my "tales in two cities"

Over the weekend, i explored bits of two Davao del Norte Cities, Davao and Tagum.

24 May 2008 - after 6 hrs of rejuvenating sleep, i woke up when the alarm rang at 2:30 AM. better early than sorry. it's this money making scheme practised by cebu pacific where they give away slots of those passenger who failed to check in 45 minutes before boarding. if a passenger happens to get into an unexpected glitch on the way going to the airport, not only will the reservation be cancelled but the passenger will be considered a "no show" and will have to pay a no show fee, fare difference and a rebooking fee. no, i didn't want to be in that place (again) so by 3:30 AM, i was already waiting for raqs and maddie to pick me up at 626 tapsilogan.

minutes past 6 in the morning and we had our first picture of the trip at the parking lot where our hostess waited to shuttle us from the airport to their apartelle to have breakfast and wait until it's time to check in at Sychar hotel.

two hours later, with a tote in tow, i walked on what i thought was the way towards JP Laurel where, according to research, I could get a ride to calinan. 30 minutes and many wrong turns later, i found myself in the middle of a parade of uniformed men and women (it was only later that night on my way to the ecoland terminal from the hotel when i learned from the taxi driver that those were members of MNLF who were in Davao City for the 2nd Mindanao Leadership Peace Summit that was graced by MNLF chair Nur Misuari.
so i was lost and decided that i should retrace my steps. that i did. but i only went as far as the nearest sari-sari store and asked for directions. from there, the rest went by in a breeze. well, except for the maddening stops made by the PUJ to take on passengers. the trip to calinan took more than an hour with major stops at bangkerohan where the traffic situation was next to nothing and "ulas" which is the last city limit stop.

from calinan, the "konduktor" informed that i still need to take a cab going to malagos where the philippine eagle center is located. at the curb where the puj dropped me off was another store. sensing my need for direction, one of the men resting neath the shade asked where i was going. after the briefest of negotiations, we both hopped on his bike and off we went to malagos which is around 7 km uphill ride from calinan for php 30. that was my first habal-habal ride. along the way, i spied the dole pineapple plantation and the puentespina orchid farm

i must be the first out-of-towner to arrive for that day. i didn't think that 10 a.m. would be too early for a nature appreciation activity. with the raptors center back at los baños in mind, i bought a liter of bottled water thinking that i will have a great deal of walking to do .

anyways, the birds have just been fed and must have gone grooming somewhere so i just looked around for a bit. then i saw this giant reptile. at first, i thought this might have been just an exoskeleton until it opened its wide mouth as if stretching after a nap.

when i went back to check on the center's most popular denizen, PAG-ASA, there she was in all her glory; hopping from one branch to the next; gliding from the highest perch to a roosting beam, diplaying her regal wings, wowing the crowd that started to gather.

two hours went by so fast and it was time to leave for my next appointment. before leaving, i bought glory and dad each a shirt with a black and white print of an eagle bust on the chest.

past the hour of 12 noon, i was still at the malagos market waiting for the puj to fill. thankfully, it finally did. and even a miracle happened. the trip back only took 35 min. by that time the group i was with has already checked in at sychar hotel. hungry already, i grabbed a quick bite at mcdo near victoria park before joining the rest of the group at the hotel.

after an express bath that i am an expert of, off we went to the Redemptorist church to witness the exchange of vows between Clint and Mabaj and arrived there with plenty of time to spare before a heavy spell of rain fell.

i dunno what happened there for a sec. either we started late or the wedding following the Guevarra-Abaja nuptials came in too early for their schedule. not only were we able to take some shots with the really nice flower arrangement as the photo session resumed at the church facade.

even in my haste to take a free ride with the castillos on their truck, it's a wonder that i still managed to capture one sweet moment that the newly wed shared just before they released the doves.

Reception followed at the top floor of Mandaya Hotel. when the sun has finally set, the drapes were drawn apart to reveal the cityscape bathe in a myriad of night lights. i especially liked the brownies which i ate with gusto. well, i paid equal attention to the soup, "lechon", seafood curry, stemed rice, fried rice, unknown chicken dish...etc. before the best man made a toast, the hotel waiters did what they called a wine parade.

after bingeing (there is no other word for it), what better way to appease that niggling guilt with a slow walk around the place. as the people's park was nearby, we took a brief detour before going back to the hotel to change, pack my stuff and leave for tagum (where i arrived at 10:04 pm fighting bouts of extreme sleepiness while in transit).

