Binangonan - Kalbaryo

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Well, it's been a while.  Thank you to all who remembered me and greeted me a happy birthday last month, as well as to those who have sent messages regarding my inactivity for the past several months.  I guess I've been busy, with work and other things.  And I've been battling some ongoing health issues.

I don't know why motivation to update the blog suddenly blew my way, despite being so busy and tired.  I guess I've always tended to gravitate towards the blog when there's no one else to talk to.  Maybe in a way, I'm talking to myself, and in another way, I'm channeling my energy towards something that I used to really enjoy doing and something that's somewhat positive and creative.

Today, or yesterday I should say, I took a trip to U.P. Diliman to visit my old friend Simon.  It was last Summer since I last visited him.  I found him, his daughter, and his flower shop there still doing well.  I know he's always busy now with his family and his business, but I tried to convince him to go on a small adventure, like we used to.  Problem was, no one was available to take care of his daughter, Hope.  So, we decided, we'd take her with us :)


In Coconuter fashion, we headed out, not really knowing where to go.  I thought, why not Binangonan, it's not too far, but far away enough from Manila that it's no longer urban.  So, off we went, with Hope in tow :)

Like many old adventures before, our spontaneity sometimes came back to bite us.  This time, it was midday, and it suddenly turned scorching hot.  Sweltering heat, just suffocating us.  Sweat dripping and energy already waning before we even started, we could tell that we had not done this in quite a while! hehe :)

But me in particular, as we approached Binangonan, I was already planning on turning back as soon as we got there, because I was not feeling good.  I work graveyard shift and had not yet slept, and had not yet eaten anything substantial, so I was feeling a combination of low blood sugar, sleep deprivation, and just plain exhaustion.  I guess I just wanted to go back and lie down.

We've already gone this far, however, so I forced myself to push on.  Fortunately, Simon said that we should eat.  So we did, and it seemed like it was just what I needed :)  The jolt of energy from the carbohydrates and a sugary liquid picked me right up.  Even Hope was in a good mood now too :)

After our lunch, we were back under the sun and being blasted by the heat, but interestingly I could better tolerate it with my renewed energy, and I was more talkative now too :)  Now the question was, where to?  We saw water nearby, which was likely Laguna lake.  So, I thought, why not head towards one of the islands we saw off in the distance?  We took a tricycle to the port and began asking around about renting one of the boats to go to the islands.  Apparently, it would take around 2 hours just to get there, so we scratched that idea since we were low on time.

Looking around and thinking, I saw a cross atop a small mountain and decided that's where we're going to!  We learned that the locals call it Mt. Calvary (Kalbaryo).  From the port, I decided that we would walk all the way.  It was supposed to be a small adventure, after all.  And so we did :)

Due to the heat, we were feeling the intensity before even reaching the long set of stairs at the foot that would lead us up.  I couldn't help but reminisce about the original Coconuter days, when Simon and I used to walk practically everywhere because we hardly had any money;  and that was rain or shine, in floods, or barefoot on scorching hot pavement.

After a winding uphill trudge through town and after a few long flights of stairs, Simon, Hope, and I finally made it to the top.  It was simple, quiet, and nice.  There was a bit of a breeze at the top, and also some good-natured kids, who must have lived close to the site.

They said I looked like Superman, and I smiled.  I remember when I used to feel like Superman; I used to feel invincible, like nothing could stop me.  That's not the case anymore, but every once in a while, I feel flashes of that old vigor and my heart sometimes still feels those emotions.

I wanted to tell the kids that they would become Super-men in the future, and encourage them to work hard and reach for their dreams, but I didn't want to disturb their happy-go-lucky state with such drama, because it was actually their carefree nature, naivety, and simplicity that I appreciated.

The view up top was terrific.  It gave a great view of parts of Binangonan, which now I've learned or thought about, means a place from where someone or something rose.  Quite befitting for this post/blog, which rises again after months of dormancy.

Anyway, you kind of just wanted to sit around there lazily and enjoy the scenery, like these kids were doing -- being carefree and not worry about a thing in the world.  But it was not long before Simon called me and signaled that reality was back, and Hope was getting fussy.  Simon and Hope headed back down the stairs, back towards the real world.  I gave the kids a smile and a thumbs up, and then I soon followed down the stairs.

On the jeepney ride back to Manila, a song played -- "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You."  It was booming on the radio, in typical jeepney style where the bass' vibrations reach your insides.  Yet, the bass was not needed for me to feel it, because it's a song I like.  And though it was not the original, it was also a nice version, revived by a band that I also like.

Overall, it was a fairly good day, with good vibes for Simon, Hope, and I.  All except for when we landed back in Manila, when we were so thirsty we decided to buy buko (young coconut) juice from a vendor who labelled his juice as "Pure Buko."  Well, after the first sip, we both knew it was not only not pure buko juice, but they also did not use real sugar.  They used Magic sugar!  But, we were so thirsty, we drank it anyway, haha.  Well, I guess our lives need a little magic anyways :)