Work is fun, especially when one loves his/her job. But all work and no play sometimes makes a journalist wish he/she were somewhere else.
Team Edge Davao did find that “somewhere else” last May 2 (Sunday) and hied off to the now famous Maxima the House Above the Sea in Peñaplata, Island Garden City of Samal, for an overnight stay of fun, frolic and bonding. Away from the madding crowd and the pressure of deadlines and pesky brownouts, all twenty-two sun worshippers from the editorial, marketing and production departments, family members and utility personnel had a grand time during their 24-hour stay.
The 30-minute bus ride from the Sasa ferry port was the start of bonding—a lot of kidding about who’s going to carry which load of food, drinks, groceries, cooking utensils, etc. (we were going to cook our own meals at Maxima). At the end of the ride, we discovered to our dismay that we had to make our way slowly downhill, a 45 degree slope, by way of cement stairs from a height that looked like 200 feet down to the rocky shore.
It was too late to regret not having taken a boat ride from the mainland. It was like a scene from the TV series “Survivor”. Finally, finding ourselves after so much huffing and puffing at seaside, we saw the main cottage, a two-storey wood and cement structure standing above the sea and connected to the shore by a causeway less than a hundred meters long. The building itself has a large airconditioned master bedroom on the first floor with several beds, a sala, comfort room, veranda and dining table. At the end of the veranda is a stairway leading to a jetty which some of us used as a platform for diving into the sea. There is a kayak and a large motorboat riding in anchor. And one banana boat shaped like a huge, well—banana, what else?
On the second floor are three more airconditioned bedrooms, a bathroom separate from toilet, a sala with large easy chairs facing one wall where a wide-screen cable TV set is located. The veranda overlooks the sea from which, at night, we watched the lights of fishing boats flickering under the moonless sky. The wind blowing in from the Davao Gulf was invigorating, exhilarating.
We spent many hours that afternoon and early evening swimming, or just treading water. There were enough life vests for all. And swimming resumed the next day, with the more daring among us diving from the veranda itself into the sea several feet below. Taking turns at the kayak or the banana boat was a time for arguing who ought to go aboard next. Everyone loathed leaving the water when it was time to go to the larger dining hall on shore which boasts of another large TV set on which we watched live an NBA playoff game. Over to one side was a billiard hall where some of us pretended to be a Bata Reyes or a Django Bustmante (day-dreaming is no crime on Maxima). Over at one end was the kitchen where our women utility personnel did their thing to serve typical Pinoy dishes. Pinoy menus, for some reason, seem to taste so much better when prepared in such settings.
Maxima provides some adventure for those who care to cross its wooden bridge between tall trees, the long slide from the mountain ridge to the sea, or a floating trampoline. Notable is the convenience of home-away-from-home, the cleanliness and safeguards. It is the perfect place for team bonding and camaraderie away from the hustle and bustle of the city of brownouts and electioneering hullabaloo.
Teamwork is always the key to a company’s growth. And at Maxima this was also true even with the banana boat rides where a little mistake in team balancing meant everybody ending up in the cold sea. Although it was fun that way, still keeping the team’s balance was a happy, little accomplishment in itself.
At Maxima, one is always conscious of the cleanliness and zero garbage within the entire vicinity, including the swimming area. There’s nothing to worry about except how to have enough energy to get the most out of one’s stay. And at dusk, it is so fascinating to watch the sky change colors as the sun sets slowly while one is taking refreshment on the veranda. Add to the ambiance reggae or jazz music and one would wish the moment would never end. For team Edge Davao, soon enough it was time to go to bed in cozy rooms. Outside, the waves rushing to shore and monsoon wind played a soothing lullaby. Gone were the sounds of laughter at funtime. Night had fallen at last on Maxima the House Above the Sea, a resort like no other. At the end of a hectic, fun-filled day, nothing can beat a good night’s rest between the covers of a soft, warm bed and the muffled sound of an aircon unit lulling one to sleep. Tomorrow can wait.
