A SINGLE DAY OF REST coming in from
twelve straight days of hiking the most demanding and the most difficult
terrain of the Cebu Highlands Trail worked impressively on your body. What made
the rest more awesome is that we spent it at the idyllic Bakhawan Beach Home.
The day is colder than yesterday and the breeze caused by the northeast monsoon
made it so. Today is February 13, 2017 and this is Day Twenty-six of the
Thruhike.
I would have wanted to stay for a
few more hours but this is not the best time to tinker with my itinerary. No.
Never! Not today when we are expected to finish this first ever Thruhike of
Cebu in two days. I have people who are expecting me to hit the route once
again. They are fed, from time to time, on social media by my Lenovo A7000 and,
perhaps, if it is still working, by the satellite navigation transmitter
provided by Galileo Satellite Control Systems-Philippines.
Lani Perez, the owner of Bakhawan
Beach Home, a good friend of mine, and a common acquaintance, Bebut Estillore,
have left very early in the morning. Before leaving, she had instructed her
people to cook something nice for us before we embark on our own journey.
Jonathaniel Apurado, me and my guest hiker, supply team commander and Thruhike
supporter, Markus Immer, would be walking north. We would leave Mirasol and
Mark Lepon, Ronald and Christian Jacob Abella, Leomil Pino and Glyn Formentera
as they prepared themselves for departure to Metro Cebu.
I am glad the spartan breakfasts of
instant soups and rice had come to an end three days ago and I have not missed
it today. Instead, we will enjoy a breakfast of leftover free-rein chicken
which is now part of a soup with horse radish. After the meal, there is coffee
and the second to the last bottle of Yakult cultured milk and the last capsules
of Enervon multivitamin and Herbalife natural raw Guarana. I sent a text
message to the Daanbantayan Police Station that we are resuming our journey
soon.
This day, I will no longer carry
something with my hand but the Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad, provided by Michael
Schwarz, will still be a fixture, taking its favorite place on my front. I said
goodbye to Doming once again. It is 07:30. We are late but I know where I am
going now and we were well-rested. We retrace our route we took two days ago to
where that notch at Pangadlawan Hills is located. Across me is the Dalingding
Hills and, farther away, is Panugnawan Hills.
I would not be walking there but
follow a dirt road going north to the small community of Pangadlawan and to the
sugar cane fields of Hacienda Gomez, in the village of Paypay, Daanbantayan.
The breeze blew strong, the power lines sung, the sugar cane leaves clashed,
while the coconut leaves overhead danced. I shivered at the wind. The winter
coldness of Siberia, Japan, Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula can be felt as
the northeast wind brought its below zero temperatures down the equator.
We are in the best of weather and
time. The sun gave out its energy of light and warmth but the cool northern
winds tempered it. I looked back at Markus and he gave me a thumbs up. Farther
away is Jon, his umbrella blocking away the sun from his face. Everyone is okay,
no need to rush. I have to enjoy this walk. It is now rolling terrain and we
are now on the plains. The high places are over. I am walking in seventh heaven
for I am now starting to cut distance and time to that elusive jewel on the
north.
We walked on empty spaces and
amidst communities where life seemed to have gone elsewhere. It is silent
except for the hum of the power cables strummed by the amihan. Then
there is the yakitty-yak of a political commentary on AM radio. It is a strange
place to be in, unbelievable even. We reach an asphalted road and I have to
follow it northeastward. Fish are dried beside the road in Dalingding,
Daanbantayan. People stare at us and dismiss our presence. I understand why?
Markus.
A foreigner in your strand, exempts
you from inquisitive looks. Markus, my trouble saver. People now throw jokes at
us about Markus and then laugh when Markus answered them in pidgin Cebuano,
amused at themselves of being caught offguard. These same people which the
policemen have dismissed their reports six months ago as nothing but rumor
mongering, ignored us now and appeared jolly and carefree. I hope it stays that
way for the rest of the route for this day.
We cross a wide steel bridge. Soon
we would arrive at a road corner where there is a store and we would rest. At
10:12, we reach the corner of Libertad, Daanbantayan. We would rehydrate with
the coldest Coca Cola of the planet and home-baked bread known as “burikat”
from this store. There is a kiosk and we stayed in the shadiest and windiest
part as I explained to Markus the significance of the bread’s name.
After 20 minutes, we continue.
Somewhere over the road we would stop again for our noonbreak. I do not know
where is that but I just wish it would be sooner as the noontime sun begins to
feel uncomfortable. Among built-up areas that looked more urbane than rural,
the luxury of the endless bursts of cooler winds are now missing. The concrete
pavements bounce back heat towards our faces. Good thing I have dark sunglasses
provided by Zue Fashion to shield my eyes from glare.
