March 8, 2014 Saturday
I would meet my family at a souvenir shop named Townsend in the town proper at 2 pm. They would be coming from Sabtang, then another half hour drive from the port to the town proper.
I arranged for a free drop-off to the “Townsend” souvenir shop. This the shop where the tour guide would bring my family last before bringing them back to the hotel.
I left Fundacion Pacita at 1 pm. The van driver stopped in front of Octagon Restaurant, he asked me if I wanted to go there. I told him okay, but how would I be able to go to the Townsend souvenir shop? He said by tricycle. He said the restaurant could arrange for that, no problem. I asked him how far is the souvenir shop from Octagon, he said 300 meters. With that, I got off the van, crossed the street into the Octagon restaurant.
Two women approached me saying something I couldn’t understand.
When they realized I couldn’t speak Ivatan, one woman spoke in Tagalog with Batanes accent “wala kaming cook, kaaalis lang”.
A————- “Saan nagpunta?”
She said the cook went home. I requested her if she could call him to come back.
She said yes.
The hotel receptionist told me that my family would be back from Sabtang around 3 pm. It’s only 1:15 pm I am safe. I have enough time.
I patiently waited for the cook. I took photos and just relaxed.
After half-hour, the cook arrived and my food too. While the food was being served, another woman was taking our pictures.
I ate fast kasi I planned to be ahead of my family. I should be in Townsend by 2 pm and I will just wait for them there.
I asked the restaurant cashier to call a tricycle for me. 1:40 pm. Wala pa. 2 pm no one was answering daw. 2:10 pm. I was beginning to panic already. No tricycle goes around town. You have to call their cellphone number and they would come to pick you up. No passenger jeepney either. Patay, paano na ako?
2:15 naiihi na ako sa nerbyos. I went out to the highway a few times, it was deserted, walang tao, walang tricycle, walang kotse. And super init pa.
2:20 wala pa rin daw sumasagot sa tricycle terminal.
Desperate situation needs decisive action. I went to the highway again and flagged down a tricycle with no roof, seat, just metal frames. The driver refused to take me. He’s going to deliver itlog daw.
Then a guy riding a motorcycle whizzed by. I waved at him. He ignored me. I shouted at him. He stopped some 20 meters away, I waved my hand and shouted “saan may tricycle dito?”
He turned back and told me no tricycle ever come this way. He said I have to call the terminal, eh wala ngang umasagot halos one hour na. I told him if he could go to the terminal and ask a tricycle to pick me up. He said hindi daw nya alam because he’s new in town, he’s from Bataan, not Batanes.
I never imagined even in my wildest dream that someday I would be riding on a motorcycle, much more with a total stranger, at amoy alak pa.
Desperate people makes desperate decisions
A———- “Huwag kang matuling at baka mahulog ako”. I didn’t hug him at baka masarapan eh kung saan ako dalhin. Meronn akong magic touch, yung mga patay, nabubuhay.
I held on to his t- shirt. Buti na lang he really went slow and no other vehicles on the road. At puro diretso lang.
Ang sarap palang sumakay sa motorsiklo. Very liberating. Imagine, it was open, may hangin, I felt like flying. Yipeeee!
My knight in shining motorsiklo, Henry. His father is from Batanes. He was the one who encouraged him to move his family here, to help him in his machine / motor shop business.
We got lost, we couldn’t find Townsend souvenir shop. No one knew where it was.
I spotted a Western Union nearby so I used this as my landmark. I called up my daughter and she gave the phone to the tour guide who proved to be useless. She was speaking in Ivatan. Henry told her to speak Tagalog.
After some confusion, the van driver said he knew where Western Union was.
Batanes is an Abad country.
Matagal pa sila, I explored the street a bit. There were a couple of stores, pero super probinsya talaga. Kung anu ano ang tinda, I wanted to buy but nothing there for me.
Chili’s. For a second, I thought of going inside to have a drink. I’ve dined in Chili’s Greenhills a few times, and once in Chili’s in Honolulu.
It was so hot here, no wind. I went inside this store looking for ice cream or buko juice. Wala.
Meron sila freshly picked dayap.
It’s been more than half hour, they’re not yet here. Where do I sit?
It’s comfy.
My family arrived in about 10- 15 minutes more When I got on the van, they looked beaten, rugged and exhausted. I laughed. I already knew what happened.
Ayan kasi, mahilig mag-boating-boating. Edmund told me it’s not worth going to Sabtang. The current was so strong going and coming back was worse. My son said he could hear other people vomiting. Wakanga.
It was hot and humid in the island, and they spent a lot of time waiting for the rest of the tour group. They rode an open sides jeepney with no aircon, traversing narrow, steep, rough roads.
In 5 mintues we’re in the souvenir shop. Dios mio, ang liit liit lang naman at wala namang gaanong mabili. The Insulares shop has more items. At teka, hindi naman pala Townsend, tila Pawsen. Kaya naman pala walang may alam nung Townsend. At eto ni walang karatula sa labas.
Bukayo again
Here comes the crowd. I’ve seen some other souvenir shops in the area, but this is the one where the tour guides bring tourists. Their forte is t-shirts. They print it there.
