Last night the husband told me that i should go to Bohol together with the kids to attend a cousins wedding. Truth be told, I wasn't that excited but in my mind I was already making plans. I am not exactly fond of flying but that i can overcome. When i searched for the cheapest plane fares for the 5 of us, it amounted to 25k!
Right now, it's not practical for us to spend that amount when we could use that for tuition fees. Besides, there is another matter which is better left undiscussed here.
So, i wish the soon-to-be wedded couple a lasting and happy marriage. But we won't be there.
Showing posts with label bohol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bohol. Show all posts
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Going home
Even though we've been living here in manila for about more than 6 months now, i still consider mindanao my home. It is primarily Iligan but zamboanga is also home to me because of my husband. September 29 is the feast day of St. Michael the archangel, patron saint of iligan. We have been planning on taking a much needed vacation and since we will be going home we might as well go to my other home, lila, bohol. Feast day of Lila is october 7, feast of the Lady of the most holy rosary. It was a two-week vacation which my children never wanted to end. When we left zamboanga, aj cried and didn't want to leave because she likes to be with her cousins. Suddenly, they are sorrounded by kids their age who speaks their language. When we left bohol, they echo the same sentiment. I remember, i had the same sentiment back when i was still a child. I never wanted vacations to end. But being an adult changes things and you know that you can't take vacations if you don't have money to spend.
September 26 was when typhoon Ondoy made a landfall. It was a quiet but rainy saturday for us all at the house. Hubby went to work that day but he said that we should already prepare our things so that when he arrives we can immediately leave. I was a little bit skeptical, after all a typhoon was raging. I didn't know that flooding in certain areas in central luzon including parts of metro manila has worsened. There was no power starting around early afternoon, so we were clueless about what's happening. I was only alarmed when we ran out of lpg for cooking our food. I asked my household help to buy food at nearby jollibee but they returned saying it was closed , so i said just buy any food that you can find. Later that evening, hubby called me to say that he can't go home yet since all the roads leading home is flooded. Finally, he came home around 10pm with chowking-to-o meals already cold. I am just happy he is able to come home. Typical of his nature, he said to pack up because we're leaving manila for home. He is tireless.
Shaw boulevard is already bereft of vehicles except for those going to kalentong, there were still traffic there. c-5 is deserted except for occasional light vehicles being stranded. We spent longer time at SLEX because there was still flooding there along with several light vehicles being stranded. I think i may have dozed off a little bit but i try not to because i wanted to keep hubby company. I could always offer to take his place when he feels sleepy but i could not equal his speed nor his concentration while driving. Besides, i am more familiar with manual rather than automatic transmission. And so he drove all the way to bicol until 4am in the morning until we stopped so that he could take a nap. We just parked on a shell station, forgot the name of the place. We slept for about an hour and then we proceeded to his friend in Pili or was it Naga who invited us to have breakfast. We went there, we freshened up, had a hearty breakfast and we were even given packed bicol delicacy for the road. Thanks very much, you know who you are. I learned during that visit that his wife has rheumatic heart disease and so the pregnancy has to be monitored also. But that's another story.
When we reached the port of Matnog, sorsogon, it was indeed time for lunch and we ate at eatery just outside the port's gate. We boarded the ferry and just stayed inside the vehicle for the duration of the 2 hour trip. Hubby slept the entire ferry trip and the kids where just playing. Since we can't get out of our vehicle, and i needed take a pee , i peed on a plastic cellophane. ha ha ha
We reached the port of Allen, Samar it was already dark and hubby decided that we take the Calbayog road instead of the road directly to catbalogan because the catbalogan direct is mostly rough road. I had stomach upset. We stopped at a restaurant in calbayog so that i could relieved myself. We passed by San Juanico bridge around 2 am and reached the port of leyte around 4 am but we had to wait a while because the ferry leaves at 6am. We paid for the airconditioned accomodation so that we could get some needed sleep but the kids were just running around that only hubby was able to sleep. We had brunch at a roadside eatery in surigao because we were really hungry, we've eaten nothing but instant noodles and biscuits while on the ferry. We dropped by our ninong at Butuan and we were served delicious buko pandan and sweet buko straight frim the shell. We even brought home 2 seedlings for planting.
We arrived in Iligan tired but safe and happy. All thanks to hubby and God Almighty!
September 26 was when typhoon Ondoy made a landfall. It was a quiet but rainy saturday for us all at the house. Hubby went to work that day but he said that we should already prepare our things so that when he arrives we can immediately leave. I was a little bit skeptical, after all a typhoon was raging. I didn't know that flooding in certain areas in central luzon including parts of metro manila has worsened. There was no power starting around early afternoon, so we were clueless about what's happening. I was only alarmed when we ran out of lpg for cooking our food. I asked my household help to buy food at nearby jollibee but they returned saying it was closed , so i said just buy any food that you can find. Later that evening, hubby called me to say that he can't go home yet since all the roads leading home is flooded. Finally, he came home around 10pm with chowking-to-o meals already cold. I am just happy he is able to come home. Typical of his nature, he said to pack up because we're leaving manila for home. He is tireless.
Shaw boulevard is already bereft of vehicles except for those going to kalentong, there were still traffic there. c-5 is deserted except for occasional light vehicles being stranded. We spent longer time at SLEX because there was still flooding there along with several light vehicles being stranded. I think i may have dozed off a little bit but i try not to because i wanted to keep hubby company. I could always offer to take his place when he feels sleepy but i could not equal his speed nor his concentration while driving. Besides, i am more familiar with manual rather than automatic transmission. And so he drove all the way to bicol until 4am in the morning until we stopped so that he could take a nap. We just parked on a shell station, forgot the name of the place. We slept for about an hour and then we proceeded to his friend in Pili or was it Naga who invited us to have breakfast. We went there, we freshened up, had a hearty breakfast and we were even given packed bicol delicacy for the road. Thanks very much, you know who you are. I learned during that visit that his wife has rheumatic heart disease and so the pregnancy has to be monitored also. But that's another story.
