Sunday, June 26, 2011

Freedom Climb in Pico de Loro


Prologue

On 12 June 1898, at Emilio Aguinaldo's ancestral home in Cavite, Philippine independence was proclaimed and The Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence was read. The act had been prepared and written in Spanish by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, who also read its proclamation.

113 years later, hundreds of mountaineers commemorated the Philippines Independence Day in Mt. Pico de Loro, which is located where else but in the Province of Cavite. The event, dubbed as the Freedom Climb, was participate by mountain enthusiasts all over the country as a bid to set a new Guiness World Record in the most number of mountaineers organized in spontaneous locations.

Chapter One
Emergency

Three days before the climb, non-stop rain caused by the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone that resulted to Typhoon Dodong was all across the country that one can only clearly predict what to expect in the mountains with that kind of weather. This kind of matter is no stranger to the Law Mountaineering Society, which prior stints were conducted while raining. They might actually call themselves as Storm Chasers as well. Thus, not even a weather forecast of a thunderstorm would prevent them from participating in the Freedom Climb. Probably, the only thing that could prevent them from climbing is when Commissioner David Stern decides to moved Game 6 of the NBA Finals on the 12th of June (Manila Time). Fortunately and obviously, it did not happen. So there was no stopping them on their much needed endeavor because classes resumes on Monday.

The mountain to conquer this time is Pico de Loro. Many years ago, the Spaniards aboard their galleons to Manila Bay noticed the form of a giant parrot, perched in the forested mountains in the province of Cavite. They called it "Pico de Loro" or "Parrot's Peak." It is 664 MASL or a refreshing four-hour minor climb. The group visited this mountain almost a year ago and it was definitely quite an unforgettable experience. Honestly, it was hard to beat.
On this occasion, only five of the previous ten hikers returned plus three new "guests" of the mountain.

The meeting place was in KFC Baclaran branch in Diplomat Condominum along Roxas Boulevard in Paranaque. 9 am was the ETD but being Filipinos, which had no timeliness in their veins, it was not followed. It should be worth to recall that during the last time, a member came three hours beyond the scheduled time and the rest were already inside the bus when he arrived. On this edition, he still arrived over the time limit but he was not the last one to arrive. That award goes to Weng. Phillip, Hydee, Vhince and his cousin Mark were inside the fast food chain when she arrived. Dennis and Raffy were in the market making last minute shopping. At first, Weng did not notice them inside so Phillip, who had seen her, went outside to call her. The first thing of business was reacquainting with each other. Everyone knew each other except for Mark because they are schoolmates and had climbed together before.

It was already past ten o'clock when they settled in and set to depart the place. Amidst to everyone, Weng had second thoughts of going. And so while the others were already in the other side of the road, Weng had convinced Raffy, being the team leader that she had an emergency to attend. With that unfortunate incident, six were only left to accomplish the feat. It was a good thing, Vhince decided to join and bring his cousin because he only knew of the activity the previous day. Upon learning Weng's reason why she had bolted out, Dennis, who celebrated his birthday a day before, even joked that the emergency was his cousin Felix. Eventually he was correct, while in the bus, the couple texted that they were also going to Pico de Loro.

When they reached the last bus stop, they moved out from the vehicle and rested in a cafeteria along the main road. They decided to wait for the two before they proceed to Magnetic Hills, which is the jump-off point of the mountain. During the long wait for the love birds, the six ate their lunch and they had an interesting meal because a fly was an added ingredient in their food. Fortunately, Vhince had noticed it after they had eaten their food. After more than an hour of patiently waiting for the two late-entries, they had arrived aboard
a tricycle. Still, it took an eternity before they had resumed their journey (Courtesy of Weng's unlimited picks in the grocery store). Going to the DENR site requires riding a tricylce or a van. The latter was unavailable so they chose the former. On board in a tricycle uphill is one of those moments that you feel like riding a turtle. The other trikes were able to ease through the tough road but the one stood out the most. It was so slow that even a camel can passed it through. What would seem like a long ride, Vhince, Mark and Phillip arrived at the DENR station. They had affixed their signatures in the registration list and they were off to the jump-off point.



Chapter Two
Lost in Translation

This so-called Freedom Climb was also dubbed as the Birthday Climb. Two of its pioneers celebrated their birthdays during the past week. Phillip was still eleven years old but another year of experience that amounted to 15 years, meanwhile, Dennis had his Nth birthday. Phillip brought food to eat while Dennis provided the alcohol for the evening festivities. It was kind of ironic to celebrate another year of existence in a mountain that almost claims you the previous year. Dennis had a scary stint here the last time around while Phillip had his share of scary stories as well. Needless to say, they somewhat own the mountain or is it vice-versa. Nonetheless, all of them were excited for yet another unforgettable trek.

