The children were eager to hear of our walk to
Pontevedra at the dinner table that evening.
However, they were not excited enough to accompany me on the next one,
except for Toy who was not only excited, but ready to get going. Like my youngest son Brad (who happens to be
twenty-six years old now), Toy has always enjoyed being by my side. If I ever went anywhere, you could bet that
Toy would be along. He and I always had
a good rapport with each other and from the first time we met, he considered me
his ‘only’ father.
Soon enough it was Sunday morning, as Diana, Toy, and
I got up early to catch a bus to Pontevedra and our journey ahead. I had gotten extra water for the extra person,
plus some sweets to keep Toy satisfied as we trekked the twelve kilometers to Valladolid.
As before, the highway and streets of Himamaylan City
were devoid
of human life. There was no
traffic whatsoever and this municipality
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| 7-21-13 - Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental - Daryl Cleveland and Toy Baguio |
of 100,000 people looked as if it had
gone into hibernation. Toy sat with his
mom on the seats at the bus stop as I paced the pavement in anxious
anticipation of a bus eventually passing by.
Sometimes I could be impatient about things. At some point in our lives, we expect instant
gratification and so it was with that morning that I really wanted the bus to
arrive. Hence, I slowly paced back and forth like a
wild animal in a cage. I was ready to
begin the trek, but the starting gun had yet to go off. Diana and Toy noticed my impatience, but
before anything could be said the lights of our bus appeared again in the
distance.
The transport was old and worn compared to many of the
other Ceres Liners that plied the highways in that part of the island. Still, we easily found seats and settled back
for our hour ride to Pontevedra. Cool
air blew in through the several open windows of the bus as the illuminated
streets of the city quickly faded away and the passenger carrier was consumed by
darkness once more.
Riding for almost an hour allows one time, not only to
prepare for the journey ahead, but also time to reflect. It just seems that in my later years, I have
had cause to reflect more upon my past than during my active decades. Of my four adopted Filipino children, Toy was
always the one to roll with the diversity afforded him in life. Whenever asking him to do something, he would
do it without ‘murmuring’, whereas
the other three would sometimes utter quiet complaints, especially if it
involved some form of labor. I thought
of my walks across Iowa with Brad at that age.
There were days when Brad would become inconsolable as we strolled along
those lonely blacktops. Most days were
great, with interesting conversations and observations, but then there were
those other days….
When the family had trekked from Binalbagan to
Hinigaran, there was some protest as the heat of the day worked on the walkers,
but nary was a word heard from Toy. Even
though he was as hot and tired and just plain uncomfortable as everyone else
that morning, he was the one to keep stride and to even keep an eye on papa
during the last couple of kilometers. A
slight smile formed as I considered Toy’s abilities with our upcoming twelve
kilometer jaunt ahead. If any child was
to persevere, I knew it would be him…..and I will confess now, that I was not
to be disappointed.
The dawning of a new day was everywhere as we alighted
from the bus at Pontevedra. To say that
Toy wasn't excited was an understatement.
While I got the backpack situated, Toy was already walking toward the
nearby bridge leading out of town. I
realized quickly that it wasn’t just the thought of being with his papa, but it
was also the excitement of seeing new things. The outdoor cafes were filled
with men, young and old, while the nearby market was full of women doing their
morning shopping as we three walked northward along the tree lined street.
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| Rooster Farm along National Highway south of San Enrique |
Crossing the bridge of The Marayo River on the north
edge of the community, we started walking along the tree lined thoroughfare
northward toward San Enrique. Houses and
Sari Sari stores lined the highway as Rooster farms were interspersed on both
sides. Cock fighting is a big sport in
the Philippines and thus, those farms were a big enterprise. Embarrassingly, in all of the years I have
lived in the Philippines, I have never been to a sanctioned cock fight
yet. However, there are plenty around and
I still have plenty of time to visit one….someday.
The road was flat and traffic light as we traveled
beneath palm trees, mango trees, and many other trees that no one has ever been
able to tell me their names. I am
serious here. Whenever I would see a new
kind of tree, I would ask the locals its name was and they would never
know. It seemed their knowledge of “dendrology” was pretty limited. If it wasn’t a coconut tree, banana tree,
mango tree, or papaya tree, then you were in unknown territory. I have even taken pictures of certain trees
and asked around with the same results.
Then again, when I think about it, are we Americans any more
knowledgeable about our own tree species?