25 May 2008 - morning dawned bright but i didn't notice. i was sleeping blissfully until my tummy protested. outside the guest room, nobody was there so i went about my morning routine. i ate by myself as they all have long digested what they had earlier. there was so much to do (there are table and chairs to arrange, pancit to cook and the celebrant to bathe) but cheche and myself just sat at the terrace (i was sipping coffee while she was minding nikki), catching up with what we have been up to in the last year until a throng of their relatives came to give a hand.

my latest inaanak: Caitlin Dominique

the morning's activities left me with very little energy, i took a much needed nap. david cook's numbers in my shuffle managed to drown the ruckus outside, it was already 4 pm when i woke up. debating whether to leave for davao or stay in another night (the sison boys doing karaoke injustice), i decided to explore the city on my own. after taking a green cab which passed downtown tagum which was quite busy with church goers, i found myself inside the NCCC mall by the highway. i bought stuff for the folks at home and had to make a second trip after realizing that i missed to buy durian candies for the swee toothed kids back at the workplace.

26 May 2008 - my batteries failed right after the ceremonies the other day, i wasnt able to take shots of the reportedly guiness record holder rosary (for bead size?) at the christ the king cathedral courtyard in tagum (where i also found a bundle of cash) that i purposedly went back before i took a bus back to davao city for my flight going to cebu.

in a hurry to get the airport on time and still get some good pictures, i waited until after checking-in before i took my first meal of the day. i chose karl's kafe just outside the spacious waiting lounge. finishing off the ham and mushroom omelette was quite a challenge but i did it. but the alaska in my capuccino did me in.

whoa!!! what a weekend that was...

what a night (and daybreak) that was…

it was as if everyone knows that I was in a celebratory mood (see previous entry) that i:
- sat with the powers behind the dotc and ppa thrones for a long evening of trying to review my sibika on acronyms of government agencies and figuring out the general transportation jargon.
- sipped slowly a cup of cappuccino paid for by southern leyte governor
- set foot in a casino for the first time and watched a friend lose Php 1000 to a slot machine in less than an hour.
- reveled in david cook’s winning moment three times on star world
- slept in a downy bed after a truly refreshing and enervating steamy shower
- filled an empty tummy from the scrumptious options at the waterfront breakfast buffet (bacon’s too salty though).

living the dream??? with paparazzi on my tail (and loving it this unholy hour of the morning

it's cook...

This is that moment of moments which a dire fan dare not miss; when the latest American Idol would be named.
It took a lot of will power to shut out the building excitement (one hour and fifteen minutes to the finale) and walk out of house and head for work.
Barely five minutes past the hour of ten and ring went my phone and the person on the other line announced without preamble, “David cook wins”.
Then came three text messages in succession with practically the same content barely a minute later.

Idol Must Haves:

too early for a Christmas wish list, too late for a birthday wish list, but just in time for a going away wish list…

1) a color print out of a teary eyed David Cook from rickey.org after his triumphant rendition of “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey,
2) itunes download of David Cook’s songs (in order of priority: Always Be my Baby, Eleonor Rigby, Music of the Night, Hello, Little Sparrow, Dare you to Move etc.), and
3) any one video download of David Cook’s performances on stage (preferably Music of the Night or Always Be My Baby).

2) & 3) available on i-tunes only until next week (the finals week)
~just humoring the kid in me~

~to my imds colleagues and fwends, see you around...
~can't wait to see who's and what's out there...

the girls went to bantayan

this is what you call a vacation. no need to qeueu to pee. no need to cook to eat. no fuss about sleeping on sans matress floor. the only thing to worry about is where to go and what to do.
unlike my first trip to Bantayan, we tried a lot of new things.



1. we took a "rela" (a cross between a tricycle and a puj; it is run by a motorbike but it's body looks like that of a puj's) that accommodated all eight of us ex, soon to be ex, and presently imds girls; pats and myself on each side of the driver and the other six (rubai, cele, verna, lotte, ace and rhea) on the "trailer" behind us. whoops! more picture of the riders than the vehicle) from the pier going to mercado where we had our first meal on the island. fare for that very short ride was Php 10.00 per head. it would have cost us double if we took a "trisikad" instead.


2. we dispensed with the idea of backpacking and booked 2 rooms for the eight of us at Yooneek Inn. the accommodation is basic. a porch led to the room which is provided with a double bed, a side table with a native lampshade, a wall fan, a table, 2 chairs, and a rack to hang clothes on. on one side is the toilet and bath. another door opens to the back of the room for laundry equipped with a clothesline as long as the depth of the room. i especially liked the french windows that accopied on side of the room adjacent to the main door. it has no beach vista but it offered peace and quiet...and shelter from the rain. bye tents for now.

