COOL BEACHES

By Joel Ferraris


Imagine living in a noisy, busy, crowded and polluted urban area where living quarters, offices, or even recreational facilities are placed in "boxes" arranged one on top of the other. The most you can have, if your flat is situated amidst tall buildings, is literally "a slice of the sky" where sunlight and sunshine are rare natural daily bonuses if you can't afford a room high up there on those more expensive upper floors. Even the fowl breeze could be absent once those taller buildings are erected and could surely cause the so-called "wall effect" on their immediate surroundings.

These are just some of the many problems of cities and the price one has to pay for joining the ratrace to avail more opportunities in these "greener...or greyer... pasture".

Cool Beach and Cool Beach 2 arouse my frequent longing to have a vacation with my family to the province of my birth. Iloilo, a few hours ride to the famous Boracay Island, boasts of many beautiful beaches aside from its claim to have the first millionaires' row in the district of Jaro, one of the oldest place in the Philippines.

My country the Philippines is an archiplego with more than 7,000 islands (depending on the tide) and just imagine a treasure trove of breathtaking holiday spots that offer natural beauty and relaxation. In these places I can forget about those gadgets, the modern world, artificial food, my fears, my discontent, the ratrace, wrong priorities in life, my other concerns and contemplate spiritually about my happy moments, nature and the love of God the Father Almighty and His blessings.