At the very same spot they started a year ago, they embarked another journey to the mountain. This time around, they had no guides to accompany them. Of course, there are risks included with such decisions like getting lost in the mountain is one of them. However, someone said that all things that worth doing will be difficult. And this sort of thing surely fits on the worth doing category. Thus, it was around two in the afternoon when they started their ascent to the mountain. Felix, who was hungry, ate his lunch while walking. Their pace was quite the normal walk in the mountains. The weather was friendly to them. There were no rains as well as the scorching heat from the sun. There were no dusts at all. What was left by the rain was dry mud. The trail towards the mountain was covered by trees. 
All over it were trace marks such as stones and ribbons so that a hiker should know what route to take.

Another registration site was passed through by the group. It means another 20 Pesos registration fee for each of them to pay. They rested there for awhile. Vhince and his cousin fetch a bottle of water there. It was the only water source in the area. The place was somewhat a park intended as a lounge for the hikers. It was comfortable there. It should be noted, the only animal in that part of the mountain was a horse. One female hiker from the UP-Los Banos group was caught surprise that there was a horse in front of her. If she did not recognize it, the horse had kicked her up to the top of the mountain. After a short rest, the group continued its climb. They were above the normal pace that they have surpassed the 18-man group that was ahead of them. Aside from their fellow hikers; one can only felt the presence of the mountain. Whether it’s from the trees or the muddy and rocky trails or the chirping sounds produced by its visiting birds.

Everything that happen the rest of the way is incomparable to what transpired next to half of the members of the group. Phillip, Raffy, Vhince, and Mark were way ahead from Dennis, Felix, Hydee, and Weng. Probably because of the hype of being near to the top, no one noticed the purple ribbon on the right portion of the trail and they went straight ahead. Shortly after, they met two female climbers stranded in a stiff cliff trying to make their ascent. Uncertain of the trail, Phillip asked Raffy to go ahead and try to look if it is the right trail. Upon seeing a white ribbon marker, Raffy said Positive! Positive! Remarks that signal that they were in the right track. The two women were still not satisfied that they remained there while the three followed suit to Raffy. Being there previously felt that they never chartered the place before but resigned to that conclusion due to the facts that were laid to them. They waited for the others to come but they did not. And so they went straight ahead. It was quite obvious that it was not the road to take because there were branches 
that covered the whole trail. And still they continued to move on. After a few guesses and hunches of which way to proceed they reached a breathtaking view deck of the mountain. Because the place was all theirs for their taking, it was peaceful and wonderful feeling of seeing the peak of the mountain. Even though they ended the wrong path, a glorious sight was lo and behold in front of their eyes.

In the first instance they set foot there, Phillip instantly knew they are in the wrong place. He told it to Raffy but he did not believe him and even bet for his life. Obviously because there were no people at sight, Phillip was right and he teased him, It is pity to lose your life. Still, being himself, he allowed the others to savor the moment. Then, he felt that he was the bearer of bad news so he told them that they have to leave. Meanwhile, the other group made it to the right camp site in the shoulder viewing deck of the mountain. They were worried of not seeing the other four there. Dennis thought that Phillip had go to the summit to pray the rosary which was his routine but had thoughts of why they did not waited for them and left their things. They look everywhere for them but sill there were no signs of them. Fortunately, there was a telecommunication signal so Weng called Phillip.

Phillip had just crawled down on the stiff cliff they had been earlier with the two female hikers when his phone rang. He answered it and recognized Weng's voice. She asked him, where they are. Phillip replied that they were on their way. He did not asked for instructions and even did not told them that they took the wrong turn. He just told her that they just took a side trip in the mountains. Fortunately, they were able to retrace their path and saw the purple ribbon that they should have noticed earlier. And by the way, there was a fence on the trail they had passed but it was open for still unknown reasons. It was minutes before sunset when they had reached the camp site, which was covered by a lot of people. It was crowded and noisy which was much different from the previous deck. Upon seeing them, the others had their sigh of relief that nothing happened to them. (Writer's Note: The four did not get lost; they were sightseeing in the mountain.)


Chapter Three
Yakitate Pico

Because of what happened, the four were the talk of the town or mountain rather. Felix made fun of the incident and probably telling everyone that they were the ones who got lost in the woods. The rest of the group, who was not part of it, also cracked some jokes to them. Of course, the four "navigators" were quite embarrassed because of what had transpired. It was sure an experience for Mark, who is a graduating Pol-Sci major in Colegio San Juan de Letran, because it is his first ever climb. Nonetheless, Vhince was the standout of the group during the evening due to his creativity in the Culinary Arts. With little resources, he managed to prepare dinner for the whole group. It took more than an hour to finish it but the wait was worth it. The meal was splendid probably due to their hunger but it was really good.

Most of the group slept early because of the tiresome adventure earlier. Dennis, Felix and Mark were the ones awake and drunk some brandy. Later, due to the noise of the other campers, Phillip woke up and joined the three. They just talked about what happened earlier. And when it stopped, basketball was the topic because of the ongoing NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks versus LeBron James and the Forces of Evil a.k.a the Miami Heat. Then they ran out of chaser because they had inadequate supply of water. And so they called it a day and went to their respective tents.

The night was cold but still the weather was kind and did not soak rain throughout the evening. The moon and the stars provided the light for the hikers. The place was noisy due to the big crowd but it was perhaps okay for everyone. The ground was uneasy but has been comfortable all throughout. Indeed, the mountain was much accommodating to them.



