By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
One of the warnings to customers or participants would be: “Don’t take along somebody you don’t like to fall in love with.” Because you just might feel very sorry when you get out of the beautiful places you will find yourself in. The scenic spots just might make you so romantic you will unintentionally fall in love with the person next to you or your companion.
About three decades ago, I wanted to put up a travel and tours business but not the way you know such businesses around. It will be so designed as a stress buster for executives, managers, business owners, and other people leading stressful lives. They certainly need this. No matter how much will be the fee or the charges to be paid, as long as they will really decompress or relax and then go back to their work a lot more centered and with high mental clarity.
There would be no need to bring them to the Caribbean or abroad. Local tourist spots would do. With nice accommodations and good activities, there would be a beeline to book a place or a slot for just a weekend. The target clients as earlier mentioned would demand for a service deluxe and they are willing to pay good money for it.
Activities they can participate in would be mountain climbing. There are a lot of good mountains in Baguio’s environs for this. A good guide however would be a must. Somebody who can match the skills of hard core mountain climbers and at the same time a good entertainer along the way. But there should be others for different categories like those for the overweight and senior citizens, and for the young and eager-beaver types who are bursting with energy.
There are also many hot springs or spas around where they can soak themselves in warm water with so called beneficial chemicals like sulfur. They will unknowingly be sweating out the toxins in their bodies and be relaxed by the temperature while exercising their muscles and other parts of their physique. Stiff joints and necks would slowly become nimble, as their blood pressure would slowly go down as their blood vessels get dilated.
Yoga exercises would also be part of the daily routine. Nothing relaxes your whole being better than well executed yoga forms and some simple meditation.
At night, there would be a bonfire and a barbecue session in a rural setting. For the hardcore carnivores, organic chicken or etag or kini-ing or pinuneg would be offered. For the vegetarians, there would be salads and they have to make do barbecuing marshmallows, or okra, or ampalaya if that would be OK. Some folk singers could also be invited for such occasion.
Other activities could be included as the days pass. To repeat the goal is, the customers or participants would be so relaxed after that weekend, they would go back to their work in the city ready to take on the world.
But would I be capable of launching such a business. In starting one, some tuition fee has to be paid as you still have to learn the business. Losses would be incurred during the gestation period which can mean a year or many years. I guess I don’t have the money to pay that kind of tuition fee.
The worst requirement, however, in starting a business is the energy required. It is like pushing a stalled car. It will take a lot of energy to get it moving from a standstill. But once it has got some momentum, it can roll by itself.
I guess, being a senior citizen now, I don’t have that tremendous energy required.
But there just might be somebody out there who is interested to put up such a business or another version of it. When the business gets going, you can ring me up to be one of your customers.**
