Ryan and Rachel manifested their singing prowess. Andrew was still wearing Jackie's dress started a mosh pit for dancing. Again, Andrew never ceases to amaze us with his antics, his "spasmic"-infused moves floored us again with a laughing fit. I actually don't know where we are getting our energies from, as we are still up and been awake for more than 24 hours. It was the natural high of our friendship and camaraderie that kept us awake all night. Oh and ah, the area have no electricity installed in this Barangay, the stall owners owned a gas-powered generator all throughout stay there.

The cottage room assigned to us could only hold 3-4 persons maximum. TL Jenny, SME Al, Rachel & Janine occupied the room. So we have to invent ways to have some shut-eye to rest and recuperate for next day's activities. Jackie pitched a tent which she brought. This can accommodate two persons. Others, like me, have to squeeze in on the bamboo bench as a makeshift bed.  

As the evening draws to the wee hours of the morning, most of us are half-asleep or half-conscious or both. We planned to start a bonfire (which was on our to-do list) but try as we would, the wet ground and damped pieces of sticks and twigs that we gathered earlier, couldn't catch fire. It would have been a pretty sight to behold. Ren-Ren dragged a bench and we sat there facing the sea swapping life stories, experiences, our exes, sex experiences, former jobs, and what do you know- our ghost experiences. Good thing that Noriel aka "Ghoshtrip" was there to spearhead the topic. Rachel shared her life as well. The good thing about this kind of sharing and outpouring is that, you get to know more of the person you work with to another level. And in a good way, this is advantageous to the team because now, more than ever, we are all sensitive to each other's issue when it comes to knowing they're pet peeves.

We tried to get some sleep, but our biological clock are preventing us because our sleeping norms have already adjusted to our schedule at work. We decided, me, Rachel, Noriel, Ren-Ren decided to wait for the sunrise and experience this awesome sight. Noriel setup his camera to shoot this. Noriel not only hunts ghost in his vlog but also an advocate of nature and anticipates the sunrise as his "creme de la creme" for this vlog. Ren-Ren I bought coffee from a nearby store and sipped it with relished while we take turns telling our story. We thought a "Lucky Me" instant pancit canton would have been delicious to have that time, we were famished! At around 5 pm we could see the sun's horizon peeking from a mountain near Carabao Island. Then it rained. The sunrise should have been at about 6.20am, thick clouds prevented us from experiencing that. We would later find out that there was a typhoon in the whole of Metro Manila and in nearby areas, including our place in Binangonan. My mom actually sent a text message for this. Then day-break, without the sun king.

Ren-Ren and Jackie again, we could not thank you both enough for taking care of us, prepared the team's breakfast. TL Jenny noticed how all the egg's yolk is breaking while Ren-Ren was cooking it, she showed him how it is done. TL Jenny perfectly flipped the eggs ala sunny side up style. Take it from a homebody Ren-Ren. An ambulant vendor passed by selling his wares: Danggit and some sweets. To round off the breakfast was our all-time favorite hotdogs, dried fish (the tamban kind) and coffee. We were eating breakfast when the rain poured. The danggit was so delicious. It was so crispy, i thought i was eating rind pork. We ate breakfast with much gusto!

We all hit the beach for a group picture. Afterwards prepared our things and packed. Some of us left earlier, others stayed on to savor the beach experience to the max.

Oh and ah...Andrew just took off Jackie's dress.