It has been a habit for Philippine Superliga teams to go on a vacation before embarking on another grueling season.

We have been waiting for this trip since last year

Last week, we had ours ­— a three-day trip to Palawan.

We waited for this trip since last year. As you know, we have a very tight schedule and most of my teammates go to their respective provinces to be with their families as soon as a season is over.

This time, we decided to schedule the trip ahead of the opening of the PSL Grand Prix in February. At least everybody was present and there was no reason for this trip not to push through (LOL!).

Since it was a very short vacation, we booked an early flight so we can accomplish everything in our itinerary. We started the day with a city tour and went to usual attractions like the Crocodile Farm, Baker’s Hill, Mitra’s Ranch, Plaza Cuartel Baywalk and the various souvenir shops.

The following day, we went to the world-famous Underground River, where we appreciated nature to the fullest.

We also went to well-known restaurants in Puerto Princesa City like Kinabuch’s and Kalui. Of course, it would not have been complete without trying their exotic food like crocodile meat and tamilok, a slimy Filipino delicacy of raw woodworms in vinegar.

We also had a lot of fun in our island-hopping adventure, where we visited Honda Bay. It was such a paradise. We swam, snorkeled and relaxed while some of my teammates were contented taking photos and staying under the sun.

Since I bonded with the entire team, the most memorable moment for me on this trip was our banana boat experience.

It was my first time riding one and I have to admit that I was really scared. But when I finally did it with eight other teammates, I was relieved as it was truly enjoyable. I was glad that I overcame my fear and ticked another box off my bucket list.

Well, I believe that going on out-of-town trips like this will have an impact on our campaign this season.

If we’re already relaxed by doing simple things like listening to music and chatting before and after training, what more if we go to an entirely new place together? More than discovering new things about your teammates, it also gives us a golden opportunity to know each other better and improve our chemistry on and off the court.

I believe bonding moments like this will turn us not just into good teammates – but good friends as well.

But going on an out-of-town trip also has its disadvantage.

The non-stop eating and relaxation make it difficult for us to get back in shape and focus on the task ahead. As we know, the upcoming season will be very challenging as all teams are looking to dethrone us.

BEFORE embarking on the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix, our Petron team grabbed the chance to get to know each other through this out-of-town trip. We, however, are all willing to pay the price. We will all go back to training with fresh bodies and fresh hearts armed with a mission of being the better version of ourselves and playing our best game possible.

It’s going to be a very grueling journey.

But with the friendship we forged through this trip, everything would be easy.