okay where to start... XD
well just this past weekend was holy week, and we as a family really don't do the christian Filipino traditions and instead use this long weekend (since Maundy Thursday, good Friday, and black Saturday are non-working holidays) to go out of town, usually to a beach resort.
So this year we decided to go to Morong Bataan, a provincial region some 2-4 hours north of the capital city Manilla. Days before this trip I was adamant to going since I weren't on good terms with my two younger brothers, and that I wanted to be alone. Holy Week is one of the rare occassions that the whole family is gone for a day and I am a person who prefers to be home alone. I just like the silence that much I guess. What made me change my mind is that I'd get to see different stuff for a change (lol) and break away from the routine of SSDD (Same Shit Different Day).
So the day came - Friday, April 2, 2010. I didn't sleep since I'm a nocturnal and if I slept and wake up at 5 in the morning that would be more trouble for me rather than just staying awake :P So I finished my Lire Valkyrie fan art and when 5:30 AM struck I woke my parents up to get things started. So everything went by smoothly and we left the house at around 8 AM. We were supposed to be at the resort she had as a reservation at around 1 PM.
As this is Good Friday, and in the Philippines, traveling especially towards the provinces will be anything but dull. Since we didn't take the expressway to the Subic Bay (which was at Olongapo, Bataan, and near to Morong), we encountered lots of people doing their panata, their way of sacrifice aside from the usual fasting and abstinence from meat, in thanks to Jesus Christ dying for our sins.
But in this country tradition can be a bit extreme. What we saw on the way as we traversed through the towns of Pampanga were people whipping their backs with several cylindrical wooden sticks (about probably 6-7 inches long on average) that were tied to a rope. I think it was called antipo? I'm not sure I forgot. They walk for long distances, under the heat of the sun while doing this. There were even some blood that splattered onto our vehicle as these roads were usually narrow and we moved slowly.
And there were even other people who imitated what Jesus did before reaching Calvary - carry a large wooden cross. And what these people carried were no mere planks. They were logs tied to form the cross and the size was big enough for them to be crucified onto. A lot of the people we saw doing this suddenly collapsed and the other people behind him who whip his back or look after him quickly rush to them.
The other peculiar thing I noticed during the journey was the amount of roadkill we saw ._. First was a dead cat a some blocks away from home, then there was a dead rat along the EDSA road (biggest main road leading to the highways going north), then a dead kitten and another dead cat while going through the provincial towns, and there was still another dead cat on the way back home (on a different route so it does count, lol ._.) Oh and we got a bit lost when finding the resort. They didn't really have 'this way' arrow signs unlike the others we saw ~_~
Though before we got to the resort we stopped over at Subic Bay and went to Subic Royal, a duty-free store :D Though I gotta tell you that that place looks like trash compared to how it looked like almost 20 years ago when the whole SBMA area was not open to the public and required connections to be invited in. Back then the place gave you that feel that you were in the US lol. So we were there and bought some stuff and some chocolates XD and continued on to Morong.
When we arrived at the resort (called Morong Star Beach Resort) we were liking what we were seeing so far. So we then entered our room at the second floor of one of several condominium-type buildings. Ours our think was furthest from the shore so no waves to greet you in the morning :( Well we'll only stay for a night only XD Anyway we checked out the beach, and it was nice, aside from the blaring sound systems of some of the guests there. Then a man approached us and offered a boat ride to the pawikan (sea turtle) conservation center and a white sand beach that was at the very far end of the beach's left side. Walking towards there would probably take more than an hour lol. My mother asked for the price and tried to haggle, but then we just got there so we postponed it for the next day.
When we settled our things inside our room we talked about the place and my father mentioned that when the trip was over we should have made peace with each other (referring to us three boys XD). But that didn't happen. No point in holding that for the last part of this entry, is there? lol. Anyway, it was my chance to sleep XD So i did just that. I don't really want to go swimming in that heat and get sunburned (no I don't think a few handfuls of sunscreen would be enough to protect you especially that the sun is a lot more hellish due to global warming).
I woke up at around 2:30 PM and Mom said that we'd be boat riding at 3:30. Apparently they were able to haggle after all. We were like "yay turtlez!!1" (no not really lol). So we went to the beach, put on the life vests given to us, and boarded the boat. It was a small fishing boat, so excluding the two people on both ends, it could probably hold about 10 persons. The sea was a lot wavy then and I got a bit dizzy as I was trying to see the bottom of the sea (no pun intended).
