An idyllic day. Living on the island doesn't guarantee blissful days 365 days a year. There were even seasons where we felt stuck or even trapped mostly created by the chaos churned by the mind. This inner conflict highlights the not-so-desirable things around us. Some of you might be asking me, what on earth is she talking about when she's surrounded by this beauty?
That is precisely where I was getting at. Lured by the tropical life, and hot weather all year round in proximity to turquoise waters, most city folks would pay a huge sum for it.
Events unfolded that led us to live here. My family and I intentionally made Moalboal, this hidden paradise at the southwestern tip of Cebu our home for the last 5 years.
Was I happy?
I wasn't.
There I said it.
There was always this looming feeling that I was not where I was supposed to be. I always felt Moalboal to be spiritually dry. A friend called it a spiritual desert.
Time proved though that we were in the right place at the right time. It was the pandemic and the openness of rural living made the isolation of those fearful years bearable and more meaningful.
Yet throughout the years of living here, I could count the number of times I had been to the sea. Most days I was confined within the 4 walls of our bedroom/home office working. But it is in Moalboal that I have conquered many of my fears.
One of them was overcoming the fear of deep waters. Another was enduring the mighty blows of Typhoon Odette and the latest incident rocked my world and purged whatever was left of my ego in the last 2 years.
It was also living here that I got to fulfill some of my desires with luck and hard work. I was able to set up an architectural design firm with an online team in 2 years. We were able to design 2 coffee shops, a bar, a hostel renovation, restaurants, a few homes, and a full resort development here while living in this small diving village.
After completing our last architectural project, I made an intention to take a break and intuitively say no to projects that will not support the tiny sabbatical I am on that is focused on inner healing.
For the last 2 years since I hung up my construction helmet, I dared to leap into architecture again and chose to be busy.
This day in my island life is an exception.
Just to be clear, we didn't design this resort. This is Cebu Seaview Resort, home to Cebu Fun Divers where my husband @iamyohann works as a dive instructor sometimes.
I made a dinner booking here the day before to meet friends before they permanently left Moalboal. Coincidentally, Yohann invited me to hang around in the resort while he was out on a boat dive.
I took the opportunity to spend some alone time. I had luck that morning, there was no confined open-water dive training. I swam and enjoyed the empty 8-meter-deep infinity pool while I waited for all of the dive boats to leave.
I intended to swim towards the reef where you see all of the boats lined up and snorkel there for as long as possible, alone. I wanted the sea to engulf me, to heed the desire to play there. To allow the energetic waters to wash away and support me in the healing work after a recent Shamanic journey.
Once the shoreline was deserted and my thoughts were drowned by the waves on the echoes of the boat engine headed towards Pescador Island, I wore my fins and swam 100 meters from the shore.
Blue starfish guided the way and I was instantly greeted by a sea turtle. He was about a meter in size and he swam next to me. I reached the coral wall that plunged 40 meters deep. I shared this experience on Instagram
"I hovered above the coral wall, went swimming back and forth, and watched different kinds of fish big and small in silence. I lost track of time and was in meditative bliss for an hour until it was time to head back when the boats returned. I found a bigger sea turtle in the shallows as a way of saying till we meet again."
The day out into the sea was a glimmer. According to this article, "Glimmers are small moments of joy that can bring light even to our darkest days."
I was drawn to swim and I followed the intuitive pull to do it. Everything worked out smoothly and the encounter with the sea turtles and blue starfish and what the entire day entailed inspired me to write this post.
I was energized. I brewed with clarity and motivation when I reunited with Yohann after his dive. My husband decided to stay home with our daughter that evening while I later rejoined female friends here so we could all watch the sunset with mocktails and enjoy a poolside dinner until 9 pm.
What are your glimmers? How did you discover them? What simple thing gives you profound joy? Perhaps it's someone in your life?
We are exactly where we are meant to be. This glimmer of a day in my island life reminded me of that.
"I am an old soul who simply loves coffee, who finds joy and beauty in both the tangible and the unseen."
Curiosity and imagination lead to unexpected experiences. Interested in Nature, Places, Roads Less Traveled, Minimalism, Authentic Living, Anything French, and International Cuisine. Feel free to follow her, re-blog, and upvote if you enjoy her content.
What a wonderful place, you both looks so romantic 😍 truly a hidden paradise...great capture!
He finally agreed to take a photo with me, even though he doesn't like selfies. Have a great week ahead!
It's great to see you on Hive again Arni 😍
That resort looks awesome. I like the pool area, and it was good that you had the area to yourself.
I haven't seen any Moalboal shots recently, and this brought back lovely memories:)))
Hi Milly, happy to be back 😍
Have you been here before? It was already built even while we were living in the yellow house, even way back when Yohann was still flying. I wonder why we never came here together. Yohann and I only came here when we heard there's a restaurant inside, that the reasonably priced food is good and it's possible to drink and eat by the pool.
