One Hell Of A Fucking Adventure
Mixed emotions, I was excited, anxious, nervous, happy, tense, you name it! The whole "She-bang!" It was drizzling outside, dark clouds were hovering the sky, no thanks to typhoon Maring. I was texting Ate Mercy from SunBloom resort (and NO the sun wasn't BLOOMING at all), I was asking her if boats can cross the sea going to Potipot island, I can't get a definite answer, I don't know if she's stupid or just playing dumb, my questions were in Filipino though. My phone was constantly vibrating, Gretch was bugging me every hour asking what the plan is, I told her time and again to chill-out and that we'd pick her up at exactly 7PM. I was afraid to tell her that there were no plans. Earl called me, she called Ate Mercy he said, it was raining in Zambales, no boats can cross, Botolan is flooded, we don't know where the hell is Camiling and we should think of another plan. Anilao I said, that was the original plan anyway. So Anilao it is. Funny thing is, I texted Pola, Gretch and Earl this:
I waited for over a month for this, we can't give up now.
Whatever happens this will push through. We don't have
any plans. This is going to be one hell of a fucking adventure
Thus the title of this entry...
5:15PM (This part is called "Hell")
Took a bath, got dressed and waited for Earl. he said ETA was 10 minutes. Ma was giving me some final reminders, I wasn't paying attention really. I'm too pre-occupied. Thoughts were running in my head like cars in EDSA, "what if's" and stuff. He arrived 15 minutes later.
We went to his office for some unfinished business which took him probably 20 minutes. We were on our way to pick up Gretch in Ortigas at around 6:30PM. After around 1,000 SMS of rants and complaints and sighs from her, we got there. It was around 8PM.
We were traversing a road near Araneta on our way to Pola's when we received a text from her. It goes something like: D2 n ak sa Anilao? San n kyo? That just killed me. She was her old classic self. Earlier that day I thought she was gonna back out. Thankfully she didn't. That SMS affirmed it. And yes it was raining now.
So there we were Earl and Pola in front, Me and Gretch at the back. 9PM and we're still in EDSA. Good thing Pola went to China a few days ago so there's a lot to talk about. A lot better Gretch was REEEAAAALY amusing so I wasn't bored at all. The best thing was when Earl, showboating, taught us the right way to pronounce SIOMAI... Hell it was fucking CRAZY! I wish you'd hear it (who ever you are reading this). It was LEGEND in the making, a joke that will be passed on from one generation to another.
Nevertheless it was still annoying. The traffic sucks, it was raining, I didn't get enough sleep and nothing's going my way. It was hell...
12:30AM (Now this part I call "Fucking with Nature ver 1.0")
Tagaytay, after nearly 6 hours, we're only in Tagaytay. My estimate was by now, we should already be somewhere in Anilao sitting by the beach drinking Sub-Zero, smoking and laughing our hearts out. Instead we were cramped in Earl's SUV tired and hungry.
After a few minutes of driving, past the colorful lights of PAGCOR's Casino, fog slowly crept in and blocked our way. Earl's headlight just can't penetrate the thick smoke, we were like in a movie, a hollywood horror where someone will jump on the windshield and hack us all to death. It was cool though... Scary but cool
A few more hours and we've reached Batangas proper. Signs pointing to Nasugbu are all over the place. We made sure to stop by it and read the directions. I was quite confident that the way to Anilao is to go past Nasugbu and just follow the road signs all the way. I was wrong. Dead fucking wrong. Only it was already late when we realized it.
So we climbed past the mountains, drove past a few barangays, a number of cows and a huge green field where the girls, by the way, eased their bladders (it was a "manger-like" waiting shed full of dried grass) It was funny as hell but scary at the same time, I mean a snake could have bit them smack right into their asses but still, it was funny. What I did was I stood, with my back turned, infront of them to watch for incoming intruders. The sound, ooooh the dripping sound... It was the sound that disturbed the hell out of me! It was splashing louder than the rain.
After that pissing fiasco, what we did was, we turned around and retraced our way to ask for directions, but there was not a single soul for about 5-10 Kms. We stopped at a road side eatery for bus drivers to ask for directions. Anilao was on the other side of town and would probably take a few more hours of travel. Shit happens...