After about probably half an hour we arrived at the sea turtle conservation center. The entrance fee was pretty cheap (20 PHP so about 50 cents in USD?). We thought we'd see a lot in the place but all there is were just a stone display of sea turtles, a 'hatching' area where there was a single hole (probably man-made but I'm not an expert on that lol), a few baby turtles you could put on your palm for pictures and such, and a pool with 3 grown sea turtles. All that in a relatively small area :| It was a bit disappointing but seeing a live sea turtle up-close is rewarding too. I just felt kind of guilty at the turtles when I saw the people lifting the sea turtles out of the water and holding them for several minutes just for their pictures. Well I hope that the money they get is spent on caring for them. Anyway I saw on TV that the place is lively during the Pawikan Festival, which is probably during the breeding season of the sea turtles. I also saw on TV that there were large numbers of baby sea turtles being released to the sea. So that trip to the 'center' was pretty short.
It was time for our next destination, the supposedly white sand beach that was further off. The driver said that we should just go to the white coral area (more like dead coral ~_~) since the waves are strong and it would be tough to get there. But since the deal was to go there my father insisted. So we boarded the boat but alas, the waves got into the boat AND the motor that propels it.
After about 10 minutes of trying to start the boat we were told to go back to shore so they could focus more on solving the problem. We thought we were gonna be stranded there. We could walk but it would kill our feet since the resort was so far off its like a plankton on the horizon ._. We even thought of riding a public transport on the other side of the center and have it take us to the resort. But we waited there. Then after an hour or so they finally fixed it. But the waves were still strong and there were even other people who helped out in stabilizing the boat as we boarded it. It was like lots of people pushing a car to get it started lol. So yeah, the ride back to the resort was mostly rough due to the waves but as we got towards the end of it the waves calmed and we got to see a beautiful sunset.
When we got back to our room we took a shower and by the time we were all done it was around 8 in the evening. Since the management told us that our room was a 'no-meal' room we were not allowed (supposedly) to bring food that we could cook. Well we did bring snacks and sandwiches and some drinks, but no dinner and breakfast, so we decided to go the restaurant.
When we arrived at the restaurant we sat and took some pictures (lol) then a waiter approached and apologized that they won't be able to serve us because the kitchen ran out of food to cook, yeah we were like WTF. Then the waiter called someone else but this guy said that they will not be able to serve us because they are busy serving this company that was also a guest in the resort. Now my father got angry and complained saying all sorts of things. I don't really want to go into detail because its kind of embarassing and lulzy XD But my father had a point - they can't do that to a customer :|
So anyway while this was happening my mother and 2 brothers wandered to the nearby playground to take more pictures. I went there and told mom what happened. Frustrated, we went back to our room. Well we still have some sandwiches so whatever XD Then minutes after we were inside the room talking about this ridiculous situation and the other mishaps that happened during the day, someone knocked on the door.
Apparently it was one of the managers of the resort apologizing for what happened and explaining their side, saying that they weren't able to anticipate the amount of people (which is a poor excuse IMO, since some locals my father got to talk to while being stranded said that every holy week the resort is full) Of course my father was still infuriated and the manager took some serious heat XD Then he said that they'll cook what is available. In the end my two brothers got to eat tapsilog (tapa - beef cutlets, sinangag - stir fried rice w/ garlic, and itlog - egg) and hotsilog (hotdog with sinangag and itlog lol). And it was on the house, too XD (We tried to pay for it but the manager insisted) I on the other hand didn't order because I was kind of embarrassed by the situation, thinking "I don't want people cooking my food with ill feelings" or something like that XD So I settled for bread and canned sausages XD
Anyway after eating we brushed our teeth and slept early, it was around 10 PM then. Good thing I was able to sleep even if the hypocrites outside who abstain from eating meat yet play music like they're having a party have their loud speakers on throughout the night. :D That and we wanted to wake up early XD
To Be Continued
I woke up at around 2:30 PM and Mom said that we'd be boat riding at 3:30. Apparently they were able to haggle after all. We were like "yay turtlez!!1" (no not really lol). So we went to the beach, put on the life vests given to us, and boarded the boat. It was a small fishing boat, so excluding the two people on both ends, it could probably hold about 10 persons. The sea was a lot wavy then and I got a bit dizzy as I was trying to see the bottom of the sea (no pun intended).