Chapter Four
The Parrot's Peak

Due to the bad weather the last time they reached the summit, they did not go beyond to the Parrot's Peak that is situated right across the summit. This time, they will not waste the opportunity of not going there. They had no rush of reaching the peak during the sun rises, probably, due to a lot of people going there as well. Nevertheless, they ascended to the top while the sun has showed its true glory and might. After everyone had eaten their breakfast, they prepared for their assault to the top of the mountain.

On their way up, the group followed the 18-crew roster that included the two hikers that got lost earlier. Naturally, Felix bombarded non-stop jokes along the way. When they did reached the top, there were already a lot of people taking their pictures offered by the mountains full scenic view. Dennis brought along a tripod but it was not used because of the summit's landscape. After the photo-op sessions, they proceed to the peak of the mountain that resembles a parrot. Hydee declined to join the rest of the group and waited for them at the summit.




The path going there is a rocky downhill trail and then to the muddy stiff way and up again to the boulders situated there. The only challenge is the six feet ascend to the peak that requires the use of a rope. The nylon rope tied there is quite old but still strong enough to hold a person. The rest were able to climb up except for Mark who had a change of heart that he decided not to push through. Nonetheless, the group continued their climb and eventually reached its top. The view from the top is not majestic (Writer's Note: I am still looking forward to seeing something majestic maybe in the Himalayas someday) but still it was marvelous. A 360 degree of the mountains nearby, the calm and peaceful sea in Batangas, and the island of corregidor. It was quite extraordinary. One can really appreciate the importance of Independence Day when he can freely see the glorious things that Nature had to offer for Mankind.
While going back to the camp site, they made several photo sessions courtesy of the lone digital camera of the group. There were still a lot of hikers making their ascent. One group resembled a fast food chain crew that Phillip instantly asked one of them for a Half-Steak order (A code for 1-piece Burger Steak of Jollibee). Then he was shocked that the lady replied as if she was in the counter, "Half-Steak Please.) And everyone relayed the order down to the last one. He had the last laugh though because he asked for extra rice to that last person in the line. In any rate, it was already hot when they reached the camp site. They packed all their things and prepared for their descent.


Chapter Five
Water-Less Descent

Imagine a life without water. Catastrophic indeed. Now, imagine a 644-meter above sea level walk without any water, it is neat catastrophic as well. With no water, the group hurriedly went down to the water source that was too far from the camp site. It felt that they were in the desert but instead of sand, only mud was on their feet. Dehydrated is the only apt word that can describe them, They 
made no unnecessary movements and unnecessary remarks even. The only thing on their mind was water. Water. H2O. Agua. Tubig. It took them a climb to the mountain to realize the importance of water. Life is remarkably cruel indeed.

The original plan was to visit the waterfalls after the hike but thanks largely to the lack of water supply; the plan was scratched and went straight to the water source. Dennis stuck with the original plan and move ahead to the water falls. The rest of the group continued their quest of the Holy Grail or water rather. Most of the group was anxious to see the jackfruit or langka that swarmed over the fences because it marks that they are near to the promise land. Two hours of trekking without water is similar to a title drought of 17 years (Ask Jason Kidd), and then finally Oasis came. Water at last arrived in their mouth. They even did not mind the much expensive can soda just to quench their thirst.

They rested for awhile there. Eat Indian mangoes. Chat with the people there. More importantly, Sit and relax there. No more worries. It was really a day of independence, Free from distractions. Free from problems. Free from being malevolent students. Free from law professors. Free from work. Certainly it was a momentary day of freedom. The exclamation point would be a refreshing swim in the falls.


Chapter Six
Phillip and the Two Brassieres

Only Felix, Weng, Mark and Phillip went back towards to the waterfalls. Weng brought some refreshments for Dennis, who had already spent an hour or so in the cold water. Like cars that were refueled, they were rushing intensely for the falls. On their way home, they
passed a lot of people who were thirsty as they were earlier. Thus, Weng played as a Good Samaritan and offered a bottle of water to the exhausted hikers. Felix and Weng were worried about
Dennis while Phillip was hoping badly that the two ladies, who were liberal to show their brassieres to the people in the summit, would be there. And sure when he arrived at the falls, he was disappointed. At least, Dianne, the cute Morena from the UPLB group, was there. Briefly, she even posed with only her top on while in the water. Then, when Phillip took a dip into the water, his prayers were answered. The two women who look like those in the Koreanovelas in the boob tube had arrived.

The two immediately took off their clothes and went straight to the falls. If there were really goddesses, they fit in that category nicely. Interestingly, all eyes were at them. It seemed that they were just taking a cold shower in the bathroom. That was Mother Nature at her very best. Felix, who was with Weng at the falls, swam back near the shore to avoid the lady while Phillip swam over there to take himself a shower too.

The water was so cold that you can use it as a refrigerator for your beverage. It is also to deep that it was fortunate that there were big rocks to lean all over the place. It was really quite refreshing to swim on the water. It took away the tiredness of the body. An hour in the water was more than enough and they agreed to return to the registration site.



