Before Sunrise
Call time was 3AM. We left Cavite at 4AM. So no, the trip didn't start loud, it started quiet. Half the van was asleep before we even hit the highway, running on pure willpower and whatever snacks were within reach. That's just what a 4AM departure does to a group of grown adults who play pickleball for fun.
But somewhere between the sunrise and the first few stopovers, everyone woke back up, and that's when the trip actually began. Conversations got louder, snacks got passed around properly, and kuya Mhon's dad jokes started landing, each one somehow funnier than the last for how little sense they made. By the time we reached Zambales, the sleepy van from four hours earlier was long gone. We rolled into Liwliwa, San Felipe, our home base for the trip, wide awake and ready.
The Highgrounds Compound, Iba
Day one was all about open play with Zambales Pickleball Club at The Highgrounds Compound in Iba: new faces, good matches, and courts we don't get to play on nearly enough. It's also where one of the trip's best running jokes was born.
Airbnb Nights
After a full day on the courts, we wound down at our Airbnb, and this is where mommy Nene gave what can only be described as an Oscar-worthy performance. She pulled out that TikTok trend where you say the same line in a bunch of different emotions, and ran through "matutulog ako" as Angry, Disappointed, Flirty, and Happy, each one more unhinged than the last. We were in tears laughing. Add in a pool, good company, and zero urgency to be anywhere, and that's how a night at the Airbnb turns into one of the best parts of the whole trip.
Day Two: Court Hopping to Pampanga
We left Zambales at 12:30PM on July 26 and drove straight for Pampanga, where Day 2 open play was waiting. On the way, we made a quick stop at Jungle Base Pickleball for coffee and photos at their courts before continuing on, a nice little detour on the way to the main event.
Then it was on to the Pampanga Pickleball Center for Day 2 open play, where we got to share the courts with Court Rebels Club for a full round of games.
The Never-Dying Adobo
Nobody left this trip hungry. Dinner was adobo, inihaw na liempo, and bbq, the kind of home-cooked, still-warm food that makes a long day of pickleball worth it. The adobo, specifically, deserves its own headline: it was so good and so plentiful that it survived into the next day and was still being eaten well into Day 2. Truly, the never-dying adobo. Huge thanks to Ria for cooking it, and to Marvin for prepping the bbq, with the boys taking over grill duty to cook it and the liempo to smoky perfection. Our unofficial sous chefs mommy Nene, Des, Vhen Vhen, and kuya Mhon kept breakfast running, and Jerome pulled dishwasher duty the whole trip. A whole crew keeping everyone fed.
And then there was the snacking: non-stop, all trip. Roadside tupig passed around straight from the van, and of course Kaka Coco's ice cream served in an actual coconut shell, which is exactly as good as it sounds.
We did get scammed on a food tray dinner order at one point (we won't name names, but we see you). Honestly, though? It barely put a dent in the trip. We laughed it off, added it to the group chat lore, and kept going. Throw in a nonstop sound trip in the van and whatever chaos was happening courtside at any given moment, and that's the trip in a nutshell.
Worth Every Minute
Two full days, spent well, with people who can turn even a scammed dinner order into a good story. That's OCPC in a nutshell. Thank you to everyone who came along, to Zambales Pickleball Club and Team Highlands for a great night on the courts, and to Court Rebels Club for the games in Pampanga. A special thank you to Ria and Joe for orchestrating both meetups from start to finish, none of this happens without you two. Until the next trip and the next round of court hopping, we're only getting stronger.