My cerebral cortex is perfectly capable of putting two and two together, mind you. I understand that it is summer, that people like to soak up the sun and enjoy the waves. It’s practically an unwritten rule to go to the beach and get fried under the sun (and possibly get skin cancer).
But enough is enough.
People swarm local beaches like animals on National Geographic swarming a watering hole. I might as well switch off the television and watch the people on the beach instead.
Their habits are identical. They come in droves–some of the same color, kind, behavior and size. Then there’s the “finding the right spot” ritual. It usually takes a long period of time, of finding the right cottage or spot of sand where to spread out the customary tanning blanket, which instantly becomes their territory. Crossing somebody else's territory means instant death–or in some cases, bludgeoning the perpetrator on the head with an empty beer bottle.
I have never been a fan of swimming in the sea, especially during summer. Salt water stings my eyes and makes me itch. While other people tan, I turn red. Yes, I become a walking tomato.
But what really creeps me out is the fact that I’m swimming in the same waters in which a hundred other people are swimming in at the exact moment. Sure, I can tolerate going to the beach knowing that only a handful of people are in the water with me. But a few hundred at the same time? That's another story.
That’s why I never go to the beach during summer. It’s getting too congested and too dirty. Popular beaches around the Philippines accumulate so much trash over the summer that we might as well put up another landfill there.
That’s the reason I've been spending my summers either at home or at a coffee shop. I either fall into a deep coma, enjoying the sweltering heat at home, imagining that my room is a sauna. Or I drink copious amounts of ice cold caffeine products to keep me awake half of my life.
The only reason I enjoy beaches is the sunset and sunrise. And the only time I get to enjoy these wonders is when summer ends and I don’t see couples strolling down the beachside, holding hands and whispering sweet nothings to each other.
Since it’s not safe for me to head out to the beach this time of the year, I might as well just watch National Geographic and watch the sunrise and sunset there. If I get lucky, I might see the sunset and sunrise from the Sahara desert.
