The first time I was here, the weather was aggressively taking a full swing at us. We've patiently waited for a chance to learn surfing after we finished actively inspecting the library we sought to fill with books. The cloud quickly turned darker, and the wind fiercely whistled from our spot to yonder; we thought the slim chance of hooking up with a surfboard had completely gone to dust.
Then came the green light—from the local surfers who've seen swells forming half a kilometer away. Like caged animals now out on a prowl, we excitedly headed towards their direction. The heavy rain, though, didn't just shower us; it practically stabbed us through our skin. Needling out of the sky at around a 20-30 degree angle, it hit us like tiny darts, rapidly doubling its intensity. With no shelter nearby, we had no choice but to proceed. We ran forward and backward just to give each side of our body a temporary reprieve until we successfully reached the small nipa hut where the surfboards safely lay aground.
Lucy Sighting Over Rizal Beach in Gubat
That was my very first impression of Rizal Beach, firmly located in this quiet municipality fronting the massive Pacific Ocean in the rural province of Sorsogon. Relentless as its heavy waves—Rizal Beach is now rapidly gaining popularity as a premier surfing destination. I wasn't much of a surfer, not even in the basic beginner's class, but I genuinely love watching surfers paddle out almost out of sight and then seeing them miraculously reappear, standing over their board floating fluidly over the crashing waves. It's like a highly graceful dance repertoire, only beautifully done on water.
The Dawn of the Library Opening
The time we excitedly went back was the exact day we finally celebrated the official opening of the library of Rizal Elementary School. Aboard a massive chartered bus completely filled with the project's dedicated organizers and volunteers, we again safely settled in Rizal Beach. The community charity project was a huge, resounding success. The time has come for the school kids to read.
For us, we were wonderfully rewarded yet again with some deep rest and absolute relaxation right by the beach. While most of our group was able to successfully surf the next day when the waves finally came into a highly respectable swell, the most unforgettable image I clearly had of Rizal Beach was the stunning landscape that gracefully greeted me the next morning.
Waking up from the soothing sounds of the crashing waves, along with my friends Lauren and Christine—we immediately hurried to the open shore and saw the stark skies brilliantly filtering the desolate-like landscape with a mesmerizing mixture of deep blue, bright gold, and fiery red.
A Symphony in the Sky
The long shore of Rizal Beach smoothly provides a vast panoramic view while the morning sun continues to rise up slowly in the sky, blasting the vaporous, humid surroundings. One by one, local people start riding their surfboards, and soon the swell gracefully becomes bigger. We enthusiastically took the chance to spend the whole quiet morning just swimming around and comfortably lounging by the beachside.
After the exhausting overnight bus ride the previous night, the sheer excitement of seeing a brand-new library open up for the very first time, and enjoying the lively celebration with both old and new friends—the physical place usually becomes an afterthought. Not this time, though. With the ragged, raw simplicity of Gubat, Sorsogon, there is always a powerful reminder that each day starts gloriously, as perfectly evidenced by the magical skies over Rizal Beach that morning.
It is a sad fact we usually ignore—even though we all consistently live under one sky, within the sheer vastness of the Earth. From everywhere, we can miraculously witness such sightings of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." If you recall the famous Beatles song with its childhood theme, wherein a young kid is almost more than able to distinguish a truly beautiful thing or moment far better than adults do.
For the school kids of Rizal Elementary School, their pure appraisal of a beautiful world is always present. They may eventually lose it along with their youthful innocence, much like us grown-ups. However, there is always a clear way to go back to that raw world of simplicity. Waking up one quiet morning and witnessing how the entire sky turned fiery red—not blowing destructive fireballs, but magical rays of warm light. Child-like wonder or a grown-up mind, we will never, ever miss it for the world.
