it started with an email message sent to me last April 10, 2008 at 3:49 PM. it read:
We are inviting everybody to join us on another tour of Coron, Palawan on May 9-12, 2008.
Open to anyone who loves water activities (swimming, snorkeling), adventure, photography & sight-seeing. Make new friends and/or meet old ones. Reserve now for an unforgettable weekend experience!!!
Regards,
Louie Manalansan & Abet Lagula
RACE
at that time, i was neck-deep in work and anticipating more to be done in the next 3-4 weeks. yes, my dear reader, i would be needing a much-deserved break after several to-be hell weeks of working. and believe me, when i say hell, i mean HELL.
this was the fourth time that Radical Adventure Concepts & Events (R.A.C.E.) have organized a trip to Coron, Palawan, and i knew that I HAD TO GO WITH THEM this time, by hook or by crook. and no amount of workload was going to stop me. that night, Coron was featured in the news as one of the places where GMA-7 shot several scenes of Dyesebel, featuring the lovely Marian Rivera. magdadalawang-isip pa ba ako sa lagay na ito? siyempre, i treated it as a sign na dapat sumama na ako. so the next day, sinabihan ko na sina Abet at King Louie thru YM na sasama na talaga ako – e kasi limited slots pa at that time – 15 lang, kaya nagpa-reserve na ako at baka maudlot pa. after taking care of the filing of vacation leave and depositing of the downpayment, i then proceeded to take care of my workload in the succeeding weeks. let’s just say that i stayed at the office more than i wanted to, just to meet them goddamn deadlines – as in dun na ako nagwe-weekend, naliligo, natutulog (minsan nga hindi na), kumakain, at nanonood ng TV kapag hindi na gumagana ang utak ko katatrabaho. but wait, there’s more: labor day na labor day, andun ako at nagtatrabaho – para lang ma-meet ang deadline. buti pa sina Abet, nag-Mang Jimmy’s nung araw na yun – ako, tumanghod na lang sa pictures nila.
fast forward to may 9: using the .jpeg map na inemail ni King Louie, nagmadali akong umalis ng bahay in order to make it to the 2:00 PM assembly time sa Eva Macapagal Terminal. medyo nagka-problema pa ako sa pag-aabang ng taxi kasi puro sila coding, i.e., hindi puwedeng pumunta sa kailangan kong puntahan. after about 30 minutes of waiting, i managed to get a cab – at pumayag na rin ako sa gusto ni manong na magdagdag na lang ako ng P50 sa ibabayad ko. sabi ko na lang, dapat bago mag-2:00 PM ay andun na ako. naisip ko rin na hindi naman siguro ako hihipuan nito, tutal magdadagdag na ako ng singkwenta sa bayad. mabuti naman at hindi niya ako minolestiya. maabilidad naman itong si manong dahil umiwas na siya sa traffic at nakarating ako doon nang maaga, at about 1:30 PM. siyempre, naghanap agad ako ng kakilala doon. napansin ko ang trio nina Mon, ChaCha at Ohwie na andun na at may dalang print-out ng itinerary, pero palibhasa hindi ko pa sila kilala, naghintay na lang ako ng mga kakilala ko. nabalitaan ko kasing may mangilan-ngilang participants ng Northern Exposure ’07 Batch 1 (aka Club 202) ang sasama sa tour – sina Donnie, Jhen, etc. – bukod siyempre kina King Louie, Abet, at Sheldon (na dito magdidiwang ng birthday niya sa tour na ito).
fast forward pa ulit, dumating naman sina Donnie at Dhang, pati si Lanie. Wala pa rin sina King at Abet. palibhasa ay mga nag-print ng Tour advisory, napansin nitong si Dhang ang item #11: “Be punctual. It is a virtue.” – at isa ito sa mga naging linya sa mahaba at masayang pagpapalitan ng mga linya noong hapong iyon. napagkasunduan pa naming i-text kina King Louie at Abet ang mga katagang “Be punctual. It is a virtue.” para katuwaan lang kumbaga. maya-maya lang ay nagsidating na sina Oros, Jhen, King Louie, Abet, Sheldon at iba pa. siyempre, namulaklak ang linyang “Be punctual. It is a virtue.” pero bilang tugon, nandiyan din yung mga katagang “Patience is also a virtue.” Kaya nag-cancel out lang silang dalawa. matapos ang bigayan ng ticket, nag-check-in na ang iba sa amin para maka-upo at maghintay sa loob. since first time kong sumakay ng Super Ferry from Manila to Coron, medyo nag-ingat ako sa dala kong alak, although hindi naman daw bawal, sabi ng officemate ko. kaya inilagay ko na lang sa malaking bote ng C2 at sa bakal kong thermos ang mahiwaga kong lambanog. mabuti naman at nakalusot iyon sa pagbubusisi ng mga security personnel. bago kami magsi-sampa sa barko, nag-picture picture muna para may ebidensiya – baka kasi isipin ninyo na ini-imbento ko lang lahat ito.
