Centered in Calibago

January 14, 2012.

After a good night sleep, I was keen to get up and check out my surroundings in the daylight. Peeking out the windows, I could see the garden we planted had become a jungle! It was 6:00 AM and already Leroy was moving around the property. By 7:00 the workforce would be present and building the new fence outside our bedroom window. Best to be up and ready to go by then!


Showered and dressed I was watching for Anna’s arrival. Leroy and Reza had not told her when we would be coming. I could hear her singing on the deck in front of our door so I opened it up and said, “Good morning, Anna!” We did catch her by surprise! She did a little dance, we hugged and she cried! It was good to see each other again!

Cesar is no longer working at Calibago. Anna is now the Major Domo, keeper of the keys, with the badge of office – a cellphone –hanging around her neck. Her cousin Lucy is now a housemaid and Anna’s brother, Drago, is a very hard working handyman. We met Drago when he built Anna’s new house last visit. Alex is the new watchman. He has not been here long so we have yet to get to know him. Randy and his partner, Annalin, are temporary help for the building of the wall. Calibago is a growing community! We tease Leroy he is beginning Parok Dove! Parok being a small village such as the one next door. The workers and their families made a large and lively group in the photographs of the Calibago Christmas party.

We spent a quiet day touring the property and catching up on news. Reza had done a beautiful job of decorating our little house. The walls are freshly painted in decorator colours with beautiful hangings. Fresh flowers and potted plants liven up the room. We have a new bedroom suite with a very comfortable bed. There is a full living room suite to relax on. I had Reza come for a visit at our house this time. I should stock tea and cookies!

The gardens are amazing, particularly the heliconia and torch ginger in the front garden. It is now taller than the house and the various blooms are gigantic. There are many new papaya trees loaded with fruit. The mango trees are large but the rain seems to have limited the blooms there do not appear to be mangos coming. Drago brought a ripe mango from his garden for our breakfast. Wonderful!

The river is still high though the flood that covered the entire first level has now abated. Piles of sand remain along the front fence and the debris is still being cleaned up. There are piles of sugar cane deposited from fields up stream that need to be burned. At its height, the water covered the bottom step to the second level. It left the coconut palms laying every which way in its wake. They are standing again and have survived. The trees are probably doing well in the fresh silt left behind.

We watched three little people lug their inner tube up the path and then come floating down the river and right over the rapids covering the rocks in front of Calibago. It looked like they were having a great time! We could hear their excited voices drifting back to us as they disappeared down river. They made the trip a number of times. How many moms would allow that at home?!

We spent our first day quietly at home, relaxing after our long trip. Day two there were errands to run so we went off to Bacolod to visit the hardware store and the mall. Time to get my phone started and some fresh food. We met a dentist in town and booked an appointment for next week. I have been meaning to make an appointment at home but did not get to it. Here there is plenty of time.

Friday we went to the Golf and Country Club to meet friends from the area for lunch. Richard and Joy arrived with their very energetic little boy. He has sure grown since last we were here! Bill and his wife, , came too. All live in and around Mercia so it is nice to get together locally from time to time. The Golf club dining room is noted for its barbeque steak and onions with French fries. It has a lovely lanai on which to relax and visit.

I could not get my computer to talk to the cell phone so I could use it as a modem to connect to the internet. We went back to the mall after lunch and I went from cell phone provider, to cell phone company to technical support and back again all afternoon before the issue was resolved and the connection was working. Boring for everyone else but they stood by until I was done.

After all that we took another day off Saturday and spent it at home alternately puttering about and taking life easy. Lucy came to the door and spoke to Reza while we were having breakfast. Before we finished she was back with Anna doing the talking and Lucy in obvious distress. Reza went off with them and came back with the news Lucy’s 6 year old son had fallen off a water buffalo and broken his arm. It was a compound fracture – the bone sticking through the skin above his elbow. The Barangay has a small ambulance that can navigate the rough narrow road to the village. They were waiting for it to take the little boy to hospital. Boys will be boys in any country!

Dan is slowly trying to remove a stump from beside the house. It will be in the way when Leroy’s plans for an extension take place sometime in the future. I am looking at the garden plot and outlining a structure. I will find a shovel and start shaping it slowly. I can imagine four raised squares for the garden bordered by paths that will drain any excess water and keep the roots from being waterlogged. It will mean creating one level and moving some large rocks – perhaps to be used as stairs at the gate. It can be my slow project to get me in shape in place of a routine at the gym!

At sunset the neighbours put on a show, burning the sugar cane field across the street. Many children came out on the street to watch. Dan and I got our cameras and joined the crowd. Last visit we would have been frightened by fire so close to our little house, but now we know it is a common occurrence. It is still dangerous but less threatening.

We don’t seem to be able to make the evenings last long yet. We turn in very soon after dinner has been eaten and cleaned up. A few minutes relaxing on the lanai under the stars and we say goodnight! We will try to be more social soon!