After about probably half an hour we arrived at the sea turtle conservation center. The entrance fee was pretty cheap (20 PHP so about 50 cents in USD?). We thought we'd see a lot in the place but all there is were just a stone display of sea turtles, a 'hatching' area where there was a single hole (probably man-made but I'm not an expert on that lol), a few baby turtles you could put on your palm for pictures and such, and a pool with 3 grown sea turtles. All that in a relatively small area :| It was a bit disappointing but seeing a live sea turtle up-close is rewarding too. I just felt kind of guilty at the turtles when I saw the people lifting the sea turtles out of the water and holding them for several minutes just for their pictures. Well I hope that the money they get is spent on caring for them. Anyway I saw on TV that the place is lively during the Pawikan Festival, which is probably during the breeding season of the sea turtles. I also saw on TV that there were large numbers of baby sea turtles being released to the sea. So that trip to the 'center' was pretty short.
fake and real turtles yay!!!1
It was time for our next destination, the supposedly white sand beach that was further off. The driver said that we should just go to the white coral area (more like dead coral ~_~) since the waves are strong and it would be tough to get there. But since the deal was to go there my father insisted. So we boarded the boat but alas, the waves got into the boat AND the motor that propels it.
that piece of land on the horizon was where we were next to go, supposedly
After about 10 minutes of trying to start the boat we were told to go back to shore so they could focus more on solving the problem. We thought we were gonna be stranded there. We could walk but it would kill our feet since the resort was so far off its like a plankton on the horizon ._. We even thought of riding a public transport on the other side of the center and have it take us to the resort. But we waited there. Then after an hour or so they finally fixed it. But the waves were still strong and there were even other people who helped out in stabilizing the boat as we boarded it. It was like lots of people pushing a car to get it started lol. So yeah, the ride back to the resort was mostly rough due to the waves but as we got towards the end of it the waves calmed and we got to see a beautiful sunset.
When we got back to our room we took a shower and by the time we were all done it was around 8 in the evening. Since the management told us that our room was a 'no-meal' room we were not allowed (supposedly) to bring food that we could cook. Well we did bring snacks and sandwiches and some drinks, but no dinner and breakfast, so we decided to go the restaurant.
When we arrived at the restaurant we sat and took some pictures (lol) then a waiter approached and apologized that they won't be able to serve us because the kitchen ran out of food to cook, yeah we were like WTF. Then the waiter called someone else but this guy said that they will not be able to serve us because they are busy serving this company that was also a guest in the resort. Now my father got angry and complained saying all sorts of things. I don't really want to go into detail because its kind of embarassing and lulzy XD But my father had a point - they can't do that to a customer :|
So anyway while this was happening my mother and 2 brothers wandered to the nearby playground to take more pictures. I went there and told mom what happened. Frustrated, we went back to our room. Well we still have some sandwiches so whatever XD Then minutes after we were inside the room talking about this ridiculous situation and the other mishaps that happened during the day, someone knocked on the door.
Apparently it was one of the managers of the resort apologizing for what happened and explaining their side, saying that they weren't able to anticipate the amount of people (which is a poor excuse IMO, since some locals my father got to talk to while being stranded said that every holy week the resort is full) Of course my father was still infuriated and the manager took some serious heat XD Then he said that they'll cook what is available. In the end my two brothers got to eat tapsilog (tapa - beef cutlets, sinangag - stir fried rice w/ garlic, and itlog - egg) and hotsilog (hotdog with sinangag and itlog lol). And it was on the house, too XD (We tried to pay for it but the manager insisted) I on the other hand didn't order because I was kind of embarrassed by the situation, thinking "I don't want people cooking my food with ill feelings" or something like that XD So I settled for bread and canned sausages XD
i try not to think if they put something else in these @_@ oh well its been several days from the time it was consumed and nothing seems wrong with the two that ate these
Anyway after eating we brushed our teeth and slept early, it was around 10 PM then. Good thing I was able to sleep even if the hypocrites outside who abstain from eating meat yet play music like they're having a party have their loud speakers on throughout the night. :D That and we wanted to wake up early XD
To Be Continued
