It is always quite the treat to travel with the family and spend a day or two with each other. With everyone so caught up with their busy schedules or simply just living their own lives, quality time spent together is hard to achieve these days. Thus, it has become a yearly tradition of ours to get-together every month of May.
Aside from its white sand beaches and crystal clear blue waters, what I really love about Malapascua is how serene it is. One can just lay around on the beach, swim and snorkel, take endless photographs of postcard-worthy views, walk along the beach barefoot or mingling with the locals without minding the time. And unlike some beaches where life blooms after the sun sets, here in Malapascua, a raucous nightlife and beach parties is nothing but a nuisance. I first came here in 2012 and still nothing has changed. You wouldn't see any big establishments, no noise pollution, no crowd and instead of disco lights, the only light you would see at night (aside from the resorts') are the ones the local fishermen used to catch their goods.
Speaking of swimming and snorkeling, this trip was also a memorable one for me in the sense that it was my first time to see a Crown of Thorns starfish in its natural habitat while snorkeling. I was following a school of fish when out of the corner of my eyes, I saw something brown that moved. I thought nothing of it and dismissed it as just a seaweed but then it slowly moved towards me. So I took a closer look and almost had a heart attack when I saw it up close. To be honest, I didn't know what it was back then, all I know is that it's a strange looking starfish, quite larger than the regular brown ones I saw and with tentacles that looked like the ones from a brittle star - only larger. I had to google it after swimming to see what it was and that's when I knew its name and why it's a scary looking creature because it's a predator.
There's a reason why Malapascua holds a special place in my heart and to be back here again with my family is truly something special. What about you? Have you been on a recent family trip this summer?