Chapter Seven
Raindrops keep falling on my head

The five of them were anxious to get back when the previously gracious weather turned vicious and provided thunder and a ton of rain. All of them were definitely soaked and wet. Instead of being clean after a refrishing swim in the waterfalls, they were wet, dirty and muddy. Fortunately, when the rain started pouring, they were almost halfway through their destination.

♪♪Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me.♪♪

It seems that they had a soundtrack while walking in the rain. The last time around was that they were searching water and this time they were escaping from water. How ironic it seems. Meanwhile, Vhince and Raffy were preparing their lunch when the heavy rain fell while Hydee was taking a bath in the rest room. That is really not a perfect timing. Things like this always happen especially to this people. Rain and the LMS are inseparable.

They were all in the hut when the rain had finally ended. Most of the hikers who took shelter left immediately. The group chose to eat first before they left the vicinity. It took another hour before they continue their journey. The trail is not muddy and wet. They patiently struggled to exit the mountains but certainly enjoy every precious moment of it. As Phillip had said to a couple of hikers earlier at the top, "Thank you for coming and Come again soon," is a perfect phrase the mountain can use for her special visitors.

Mr. Rosario Goes to Pangasinan


My name is John Llloyd Cruz. Just kidding. I am Phillip Randolff Rosario but my friends call me Phillip. My law school professors call me Mr. Rosario. I am not special in a famous kind of way. I pretty much don't like to be in the limelight, anyway. However, being famous has its perks. You can go everywhere you like because of what you are famously do. Since I was a child I dream of going to different places. My teacher once said that books bring you to different places. It worked for me but it was never enough. Vehicles really carry you into places not books. Enough of me, I will now tell my very first experience in the north side of our country. I have been never to the province of Pangasinan.



Day One

The day was started very early. The sun was just about to rise when I reached the road. The weather was fine that it enticed me to go head. I planned to go to Manaoag Church to pray. However, the terminal in Pasay was so crowded that it pushed me to try my luck in Cubao. It as much worse. There were a lot of people. Couples holding their hands while falling in line. Elderly people and Children were seated at the seats in the terminal. Speaking of which the terminal was noisy through various factors, the vehicles passing in EDSA, the buses arriving and exiting the terminal and the people there cause the noises.

I was discouraged to continue my solo journey but I had another plan. My classmates had plans of spending the holiday vacation in Hydee's town so I texted her that I was already in the terminal. She was so surprised that she texted me if I was serious. After a bunch of messages, she eventually believed me. I felt that it was too eraly to fall in line so I ate pancit in a nearby store then I seated in the seats in the terminal. There I talked to a lady passenger. Unfortunately, her male companion had arrived and left her seat. I killled time by monitoring the buses entering the place and the passengers boarding the bus. I also gazed to people sleeping at the corner who were clearly tired of waiting for their time to leave.

After an hour of waiting, I decided to fall in line to the Dagupan route because of a gorgeous woman was there. Fortunately for me, I texted Hydee about it and she informed me I was wrong. She instructed me to fall in line in the Alaminos-Bolinao route. That line was shorter than the first and the buses going there were the first ones to arrive. As a result, it took less an hour of standing in the line and about to enter the bus. Unfortunately, my companions were not still around.


At long last, barely five hours in the terminal, my friends finally arrived. I saw a glimpse of them from the entrance of the terminal. Hydee together with her friend, Cielo, met Raffy in a nearby fastfood chain. They were followed by Weng and Felix. Then Eny came and afterwards, Dennis arrived. It took awhile before they had noticed him. When they did see me, there were no immediate reactions. Curiously, Cielo was the first one who approached towards him because she wanted to avoid the scourging heat. Subsequently, Raffy offered to take my place from the line. It was a no brainer for me to accept it. I was really hungry at that time. Fortunately, they had brought him something to eat. I chatted with the rest of group before eating his food. After reacquainting with one another, I found a spot where he can eat. While eating his Burger Mcdo and large French Fries, he had conversations with the relievers of a donut store in the terminal. He found out that they were not earning a double pay for their work on that day, which was a non-working holiday. At any rate, after a moment of refreshment, I returned to my spot.



Finally, the hour of reckoning had arrived. The bus that will carry this "adventurers" came. However, they caused some fiasco in the said place because they pissed some passengers who had really waited in the line. Fortunately, I had told to one of the dispatcher about his companions so they were allowed to board the bus. Being first on the line, they had the option of selecting the seats they wanted.

Hydee and Cielo seated in three rows behind the driver's side while Eny seated opposite of it. Weng and Raffy seated at the back of Eny's
seat while Dennis and Phillip sat next to them. The bus was full that some were even seated at the middle of the bus using mini stools as their seats. Even though all signals directly point that they were about to leave but it took half an hour before they had leave the terminal. Before the bus left for Bolinao, Felix, who cannot join this trip, made his goodbyes through a kiss with Weng.

Pangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is situated on the west central area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers. The name Pangasinan means "land of salt" or "place of salt-making"; it is derived from the words Pang, meaning for and asin, meaning "salt”, or For Salt in the Pangasinan language and other related languages. The province is a major producer of salt in the Philippines.


Inside the bus, they were entertained by the movies that were shown to them. The first film was Piranha 3D while the second one was Bulong. Phillip felt that it was quite a coincident that they were for a swimming escapade and the movie they were watching was about
sea creatures that eat flesh of humans that were swimming in the lake. Although, he was so tired because what had transpired earlier, he was not able to get some sleep. Maybe it was his excitement or he just want to watch the films. Nonetheless, he did not expect anything that might happen the rest of the trip. From what happened, he really should have. In the bus stop, he went out together with Dennis to go in a rest room. After paying for using the toilet, they looked for something to eat but the prices were so high that it looked they travelled to another country. When they have purchased their expensive food, they returned to their bus. They were surprised that the bus was more crowded than before. It took longer
than usual before they returned to their seats. When darkness fell, there were still on the road. I continued on looking through the window in order to know where they are even though it was his first time there. The night was auspicious that he can see various landmarks and other places they had passed through. From one town to another, passengers alight from the bus signaling that they are much closer to their destination. When they have reached the city of Alaminos, Cielo alight the bus. Minutes later, they reached the municipali-
ty of Bani, which was their point of destination. Hydee alerted the bus driver to stop the vehicle.


Their house is situated along the main road. The place was a two-storey building that includes a balcony. It was
purely dominated by white paint. It has two main entrance doors. There is also a garage. The inside was equally amazing. Right next to the door, was the rest room. In the right corner of the hose was the living room. The dining room is adjacent to it. The Kitchen is on the left side of the dining room. It also has a coffee nook in the left portion of it. Another living room is situated right next to it. The second floor was interesting that there were a lot of rooms situated there including a room that divides the comfort room and the shower room. At the far left of that floor is the balcony of the house.

The group was warmly received by Hydee's relatives. The dogs were also nice to them, albeit, Weng was so eager to avoid them that she entered the house quickly that no one had notice. Uncle Stew, as he iis fondly called, is an American who married Hydee's aunt and made the Philippines as his home. True enough, he was hospitable to the group. He may be perceived first as a foreigner because of his appearance and language but he had adapted traits that can tell that he is just like any Filipino out there. He entertained the group with his witty remarks and actions. Furthermore, according to the folks there, he knows how to bargain or "tumawad". Also, he asks for things from his neighbors, a typical trait of Filipinos.


It was already nine in the evening and their stomachs were complaining. The meals were 
already prepared by Ate Mylene, Hydee's elder sister. She was so accommodating to her guests that I even joked that she had just have her debut. Asked anything you want was her quick response, which meant that she appreciated the remark. The dining table was exactly fitted for the six of them. The food tasted great. We talked about our exhausting day while having our dinner. We were serenaded by love songs when the DVD player was turned on. When we finally finished eating, we settled our things to our respective bedrooms upstairs.

We drink brandy in the balcony. Dennis, Raffy and I played cards while drinking. Later that night, Eny joined us. We played Pusoy Dos. There was no money involved but we put a stake in our game to be much interesting i.e. the loser will drink a shot of brandy. I'm sure she'll deny this but she was the loser during that night.

Day Two

I did get some sleep but it was still inadequate. I was awake by 
Eny's loud voice. It was time for breakfast. It was quite an interesting breakfast. That very day was Good Friday. As Catholics, we had a custom of abstaining from meat during that day. And so, the meals were fishes except for one. A fried longganisa was cooked for breakfast. It very well caught our attention especially Raffy, who was a former seminarian. All were tempted to get a piece of that "fruit from the poisonous tree" but stuck with their faith or it was because of strong and convincing remarks of not eating it. Later, Ate Mylene told us that she deliberately cooked it to test us. I guess we all pass.

We planned to spend the day in Bolinao to swim in its white sand beaches. We rode a passenger jeepney owned by one of Hydee's relatives. It was less than an hour sojourn. 
When we reached the town proper, we saw a senakulo in front of the church, which looked really ancient outside but an ongoing renovation was being done inside the church. After praying inside the church, I looked for my friends but there were gone except for Weng. We looked for them eventually, we found our jeep. According to my ever reliable friend, 
Google, Folk etymology attributes the name "Bolinao" or this remote fishing enclave from the fish piece "monamon" but commonly called "Bolinao" by the Tagalogs, Bicolanos and the Visayans. A theory also points out that once upon a time "pamulinawen" trees grew luxuriantly along its shores, thus, the Ilocano migrants who crossed the Lingayen Gulf named it phonetically similar to the name of the tree. Nowadays, however, such tree does not exist anymore. Legend also relates that during the first days of the Spanish era, a lovely
lass nicknamed "Anao" lived at the present site of the town proper. She used to bathe leisurely for hours under the Boli-Bolinao tree where a chieftain's son who lived across the channel first saw her and then wooed. An early marriage ensued but with the condition, among others, that the seat of the chieftain's government be moved to the place where Anao lived. There they were to stay rulers, hence the name of Bolinao, Boli-Bolinao and Anao.

