Sunny Days

February 22, 2012.

The sun came out again and the rainy days have ended. Now it is warming up! We spend our days coming and going in the area but always glad to be back, sitting on the terrace under the wind flowers enjoying the breeze from the river.

We went into Bacolod for lunch at a new Pizza restaurant. The family behind Greeno'z have divided forces and the sister has opened a new pizza restaurant and Bed and Breakfast around the corner from her brother’s original pizza restaurant. Must be a story there! Riza and Leroy have been to the original restaurant and want to try out this new one. It is very nice – everything new and shiny. There is a big glass window to the kitchen so you can watch the cook making the pizza. They were still painting the kitchen around him. The food was well prepared and served but the flavour is somewhat different than the same order would be at home. Still, it was a nice change!

As we finished, we saw a junk man at the restaurant across the street tying pails and buckets to his bicycle. The pails were 5 gallon metal food grade containers. I pointed them out to Leroy and we made a quick turn to see if we could negotiate a deal. Riza bargained with the pedlar and we took four of his buckets with us. They will be useful on the property for all kinds of things.

We were off to buy plants so we headed out of Bacolod on the road south toward Bago. We noted a number of nurseries in the area when we returned from Kabankalan. Riza has shopped there before. The first nursery we came to had lined the road with bougainvillea of all colours. We looked them over but decided to go a little further to see what other choices we had. We found the place where she had shopped before and stopped to do some serious looking. There was so much to see, so many to choose from and so little room in the car. Good thing we had four big buckets!

Each nursery is designed as the front garden of a very nice house. Apparently all of the nursery families are related. There had been a death in the family and as we wandered, a hearse pulled out of the property across the street and the mourners filed out of the driveway walking behind it. Then trucks with the truck bed loaded with people, followed by jitneys and tricycles all moving slowly toward the cemetery.

We wandered about the front gardens. There are many plants we would have liked to get – some wonderful bonzai trees, a large bougainvillea with a variegated leaf or some palms Leroy does not yet have. We settled for 4 regularly sized bougainvillea and then we found a beautiful bright pink and green “Lobster Claw” heliconia. That, we had to fit in the vehicle somewhere! Riza made a good deal and they dug up a full stalk with a healthy shoot attached. One or the other, if not both, should survive the transplanting.

The days go by. There are errands to run – to the bank for some money, to the market for fresh fruit or the grocery store to stock up on the usual food items. We like the SM Mall grocery store the best but for mall shopping Robinson’s Place Mall is preferable. There are some beautiful locally made things in the “Best of Negros” store and in the main “Negros Showroom” on 9th and Lacson Street. I bought two beautifully made cotton dresses for my granddaughter. I bought two because they are so inexpensive compared to home. The staff here were talking about what a lucky girl that must be to own two dresses. How differently we look at things.

We went for a walk one afternoon. I wanted to get some pictures of the road on foot, rather than from the car. The municipal grader has been down it and leveled out some of the worst gullies. It is almost level now but the rains have made it very muddy. It is hard to say if the improvement will survive. Leroy wants to see where Alex is building his new house.

It was a very pleasant walk past sugar cane fields and rice terraces. Mt.Kanlaon rises above the area. The volcano was still shrouded with cloud. We stopped by the old church and talked to the lady living on the property. She and her husband own these cane fields. She speaks very good English and appeared happy to have visitors to speak with. Another neighbour is the Lampria family. They have a huge vegetable garden and they frequently come to the gate with vegetables for Riza to buy.

From there it is downhill¸ past a pig sty to the “Ladies Bath”. We could hear the pigs and smell the pigs but we did not see the pigs. We have missed that experience from the car! We nicknamed the deep pool in the creek “Ladies Bath” because there are often water buffalo or "carabao" relaxing in the quiet water. No one was there this trip – they must have all been at work in the fields. We passed one farmer weeding the furrows between the tall cane with his animal and a plow. The carabao was loudly and stubbornly resisting the farmer’s direction to turn and head back into the dense and prickly row. The farmer persevered and the weeding continued.

The road was still muddy and wet but appeared to be passable.

