Solo Flight

There comes a point in a woman’s life when she realizes it’s perfectly okay to fly solo. As a Filipina, it’s not easy mind you to come to this. Our culture dictates that every girl must at least be chaperoned by a man or an older sibling. Being big on families and communities, we are used to traveling in packs and sharing experiences. That’s why when a lady is blessed with that rare moment of epiphany, something changes in her soul and she’s never the same again.

Have you ever tried watching a movie alone, living on your own, or taking that plane ride by yourself? What about dining solo in a public resto? Chances are most of us would find it weird, even unnecessary. People would stare, yes. A lot might wonder why. But those bold enough to do it anyway would find it’s actually fun. Just like Beer Below Zero, it’s cold at first sip yet super light and easy all the way.

For me though, the most exciting solo adventure a girl can embark on is exploring a new place on her own. Just recently, I had such an opportunity and I believe I was never the same again.

Last week, I was in Manila for a 2-day e-marketing seminar. While the course was great, the city wasn’t. Wanting to get out of the crazy metropolis and yet not quite ready to go home, I convinced my friends to get away for the weekend and visit a place I’ve been planning to go to for years – Tagaytay. Problem was they were called to work at the last minute. I figured I had two choices then- go back to Cebu or dare to go solo. Always a sucker for adventure, I took the latter.

When flying solo, I consider these my 3 best friends – the Internet, a reliable guide, and my sensible self. Right away I went online, researched Tagaytay and took advantage of a good hotel promo deal. I asked for help and the very efficient staff of Tower Inn Makati found me a trustworthy and affordable driver to hire. And then, to be safe, I gave everyone I cared about the heads up.

Tripping Tagaytay was better than I expected. The weather was cool, the people warm and the views extraordinary. On this journey, I discovered three great things about going solo as well.

One is the opportunity to make new friends. In my case, heaven sent me Sir Jimmy the driver and Mitch the hotel exec in Tagaytay. Sir Jimmy not only made the road trip in his car quite comfortable, he peppered the tour with fascinating historical tidbits and showed me the peaks and interesting hole-in-the wall places in Tagaytay one would not normally find such as Java Jazz, Bag of Beans and, of course, the roadside Manos Greek Taverna with the delicious lamb shawarma and Oyzo-Greek Island drink. Mitch was also kind enough to accompany me on her day off from the hotel and showed me where I can get the best ukay-ukay deals. Thank you guys!

And then, there’s the opportunity to move around as you please. You can eat when you want, where you want. You can bypass spots you don’t like and linger on the scenes that move you. Your time is your own -- something we can’t always afford as a couple or in groups.

But the greatest thing about going solo, I believe, is the opportunity to fall in love again. At first, I was dismayed to find Tagaytay to be such a romantic place. You go to People’s Park in the Sky or the Picnic Grove and you’d see couples cuddling, holding hands or falling in love. Sigh, could I be more out of place?

But come early morning, as I stood in the viewing deck of my hotel room and gazed at the misty beauty of Lake Taal and the famous volcano on its midst, I too fell in love. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. And to think I would have missed such rare and glorious sight had I waited for someone else to experience it with.

As I basked in the cool morning air, romancing the view with a hot mug of brewed coffee in my hand, my spirit soared. Solo or not, life remains beautiful. Like the lone active volcano in the bluish lake of Tagaytay, my single heart beat once more. And it was just fabulous.

-- SunStar Weekend, 19 September 2009