pag-akyat sa barko, medyo namangha ako sa hitsura ng lobby at ng buong ka-barkuhan – well, first-timer kasi eh (at least, hindi two-timer, hehehe). after fixing my things and getting comfortable at my bunk, picture-picture na naman ulit with Abet, King Louie, Oros, Donnie, Jhen, Melody, Paul, Richard and Ivy. si Jhen nga, naka-quarantine pa – as in wala siyang kakilala dun sa puwesto nung bunk niya – pero nakalipat naman siya ng puwesto dun sa amin. parang tumugma tuloy dun sa pag-file niya ng sick l(akwatsa)eave. tsk, tsk. palibhasa at malayo pa ang dinner, nagsitambay muna kami sa cafeteria kung saan kumain muna sina Dhang, Jason, Sheldon, et al. at nag-beer pagkatapos – pang-warm up kumbaga.
matapos ang tambay/photo-ops, nagsi-akyat na kami sa deck para magpa-hangin, mag-yosi, at i-enjoy ang mga tanawin – pati na ang mga dolphins na nandoon. siyempre, hindi naman mawawala ang picture-taking, kaya what the heck, e di ibigay na lang ang gusto nila.
at oo, mahangin sa labas, kaya panay ang ayos ko sa headband ko - pero tinanggal ko na lang din para di ko na ayusin. nang medyo malayo na kami sa pier, saka naman umambon, kaya nagsipasok na lang kami sa loob. itong si Jhen ay nag-bilin na lang na gisingin siya kapag kakain na, kaya obvious sa pangungusap na ito na matutulog siya. habang hinihintay ang oras ng hapunan, nagbasa na lang ako nung dala kong folio ng mga poems at short stories. matapos basahin ang ilang tula, nagka-yayaan nang kumain. pag-akyat namin ng tropa, maikli pa ang pila kaya madali kaming naka-kuha ng tsibog – ang ticket meal nung gabing yun ay beef caldereta, kaya solb solb ang kain. ito namang si Jhen, biglang sumama ang pakiramdam, kaya hindi na niya nakain ang dinner niya. kaya ipinamigay na lang niya ang caldereta niya sa amin (hindi ko na babanggitin kung sinu-sino pa ang kasama dito sa eksenang ito), at nag-pakwan na lang siya bago magpahinga. wawa naman siya, hayun, natuluyan na ngang magka-sakit.
matapos ang hapunan, bumalik na ako sa bunk para magbasa. matapos basahin ang ilan pang tula, may napansin akong pangalan na medyo pamilyar. kaya hinanap ko si Abet para ipakita ang folio, dahil akala ko ay kakilala niya yung isang poet/writer na yun. nang ipakita ko sa kanya yung pangalan, hindi pala siya yun, ka-apelyido lang. since nasa smoking area na ako, naki-arbor na din ako ng yosi at umistambay dun habang patuloy na nagbabasa. hindi masyadong nagtagal at nagka-yayaan nang mag-inuman. dahil may dala akong chichirya, kinuha ko na ang mga ito sabay silid sa plastic bag ng bote ng C2 – na hindi naman talaga C2 ang laman. at dahil bawal mag-inom sa smoking area, dumiretso na kami sa cafeteria para tumungga ng beer – at laking gulat naming nang abutan namin ang isang manong na kumakanta sa videoke machine ng “Laklak.” pambihira, as in “…ang sabi ng lasenggo sa amin: pare, shumoot ka muna! kabilin-bilinan ng lula, ‘wag nang uminom ng sirbisa…” ang binabanatan niyang mga linya. siyempre, hindi kami natinag at tumuloy kami sa pag-inom, habang nagpipigil ng pagtawa sa kanyang pagkanta. pasensiya na ha, pero medyo nakakatawa talaga eh. at oo nga pala, bawal namang mag-yosi sa cafeteria kaya medyo bitin ang tropa – kaya matapos ang 2 pitcher ng beer, 1 pork sisig, 1 tuna sisig at isang pack ng Nova, eh kanya-kanya kaming diskarte ng legit na iced tea, pati yelo at nagsibaba na kami papuntang smoking area. bakit ‘ka ‘nyo? para maituloy ang inuman, this time C2/lambanog con iced tea w/ potato chips on the side naman – at siyempre upang mag-yosi at mag-kuwentuhan tungkol sa iba’t ibang bagay, katulad ng camera models na Nikon D40, D60 at D80, pag-kuha ng macro shots ng strawberry, saging at iba pang prutas, at ang pagtingin sa pelikulang Apoy sa Dibdib ng Samar ni Mark Lapid as high art, among others. masaya naman ang kuwentuhan/inuman kasama ang usual suspects na sina Abet, King Louie, Sheldon, Donnie, Oros, Dhang and Jason. mabuti na lang talaga at nakuha sa packaging ang epektus – kaya next time, i’ll have my reliable C2 bottle ready.