Once we got to the top of the hill we could see Alex new house across the rice fields. Leroy asked a field hand how best to reach it. He stopped work to guide us. I managed to make my way along the narrow top of the dykes. I did not want to slip and break through someone’s dyke or harm their crops! Before we got to the house, we had to cross a creek. There did not seem to be any easy way to do it so we turned back. We found out later, Alex wife had watched our progress and was coming down to show us the way when we turned back. We will visit another day – after Alex finishes the bridge!

Walking home we were walking among the children returning from school. They were walking, talking and playing like children everywhere. I particularly enjoyed watching two young girls, “best friends” who could easily have come straight out of Anne of Green Gables!

Early Sunday all the crew were at work. No lingering over breakfast coffee this day. The sunny weather made it a good time to mend the roof on the gazebo. It is a well made nipa roof but it had a few noticeable holes. They may be from sun, wind and weather – or they may be from tukos creating a village high up in the building. Dreigo has the expertise with nipa and apparently no fear of heights. He rigged up a platform and ladder to reach the center of the roof under his sister, Anna’s, watchful eye. Alex is the biggest and strongest. He held the ladder - from the bottom. Like me, he would not be keen on climbing it. It took about four hours to finish the patching. It took Anna, with Lucy’s help, the afternoon to clean up the mess and get it back to normal. The rest of us tried to stay out of the way!

We have been watching trucks go by with building supplies. We have heard rumours of a rock crusher enterprise being built on the river. Leroy and Riza are understandably interested in any industry moving in next door. We got ready early one morning and headed out for a walk along the river.

There is something going on. Temporary tarp buildings are in place next door. An office, storeroom and bunkhouse are under construction. Goats are still tethered in the empty field.

The west side of village is strung out along the road. The thatched houses are farther apart along the river with nicer yards than the east side of Calibago where they all seem jammed together. We pass Lucy’s house as we go, waving to her daughter and her mother.

Where the road curves to the river there is a new sand separator installed. Not far beyond it is the well in the river where the locals get their water. Two springs enter the river at that place.

A ford crosses the river where the road leads to the “Englishman’s” property. He and his wife have created a beautiful estate among cane and rice fields. They provide jobs for the people in the area. Their new house has just been completed and another family member is building there now. They have a tilapia pond in their creek close by this river path.

We passed fish traps being stored in a tree until next they were needed.

This is also where the Bago River and the Caliban River meet. People come here to fish for themselves and for their livelihood. We watched a young man swim his fishing pole across the river and set up on our side.

How will a rock crusher affect this area? Will it bring needed jobs to the people? Will it be viable? Will it pollute the river? It will not add to the tranquility of Calibago, the Englishman’s or the people of the village.

Rainy Days

February 11th, 2012.


The day after the earthquake, the rains began. It rained heavily most of the night. In the morning the river was raging and had turned an earthen brown. Heavy rain on the high mountain washes the land to the sea. It also raises the water level at Calibago. We could not see the rocks in the river at all. Much of the riverside path was underwater. The lower garden was threatened once more.

We wondered how the road out of Calibago would be. It is not well maintained and it can get pretty rough and muddy. We decided to stay put until the rains past. After our mini-vacation and the excitement of the earthquake it was just fine to have some quiet days.

Thursday we had to go to town. Leroy needed to go through the complex procedures to renew his driver’s licence. Dan had a dentist appointment. Dr. Soulis had found two teeth that needed filling and it seemed we might as well do it while we were here. We also wanted to change our tickets back to Manila so we would have some time there before flying home.

We were up early as usual and we could hear rifle fire that seemed very nearby. I wondered if there was a feud in the village! No, apparently there is a shooting range some distance south of us.

Leroy decided to check the road out on his motorbike first. He is gradually rebuilding the bike and he has only ridden it in the grounds of Calibago. This is his first ride on the road. Dan cheerfully opened the gate whilre Riza stood nervously in the background. He was off! The road was wet, rutted mud but passable for the car.

We got to town and separated to do our chores then met back at Imay’s for lunch. We always enjoy eating there. Leroy still had more appointments to keep before being granted his license so we split up again to meet at Robinson’s Shopping Center later. It is not often Dan and I get to find our own way around. We filled in the time with no problem.

After a day in the noise of the city it is always good to get back to the quiet of Calibago but today the gunfire was still going on.