Hey Arni, No, I've never been there, and I'm trying to figure out where exactly that resort is located. It stands out along the bay and is so inviting:)))
I can picture you riding your bike on Panagsama Road and taking a left turn in front of Basdiot Barangay Hall. It's situated beside Club Hari. These days, we often spend our evenings here when we go out. We usually steer clear of the Panagsama area, especially on weekends. I believe you'll enjoy the ambiance as it's quite peaceful.
Hehe! I do miss my trike and all the daily exercise that I got from riding up and down the hill and other errands:)
I clearly remember it, whipping past our kitchen window like fast and the furious 😁 I haven't see anything like your trike around town anymore.
Hehe! The lady who bought the trike was from Dumanjug. I doubt that she'd get all the way to Moalboal 😆
I read your post by chance and it was as if I was reading about my life. We left the city with my partner to move to an island 10 years ago, we faced the isolation and the lack of like minded people, when everyone was telling us how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place. We felt fortunate for been there during the pandemic and we also learned so much about ourselves and reinvented our professional lives. I guess islands have many things in common, even if they are in the other end of the globe!
Greetings from Greece :)
Hello Stefanos, your message was very inspiring and it prompted me to read your introduction. I found it fascinating how you have evolved every year with your lifestyle changes and lifestyle choices, and how your passion for photography became an integral part of your new life.
I also noticed that when a chapter is about to close in one's life, there are subtle signs that indicate this. You mentioned that the idea of moving kept bugging you both. I am curious to know more about what that experience was like for you.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read it!
It is written 4 years ago and so many things have changed,
again :)
The last year we opened a new chapter, moving to the mainland. Not to the big city that we left from 10 years ago, but a small seaside town this time!
Interesting, life is ever changing so will definitely follow your journey.
Thank you Arni, you seem to have a very interesting life yourself. I did a quick scroll at your blog and you've got some pretty amazing stuff there. Only the move from Dubai to Philippines is something huge on its own and I don't mean just the geographic distance.
I'll be glad to follow your adventures too :)
It is true what they say, but if it is a paradise the place you show @discoveringarni , I would like to be in that paradise, of course but for a short time and not forced by crisis, pandemic or other fortuitous cause, to live for a long time I would not live. I hope my writing is reasonable. From Venezuela I wish you much success in your publication.
Hello Omar, greetings from the Philippines. Time moves slowly here and many come to take a break, especially during the upcoming Holy Week.
How nice of you to visit me from the Philippines, @discoveringarni it fills me with pride. From Venezuela, I wish you all the best in life.
I wouldn't mind being isolated on that island if I always saw a scenic view each day 😁
I maybe feel separated from the modern world, but at least, closer to nature hehe..
After a long day, my husband and I would often visit this place where we met with friends during sunset for the past two years. It had become a habit for us. (The San Mig Grandes were recently omitted from this habit 😂)
Being close to nature has always been our family's dream, which is one of the reasons why we decided to move back to the Philippines. One of the advantages of living away from the modern world is a much simpler life but having everything within reach is important too.
Our place faces west and often we see the beautiful sunset when the weather is good, which isn't often in UK. These are my moments of glimmer, especially these unedited ones.
What's the plan now? Will you stay in the Philippines or will you move back to France or another country?
Having a meal with a stunning sunset view at your place is priceless!
It took us around 10 minutes of driving to reach the aforementioned resort At present, we are waiting to complete our daughter's school year but we are still unsure of where to go. However, I have reached a point where I feel excited to pack and relocate to a new location whenever I have the opportunity.
I have read so many blogs in hive which have pictures and landscapes of Cebu. I think I should first travel to Philippines because of it's beauty.
Spending morning Infront of these serene and scenic views is all what I want from long time. It's best view to treat one's eyes. I want to sit there in silence like you.
To get more scenic view, I think, I should jump into your Instagram 😀.
I hope you won't be disappointed with my Instagram profile as you'll find mostly pictures of food and coffee, and some of me singing - just kidding 😁. The Philippines is a beautiful country, and there are still many places I want to visit that I've seen featured by other Hivers. I completely agree that being surrounded by nature and silence is a fantastic way to recharge your energy.
The beach view and the tempting cocktails looks so refreshing but I get the feeling of being trapped in the mental state while it being exhausting. It takes a lot of effort to start getting back to normal. Nonetheless it’s such a great post that you have shared with us. Keep up the good work. 👋✨
Hello Lynn, living close to the sea and being exposed to nature all year round has its upside. I guess I'll need to focus on that more. Highly appreciate your message. Happy Thursday!
Wow! Lovely place!
@tipu curate
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Hello @claudio83 , big thanks for this