after that stint in the gas chamber/haze room (aka the smoking area), Oros, King Louie, Dhang and I went upstairs to request for bed sheets and pillowcases. since the crew member that was supposed to be stationed in that desk wasn’t around, Dhang sat there and checked if the door to the stockroom was open. when she realized that it was open, we all coaxed her to go inside and fetch us bed sheets and pillowcases. she told the three of us something to this effect: “Kukuha ako ng beddings sa loob, kung kaya ninyo akong ipagtanggol [pag may sumita],” to which Oros immediately replied: “Oo, sagot ka namin.” sumunod ang classic na eksena: nang sitahin si Dhang nung isang crew dahil sa pagpasok sa stockroom, si Oros pa ang unang nag-laglag sa kanya, samantalang dedma naman kami ni King. kung nakaka-gulpi lang ng tao ang titig ni Dhang nung mga sandaling yun, malamang na bugbog-sarado kaming tatlo. comedy talaga, para kang nanood ng Mark Lapid movie. peace, Dhang =). matapos makuha ang mga bed sheets at punda ng unan, inayos ko na ang bunk ko and then i brushed my teeth and gargled before calling it a night. although the aircon wasn’t functioning properly, the hi-speed electric fans compensated for this. when i hit the sack, i was almost knocked out instantly, i.e., i had my best sleep in several weeks.
the following saturday morning, may 10, at about 6 AM, we proceeded to the deck in anticipation of the sunrise and for some photo-ops, of course.
shortly afterwards, the ship docked on the port of Coron. we then proceeded to get our bags from our bunks and made our way down the ship. at the port, Abet shot the group picture with the tour poster as the centerpiece, before several other photo-ops took place.
afterwards, we boarded our designated tricycles on the way to one of the resorts for breakfast – siyempre, masasaya na ang facial expressions namin dahil kakain na naman ulit. reserved for our group was a big hut/dining area at the garden of the venue, and i thought to myself: siguro naman, masarap ang pagkain dito, kung hindi, sayang naman ang ambience. based on RACE’s reputation, the food turned out to be excellent – King Louie took our orders/breakfast preferences the night before, with the choices being tapsilog and daingsilog (the latter turned out to be lamayo, which was danggit prepared a la daing na bangus). i was joined at the breakfast table by Donnie and the lovely duo of Dhang and Jhen (aka the may kanin pa ba? sisters), and we all shared a great breakfast with humorous barbs in between spoonfuls of -silog. and because we all had quite a lot of stories to tell, mukhang nagutom talaga ang ilan sa mga ka-mesa ko dahil mayroon sa kanilang umorder pa ng almusal – oo, nag-round 2 pa – pero to protect their identities, hindi ko na babanggitin kung sino sila ;). Jhen was back to her usual energetic self, after feeling under the weather the night before (parang walang nangyari, ano?) after breakfast and the announcement of room assignments, some of us went to our designated resort, by foot – the tour group was divided into two sub-groups kasi – while the rest were billeted at the breakfast venue itself.
after a couple of minutes of walking, we reached our designated resort, and it was a cozy place – it had a lush garden, a swimming pool that you’d find in high-end hip-hop videos, and cottages that had a beach house ambience, yet were complete with facilities and amenities. dahil imbakan lang namin yun ng mga gamit, we just settled down a bit and then prepared the stuff we had to bring for the day-long island hopping tour. we went back to the breakfast venue to board our designated tricycles going to the pier of Poblacion 3 (which was also where the public market was). before boarding our boats, there were more photo-ops, like this one, for example:
after boarding, we had to wait a couple of minutes as our lunch-to-be was still being bought at the market, e.g., yellowfin tuna, pork, salted red eggs, onions, tomatoes, bananas, mangoes, drinking water and softdrinks. while waiting, more photo-ops came, similar to this one:
when our island hopping adventure finally got underway, our first stop was Siete Pecados Marine Park. before taking a dip at the cool blue water, however, another photo-op presented itself, specifically this one:
i wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to take a dip, so as soon as i found a life vest that fitted my fatness, i went ahead and took a dive. some of those in our boat who participated in this water adventure were Dhang, Oros, Jhen, Donnie, Ohwie, ChaCha, Richard and Ivy. i was fortunate enough to have my picture taken at this time, thanks to Richard, before being carried away several feet away from our boat by the somewhat strong current:
as i earlier mentioned, some of us got carried away by the current, and even if we tried to swim towards the boat, our efforts seemed to have a Sisyphus-like effect. embarrassed as we were, we had to signal for the boat to fetch us, one by one. after that somewhat hilarious debacle, and after the standard head-count, we proceeded to Kaliwantay (Beach 91) for more photo-ops and of course, to have lunch.
as we waited for the grilled pork and tuna, as well as the rice, to get done, i noticed that people were doing the following things:
a) some were taking more pictures,
b) some were posing for more pictures (EHEM!),
c) while some were just relaxing/chilling at the huts by the shoreline.
ever the hands-on organizer, King Louie was slicing onions and tomatoes for the red salted egg salad side dish that would accompany our lunch of grilled tuna and pork.