Friday morning the gunfire started up again. We ignored it and kept puttering about. Today we were moving some orchids. They have been in shallow bowls and it looked nice but they are not doing well. I investigated and found the bowls are not full of drain holes – the orchid’s roots are wet and dead. They are meant to be in the air. Their natural habitat is the trunks of trees. Riza has a beautiful tree stump she has hung flower pots from. We moved them and poked the orchids into any crevice that would hold them temporarily until their roots formed again. Once they put out roots they will bind themselves tightly to the stump and remain secure.

In the afternoon we all cleaned up to go visiting. We wanted to go and check out Richard and Joy’s home. Joy is building a successful business as a rice trader and Richard always has expansion plans underway. The house they were building when we were here last is finished now. A new addition is already underway! That was stopped to start a storage building for Joy’s rice. She is doing so well sacks of finished rice are taking up more and more space inside the house. And a new fence is being built around the property. Finally the workers had to drop everything else to plant rice once more.

We had a nice visit. Richard showed us around the property. The warehouse is impressive. Not a crack marred the surface after the earthquake. The skeleton of the new addition has been constructed. Their son, Justin, proudly showed us where his new room will be. For now where the floors will be are waving carpets of young, bright green, rice seedlings!

We checked out the piggery where momma pig and a large litter of piglets were the excitement of the day. A lone male has come in for fattening and he was as curious about us as I was about him!

There were the usual farm dogs about – my favourite was a small puppy with ears that made him look like Yoda! Their home seems to be happy, orderly chaos.

We headed home with a brief stop to buy charcoal at a small store along the way. The staff use it for their cooking fire. When they are ironing our clothes they use a charcoal burning iron. I use their electric iron but they do not. Theirs is cordless!

When we got home the gunfire finally stopped. Not long after army vehicles came out of the village and up the road past the Calibago gate. I don’t know where they have been, but the firing was probably closer than we thought! They were practising somewhere in the neighbourhood!

Saturday Leroy and Dan took Anna and Riza into town early. Anna and Riza were going to catch a bus to Visit Riza’s father and make sure all was well there. It was quiet at home without them and I was sitting trying to decide what we would do on our next mini-vacation when the house shook again. This time I was the only one to feel it. I wondered if I had imagined it. No, a 4.9 aftershock was recorded at that time.

Sunday, Leroy and I went into town to get Riza and Anna. Sunday is Market Day in Mercia and the side streets were clogged with vendors.

Bacolod is quieter than usual on a Sunday. We met Anna and Riza, had lunch and stopped to buy a few groceries. We were in the middle of the food floor when the lights went out. Is that ever black! We stood still. Soon the generator had minimal lighting going again. The cash registers never stopped!

With the rain and the earthquakes making roads across the island questionable, we decided not to go over the mountain to catch the ferry to Cebu and head on to Bohol. We will spend our last two weeks here and relax.

Earthquake!

February 6, 2012.


I was sitting on our couch with my back to the end wall. I heard the sound of a strong wind and looked up.

From this position I was looking the length of the house and out the open kitchen door.

The house was literally tipping from side to side. My first thought was – that is some wind! Then I realised wind does not make a cement block house dance. This is an earthquake!

Next thought, where will my computer be safest? I quickly popped it under the couch. Then I realised I should be out the door myself. I called over to Dan in the garden. He was working on his stump and it started to jump up and down in the hole.

Riza was inside starting lunch. She thought Dan had done something to the stump that shook her kitchen. Then she looked behind herself and saw the whole gazebo was moving. She was running around, trying to decide the safest place to stand.

Leroy was working in the workshop. He also heard the sound of wind. Then that huge brick building was shaking as well.

All was quiet. Then it began again, this time just a small aftershock.

There was a short mention on the news channel so I went on the internet looking for more information. It was a 6.8 Richter quake entered north of Dumaguete. A small child was killed in Tayasan when their block fence fell on her. A man suffered cuts when his windows broke in San Carlos.

It was very strong in Binalbagen where Riza’s family is so she checked on her father. He is fine. Her cousin manufactures Nata from coconut. It is a very sensitive culture. With the strong shaking it all died and her current stock is destroyed. That will be a substantial financial loss for her company.

People were frightened by the strength of the quake. The market closed early and everyone went home. Children, even here in Murcia, were sent home from school.

There was no Pacific Tsunami warning. But a local warming was issued. It caused panic in Cebu City. People saw the water level rise and word spread. People abandoned their cars in the street, left shops open and stopped whatever they were doing to run. But where to run? The warning was rescinded within 3 hours.

