If you work for a company that sends you to Philippines or you get a consulting gig (in my case), visiting and living in Manila can be overwhelming. Mostly in my travels, I use the cities for air-transit and tend to gravitate towards the nearest wilderness/nature.
Living in Manila reminded me of a life in major American cities. Starbucks in every street corner, cafes, high end stores, malls, and juice shops drove me crazy in no time.
Just a couple of hours drive from Manila is the Batangas province and yes, there are quiet a few beach resorts in the area. But, I managed to find a hotel that is right next to the coral reef in the region. I was probably one of the three guests at the hotel that time in July.
You walk out of the hotel to the beach and you step on coral reef…..
Since there is WIFI everywhere, I figured Batangas would be my office for a few days.
I would have breakfast, go for a 40-min dive before work. At lunch hour, if time permits, I would dive again.
Sunset boat rides with locals, dive at night, come back for a local delicacy.
I felt the most productive at work !!! ?!
But, trust me, it got boring quickly. I did that for about 5-days and I was ready to move on to the next Island after a short stay in Philippines again for face-to-face meetings.
Well, that project was a success and got my work featured in the Media. So, this relaxed work-life-style got to have helped right ?!
At least with IT jobs, it should be easy enough to pull off a work-from-beach for a few days. Try it out, it really works. I find myself the most creative and productive when I am not at my work desk.
Do you have such work from beach/far-away place experiences ? Do Share, I would love to hear your story.