When we reached the port of Matnog, sorsogon, it was indeed time for lunch and we ate at eatery just outside the port's gate. We boarded the ferry and just stayed inside the vehicle for the duration of the 2 hour trip. Hubby slept the entire ferry trip and the kids where just playing. Since we can't get out of our vehicle, and i needed take a pee , i peed on a plastic cellophane. ha ha ha
We reached the port of Allen, Samar it was already dark and hubby decided that we take the Calbayog road instead of the road directly to catbalogan because the catbalogan direct is mostly rough road. I had stomach upset. We stopped at a restaurant in calbayog so that i could relieved myself. We passed by San Juanico bridge around 2 am and reached the port of leyte around 4 am but we had to wait a while because the ferry leaves at 6am. We paid for the airconditioned accomodation so that we could get some needed sleep but the kids were just running around that only hubby was able to sleep. We had brunch at a roadside eatery in surigao because we were really hungry, we've eaten nothing but instant noodles and biscuits while on the ferry. We dropped by our ninong at Butuan and we were served delicious buko pandan and sweet buko straight frim the shell. We even brought home 2 seedlings for planting.
We arrived in Iligan tired but safe and happy. All thanks to hubby and God Almighty!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Nostalgia
Nostalgia it is said is about longing about the things of the past, remembering only the good times. Looking through old photos, i can't help but feel nostalgic about things and places of the past. Browsing through my latest photos during a trip back to Bohol, once again I was kept reminded of the place where I was born and where we, as a often family go back to in times of fiesta of my father's hometown, Lila. Back then, whenever we got home no matter how dark it already is, neighbors, relatives converge at our ancestral house eager to welcome us, share whatever it is that we brought from Mindanao, even when it consists only of a loaf of bread, and several manos of "tabako."
This one is recent, taken at the airport while the blind entertainers were rendering us beautiful songs. The youngest of the three have the voice of a pop star, and his choices also were surprisingly current.
This following photos are the sceneries that you will pass by when you travel from Lila to Tagbilaran. The sky seem overcast it's really about 5 o'clock in the morning when we left Taug. Initially, i thought of spending the night in Tagbilaran so that it will be easier for us to go to the airport but Ng Delma offered to use her car to bring us to the airport early. That is how generous and kind and how good a bol-anon spirit is. Most of my relatives are like that, I am proud to say. Really...
These are taken at our home in Iligan sometime in the 90's. That was the pre-leukemia, pre-accident days. Sometimes, I have a tendency to divide timelines before and after those two defining events. I have written my thoughts on those times.
This one is recent, taken at the airport while the blind entertainers were rendering us beautiful songs. The youngest of the three have the voice of a pop star, and his choices also were surprisingly current.This following photos are the sceneries that you will pass by when you travel from Lila to Tagbilaran. The sky seem overcast it's really about 5 o'clock in the morning when we left Taug. Initially, i thought of spending the night in Tagbilaran so that it will be easier for us to go to the airport but Ng Delma offered to use her car to bring us to the airport early. That is how generous and kind and how good a bol-anon spirit is. Most of my relatives are like that, I am proud to say. Really...
These are taken at our home in Iligan sometime in the 90's. That was the pre-leukemia, pre-accident days. Sometimes, I have a tendency to divide timelines before and after those two defining events. I have written my thoughts on those times.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Joyride..Jeepney Rides..
If you have been to the Philippines, you can not help but notice the Jeepney. It is the most popular means of public transportation here. It is also the most colorful, the most useful, hindi lang pang-publiko, pampamilya pa. Really! At almost all family occasion that requires transporting several people at least cost, the Jeepney is present. It has become a national icon.
When US troops left at the end of world war II, there were hundreds of surplus jeeps left either sold or given locally. True to Filipino ingenuity, we made several changes to the body. Filipinos added roofs to protect passengers from the elements, enlarged the body to accomodate several people and then painted and decorated it as if it were a moving extension of the home. Thus, you will see rugs, curtains, throw pillows even on jeepney. 
And so it was in this tradition that my beloved parents are shown here, photos courtesy of twistedsunshine. This was taken during the wedding of Kristin Lagria and Joel Namoc at Tagbilaran City, Bohol. It is nice to be seated facing friends and families which we only see now and again during reunions and family occasions. Gatapok jud ang mga bol-anon diri.
When US troops left at the end of world war II, there were hundreds of surplus jeeps left either sold or given locally. True to Filipino ingenuity, we made several changes to the body. Filipinos added roofs to protect passengers from the elements, enlarged the body to accomodate several people and then painted and decorated it as if it were a moving extension of the home. Thus, you will see rugs, curtains, throw pillows even on jeepney. And so it was in this tradition that my beloved parents are shown here, photos courtesy of twistedsunshine. This was taken during the wedding of Kristin Lagria and Joel Namoc at Tagbilaran City, Bohol. It is nice to be seated facing friends and families which we only see now and again during reunions and family occasions. Gatapok jud ang mga bol-anon diri.
By the way, the two pictures above are from wikipedia. Going back to the topic at hand, notice in the 3rd pic that there's a small rectangular stool in the middle. Yup, that's right. In Bohol at least, the drivers maximize the jeep's capacity so much so that you will find it really difficult to get out of the jeep because even the center aisle is occupied. But no one really complains because for one, it is a way of life in Bohol and secondly, Boholanos are by nature easy to please, good-natured people. I think.
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