We felt the aftershocks while cooking dinner and again as we cleared up but they were not strong at Calibago. Apparently one of the stronger ones we felt was centered in the Bacolod area. The aftershocks did cause cracks to show up in the walls of our little house, marring the new paint job.

The people on the Dumaguete coast were suffering. The death toll is still rising. Roads are cut, three bridges are impassable and the landslides buried homes in three villages. There were many more strong aftershocks. People are living on the street with no food, water or gasoline available.

We were very lucky to have left the area to return home when we did.

Kabankalan

February 5, 2012.
The road was unusually quiet as we made our way across the island Saturday. It was a much more pleasant drive. There was less road construction and less traffic so we made good time up the hill to Mabinhay. From there we start downhill crossing from Negros Oriental into Negros Occidental. We stopped at the top for a cold drink near the caves. They had lovely ripe papaya and bananas so Riza bought some to take home. The bananas were only 30P a kilo!

We made it to Kabankalan by midafternoon. They had two rooms left – we were in luck. Dan and I had the same room we were in two years ago. It is very nice! A king sized bed, air con, hot and cold water, TV, WiFi and a deck on both sides of the room. Our room was 1800P or $42.00 CDN. Prices have risen.

They are almost finished a whole new wing. It will double the number of rooms and is designed to mirror the existing wing across a central courtyard. There will be another pool and hot tub for guests only. The existing infinity lap pool and kiddies pool welcomes non-residents for the day at 100P each. I was happy to grab my bathing suit and join the families for an afternoon swim.

We had a quiet evening taking advantage of the WiFi and watching a bit of television before turning in. We would be up early to finish the drive home in the cooler part of the morning.

The drive was much busier on Sunday. Many places have market day on Sunday. There was a motocross rally alongside one town that was drawing a large crowd. Leroy was driving as though he could smell Calibago and Anna was holding the gate open!

We did stop at Valladolid for mangos. When mangos from the island of Guimaris are ready, there are mangos everywhere. We bought bags of them. We will have fresh mango, mango shakes, mango crepes and chopped mango steeped in local Tanduay rum in our pancakes over the days to come. Yummmmmm!

By lunch time we were home. Anna was holding the gate open and it was good to be back!

Siquijor

February 4, 2012.

Our jitney drove us up and out of the town turning west from Siquejor town through San Juan to the Royal Cliff Resort. We were taken with the gardens immediately. We walked down a well kept path with our belongings and found reception. We were directed to the Sea Breeze cottages numbers 1 and 2.

Each couple had a lovely lanai with table and chairs. Inside there were twin beds pushed together. Each day a new design was created with our top sheets, towels and flowers. Today it was a Valentine heart. We had an open cupboard, another table and chairs and a basic bathroom off of the main room. Surprise, surprise, there is no hot water. They had not run out – there just isn’t any. Cold water taps only. In this heat we had no problem adjusting. It is not uncommon in the Philippines. Even in Calibago, there is only a hot water geyser for the showers. All sinks have cold water only. These rooms are less than P1000 per night (about $20.00 Canadian).

During our time here we found the electricity could be out for short periods of time. We also found there was no reliable cell phone service. It seems Dumaguete can turn off Siquijor at will. They try to be as self sufficient as possible at Royal Cliff and have their own generator for emergencies. There is no air conditioning in the rooms but we found the ceiling fans to be sufficient when we were there. Quieter too!

It is the custom to leave your sandals on the step to save having sand in the house. On this first trip in with our luggage, I forgot that courtesy. It was hard to get all the coral sand out again. Though it was cleaned regularly, some grit remained right where we walked barefoot to the bathroom.

I could not wait to take the camera around and admire the grounds. It is a small resort built on the top of a limestone cliff. They have paths meandering through the gardens and down staircases to the sea. Each cottage is tucked away in its own space. As you walk you find many little seating areas. I liked the two hammocks hanging in the shade of a coconut hut.

For those who like to bake in the sun, there is a cement patio with lounge chairs. Past that there is another little hut with cushion lined benches and a souvenir cabinet. I sat there for a manicure – pedicure one afternoon. There is another little hut with table and chairs that is the perfect spot for watching the sun go down. Then you come to the dining room. You can eat under cover or out front on the edge of the cliff with only the stars above you at dinner time. If you are lucky you will see fireflies in the shrubbery.

