How was your 4-day Holy Week getaway? Mine was hot as my body temp fluctuated causing colds to clog my nose, eyes and ears for five friggin’ days. And yes, the temperature outside was hot, sometimes dry and humid, you would actually beg for Ondoy to visit.

But the good thing about living in this hot tropical country at this time of the year is that you never run out of visual spectacles on air, land or sea. I’d tell you why.

1. Beach-ing

Traditionally, we don’t go to beaches at the peak of the Holy Week season. We don’t go out of town. We dislike traffic, crowd, and sweat. The operators of Boracay restos and hotels complained of a slow down in tourist traffic and sales. But DOT-Boracay office claimed that there were more people this year than last year. Whatever. You can’t just pull me out there and get baked under the sun. Skin cancer, hello.

2. Philippine aviation: Butt of another joke

We’ve been banned in the past by the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) for failure in meeting international aviation standards. This time, European Union followed suit. British were advised not to use our local carriers when going to the Philippines. In other words, for them, Philippine carriers are unsafe. As expected, local aviation officials insisted they are not. Okay. Fine. Get over it and start doing something.

Ceylonese writer Nuri Vittachi wrote a humorous article on the Reader’s Digest, implying that our pilots are not serious in their jobs. Personally, if these are all true, these men should be selling discount rugs than fly a plane.

3. Bloody Good Friday

Good Friday in the Philippines are typically marked by re-enactments of Christ’s crucifixion played by the most devout among the local folks who willingly beat their bodies until their flesh glisten red with blood before they get nailed down on their crosses. We all know it’s horrifying medieval, the Roman cross being one of the most feared symbols of execution. But for Pinoys, it is atonement in an extreme graphic way.