after a while, i joined in the fray and helped scoop out and chop the eggs, with Jhen acting as the quality control expert, i.e., taga-amoy ng itlog na maalat kung puwede pa ba o sira na (some of you might be having naughty ideas, but trust me, all of these were done for the sake of art, and for the sake of lunch) =). shortly after preparing the side dish, the grilled pork and steamed rice were served in one heaping batch. i managed to get a good-sized chunk of grilled pork, thanks in part to one-half of the may kanin pa ba? sisters (aka Jhen). everyone ate with their hands, kamayan-style – after all, with a classic beach lunch of grilled pork, chopped red onions, tomatoes, salted eggs, toyomansi, and grilled yellow fin tuna still to follow, it would be almost sacrilegious to eat with utensils, right? when the tuna was finally done and served, i was almost full. i just managed to eat a small slice of grilled tuna belly before i settled on Coca-Cola on the rocks. after the post-lunch clean-up, some chit-chat, and a short rest, it was time to leave Kaliwantay and proceed to Banol Beach.
when we got to Banol Beach, our boat stopped near the shoreline, and some of us took pictures of the limestone cliffs, the beach, and the shoreline itself. Banol was more scenic compared to Kaliwantay, but we didn’t get the chance to enjoy its beauty because there were already people who had reserved it prior to our arrival. nevertheless, we just made the most of our short stay by taking pictures of the landscape, and ourselves, of course. after Banol Beach, we proceeded to Kayangan Lake.
people say that Kayangan Lake is the cleanest lake in the whole Philippines, and we were fortunate enough to experience its pristine beauty. the place itself is an ancestral domain of the Tagbanua tribe, and they strictly enforce the rules that keep this part of paradise as immaculate as possible. being outsiders/visitors, we made it a point to abide by their rules. after a short hike, we posed for some souvenir shots on one of the rocks overlooking the great view, in the cave, as well as along the path going there. a trek down led to a wooden walkway along the lake, and there were lots of visitors when we got there. at the rightmost part of the walkway, our group settled down on the benches. the water was crystal clear, teeming with fish, and there were a couple of jagged rock formations beneath it. since this was a lake, there was no threat of being carried away by any current. i enjoyed the dip here a little bit better than the one in Siete Pecados, simply because i had no current to worry about. of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a photo opportunity like this:
Ohwie, ChaCha, Mon, Jhen, Donnie and I were all too willing to play the role of models in front of Abet’s D60, oops, i mean D40 camera. let me just clarify that it was actually Abet who begged us to pose for this shot (hehehe, biro lang pre). another memorable scene here was the “putang-inang suction ‘yan!” incident – sa lutong nga nung mura, aakalain mong bagong-pritong chicharon o crispy pata yun – di ba, Dhang? looking back, it was quite hilarious – as in pang-top five siguro – ganun. after i got out of the lake, i just hung out on the bench, shared stories with Dhang, and watched the others swim around and enjoy the lake’s beauty during that fine afternoon. we took a hike back a little bit earlier and waited for our companions in the boat. after everybody had boarded, we headed back to the pier of Poblacion 3, rode our respective tricycles back to our resort and dropped off some of our things there. shortly afterwards, we all met up at the other resort to wait for everybody else – with some of us having their fill of softdrinks, chips and moby caramel popcorn. the next stop was Maquinit Hot Spring, where we took a relaxing hot dip after a whole day of island hopping.
the tricycle ride to and from Maquinit was just as “memorable” as the hot dip itself. come to think of it, i’d probably file it under “unforgettable” – if you don’t believe me, just ask Donnie and Jaybee. about half of the time, the three of us had to push the tricycle whenever there was a slope in the portions of the rough road leading to Maquinit, partly because our ride’s engine wasn’t strong enough for uphill climbs. the steep concrete road leading down to the hot spring told me that , on the way back, we would have to push our ride VERY hard just to get out of that slope. the water was really hot, and i had to dip my legs first to get accustomed to the temperature. and when i made a full dip, it was really relaxing and the cascading portion of the spring had a wonderful massaging effect on the body – this was definitely a great way to cap off a whole day of island hopping and sight-seeing. if our beach escapades earlier were to be dubbed mabuhanging itlog productions because of the sand, this would be nilagang itlog productions because of the hot spring’s temperature (hahaha!).
when it was time to go, the mutual consensus was that no group would switch tricycles, i.e., we were still stuck with our (three-)tired vehicle – oo, alam ko, kailangan kasi talagang itulak. after that initial push, i just sprinted uphill as fast as i could, grabbed onto the trike, jumped forward and made it behind the driver’s seat – quite the cliffhanger, i should say. for a moment there, i thought we would get stuck because of my weight, but by the grace of God, we made it through the initial slope. ‘langhiya, para tuloy akong nag-try out sa track team – may sprint at may long jump pa – which was okay lang, kasi malapit na namang kumain eh. kaso nga lang, hindi yun ang huling pagtutulak namin nina Donnie at Jaybee – marami-raming beses pa pabalik. as in konting paakyat pa lang, kinakapos na kaagad ang makina ng tricycle ni manong – it also didn’t help that the rear tire was already flat – we were basically running on sheer tenacity, and a little hunger perhaps. when we finally reached the paved Poblacion road, we got to relax a bit because we didn’t need to push anymore. upon reaching the dinner venue, the rear wheel was completely mangled and the engine nearly conked out. nonetheless, i enjoyed each and every bit of that wild ride. we transferred to another driver’s tricycle – ironically, this was our original choice, until we had to transfer – and on the way back to our resort, the difference in the engines were very obvious, as this machine HAD POWER. while waiting for other friends to finish showering, i just sat on the monoblock furniture and hung out by the pool and smoked a couple of lights, while Abet reviewed the shots he took with his camera. Abet, pa-email naman nung Jabba the Hut pic ko pag di ka na busy, pls., salamat =). after washing up, we proceeded to the dinner venue in attack mode, hehehe.