The dining room serves only the residents so there is plenty of room for all and you can mix and mingle if you wish. We often shared our table with a young man from the Wainwright, Alberta area who is traveling alone on a holiday from his teaching job in China. Tyler is a science teacher on contract to a private English school working with the British Columbia school curriculum in a rural area outside of Cheung King. He is really enjoying it and had some interesting stories to share.

We also enjoyed two young English women who were traveling around together. The Philippines may never be the same! Their adventures had us in stitches; falling down a manhole in the dark on the way home from an evening out; a fifteen hour drive by scooter over the mountain from Puerto Princessa to El Nido, the last part down the steep mountain road in the pitch black dark. Someone told them it would take three hours and they believed it! It shouldn’t take fifteen but with two flat tires, a lost key and nightfall, it was not a straight forward journey. For now, they were terrorizing the roads of Siquejor on a motor scooter. They were the perfect catalyst to get all the young people, English, Canadian and Filipino, together for a live band at Czar’s Place. I gather that young people came from all over the island. We could hear the drums and music late into the night as we seniors lay in our beds. If my grey hair would not have been so noticeable in the crowd, I would have snuck out and joined them!

I spoke to a German couple who were interested in the snorkeling. They were disappointed by the reef here. They found Cebu to be better. I never did get all the way out to the flags making the edges of the reef so I cannot say. I was swimming alone and enjoying my underwater camera so I kept getting interrupted on my way out. The first day I was photographing a sea cucumber.

There is only a small amount of sand at the foot of the stairs. At low tide you can explore the tide pools with beach shoes. The small cave at the foot of the other stairs is fun to explore. The hole in the roof with the sunlight shining through was a “”Kodak moment”. Riza thought another rocky ledge made a perfect alligator! We spent the first afternoon, having lunch, napping and exploring the nooks and crannies of our temporary home.

We booked a car and driver for our second day. It was Walter again, this time with a Mitsubishi air conditioned van. First stop was for fuel. No gas station, just a little store, gallon jugs of diesel, a hose and a funnel.

Sequijor is the Philippine center of witchcraft and magic. Our first stop was a long drive up into the hills to meet Lola Con Ching. She is a famous healer in the area. I had expected a worldly wise person putting on a show for tourists. Instead I found a tiny elderly lady who lives with her daughter. She is very respected by her people. Dan and I did not want to make her uncomfortable so we explored outside while Leroy and Riza watched the proceedings.

They raise maize or corn in this area and her daughter was putting it out to dry, first on the cob and then as kernels. I spoke with her until everyone was ready to move on.

Next we stopped at the century old Balete tree or Banyan. There is a small stream walled in with many fish swimming in the water. Supposedly you can get in the water with the fish and have a fish “massage”. We skipped that attraction as well.

From there we went to the port of Lazi to see the Cathedral of St. Isidore the Farmer. It is a huge church built in the early 1800’s. It is a shame there is so much damage to the wood but the good news is it has been declared a national heritage site and is receiving special attention and repairs.

The old school across the street is also an imposing building. I tiptoed past the principal’s office to take a picture of the grand staircase. What really caught my attention was the newer nursery school building. The children there were saying their lessons in unison. They obviously had learned them well and were shouting with happy abandon. It was lovely to hear them!

The road past the church leads to Cambugahay Falls. It was already getting warm for the walk down the 135 steps to the falls - even warmer coming up. We did buy bottles of water from the sellers at the top. The stairs are well built and well maintained. It was not a difficult descent. The pools and falls at the bottom were lovely. There was a couple swimming in the highest pool. They said it was better than the best spa they had been to – the temperature was perfect. Good plan to wear your bathing suit touring here. I didn’t think of that! You do have to keep your belongings within easy reach. It is possible the children playing here are not just playing. The security guard patrols for a reason. I made it back up the stairs more slowly than some but with no difficulty. That came later when my muscles let me know I had overworked them – for days!

We stopped for lunch at Salagdoong Beach Resort. It is a lovely public beach resort. You pay to get in and you can use the facilities for the day. The restaurant is not highly recommended. We ordered a light snack, a cold drink and lunch for our driver. Good enough. I got a Siquijor T-shirt - more for the map than the shirt but I will use it to save my back from sunburn when snorkeling. I climbed the stairs to the top of the waterslides and found two cement diving boards as well. Maybe I would not jump there. You better be sure of your tides!

