Planting Days

Friday, January 22nd;

The next few days went by too quickly to do any writing, or perhaps were too leisurely!
Wednesday was our planting day. Everyone was busy getting the new plants into their assigned places so none would be lost.

During the two days we had been away, Caesar had completely mowed the lower level and cleaned it up beautifully. Now it was possible to walk all the way along the riverside. It also made the young palm trees visible and the new ones we carried home would join the existing coconut palms to create a very nice coconut grove when they are grown.

Leroy and Riza examined the plants that had been unloaded trying to decide where each one would go. Dan, Leroy and Caesar dug deep holes for the larger plants throughout the property using picks, shovels and water. Riza planted many of the smaller ones and I carried and dug wherever I could help.

Dan and Leroy left us for a man’s day out. Riza’s cousin and a friend brought a car and driver to pick them up Thursday morning and they went off to explore over the mountain. That left Riza and myself home for a day of leisure. We wandered the gardens, watering and examining each flower and vegetable bed. Then we went for a walk up the road.

Calibago, as it is now, is only a portion of the original park. Much of the land is still for sale. As we walked along, we walked through the neighbouring land to the river. There we found similar terraces lost in the underbrush. With at least six more of the seating areas and barbecues spaced along the way. The rock work is all intact with an amazing fountain and waterfall at the far end that appears to go into a pond that then drains into two waterslides falling into the river below. What fun that must have been! As we walked up the steps, Riza startled a large snake. It slithered quickly into what had been the water tunnel for the slides. It will be interesting to bring this area back to what it once was!

The river is gentler here. By some beautiful big rocks the women of the area have claimed a spot of their own for laundry and bathing. An elderly lady walked in front of us. She was dressed in a flowing orange skirt, a very nice jacket and walked with a cane. She carried a small bag of laundry. When we got to the river, she had shed her jacket and pulled her skirt up under her arms like a sarong. She was busily washing her laundry in the water and would probably bathe herself while her laundry dried.

I was wishing I had my camera! Dan had borrowed it for his trip across the island so we will have to walk this way again.

We headed home for a light lunch and spent the afternoon each with a good book, seated in the shade of the central trellises.

Friday we went to town again. The road to Murcia from Calibago is always interesting. This morning, the clouds were spectacular, rolling over Mt. Kanlaon as we left. There is a home that raises fighting cocks along our way. It is well kept and I am fascinated by the shelters for each rooster made out of old rubber tires. Cock fighting appears to be a big thing here and some people have very large flocks of roosters tethered individually each by their own little shelter. We pass by the cock fighting ring on our way to town and I cannot get over the size of it. It is like a stadium we would have for baseball or some other sport.

We met friends for morning coffee at a Starbuck’s like coffee shop called Bob’s, admiring (but not eating) the wonderful pastries they had. We did buy some treats at the connecting delicatessen. There were imported cheeses and other food you cannot buy here in the usual stores. Taco mix and black olives will go into a Tex Mex dip one day. Boursin aux fines herbs will add to a happy hour cheese tray.

We stopped to pick up Dan’s $40.00 custom made sandals. It is not easy to find size 14 anywhere and these black leather sandals turned out very well.

Leroy ran a few errands. Riza and I stopped at the Libertad market again for fresh vegetables. Dan was amazed at the “salad truck” he saw picking up the garbage created by the food stalls.

We finished our grocery shopping back at the SM Supermarket before heading home.

And so the days pass. It still seems like a yearly vacation that should come to an end very soon. But I do not have to go back to work and there is still so much more to see!