the buffet dinner was heavenly: pork adobo, calamares with sweet chili sauce, and chicken cordon bleu. i really loaded up on rice, adobo and calamares, as these were my favorites – at saka kasi napagod rin ako sa pagtutulak ng trike ;). chopsuey was also served, by the way, but i had a leaning towards the adobo and calamares that night. we had buko pandan for dessert, and there were samples of roasted cashew nuts as well as the sweetened variety distributed as a free sample – in order for some of us to eventually place our orders. however, i noticed that every time the bag of nuts passed by our table, this particular petite young lady with a seemingly huge appetite (whom we will hide under the alias J-Liit in order to protect her identity) was scooping most of the sample and putting it in an empty plastic cup. that was the last time we saw those poor cashew nuts. shortly afterwards, we went back to our designated resort for socials. for some reason, and i don’t know what that is, we suddenly had this inkling to have tulug-tulugan photo-ops like this:
this was obviously rigged, as some of us were even grinning. some comments on this photo taken by Oros included: radicaladventure: parang choreographed ang pwesto ni mike at Jason a, hehe and imsheldon: mga wasak sa kape! there was really no heavy drinking that night, but we just shared stories and traded barbs on the usual topics of Nikon D40, D60 and D80, macro shots of strawberries, bananas, and Mark Lapid.
we capped the night with a few more photo-ops and naughty coffee, Coron stylee (or lambanog coffee, if you will) before retiring to our beds for some much-needed sleep. soon enough, i heard snoring around me, and shortly afterwards, i joined in the fuzzy chorus of snores.
the morning after, we proceeded to hike to Mount Tapyas for the sheer exhilaration, and the great photo-ops it offered. i decided to join Abet at the forefront because i knew that i would easily get tired when we climb those killer steps. more than halfway through, i took a much-needed breather – and drink – while Abet, Oros, Dhang, Jhen, Donnie and Jason went ahead towards the top. King Louie, who acted as the sweeper, gave me the pep talk that made me push ahead – it took quite a while for me recover some of my stamina, but i eventually made it to the top of Mt. Tapyas. believe me, it was worth all the throbbing muscles (and skimmed fat) because the view was breathtaking and the photo-ops with friends were priceless.
coming down the mountain was definitely easier – that, i can tell from my experience.
even if this climb was optional, i was glad that i went along. i would have regretted it if i continued to doze off and missed all the fun. i thought to myself: i could always get some sleep later, right? when we got back to our resort, we just picked up some stuff, got some more water and proceeded to have breakfast at the neighboring venue. this time, i tried the tapsilog, and it was great. we were given just a few minutes to go to the bathroom and heed the call of nature before we headed back to the breakfast venue to start another beautiful trip. speaking of heeding the call of nature, i was calmly minding my own business on the white throne, directing all my chi towards expelling my solid body waste, when this female voice began calling out my name. she was in obvious fecal agony, judging by the tone of her moans, so i decided to hurry up with my toilet yoga and wash up as fast as i could. i gave her dagger looks as i emerged from the toilet, because i still felt quite dirty after wiping my ass (biro lang Jhen, ha? baka sabihin mo nagalit talaga ako=)). for this second day of the tour, we were supposed to visit Culion Island and its museum. however, no confirmation was given as of that morning, so King Louie decided to bring us to Banana Island.
off we went to Banana Island, and i myself was wondered why they called it as such. was the island shaped lika a banana? was it teeming with bananas? did it have a Mark Lapid (stalwart of the movie ‘Apoy sa Dibdib ng Samar’ with infamous ‘Saging lang ang may puso’ line) monument? as i found out, Banana Island is banana-shaped when viewed from the top. from our vantage point in our boat, in the middle of the sea, Banana Island looked like a crocodile that was semi-submerged in the water.