We carried on around the island. We saw the Firefly Cove Beach Resort where we would have liked to stay. They were booked solid until later in the month. We met a couple on the ferry who had successfully booked the last available room. No regrets – we are enjoying Royal Cliff.

Our next stop was the Larena Triad Coffee Shop. It is a steep drive up hill just after the town of Larena. There is a huge gazebo on top with a beautiful polished stone floor. They must use it for big, catered events. The view out over the harbour of Larena was spectacular. I could see the ferry leaving port, probably for Cebu. We ordered two banana splits – with two cherries on top please. They didn’t have any cherries. Moments later one of the servers hopped on her motor scooter and headed downhill. Just as we finished the ice cream she returned and they served us four very warm maraschino cherries in a small bowl. That is service!

Walter drove us into Siquejor city on the way home. We needed to book passage back to Dumaguete Saturday. That saved us an extra trip. We saw some nice baskets in a shop by the Delta office. We will have to look at them while we are killing time waiting for the ferry.

Our last stop was the Cocogrove Beach Resort. It certainly is very upscale and we would have liked to explore. We had not paid our 50P entrance fee so we were ushered back to reception. Instead of seeing the restaurant all we saw was a menu. Riza was not impressed. It had many of the same dishes we were being served at much inflated prices. We clearly stated we wanted to see the restaurant and make reservations but that was not good enough. We did not bother returning.

We got back to the Royal Cliff Resort in time for a wonderful afternoon swim. This time I saw a beautiful underwater “flower”. Tyler tells me it is probably one step up from a sponge. They are a much more complex organism.

By the time I had finished it was time to shower and change for dinner. Once more we enjoyed a spectacular sunset from the seating area of our choice. By now we had met a number of people and the dinner conversation was lively.

Leroy has not been feeling well all day. By evening he was truly sick. I heard him frequently through the night. Our last day was spent quietly enjoying our resort. By late afternoon he was feeling well enough to go for a walk. There were other restaurants to try further down the beach – about a kilometer. We found the restaurant more like 5 km down the way. We have learned that “1 kilometer” is used for any random unknown distance. Everyone we asked told us 1 kilometer for everything! When we tired, we hailed a tricycle and explored a few places further on but none appeared better than our own. We had the tricycle driver turn around and take us home.

Saturday morning we got up early and were first for breakfast. Walter would bring the jitney at 8:30 to take us to the port. This time he had a lime green jitney, colourfully painted with mirrors lining both the driver and passenger doors. We had a very noticeable departure!

We got our tickets with no difficulty. It is 160P one way with a 14P port tax. That comes to about $4.00 CDN. Now we had time to wait – but the basket store was closed! Never fear, Walter to the rescue! He drove us back to the edge of town and the large basket store. Riza found what she was looking for and we had a good time looking around. Walter delivered us all the way through the gate directly to the waiting room at the end of the pier.

We did not have long to wait. The ferry arrived. The seas were rougher today. The ferry was bouncing! Dan asked me to take a picture of the hull. It was in pretty rough shape. I wondered if I was going to have a difficult crossing! Some did but I was fine. Still, it was good to be ashore back in Dumaguete.

The tricycle drivers mobbed us as we came out of the terminal. It could be quite intimidating. It just made Riza mad and she would not deal with any of them. They were asking for 100 pesos to take us to the hotel. She walked out of the gate and yelled, “We need two tricycles - 30 pesos to Obdulia’s” Lots put up their hands and she picked those who had not hassled us. What a girl!

We thanked the hotel for looking after the car and left a tip for the day and night security guards. Then we were off, out of the city and back on the road to Kabankalan.

Dumaguete

January 31, 2012.

Today we begin our first vacation from our vacation. We are off to the island of Siquijor. Our first stop is Dumaguete. It should be a relatively short day. That is not the way it works out!

This is a familiar road to Leroy and Riza. Rather than make the trip to Bacolod to hit the main highway¸ we will take a shortcut from Murcia.and join the highway much further south. We miss the sign telling us the bridge is closed and a new bridge is under construction. We end up having to backtrack and join the highway at Bago. With all the road construction we have still saved some distance but lost time. The good news is Guimaras Island mangos are ripe and fill the stalls at Valadolid. We will be stopping there on the way home!

