this is how i spent easter

I stood rigidly for about an hour in front of the still closed Swan Refreshment waiting patiently for the Cebu bound Ceres bus. It was already 5:30 when it finally arrived and I elbowed my way up the stairs in order to avail of what little number of seats left. The bus top was filled with furniture and so was the back end. It was by a stroke of luck that I spied Jesus (our neighbor) seated on the row next to the door. He was on his way to sell his wares at La Castellana. kanlaon as seen from biak-na-bato, la castellana

Hearing nothing from Reyna the whole weekend, I have resolved to trace the route home I took a week before. Ceres fare was P20 steeper than the buses that service just within the province. Just as I was mulling over whether to take a vhire or a bus to Guihulngan, I received a text message from my “tour guide cum lunch sponsor” so I took an hour ride to San Carlos. There, I had my second cup of coffee before going to the wharf to secure my seat for the 1:30 PM ferry trip (I availed of the student’s discount paying only Php 170.00).

a retired iron dinosaur

Then, off we went to the People’s Park, unprotected from the midday sun. Taking the shaded stone picnic seat by the side of a dead creek (with water black from the refuse of the now closed San Carlos Sugar Central), we talked about a lot of stuff, mainly my angst :)

replica of the san carlos city old city hall

Looking at the seaside teeming with picnickers and swimmers, I felt nostalgic for a spell. I remember the good old days when tatay would bring us to the beach on Easter Sunday (which usually fall on Glory’s, his or my birthday).

Travel was unexpectedly light, and it was a welcome change.