after about an hour, we arrived there and it was more breathtaking than i expected – white sand, clear water, palm trees, cabanas and hammocks waiting for the next eager occupants. there was even a basketball court for those who wanted to play pick-up games or just shoot hoops. for a more comprehensive understanding of what kind of place i am describing here, i suggest that you visit the albums of Abet, Oros, Jason, Sheldon, Melody, Paul, Jaybee et al. an interesting scene, however, was the debut of the Banana Island Sunblock Application Services, Incorporated – something that had the potential to be a profitable venture, to say the least because of the genius minds that came up with it – talk about spontaneity. and who could forget Dhang, who had this Cleopatra-like ego trip – imagine her lying on the hammock, being swung to and fro, by a hawi boy na itago na lang natin sa pangalang Mike. kulang na lang ay may taga-paypay siya at taga-subo ng ubas – senyoritang-senyorita ang dating. matapos niyang magsawa sa hammock, humiga naman ako para mag-relax relax. actually, hinihintay ko lang ding matakpan ng ulap ang araw, bago lumublob sa malinaw na tubig. sa kainipan, nag-shooting shooting na lang kami ni Mon – at halatang matagal na akong walang ensayo dahil puro paling halos ang mga tira ko. anyway, nang medyo lumilim na, naki-lublob na rin ako sa tubig along with Mon, Dhang, Oros, Lanie, Owen and Dang habang hinihintay maluto ang tanghalian. oo, inaamin ko, iyon lang naman ang makakapagpa-ngiti sa aming mga medyo nangungulilang mga sikmura. Tumambay-tambay lang kami sa may katig nung isa sa mga bangka doon habang nagkukuwentuhan ng kung anu-anong kakulitan. pag-ahon namin para pumuwesto sa mesa (siyempre, parang rebound sa basketball ang pag-kain – it’s all about positioning), andun sa mesa si King Louie at nagtatadtad ng sibuyas, nagbibiyak ng itlog na maalat, at naghihiwa ng kamatis para sa tanghalian. humingi na lang ako ng sibuyas (mga ¼ na plastic cup) at nilagyan yun ng toyo para sawsawan ng inihaw na yellowfin at manok. this time, bumawi naman ako sa inihaw na yellowfin – yun ang una kong kinain, pero siyempre, kumuha na din ako ng manok at saka itlog na maalat, kamatis, at sawsawang toyo-sibuyas. salamat din kay Jhen at ibinigay niya sa akin ang puwet ng manok niya, paborito ko kasing part yun ng manok. as usual, busog na naman kaming lahat dahil sa menu na inihanda ng RACE team at ng aming mga kasamang bangkero, special mention kay Kuya King – ang King sa Coron. oo nga pala, kung gusto ninyong malaman kung gaano ka-tinik sa pag-puwesto malapit sa pagkain kaming mga magkaka-tribu, tingnan na lang ninyo ito:
ang galing, di ba? doon na talaga pumuwesto sa bagsakan ng ulam, timplahan ng sawsawan, patungan ng kaldero ng kanin, at lalagyan ng yelo. walang sinabi si Dennis Rodman sa mga ito e, at nakuha pang tumingin sa camera ni Jason – akalain mo yun. dalawa lang naman ang maaaring dahilan kung bakit magaganda ang mga ngiti namin sa naunang larawan: a) dahil namantikaan na ang mga nguso namin; and b) mga busog na kami at kadidighay lang. =) matapos ang tanghalian, nag-beer pa ang ilan sa amin, samantalang ako naman ay umidlip-idlip muna sa silya. kung puwede nga lang kaming manatili na lang dito nang matagal-tagal pa, marahil ay ginawa na namin. e kaso, kailangan din naman naming lisanin ang Banana Island para tunguhin ang iba pang lugar. kaya matapos ang photo-op na ito na kuha ulit sa camera ni Jason, ay nagsi-sakay na kami sa bangka upang puntahan ang Twin Lagoon at Barracuda Lake. kitang-kita din dito kung gaano ka-puti ang buhangin sa Banana Island.
sa aming pagbiyahe papuntang Twin Lagoon, nahalata kong medyo makulimlim ang langit at madilim ang mga ulap. mukhang aabutan kami ng ulan habang nasa dagat pa kami, dahil medyo malalakas na din ang alon kumpara nung papunta pa lang kaming Banana Island. nanalangin na din ako na sana naman ay walang mangyaring masama sa pagbiyahe namin. bago pa man makarating sa Twin Lagoon, umuulan na at halos lahat na yata kaming nakasakay sa bangka ay nabasa na ng malalakas na alon. may mga pagkakataon ngang iniisip ko na baka sinasadya ni Manong na mapa-hampas ang alon sa bangka para lang basain kami, pero siguro hindi naman ganun ang balak niya talaga – likas na maalon lang nung hapong iyon. dahil sa ulan at sa hangin, gininaw na ang iba sa amin – mabuti na lang at may mga life vests na nagsilbi ding pangontra sa lamig para sa iba naming kasama. on my part, dahil mataba naman ako, hindi ko na kinailangang mag-life vest pa muna. saka na lang, pag lulusong na sa tubig. pagdating namin sa Twin Lagoon, tumila na nang kaunti ang ulan, pero hindi rin kami nagtagal doon kasi high tide na – hindi na kita sa ibabaw ng tubig ang mga kuweba ng lagoon, at kailangan pang sisirin. ganunpaman, umikot na lang ang bangka namin doon para makakuha ng videos at pictures ang iba naming kasamahan. Matapos ang pagdaan namin sa Twin Lagoon, dumiretso na kami sa Barracuda Lake.
