Sleep all...sleep all day!!!

Mah good! It’s been almost two weeks since I came back from my hike to Batad and I haven’t told much about this exploit (a la conquistador!).

The trip to Batad was probably the toughest I have taken in my lifetime. It wasn’t just like any other trip when I’d find myself relaxing to a serene view of a white sand beach, sipping a quenching tropical concoction, and sound-tripping to some chill out vibes. It was completely and almost shockingly different! up:gucci bags

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Darn it! I woke up really late that Saturday (past 12 na yata.) I was to meet Arlo and Tian around 1 at the Victory Liner station, but wait; 10 minutes of grogginess had gone by till I realized that I had not taken a shower and not packed my bags. The bus bound for Tuguegarao was scheduled to leave at 1:30pm, and mah bad, I’d ruin all our plans!!!

So after shower I quickly rammed my essentials in to a single duffel bag. Undies-check, sports shirts-check, short pants-check, sweater-check, toiletries-check, and yeah, camera-check! Donning a comfy shirt, jeans, and my sturdy pair of mojos, I was all set for Nueva Vizcaya. Taxi!!!

Possessed faces welcomed me as I got off the cab at the terminal. Great! The bus we were supposed to board left 20 minutes earlier. Of course I felt really terrible for my chronic tardiness. So for them to not feel TK (tampong kulangot), I, being everybody else’s perpetual reason to wait, wait, wait, volunteered to buy our drinks, chi-cha, a Gardenia loaf, and a pack of Puffins at the nearby 7-11. Oks lang. =)

And so we waited for about an hour and a half till boarding time. We left the Kamias terminal at exactly 3:45 in the afternoon.

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After more or less 8 hours on the road, we arrived at Arlo’s place in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. The night was infectiously quiet and I loved it. First time in so many months since I saw fireflies and heard the sound of crickets. Arlo’s parents are simply the coolest. I’ve known them since high school and they’ve been known amongst my high school circle in the area of naturally making friends feel at home. Funny was Tita Cel, expecting that we’d arrive by lunchtime, even prepared lunch for us.

So there, after kamustahan and a hearty dinner, we changed clothes and retreated to our bedroom past midnight (Arlo’s older sister, Ate Aira, willingly gave up hers to accommodate the three of us that night. Bait talaga. Hehe! =0)

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We had a quasi guided tour of Solano (c/o Ate Aira) and the nearby provincial capital, Bayombong. Part of the itinerary was of course to visit his Lola Saling, who happens to be one of the few famed hermanas in the poblacion. A very intriguing personality, she noticeably has. Make-up and a regular visit to the salon are few of her guiltless pleasures. (Ganda ng lola mo!) She‘s very conscious about her looks that she, wearing make-up, a classy outfit, high heels, and gleaming jewelry, prances around Divisoria as she scouts for potential suppliers. (Di pa naman sya nahohold-up.)

Tita Cel also described her as overly religious who never missed going to the cathedral to hear the mass at 5:00 in the morning. At daytime, she is a meticulous and industrious proprietress who, at her age of 79 (pwede ako i-correct dito), is a known distributor of furniture, heaps and rolls of cloth from China (and I suppose Thailand), dried flower ornaments handcrafted in Bicol, small souvenirs and giveaways, and so on. Funny thing is that since her bigger than usual shop is understaffed, she lets her clients do self-service in hauling whatever they need from there. She’d let her loyal suki get those rolls of Thai silk on the topmost shelf if they needed it, and she wouldn’t mind if doing so contradicted the whole concept of customer service. Even with that her base of loyal customers continues to grow. BEAT THAT!!!

We met her and she welcomed us in to the shop. She appeared exactly just as I imagined. Posturang postura with the make-up, the jewels, and the air-filling perfume.

Ate Aira’s purified water refilling station, adjacent to Lola Saling’s shop, has been in daily operation for over a year now. The prospects of growth are really good that they opened a franchise in Solano.

After this short city tour, we finally set for Batad.

(To be continued...)