We pass through Binalbagan where Riza grew up. Her father still has a home there and a cousin runs the family farm on the edge of the city. We don’t have time to stop today. We are heading for a lunch stop at Kabankalan. We stopped at the Zaycoland Resort. We stayed there on our last trip and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were very hot and tired when we pulled in. Lunch was as good as we remembered and the gracious hotel and grounds relaxed us.

We were ready for the next leg of the journey over the mountain to Bais City. It is a rough, winding mountain road with more construction. It is very hot and the open windows bring in as much dust as cool air. We were glad to hit the coast road outside of Bais and be on the last leg to Dumaguete.

Leroy was nervous driving in the unfamiliar city. It was more good luck than good management that we directed him straight to the hotel front door! All four of us were ready for a rest break in the air conditioned comfort of our rooms.

In the late afternoon we were ready to explore and we walked along Street to the ocean front and down to Shakey’s Pizza for a cold drink. The menu offered Root Beer floats but there was no vanilla ice cream today. I could not think of another flavour that would go with root beer, so I decided on root beer alone. The rest shared a pitcher of beer. Leroy had a banana split while the rest of us shared Mojos. Neither the root beer nor the Mojos had a familiar flavour. Cold and wet was good enough! The pitcher of beer was very generous and I think they had trouble finishing it.

We enjoyed our walk back along the promenade. It is a great place for people watching. They seem to have had their own version of the Concordia sinking along the waterfront as well.

We cleaned up and changed for dinner. The hotel restaurant is not serving food at this time. We hailed a tricycle for the ride to Lab-As Seafood restaurant. It is about 2 km away along the waterfront and had good reviews online. The food was good, though we have had much better in Bacolod. The price was double or triple what we are accustomed to paying. No one was really happy with the dinner. We would not go back.

We chose to stay at the J. Obdulia’s Business Inn on Gov. Predices Street right by the Cathedral Bell tower. The hotel is well kept and we had rooms on the fourth floor against the next building so the rooms were relatively quiet. We did hear the cathedral bells clearly at 6:00 PM and again at 6:00 AM. Riza heard the 4:00 AM call to Mass but we missed that one! Our alarm was set for 6:00 AM so it was not inconvenient. We walked up the street for an early breakfast at MacDonald’s. We made arrangements with the hotel to leave the car with them and got a tricycle to the port.

We were in plenty of time to get our tickets and board the Delta III for the trip to Siquijor. It was not what I pictured when I think of FastCat. It was an older well used vessel. The dock was rocking enough to upset me. The boat was worse. When we went below the smell of mold and mildew was so strong, I was sure I was going to have a rough trip. Surprisingly, we settled in just fine. The trip is scheduled to take 45 minutes. I think we were more like an hour and a quarter. Still, we made it safely to Siquijor city where a jitney was waiting with a sign welcoming the Doves. We drove off leaving our fellow travellers behind as they bargained for their rides with the crowd of tricycle drivers clogging the quay.

The Ruins

January 28, 2012.


Tuesday was a day to prepare. We have Kathy, Steve and Chelsea coming for a visit in the afternoon. Riza has taken my key lime pie recipe and modified it to use puréed mango in the cheese layer. She tops it with mango slices and then finishes it with the whipped cream. Key Lime pie becomes Mango cheesecake! It is a very good addition to the recipe box.

We are going to do a more Canadian dinner for Steve. I am supervising the prime rib roast in the barbeque. We do have mashed potatoes and vegetables but no oven to do the Yorkshire pudding. In this kitchen, who needs the added heat? It is much nicer to have fruit and cheese for appetizers on the lanai with cold drinks! It was a very nice evening.

Wednesday, Leroy and Riza went back to Panaad market on their own so there would be enough room in the car for plants. They came back with a variety of Calamansi, two Pomelo and a number of other plants that caught their eye. Then we had to plant them!