iba din naman ang dating ng Barracuda Lake kumpara sa Kayangan Lake na pinuntahan namin nung unang araw namin sa Coron. para marating ito, kinailangan naming dumaan sa matatalim na bato. mabuti na lang at may mga kahoy na hawakan sa daanan, kung hindi ay disgrasya ang aabutin mo kapag kumapit ka sa mga batong matatalim. since hindi naman ako talaga sanay mag-aakyat sa mga bato, ginaya ko na lang ang mga nauna kong kasama na sina Dhang at Oros – pinakiramdaman ko ang bawat hakbang ko at tinantiya ang dulas at talas ng mga bato. awa ng Diyos ay nakarating naman kami sa kahoy na walkway papunta sa bukana ng Barracuda Lake. siyempre, may photo-ops ulit, courtesy of Paul:
at sa kagandahang-palad, nakakita ng puwesto si Paul sa isang dako ng Barracuda Lake kung saan puwedeng mag-picture taking. dali-dali kaming pumunta roon na parang mga gutom na Barracuda, kaya heto ang naging resulta:
medyo matatalas talaga ang mga bato kaya dahan-dahan din kami sa paghakbang kahit mga naka-sandals kami. mamaya-maya pa, naka-diskubre ng ledge ang mga kalalakihan ng Thomson Reuters at isa-isa silang nagpakitang-gilas sa pag-dive. mahuhusay sila, game lahat sa pag-dive, kaya naman palakpakan talaga kaming lahat. pagkatapos nun, ang sumunod na eksena ay isang spontaneous-pero-planadong kaululan – since puwedeng kumuha ng video ang camera ni Paul, sinamantala na namin ang pagkakataon na palawigin pa lalo ang Alamat ni Mark Lapid. akala ko nga, nagbibiro lang sila nang sabihing ivi-video, pero nang sumigaw ng “Game!” si Paul, e di sumigaw na ng “Action!” si Abet, sabay awat sa akin, along with Dhang and Oros – at pina-alingawngaw ko na sa buong Barracuda Lake ang mga katagang: “Oo, inaamin ko, saging lang kami! Pero maghanap ka ng puno, sa buong Pilipinas… Saging lang ang may puso! Saging lang ang may puso!!!” – and take note, dear readers, TAKE ONE lang yun. baka kasi isipin ninyo na ini-imbento ko lang ‘to, so bilang ebidensiya, naka-post ang video na Barracuda Lake Pt 4.wmv sa videos page ni Melody, kaya lang, for contacts lang ang access – doon lang ninyo mapapanood ang pinag-gagawa naming kaululan sa Barracuda Lake. at narito ang mabangis na cast ng hinayupak na eksenang iyon, for your information:
all that kidding and horseplay aside, parang napakabagal ng paglipas ng oras sa Barracuda Lake, pakiramdam ko nga ay nasa Never-Never Land kami nung mga sandaling yun. well, hindi ko naman sinasabing nakapunta na ako ng Never-Never Land, pero that’s how i would imagine it to be, at least. ang sarap lumutang lang sa tubig nang walang ibang iniisip kundi ang kagandahan lang ng hapong iyon – malaya ka mula sa trabaho, mula sa ingay ng siyudad, and most importantly, malaya ka mula sa lahat ng worries mo – even for that short, precious moment. but alas, we would have to leave Barracuda Lake after more than half an hour of combined solitude, fascination and awe (and temporary insanity because of our Apoy sa Dibdib ng Samar/Mark Lapid gag). the rain was still pouring, but the satisfaction on our faces could not be dampened. this was probably the best weekend i’ve had in one and a half years since a personal tragedy struck me out of nowhere. we were headed back to the pier, and soon, back to our resort to wash up and pack our bags.
since i was probably the hands-down choice for the Pinakamatagal Maligo sa Banyo Award, i decided to arrange my things and pack my bag first. with my malong blanket serving as an extra sack, i just figured that i’d put my valuables and immediate essentials there, just in case i needed them. after washing up, i hurriedly double-checked my things before we all went pasalubong-shopping. i picked up some shirts, a couple of bags and some coin purses – and i even got a discount from the store owner, imagine that. it must have been my lucky day, but i didn’t really know for sure. we all then went back to the other resort to order our respective dinners – this dinner was pax account, by the way, as described in the itinerary – and while waiting for our food, we decided to pick up our bags from our resort in order to get ready for departure, since we would be meeting up at our dinner venue anyway. when we arrived, we quickly picked up our belongings, checked the place if we left anything, and headed back to our dinner venue.