Going to the beach was really a struggle because of the bumpy roads and the dust that reached our faces. However, when we arrived there, it was worthy enough. The water was clear. The sand was purely fined and crisp. I have never saw anything like that. There were quite a number of people there. It was also quite rewarding seeing beautiful faces and gorgeous bodies. When I took a dip in the water, I was surprised that part of the beach was full of rocks. It was high tide at that time but I swam a little farther to avoid the rocks. From where I was swimming, I could see Hydee, Eny and Weng swimming closer to the shore. Dennis and Raffy were in the cottage talking. It 
was quite sunny during that afternoon. A few moments later, I decided to go back in the cottage in order get some rest.

Hydee and Weng left us because they will fetch Felix and Megan, who was spending his vacation in San Carlos. While waiting for them, the four of us left played cards once again. As usual, Eny was the loser. When they have returned, we had our lunch.The food was great because I liked Inihaw na Bangus pretty much. The group except for me and Dennis played Beach Volleyball. We just drink a few bottles of brandy while watching them playing in the scourging heat. When they got tired, all of them were sweaty and came running back to the cottage. Furthermore, we buried Felix in the sand and made him look like a mermaid. He caused a stir because the children were amazed at him.

We did not wait for sunset when we decided to leave the place. Because of two additional passengers, Weng, Felix and Raffy placed themselves in the roof of the jeepney. We made a little stopover in the lighthouse. The Cape Bolinao Lighthouse at Patar rises 
majestically 351 feet above sea level atop Punta Piedra Point, a towering hill of solid rock which is the sharp point of Cape Bolinao itself. It was built by the Americans in 1903 on a 351 feet (107 m) high promontory at the western part of Cape Bolinao, the lighthouse still sends signals to vessels passing by the area. The lighthouse provides a panoramic view of a portion of the 1,269 hectare Cape Bolinao Dendro Thermal Ipil-Ipil Plantation on a land area where archaeological excavations have revealed relics from the 14th to the 15th centuries. Filipino, British and American engineers constructed the lighthouse in 1905.

I have never been to a lighthouse before. I was amazed when I saw it. We took some photos with it as our background. Felix made funny antics once again. He went over the cliff while we were standing to pose some pictures. Minutes later, we went back in our jeepney and moved back to Hydee's house. We were all tired from our activity that day basing from the frown faces and closed eyes of my friends. We fell asleep during the trip. When we reached the house, Megan was rushing to the shower room because he was supposed to go back in their house. According to him, they will go to Baguio the following day so he have to return to San Carlos, where 
he is staying. However, Megan did not able to board a bus enroute to Dagupan. He decided to board a Baguio bound bus early in the morning the following day.

Meanwhile, I stumbled upon old books in the Cabinet. From Stephenie Mayer to Stephen King to Nicholas Spark but I chose Jaws instead. It was a bit of irony to read about a shark novel during a swimming vacation. The moment I flipped the first page I was hooked by its story. A few chapters later, I decided to go downstairs. It took a while when we had our dinner, I was really hoping the longganisa will still be there but it was already eaten. The night was quiet. I was busy reading a book. Hydee and Raffy set up the tents outside. Eny, Weng, Felix and Dennis were asleep upstairs. Because Megan have to leave early, he decided not to sleep. And so he browsed for a book to read. Unable to sleep because of my irritating textmate, I decided to go downstair and chat with Megan and Hydee, who returned inside from their "camp."

Megan was reading, " How to find your True Love". Unfortunately for us, he is an inquisitive person so he keeps on asking questions. He does not contend with a single one and continues asking until he is satisfied. Thus, he asked question regarding of what he had read to Hydee. A few steps away, I was listening to their conversations while I comforted a troubled friend through SMS. When a topic arosed my conciousness, I suggested to drink while having conversations like that. Megan did not drink so Hydee and I were the ones who were drinking. We talked about things related to love. It was like listening to Papa Jack's Wild Confessions without the tearjerker comments. It seem forever because of the long talk but after finishing the interesting topics of the book, Megan decided to take a quick sleep. While the rest of the group had awage, I just gotten asleep.

Day Three

I had barely an hour of sleep because we have to leave early for our Hundred Islands adventure. Megan had already left the house. Eny and Weng boarded the car of Uncle Stew while the rest of us rode a tricycle to Alaminos. Wikepedia told me that Alaminos used to be part of Bolinao which was one of the nine towns in the northernmost part of Zambales. A certain Suyang led a group of Zambals in search for a greener pasture. The group journeyed north from the mountains of Zambales, their native land. Eventually, they came upon a shoreline and decided to settle there. the Lieutenant Governor-General captured the high esteem and sympathy of the inhabitants. Under the leadership of Captain Domingo Montemayor, Zarapzap was renamed, “Alaminos” in 1872, in honor of Lieutenant Governor-General Alaminos, the then Governor-General of the Philippines. And from a mere settlement of adventurers, sprung the town of Alaminos.

