Everybody's Free in Lacawon Island

Baz Luhrmann came to fame with the Hollywood blockbusters Romeo+Juliet (Oh Leo!) and Moulin Rouge (I bet you swooned when Ewan sang 'Your Song'!). Yet before Nicole sang about diamonds being a girl's best friend, I was already familiar with Lhurmann because of his 'song' Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen). It's less a song than it is a poem of sorts.

Although these are just meandering experience of a poorpacker in Lacawon Island, let me share Luhrmann's advice to the class of 1999. Let me dispense his advice now.

Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)

Advice #1: 'TRAVEL.'

Probably the most important one-word advice in this lifetime.  And that's exactly what we set out to do when over the course of the weekend...

I confess that one of my dream destinations is Mexico. I fantasize about swimming in Baja's azure waters or sitting on  hammock in La Paz overlooking the Sea of Cortez (preferrably with a glass of Agua de Sandia or watermelon juice). Well unforch, going on one of those Mexico holidays remain to be a fantasy for now.

The next best thing to this dream was to go to Lacawon Island for a much-needed beach fix. Lacawon is a small island in Negros Occidental that is rimmed with white sand beaches and coral reefs. It's only 45 kilometers from the city of Bacolod. 

How to Get There:
Lakawon Island is located in Cadiz City, north of Negros Occidental. It just takes a 15 minute boat ride from the small town of Cadiz Viejo. From Bacolod City (Negros Occidental’s capital & main city), take a 45 minutes bus trip to Kaduha-an in Cadiz City. From Kaduha-an take a 15-minute tricycle ride to Cadiz Viejo. From Cadiz Viejo, it's just a 15-minute boat ride to the island.

Advice #2: 'Do one thing everyday that scares you.' 

What would you think about going on an overnight trip to a remote island with complete strangers? Some of those in group you just met the night before while Rocking the Masskara Festival or dancing in the parade. Others you haven't really met at all.

It's not so much about the fear of getting 99 stab wounds in your back but the more realistic fear of getting to know a stranger. It's like the first day of school in a new school...in a new country. Some of us just can't seem to get over those kinds of jitters.

After 6 months of long-term travel around Asia, one of the skills you learn is the fine art of short-hand friendship. You ask 'Where you're from/How long you've been traveling/Where have you been?' and find common ground to talk about from there. You learn to be at ease among strangers. And what's even more amazing is you make these strangers your friends in the same amount of time as you finish a cup of coffee. A testament to this is when i traveled 'solo' in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Advice #3: Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Just like what happened with the Chiang Mai couchsurfers, another bunch of crazy Couchsurfers bonded after a day in the sun, eating lunch of adobong squid and grilled bangus and a game of 1 2 3 Pass. Oh and a bottle (or two) of the cheap Philippine rum, Tanduay, didn't hurt either.

Advice #4: Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Advice #5: Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.

Advice #6: What ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Advice #7: Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.

What's a couchsurfing event without a little more fun and games?

Who Am I? is a simple game that's fun, interactive and forces you to think a little more clearly after those shots of Tanduay. The objective is for you to guess which popular character you are by asking close-ended questions answerable only by Yes or No. It's like that game 'Pinoy Henyo' (Pinoy Genius) from the famous noontime show.

Advice #8: Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

After using up all those brain cells, there's nothing else left to do but...DANCE! Silly, fun, heart-thumping, messy, create-your-own-dance, interpretative, pole, headstands. We danced to Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Usher, reggaeton and even to Adele's Rolling in the Deep (you should've seen the steps that we came up with!). We danced for a good 2 hours.

As we leave the island the next morning, I ponder on one last advice from the song:

Advice #9:'Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.'

And of course don't forget to Wear sunscreen.

Wearing SPF 30,

Sole Sister Chichi


Photos from Couchsurfers Gringo, Aimee, Summer (because I was too busy having fun to take photos).

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