Markus and Jon has wide brimmed
hats while I favored my drab green meshed shawl to cover my head and part of my
face. I could wet it and cover my head when heat would be unbearable which I
did before this Thruhike. I can fold it without taking space, can be washed
easily, dries fast and I can use it as an alternative mosquito net for my face.
It had seen good days and look tattered with some threads coming loose.
We passed by the village of
Malingin, Daanbantayan and asked a village watchman. He knew us coming and is
very helpful. The idea of us being expected in town removed the furrows of
worry on my forehead. It made me feel good walking on concrete pavement even
under a scorching noontime sun. My steps become light and sprightly and the
buildup of fatigue dispersed about downwind. Just a few kilometers more and we
would stop.
At 11:35, we stop by a store at the
village of Pajo, Daanbantayan. It has good shade and there is a long bench.
Across it is a road that would lead us to Lanao, hopefully, later. In the
meantime, we just have to rest, rehydrate with water and cold RC Cola, and eat
our rations. For me, it is another Fitbar energy cereal. I bought another
bottle of RC and keep myself well hydrated. I updated my base support team
about our whereabouts as I had done in every place we stopped and where there
are phone signals to catch.
By 13:00, we lurched forward and
cross the highway and enter that road across us. A few meters from the corner,
vacant lands were converted into a garbage dumping area. Under the heat of the
day, shreds of thin plastic and whole plastic bags danced on the empty air as
the breeze tease it where it went tossed. It is dragged from the ground and
spiraled up an invisible vortex and carried high among thermals to be part of
the next day’s garbage to be dumped here.
The road is narrow with thin
asphalt pavements. It winds irregularly among rehabilitated communities that were
once flattened by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Several relief agencies have left
their good marks here and the residents have recovered from that debacle and
are busy engaging in their livelihood. A signboard says that we are now in the
village of Tominjao, Daanbantayan. A few kilometers more and we will strike our
day’s refuge.
At 13:50, I reach a corner where a
sign reads “Welcome Barangay Lanao”. Lanao is named after a lake which I saw
six months ago. Almost everyone knows not the presence of this body of water
but it should be there even when there has been no rain for the last ten days.
A middle aged woman asked us if we are the hikers and we were ushered to their
village hall at 14:10. They expected us at 16:00 based on the itinerary I gave
to both the Office of the Provincial Governor and the Cebu Police Provincial
Office.
We were received by the village
chairwoman, the Hon. Remedios Layos. Immediately, she mobilized her village
council to prepare something for the visitors. It is quite strange that, six
months ago, I was not entertained here and, here they are, giving me respect as
if I and my companions are VIPs. I have made my peace with the people of Lanao
when I came back here last November 3, 2016 to visit and talk to Hon. Remedios
about my purpose and to ask her blessings. That day I finished the exploration
and the completion of the CHT.
Her people were busy going in and
out and calling other people so I asked her if we could visit Lake Lanao since
we have a lot of time. That gave her the needed space to relieve pressure. She
immediately provided a vehicle so we would be shuttled there accompanied by her
councilor, Hon. Celso Montana, and three village watchmen. They would serve as
our “tour guides” and our “security”.
Lake Lanao, as I have said before,
is unknown to most people outside of Daanbantayan. It is rain fed, a large
pond, roughly five hectares in size and has an outlet that drains into the
Bantayan Channel when it is filled beyond its capacity. It has an island near
the southern shore. During its heyday, the lake used to provide freshwater fish
to the communities when the seas were very rough for fishing. It is also a rich
roosting ground for migratory birds.
The size of the lake decreased
through the years as the shallow shorelines were converted into farmlands
planted with rice and other crops. Overfishing and introduction of exotic
fishes caused decline of the native fish species while migratory birds who
still visit do not come in great numbers anymore. There is a secret burial
ground of ancient Cebuanos inside a cave with which entrance is submerged in
water. There is now a dry swamp where there are very large Leichardt pines grow
(Local name: hambabalod).
We returned to the village on foot
after more than an hour and we were served with snacks of espinossum seaweed (guso),
sweet potatoes and softdrinks. We were welcomed to stay and sleep inside their
village hall and we were provided with coffee, crackers, cold and hot water,
electricity and peace of mind. Early dinner came at 15:45 hosted by the people
of Lanao. It is free-rein chicken soup, fried milkfish (bangus), grilled
pork and rice cooked in little coconut baskets (puso).
When we were alone, we claimed our
sleeping spaces on the concrete floor, charged our batteries and enjoyed a
happy atmosphere since nothing could stop now our historic Thruhike of Cebu. We
will claim that bragging right tomorrow on Day Twenty-seven. Meanwhile, I
crossed out the day’s itinerary, checked my map for tomorrow and concluded the
night with entries on my journal.
Distance Walked: 15.33 kilometers
Elevation Gained: 113 meters and a
low of 3 meters
Document done in LibreOffice
5.2 Writer
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