For the next 2-3 hours, we drove aimlessly through fields of grass, rows of trees, and lifeless houses that seem haunted and abandoned. I was tired, I looked at Gretch with dismay and asked her if she's OK, of course she'd say "yes" but I know deep inside she isn't. I just wanted to get this over with. I wanted to feel my back against a bed's soft cushion and rest my eyes for awhile. I wanted to hear the waves lick the sand. I don't want to be here. But Earl was still driving, Pola was no longer smiling, Gretch was quiet and I'm tense and tired and irritated and sad. Just when I thought we already had shit, shittier things are now happening...
We got lost time and again, intersections keep on presenting itself and it sucks because when it happens, no one is around for us to ask questions. Fortunately, a good samaritan of a man who was driving a PUJ guided us and gave us specific information on how to reach Anilao. Turn right when you pass the only bridge and that should take you to Anilao he said. I won't forget his face nor his friendly reminders
2:30AM (Fucking with Nature Ver 2.0)
At last, Anilao. One can't miss it, GMA's tarpauline wearing a wetsuit is all over the place. Everyone brightened up a little bit, Gretch even said that she can now feel that the air is becoming "sticky" and "salty". On our left stood huge canister like containers probably for oil and the right side of the road was lined with houses and establishments and "what-have-you's."
Most of the resorts were already closed as expected, so we drove around for awhile. I told them that we need to choose the one that's farthest from the residential area so that we'd have a little privacy and ambience. A few more minutes and I could already feel Earl's restlessness. I know what's running in his mind, I know him too well and I know he just wants to park his car and find a place where we could stay for the night and sleep. I know that if that happens, we'll regret it.
The road slowly started to ascend and the gap between the houses also started to increase. The signs advertising resort names gradually decreased, in fact, only two remain, Mayumi and Planet Dive. By the time we reached the sign leading to Mayumi Resort, Earl pulled over, parked infront of a church, and decided to take a quick nap. Pola, I could feel was a little irritated due to fatigue probably, and Gretch was, I could see and feel, sleepy and moody. What I did was I went out, walked a few meters, stood infront of the church and thought of a plan to cheer them up. I thought since we're already here, why not drive all the way to Laiya. Sounds like a logical plan to me, I convinced Earl and presented the argument that since we're already here, why not make the most out of it, sadly, he bought it. And so that's what we did.
By the time we reached the end of the paved road (we went past Planet Dive and a resort the has about a million slides in it) we were now threading on rough road (if you could even call it a road) If you'd check google map, after anilao, next would be Laiya. Obviously if you go past this road, next town would be the town of Laiya. Logic.
We went up a steep muddy road, at first the climb was tolerable and easy but the further we went, the steeper and scarier the climb becomes. The road was pitch black, the only light we could see was the light coming out of Earl's SUV. On our left was a muddy, wall-like structure where grass and shrubs grow wildly, to the right was a cliff that would send us swimming in no time. Honestly I thought it was the rough road Mari and Paolo were refering to. For the second time now, I was DEAD FUCKING WRONG. Again, it was already late when I realized it.
Here's what happened: we reach a point where the climb was really steep, the tires infront were screeching due to lack of traction and partly because of mud and rain that made the road even more slippery. We all decided to turn around and retrace our way and just spend a few hours in Planet Dive. Earl gracefully maneuvered the car without any problem and after a few minutes we were back on track heading towards Planet Dive.
Just when I fucking thought that everything would be fucking smooth-sailing, we fucking hit a fucking "all-time" low. The fucking tires won't fucking grip the mother-fucking muddy road. So I had to go down again and gather fucking rocks so we could get past this fucking inclined road. After a few minutes all I can hear are the tires screeching, fucking trying to go up the moronic "not-that-steep" of a road. Pola went down to help, after a few minutes, Gretchen was also out gathering rocks. We fucking tried everything from pushing the car up, placing rocks in front of the wheels, trying to level the ground with our feet, you name it! I was ready to jump off the cliff due to embarassment. If let's say, it was another person who's driving the car and not my bestfriend, that person would have killed me, ostracized me, blamed me for everything and cussed me 'til I die of shame. I'm thankful Earl is far, lightyears, from that. It sounds gay but nevertheless, I'm thankful. If only my bestfriend's a hot chick... IF ONLY...And IF ONLY SHE'S HOT (Euck!)
