Vegan Glamping for A Cause at Cagbalete Island with the Manila Vegans - Day 2

The 2nd day of the "vegan glamping" experience was full of activities as well with enough time for an afternoon nap.

Early morning yoga was relaxing and invigorating.

We woke up very early to participate in a yoga session. While waiting for 7AM to strike, we had the pleasure of watching the sun rise on the horizon.

Several banigs (woven mats) were placed on the sand to serve as our yoga mats. Although we put our own yoga mats on top of this for more comfort.

We did a walking meditation where we walked with bare feet and tried to feel the sand on our toes, soak in the sounds of the elements, the feel of the warm sun on our skins and breathing slowly to relax ourselves.

We then went through some yoga positions including a breathing exercise. Finally, we lay down on the mats as relaxing music and the voice of our instructor soothed us into a restful mood. We didn't sleep though and afterwards, we still felt very well rested despite our not-so-comfortable night in our tent.

After this was a short break then an energetic Zumba session. It was very enjoyable and the instructor was very encouraging as well. At the end of the session, she had us take off our tops which was a relief since we cooled ourselves a little bit from the dance moves that made us sweat a lot.

Tarpaulins of the sponsors for this event were displayed around the makeshift dance floor.

Next was an "oil pulling" session where we had fun conversing in sign language with the other glampers. It was funny how we still understood each other and we tried to keep our mouth closed even as we laughed at the jokes and misunderstandings caused by our temporary inability to talk.

All the while, the canine residents of the island were enjoying their own naps in their secret hideaways like this one.

We had some free time before lunch to chat with our fellow glampers and we even got to talk with a foreign vacationer at the island.

A program was held during lunch where the Bantay Dagat volunteers were treated to a delicious and filling vegan buffet and the donations were turned over to them. Some of the things provided them were 2-way radios, uniforms and even IDs. We hope that these would make their work of guarding the sea more convenient.

Before it was time to travel back to Manila, we couldn't help but bask in the beauty of the island and we took some more photos as souvenirs.

We had a short nap after lunch and just enjoyed gazing into the ocean. Pictures of the participants were also taken and then it was time to board the boat back to the port and a bus ride back to Manila.

We learned later that the photo session was part of a video made for the event. Here's the video which summarizes what the event was all about and shows all the delicious food and fun we had during the 2 days we spent on the island.

I wish we could come back and enjoy another glamping adventure and contribute to a good cause as well. Despite the sleepless night in the tent, the vegan food gave us enough energy to still participate in the yoga and zumba exercises.

This experience has definitely strengthened my resolve to continue eating healthy, especially at home. It was also nice to have made new friends who can support us to eat and live healthier.