3. our ignorance cheated us out of experiencing what dining could be at "balikbayan" restaurant and therefore lost the chance of sampling their most advertised specialty "kinunot" (devilfish??? simmered in coconut milk). nevertheless, we all enjoyed eating dinner (on our first evening) to our heart's delight at Marisquiera o Portuguese bar and restaurant. though they didn't have the hospitality of the d' jungle restaurant just across the street (whose chef cum owner, garbed in white cotton shirt and pants welcomed all who happened to pass by with his heavily accented English...50% of which sounded slurred to me),




the moment my eyes strayed on the buffet table and on a plateful of baked scallops, i was glued to the spot. on top of that we were able to avail of a Php 45 discount for being the first group to sit down and eat for the evening. while the other girls hit the billiard table, i was busy nibbling away cubes and cubes of maja blanca ( a dessert i'm not particularly fond of and was even surprised to have enjoyed the resto's recipe), wedges of watermelon, glass after glass of instant iced tea. i went slow with the scallops though having had an uncomfortable episode with its relative (baked oysters) the day after we celebrated cece's birthday at tong's.

another favorite hangout of ours (to grab something to eat) was Yooneek Beach Restaurant. it was a short walk from the room but offers a variety of dishes. as if the brunch we had back at virgin island wasn't enough, we still had club house sandwiches and mojo potatoes at around two in the afternoon. dinner which we wolfed down at an alcove shaped like a banca (where there is very little light and nobody can witness how depraved we looked like for food)near the bar was a healthy serving of seafood chopsuey paired with the cholesterol laden lechon kawali (i had mine with draft beer; burp!!!).

4. the best way to get around the town is biking. besides being a much cheaper alternative than availing public transport, it also allows one to stop at whim and enjoy a certain spot. the house next to Yooneek Inn (actually owned by the inn's caretaker - who, btw also can provide a thermos of hot water for Php 30 by request and cook food at a quite steep rate. we paid Php 40 to have a kilo of rice cooked including a loan of plates and 'silverware') rents out mountain bikes. I had this yellow beauty for Php 25 an hour. it has been three or fours years since i last got on one, but the traffic around sta. fe quelled my queasy stomach. we started way before dark in an attempt to find a place where we could have our next meal.

5. nothing beats leaving the rat race and going back to the basics...provided that somebody else has to do the basics...hehehe. lazing on a hammock after a hearty meal which manong bangkero prepared...sounds inviting eh. the beach here was superb...well, until almost noon when more and more pumpboats occupied the swimming areas. it is best to start early, like we did so that by the time the beach gets crowded and peace and quiet ceased to be, you are ready to go home...without feeling shortchanged.

ever seen cats fighting?

bjork drawing first blood

aftermath...poor thing...shaking uncontrollably

anti-vitamin for the eyes...bane or boon?

ferns opposite the Don Salvador toilet stop

I couldn’t imagine how uninteresting a driver’s life could be (and I am referring especially to drivers of vhires which ply the Toledo-Cebu route and back), being not a professional driver myself, and not a male driver specifically.
Taking the van’s front seat has always fascinated me. It provides ample leg space (that can even accommodate a bulky luggage which you don’t want crushed by other people’s stuff at the rear of the van) and gives an unobstructed view of the road which presents many opportunities for taking pictures while cruising.
The thing was, I was about to board the front seat when the dispatcher stopped me and said that it was already reserved. I tried to reason that I didn’t see anyone queuing before me. He had an answer ready for that one, like the person went away for a spell to grab something to eat. So I didn’t argue. Intent in traveling comfortably the rest of the way, we waited for the next van to arrive. Sis and myself took the seat behind the driver while an elderly man opted to take the front seat. I heard the dispatcher say the same line he told me. Later only I realized that they put together two girls in front, one clad in sleeveless baby shirt that barely reached her middle, next to the driver. Our eyes (sis and mine) met in total understanding. Apparently we didn’t pass muster…hehehe.
This was the final incident that completed my day of bloopers.
Having started the day at a wrong foot (decided on a whim to take the second trip to San Carlos from Bacolod via Don Salvador), I expected nothing less would happen for the rest of the day. While we were on our way to the terminal, a bus bound to San Carlos has already left and it was too late to flag it down being inside a PUJ. So at the terminal we took the next bus with San Carlos sign on it. We waited 30 minutes for it to fill. I was confused for a bit as when it finally left, the bus turned towards the direction of the hospital. We took the wrong bus. Taking advantage of the traffic, we alit at the first opportunity when the bus stopped and wove our way through the stationary cars. Walking back to the bus terminal, I stepped on animal dung. At San Carlos, the fast craft left already and we had a choice to take the 12:10 Melrivic (a cross between Lite Ferry and Fast Craft) or wait for the speedier smaller craft. Both arrived at just about the same time at Toledo port. Then there’s the thing with the van.
Sigh. My happy disposition that day helped. Besides snapping at the dispatcher one time, for most of the trip we just laughed at our misfortunes.

Pasalamat Festival 2008

let the pictures tell the story...

oblivious to it all