Gretch was half sitting on the dirt road while Pola was gathering more rocks or flattening the tire tracks, I'm not so sure anymore. I had this stupid idea to pull out an already fallen banana tree to put it infront of Earl's tires. What I didn't know was a thorny vine was entwined on it so when I pulled it out it created a huge lash on my right palm. It fucking stings! It was so painful! Worse, my hand was so muddy I fear the wound might get infected or something. It was my fault, I deserve it. Seeing them suffer because of my foolishness and selfishness makes me want to commit suicide. I just can't bear the sight of Gretch and Pola looking so damn worried and afraid. This trip was supposed to be fun and relaxing. It turned out to be obnoxious and stressful. I just wanted to go home. I started to miss someone from my not so distant past.
For a few minutes I walked infront of his light feeling like I'm Frodo carrying, instead of The One Ring, embarassment and defeat. Once the coast was clear I, with a heavy heart, re-joined them. Everyone was just supportive and understanding. They said it was fun, that it was a unique experience and that they will never forget it (Yeah right, fucking FUN and UNIQUE my ASS), neither do I. Gretch partly cleaned my wound with a bottle of alcohol, the pain was nothing compared to what I feel deep inside, the feeling of defeat and helplessness, she then dressed it with a polka dot hanky that eased both the physical and the emotional pain that was really pulling me down. With a tap on my shoulder and an "Everything-is-OK" smile, Gretch made me feel a little better.
Next stop was Planet Dive, there were a few cars parked infront of the resort, we parked directly beside a Honda City, lit a cig and chatted for awhile. Don, one of the resort's helper opened the receiving area for us to wait until the booking office opens.
Earl and Pola slept in the car while Gretch and I stayed in the balcony of the receiving area. The view was just magnificent, the sun was rising in the east and the sky slowly lightened up. We were just chit-chatting away talking about anything under the sun when, probably due to the ambience and the moment, I told her I like her. It wasn't awkward at all, I knew I was gonna regret it after I utter the words but I still decided to confess. I just want some closure, I don't want to die keeping all my feelings to myself, I learned my lesson. I learned it the hard way. I wasn't really expecting for an answer or anything and I didn't get one. All I got was silence...and a meaningful smile.
By the time we finished talking, I woke Pola up and told her we need to book a room, so down we went through the zigzag, moss covered, stone steps to the booking office. We were greeted by a friendly (When money talks, everyone is friendly) booking officer and we're advised of the rates. Pola, being the wisest decided to look around for awhile. So up we went. We left with a promise that we'll just go eat breakfast somewhere.
We drove for a few kilometers, and reached the church where we pulled over earlier that day. The road leads to a resort called Mayumi as I've mentioned earlier. The road was really narrow and was lined with shrubs and tall grass and occasional trees, at the end of the road we reached a cemetery and thought that the sign must be a big joke. So we backed up a little bit and saw a "secret-like" passage to our left. If not for Pola who, suggested we check it out even if there is a creepy cemetery infront, we would have not discovered a piece of heaven in a damned place called Anilao.
The room was extravagant, clean and the view was perfect, only it will cost us 4,000Php per head a day, inclusive of three buffet meals. A price reasonable enough but too expensive for our pockets. And yet again Pola came to the rescue. Pola was able to ask for a discount from the Resort's manager, so from 4000Php, it went down to 2000Php. It was like winning the lottery! We got 2 buffet meals and a free breakfast for tomorrow. Not bad! Not bad at all...
Honestly, what happened next were basically nonsensical aside from the fact that Gretch threw up her dinner and was starved the next day and Pola walked the whole room only in her undies. We also had this some kind of an open forum where we think of something smart to say to each other. It was funny. That was it. That was just it. It surely was one hell of a fucking adventure.
Post Script:
Risk Management just caught me using my phone earlier today so I just lost the interest to complete this entry competently. Sorry...
When I get the chance, I'll re-edit this piece
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