Before making Malapascua my home, I had the most awe-inspiring and eye-opening experience of backpacking around SE Asia and expanding my horizon in ways I never could have imagined. Crossing paths with other travelers from all over the world, stimulating my taste buds, getting lost in remote villages and trekking through jungles, and encountering some of the rarest creatures underwater are the kind of experiences you couldn’t quite express with words.
And now, making a tropical island my “home” has been a whole different experience on its own. The remoteness, the peacefulness and the beauty of this island is beyond words. Just a few of the things that I have come to LOVE about this island…
The colors.
My favorite colors are blue and green. On a nice, bright sunny day, the panoramic horizon of my office is a stunning mix of a white sand beach, turquoise blue ocean and lush green palm trees. No matter how many times you see this, it just never gets old. When I lived in New York City, I could only dream of a view like this. I feel very lucky, every day.
Simple, humble, and happy.
Having lived in New York City for 12 years, I know about a life of conveniences and resources. Everything you could ever need is available at your fingertips or a phone call away. On Malapascua, life is quite literally the opposite. There are no shopping malls, grocery stores, pharmacies or hospitals. Almost everything you want/need must be imported from the mainland, and you may or may not have selection options. And yet, people seem much happier here.
We recently ordered new mattresses for the resort, which came wrapped in a large plastic bag. After unwrapping all the mattresses I saw one of our staff intently constructing something – I patiently watched him until his final production was revealed – a raincoat! Having lived in a materialistic world where almost everything can be bought with money, it is almost inspiring to see how locals make use of materials that we would consider trash. Even with limited resources, local people here are happy – just look at Joshua’s big smile and his proud production 🙂
The children.
The children here are quite special. I think it’s the innocence in them. Compared to the world in which I grew up, where we were brainwashed to “never speak to strangers,” it is so refreshing to watch children play freely here with hardly any supervision! I have seen toddlers crawling in the “streets” with no adult presence whatsoever. The kids here are trusting, friendly, and fearless.
They don’t seem to have a concern for kidnapping, molestation, assault, or any other crimes that existed in the world when I was a kid. I love that there is a place in this world where kids can be pure and free.