Did I ever mention that there used to be a rock crushing plant down the road? Calibago was part of that property. In order to get the loaded trucks out of the plant, the ground was loaded with gravel and large rock then packed solid by the traffic. It is covered with a thin layer of soil that has become Leroy’s lawn. Try to dig a hole and the road bed becomes visible instantly. I have an unerring ability to find the biggest rocks. Dan was digging with a ramming bar and shovel. I was determined to make the hole big enough to get that rock out so the trees roots could spread. I took my turn on the shovel. To make it easier we decided to fill it with water to soften the earth. No luck – then we just had a hole with water. It never did drain that afternoon! We eventually gave up and planted the little tree on the softest side of the hole. The roots will have to find their own way around! That tree is going to need water wings on rainy days.

It is hard to believe how easily things grow here. Riza cut all the leaves off vegetable stocks similar to kale and spinach. She used the leaves as vegetables and then planted the leftover stocks last weekend. This week there are new leaves coming out.

The seeds she planted are all up and doing well. The little ,lime tree already has new leaves – there were no rocks or water in that planting spot.

Just before sunset, Riza and I get out the hoses and water the flower beds. The hose by our little house is not exactly uni-directional, it is designed to sprinkle in any and all directions. I end up as wet as the flower beds I am watering. In this heat it is a pleasure! It takes me about an hour to make sure each area is thoroughly watered and to check on the progress of the plants. Many of them are plants we bought on our travels last time we were here.

Friday we took a break from all the gardening and went on a tourist day to the Ruins. The Ruins have a sad history. A wealthy young man from the Philippines, Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson, was travelling in Hong Kong and met a beautiful young lady, Maria Braga, in Portuguese Macau. He decided she was the one for him. Her father approved the match and they were married. They lived an elegant life in one of the beautiful “Ancestral homes” in Silay. They had 10 children as was usual at the time. When Maria was pregnant with her 11th child, she slipped and fell causing a miscarriage. Medical help was not close by and by the time the doctor arrived, she had died. Don Mariano built the new mansion as monument to his beloved wife. As long as his children were unmarried, they could live there. The boys lived on the main floor and the girls on the floor above. Not all suitors were brave enough to face the brothers! Three of the women remained unwed.

The building itself was built of the finest materials. The cement poured day and night until the job was complete. It still is as smooth to the touch as marble. The floors made of long, thick planks with no seams from one end to the other. The patterns of the tile are still clearly visible. This beautiful home was built in 1911. In 1942, American guerillas set fire to it so it would not fall into the hands of the Japanese. It took three days to burn until only the cement structure remained forming the ruins we see today.

We had a pleasant lunch at the Pizzaria in the garden. By the time we were finished the school groups, who were touring for the morning, had gone and we had the place almost to ourselves.

The gardens are beautiful, designed in the same Italianate style as the house. The fountain and the chimney tower of the sugar cane processing plant are prominent features. Our tour was cut short by heavy thunder showers.

As usual we stopped here and there on our way home and arrived back at Calibago glad to be out of the city once more!

Anna’s stage is finished. The clothesline has been put up. Everyone gathered to see this new addition work. I took some wet towels off of the old line and pinned them up, then rolled them out. Jokes and laughter all around. Anna was trying to decide what song she should sing on her new stage! Both Anna and Lucy used the line right away. Unfortunately, they are a little loose. With only two spacers to hold longer items up, some of the laundry dragged too low. Dan and Leroy are looking for a turnbuckle so they can tighten the lines. That should do the trick.

Sunday we decided to go with Leroy and Riza when they went to church. They dropped us at the MacDonald’s next door to wait for them and use the WiFi. Well, we enjoyed the familiar MacDonald’s breakfast and the air conditioning – but there was no WiFi.

We went to the mall just as it opened and managed to find snorkels for our masks. We will be using them this coming week. I still would like to spend some time at the Robinson Mall but it was time for lunch. The main goal of the day was to try out a new restaurant, “Restaurant 21”. We hear they have classic banana splits!

We found a parking space right in front of the restaurant. The security guard brought an umbrella to the car to shade us for our walk to the door. The restaurant was very modern in design and restful in décor. The menu had both North American and Filipino foods to choose from. Dan had Cream Dory fish as Fish and Chips. Leroy had a mushroom burger. Riza and I chose shrimps in coconut curry. We can have burgers and fish and chips at home! The food was well presented and enjoyable, including the banana split!

I was dressed up for this occasion and thought perhaps I should use a napkin – the curry colour would not do my skirt any good. You really can dress me up, but should not take me out. I did make a fine mess of their snowy white napkin. Thank heaven, it did save my skirt!

Back to Calibago!