we were quite surprised that our food wasn’t ready yet, so we just waited patiently for it to be brought to our table. what followed was something that i didn’t really expect, considering that we have enjoyed each and every moment of our weekend in Paradise so far – AND I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR THAT THE FOLLOWING INCIDENT THAT I AM ABOUT TO TELL YOU ABOUT IS NOT THE FAULT OF R.A.C.E., AND ANY ATTEMPT TO BLAME THEM FOR IT WOULD BE GROSSLY UNFAIR AND UNJUST, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION. there seemed to have been a mistake regarding the delivery of our food, i.e., the senior/lead waiter brought our food to the table where Abet, Jason and Sheldon were seated at. at that point, it seemed like a common mistake that could have been remedied simply by apologizing for the mistake, and bringing the food to the adjacent table – our table – but from what i overheard, the senior/lead waiter, before he left, sternly insisted that we (myself, Donnie, Jhen, Jaybee and Claire) just switch tables with Abet, Jason and Sheldon to remedy the situation. Abet, usually calm in his demeanor, was visibly ticked-off by this, and he would have none of this B.S. he picked up the tray of food, and brought it to our table, by himself. at this point, Abet brought the details of the irregularity of the service crew to the attention of King Louie, who was also visibly upset by the incident. King Louie was taking care of what needed to be done, and these shenanigans should have been the least of his worries. on our part, even though three of us placed three separate orders of pork adobo (Donnie, Jaybee and myself), we noticed that the service crew combined the servings, i.e., we couldn’t distinguish how much each of us is supposed to get. that, in my view, was another glaring mistake that should at least warrant an apology from the supervisor or manager. in addition, it seemed that the other service crew did not know what to do or say whenever we were following-up our orders and/or requesting for additional utensils, glasses, water and other necessities. they should have been, at the very least, coordinated in serving their customers. whether that was the result of inexperience or lack of training, i really didn’t know and i really didn’t care to find out at that point because we were all very hungry. it was one incident which definitely proved that patience is a virtue – and some of us were really losing our patience. rather than be totally pissed about that situation, we decided to eat our dinner calmly. after all, i wasn’t about to lose my appetite over that incident. even if the pork adobo was inappropriately served, i would have to admit that it really tastes good – i just noticed that it had too much fat and not enough meat. since i don’t have my gall bladder anymore, i am careful not to eat too much fat, especially during travel time – for fear of moving my bowel in the wrong place, at the wrong time. be that as it may, the pork adobo was still great. this dinner was also memorable in more ways than one, specifically because of the delectable, mouth-watering, gourmet spaghetti (i am being sarcastic, by the way) that Jhen ordered for dinner. i let her eat some of my pork adobo because she wanted some (i think it’s one of her favorites), and she told me, out of the kindness of her heart (or perhaps out of her sheer displeasure): “Hati tayo sa spaghetti ko ha? Di ko ‘to kayang ubusin, eh.” being the gentlemanly patay-gutom that i am, i gladly accepted her offer. as i dug in her plate and twisted my fork, i prepared for that inevitable mouthful of spaghetti. it tasted different, and i couldn’t put my finger (or tongue) on it – it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the taste i was expecting from a typical plate of spaghetti. anyway, Jhen even dragged Donnie into the fray by telling him: “Donnie, kumuha ka rin ng spaghetti, ha?” – to which Donnie replied quickly by saying something to this effect: “Sige, kakain muna ako ng adobo, tapos try ko ‘yan pagkatapos.” – in short, parang nilaglag ako ni Donnie sa eksenang yun. putsa, yun ang classic na lusot, if i ever heard one. after dinner, the senior/lead waiter came and tabulated each of our bills as we prepared to pay for our respective dinners. he was noticeably polite this time, after King Louie spoke to him about the irregularities in their service. shortly afterwards, our orders of Lamayo, the delectable and tasty daing na danggit that Palawan is well-known for, arrived at our dinner venue, individually-wrapped and labeled for our convenience – we placed our orders the day before, shortly before our island-hopping tour. my only regret was that i should have probably bought two to three kilos instead of just half a kilo. Abet took the initiative of collecting the payments for the Lamayo, by the way. afterwards, the roasted and sweetened cashew nuts were delivered to the restaurant, where the lovely Jhen took the initiative of collecting payments and giving each buyer his/her respective change – and she did this without the help of a calculator, mind you.
after everything was taken care of, we then boarded our tricycles and went to the port of Coron, where we checked in and subjected our baggages for inspection. we had to pay a P20 terminal fee, but King Louie soon took care of the reimbursements immediately afterwards. it was past 10 PM when we got there because WWE SmackDown! was being shown on TV. we waited a while, exchanged stories and humorous barbs before boarding the ship. some of my new friends even ribbed me about my malong blanket/sack – mukha daw akong nag-layas sa amin, kulang na lang yung carrying stick. a few moments before boarding the ship, i thought to myself: Coron was truly magnificent, and I hope to return in the future. this was a very memorable weekend indeed, because i made new friends, met and rekindled ties with old ones, enjoyed great food, and saw some magnificent places. what made this weekend equally special was the company of great people, whom i hope to travel with again, someday. they made this journey priceless, and for that, i am truly grateful and honored. Kudos to the people of R.A.C.E. – King Louie, Abet and Sheldon – for this was truly a radical adventure. i hope to join your other tours in the future, basta ‘pag R.A.C.E., siguradong pag-iipunan ko yan. maraming salamat, you definitely give your participants their money’s worth AND A LOT OF VALUE-ADDED each and every time.
mic entoma, 27 may 2008, 10:50 PM
photo credits, in order of appearance: Donnie Bañez, Donnie Bañez, Mon Lagula, Jhen De Torres, Abet Lagula, Oros Lagman, Oros Lagman, Mike Entoma, Richard Ong, Richard Ong, Abet Lagula, Oros Lagman, Abet Lagula, Abet Lagula, Abet Lagula, Abet Lagula, Oros Lagman, Jason Zarzuela, Mike Entoma, Paul Dee, Oros Lagman, Mike Entoma, Jason Zarzuela, Paul Dee, Paul Dee, Paul Dee