Kennedy and Zandra caught the midnight trip in Manila going to Alaminos so they were able to join our adventure. We met them at the bus terminal in that city. Subsequently, we went to the market in order to purchase the things we needed in our trip. Then, we rode another tricycle enroute to the "Pantalan". There we met Eny, Weng, Uncle Stew, Ate Mylene and her daughter. The place serves as the  
port of going to the islands. It has various pasalubong booths. It has also a little monument of Limahong, a Chinese pirate, fled to Pangasinan after his fleet was driven away from Manila in 1574. Limahong failed to establish a colony in Pangasinan, as an army led by Juan de Salcedo chased him out of Pangasinan after a seven-month siege.

Our boat's name is Junior but it was big enough to carry us all. The ride was breathtaking because of the islands we have passed through as well as the sea was calm during the voyage. We supposed to embark in an island however Mayor Hernani Braganza had already 
reserved that island to them so we had no choice to be in another island. We have chosen Governor's Island as our destination. From afar, the Big Brother House can be seen. It was used in the Teens edition of the said reality show in ABS-CBN. Now, it serves as 
additional attraction and also allow tenants for a huge sum of money. Junior slowly reached the shore and one by one, we exited the boat. We settled camp in one of the uphill corners of the mountain. At first, nobody swum at the beach except for Uncle Stew, who curiously did not remove his cap while in the water. All help in preparing for lunch. Ken, Zandra, and 
Felix did the grilling of the tilapia and pusit while Raffy, Dennis, and Weng cooked the rice. Hydee and Eny did the other things. I sort of supervise them. (Just Joking).

After lunch, we rested for awhile. Then I decided to take a swim in the water. I was alone. It was hot but the water was cool so I did not felt the heat of the sun. Like in Bolinao, it has also rocks but it was minimal. My swim took longer than I wanted because I wanted to preserve my energy in swimming the another island. However, when I reached the middle part of the sea, something stung my feet. I was not sure what it was but it stung me again. Then my left leg strated to have muscle cramps so I decided to come back to the shore. Fortunately, the guy up there in the sky did not allow me to drown. I went back to the camp as if nothing happened. I rested in the "duyan" to get some sleep. I covered my face through a towel to avoid getting pictures.

When I woke up, I heard Eny's voice again. This time, she was buying something from a teenage boy. From 280 Pesos, she bought it 
with just 130 Pesos. I told her that she should have wished to take it from him for free. Poor boy, he stumbled to the wrong person to sell with. Perhaps out of guilt, she donated it to the group. From the looks of it, they were probably drank because they had two bottles 
of brandy already. Then again, maybe not. Later, they all decided to take a swim except for me and Dennis. I went at te top of the island to see the view that it offers. Also, I needed to
find a signal for my network provider to send some SMS. I just seated there at the top without bothering any of the visitors taking pictures there. Then a Filipina asked me to take a picture of their Korean friends. I politely accepted the request. After that, I returned to our site.

Dennis and I stationed ourselves in a part of the island that has a signal while we gazed at the others in the beach. When we got hungry, Dennis bought sardines in the store. There was still enough rice so our hunger did not stay longer. A few minutes later, the cavalry arrived. They were also tired and got something to eat as well. However, the nine of us were remaining because Hydee's family had already left. Figuring that we could not anymore go to the original island we supposed to go, Raffy, Hydee and Eny had looked for a place to spend the rest of the night. When they did find a place, Eny interacted with the people who settled 
there and she asked if they wanted to sell their brandy. Being generous, they just gave it to her. In exchange, Eny was kissed by a guy from their group.

It was about to get dark so we rushed ourselves to pack our things and carry it to the other side of the island. Even the monoblocks and tables, we have rented were carried. After setting camp again, we prepared for dinner. Kennedy and Felix prepared Sinigang na Bangus. Dennis was gone for quite some time. He was in the other side of the island. He had conversation fromm the people who served as caretakers of the island. It was about dinnertime when he returned. The meal was delightful but it was hard for me to eat the tail part because it was too dark and I could not see clearly the bones of the milk fish. Still, it was great even though the moon was missing and the stars were not as many as they used to in that night.




After the last bottle was emptied, I decided to call it a night and sleep inside the tent. I do not know if it was from fatigue or the inadequate sleeps from the previous days but when i closed my eyes, I immediately fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Felix positioned himself in the 
duyan strapped in the Balete tree. He also fell asleep. However, he had a nightmare and made unrecognizable screams that made the other campers frightened. Luckily, he had been wake up. I thought I should have warned them about the invisible friends in the island but I thought it might scare them.

Day Four

As usual, I was awaken by Eny's loud voice. She served as my alarm clock the whole trip. She was also acknowledge to that fact that she is wondering why I am not yet up even though she her mouth was not stopping to talk anything she wishes. We were all told of Felix's story as our Good Morning. Eventually, it 
died down and we prepared for our breakfast. Our bangkero arrived and told us that we have to leave so we just finished our breakfast and packed our things. The sun had already had risen when we left the island. The boatmen allowed us to hop the other islands. The first one was the Quezon Island. It was different from Governor's Island because it has a bridge connecting two islands. Also, there were a lot of jellyfish in the water. There were too many people there. We reached the farthest point of the island and got our photo-ops. When the all-male group photo pose was about to be taken, the battery was drained. Bad luck for the guys. And so, with no more available digital cameras, we decided to go back to the "pantalan."

When we reached it, Ate Mylene greeted us back with something to eat. At that point, I was eager to go to the bath house because I had to come back to Manila by afternoon because of my coaching commitment. Then Ate Mai told me that she prepared dinuguan for us. It made me think twice. While waiting for the others, I texted my teammates if we have a game. After a long wait, there was no game at all so I can spend the whole day with them. Most especially, I craved for the dinuguan. I even joked that I will miss half of my life if I did not taste Ate mai's version of dinuguan. And so, we returned to Hydee's Crib. Exhausted from the trip, I took a quick sleep. Then Hydee woke me up because it was time for lunch.

It was like a feast. A lot of meals were cooked. However, the main attraction was missing. It turned out; the dinuguan was for dinner so I have to wait for a little longer. Uncle Stew joined us for lunch. He enjoyed our company especially Felix's wacky antics that he offered that we can come back and visit the place with or without Hydee. I even commented that I prefer the without and Hydee overheard that and told it to her uncle. Then Uncle Stew suggested that the next time, he'll rent a Videoke. My big mouth then said that why not now. And uncle Stew agreed. We were inside the living room while waiting for the videoke machine. We played cards, Ken and Sandy played sungka, Felix continued endlessly of requesting for iced tea while reading the newspapers. Weng was keen on learning to play our game.

More than an hour later, the videoke machine arrived. Without looking for the song book, I punched three digits. 5-0-0. Maging Sino Ka Man was the song's title. It was my favorite piece because it is too short. I got a 93. Not bad for a guy like me. We all took our turn in the microphone. Hydee got the highest score of 98. Felix sang. Dennis did so too. Raffy followed. Weng also sang as well as Eny before they left to attend the Easter Sunday Mass. Ken who was shy at first sang too. He had a great voice especially old songs and county music, which were favorites of Uncle Stew. Dennis even ransacked the CD collection in the living room to find songs to sing. Sandy also sang a few songs before taking a sleep.

Just moments after she went inside, she came back and told that she heard something in the house. There were also unseen things inside. Although sleepy, she just seated there with us. The dinuguan was cooked already and served as our pulutan. It was delicious. I almost forgot my name. I was introduced to a white man who was from Albay, which was my province. He is an albino, a person suffering from albinism - the lack of pigmentation in the eyes, skin and hair. He told me his story why he was here. He followed his would be wife here alone because he was told if he really loved her, he will go here. It was 32 years ago. The folks here thought he was an American because of his appearance. The bus fare was 32 Pesos. He gave the conductor a Hundred Pesos and said to keep the change but bring him to his destination. That was an interesting story coming from an interesting man living in an interesting place.

After I left him, my three lady friends return from Church. We were all in the garage, waiting for our turns to sing. When the night had 
struck, Ken and Sandy had to leave early. They did not wait for supper because they have to return to Manila as soon as possible. Fortunately, they were able to board a bus but it took quite awhile. Meanwhile, the rest of us were still occupied by the Videoke machine. Ten songs later including my version of Achy Breaky Heart, we ate dinner. When I took my seat in the dining table, I saw the thing I wanted the most. The main star of the night was the dinuguan. And the longganisa had returned. As they say, two birds in one stone. In my case, two dishes in one utensil.

I was the last one who finished eating. Six pairs of eyes were staring at me and could not believe I am still eating. They even have finished eating the ice cream as dessert and I am still dealing with the dinuguan and longganisa. I really hoped I will not explode during our trip back to Manila. After countless trip of the spoon in my mouth, I had finished eating my dinner. It was amazing.

The moment I had avoided all vacation have arrived. It was our time to bid farewell. It was goodbye Happiness and welcome back reality. I said goodbye to Uncle Stew and shook his hands. I could see the old man's eye is somewhat showed tears that might symbolized that he was sad that we were leaving. Then again, I felt that he was happy with our stint in his house.

To the guys and girls I spent the Holy Week I will never forgot in my lifetime, a thousand thanks for you. Hydee, who without you will not
make this possible and even thuough you did not introduce me to Cielo (joke!) I thank you for four unforgettable days in your province. I hope makaulit.

To Raffy, who I surprised that I am coming also her, it was a pleasure spending an adventure with you. To Dennis, you always act as our kuya and I appreciated it very well. To Megan, even for one day, you revealed my inner Papa Jack.To Weng, please upload the pictures. Seriously, thanks for washing the dishes.To Felix, Ken and Sandy, all of which was the first time I had met, it was great knowing you. Sandy, you have nine more adventures to go. That is it. Wait, I forgot the Take it off girl. Eny, although yhou were always conscious whenever I am around because of fear of something I might write against you but you have the right reasons to fear it. Thanks for being taking the spotlight and being a good sport.

Till next time... I wish it would be sooner rather than later....