Decades ago I purchased forty trees
for Odebolt’s Memorial Walkway and was amazed at the wide variety of tree that
existed. So, I guess I should not have been surprised when no one could answer
my queries into the different trees shading the countryside. One thing we did notice with this stretch of
roadway was the large number of turnip stands.
Nowhere else did I ever see those stands than between Pontevedra and San
Enrique.
Toy was the happiest boy ever. The walk was insignificant to him in
comparison to the discoveries he was coming across. He pointed out
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| Toy Baguio looking over the side at the Tibsuk Bridge |
the numerous rooster farms
that were hidden in the foliage and was really excited when he happened upon a
peso coin laying aside the highway. As
we walked across the Tibsuk Bridge just south of San Enrique, Toy stopped to
view the sights along the waterway. There
were colorful boats (for hauling sand) along the shore as well as houses of
differing
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| San Enrique, Negros Occidental - Early morning thunderstorms billowing over the island of Panay |
shapes and sizes nestled among the tropical foliage. He was fascinated by the storm clouds over toward
the distance island of Panay and just as equally mesmerized by the view of Kanlaon
Volcano to the east. Even though Diana
and I would also see those same vistas, perhaps we lacked the youthful
exuberance that twelve year old Toy embraced.
On the outskirts of San Enrique, we came upon the
perfect Philippine haunted house. Dozens
of times I had passed that
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| San Enrique, Negros Occidental - A forgotten mansion hidden among the encroaching foliage |
location, yet I never did see the wooden structure camouflaged
by the many shade trees along with teaming growth within its yard. In its day, it had the appearance of an
elegant dwelling, but time, termites, and lack of occupancy was taking its
toll. We wondered who had lived there
and the history behind it occupants, but there were no clues, nor were there
ghostly or perchance ghastly spirits to quench our curiosity…and to this day, I
have never seen it from the roadway...and I have tried. Just maybe, it was the early morning light creating
a tropical mirage of something that once existed in reality, but now resided in
a haunting illusion.
It was about 6:30 a.m. as we strolled through the
community of San Enrique. For the most
part, the market was still closed and very little activity could be seen on the
streets. I thought to myself that here
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| San Enrique, Negros Occidental - Public Market |
was this sleepy little hamlet living the
Philippines lifestyle. That was one of
the major points of why I loved the island was the laid back attitude its
inhabitants exhibited. This would not
be tolerated in the industrialized World, but worked quite well here and I
relished in its demeanor.
Toward the north edge of town we came upon a
Carenderia/fruit
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| Toy Toy Baguio showing me the fresh fruits at the local fruit stand |
stand. It was still too
early to have the food displayed, but not too early to have fresh fruit out for
sale. Of course, Toy had to ham it up
when I took the picture, but actually thought it was perfect for the image it
produced. Just a fun loving kid having a
great time.
The land between San Enrique and Valladolid was of a
more rural environment with quite a few fields of rice and sugar cane
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| Valladolid, Negros Occidental - a nipa built on bits and pieces |
bordering the highway, but there were also spots were the harsh life of reality exposed
itself. At one location we rested at a
waiting shade in front of a nipa that was barely standing. Its sides were papered with advertisement
signs to protect it somewhat from the wet weather produced that time of year. Further up, we spied a young
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| Valladolid, Negros Occidental - Child on makeshift swing |
girl in a
makeshift swing of blue rope, innocently swinging back and forth as a brother
stood nearby, perhaps awaiting his turn.
At out next rest stop (we would take several), we
spied a sister and brother peering out their nipa window at us. I was able to take two
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| Valladolid, Negros Occidental - Sister and Brother along the national highway |
photos before the
couple vanished behind the bamboo wall.
We were such a curiosity to the local residents, not that it wasn’t all
that unusual to see a couple Filipinos traveling on foot, but to see a
foreigner traipsing by was almost unbelievable.
The remaining walk to Valladolid was mundane. The morning
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| Valladolid, Negros Occidental - Toy Toy re-energizing on a few cookies |
traffic was finally beginning to
pick up and as we entered the town proper, the locals were awake and about
their affairs of the day. As expected, our threesome was the focus of attention
as we passed by the local market along with the many businesses which lined the
National Highway. At the north end of
town, we called it a morning and awaited a Ceres Liner for the trip back to
Himamaylan City.
I personally liked this segment of the walk as Toy was
an integral part of this chapter of our adventure. He contributed such energy
 |
| Toy Toy showing how long the walk was that day, with a tired Diana waiting for the bus ride home |
and
inquisitiveness to the journey that morning. Actually, it made me think of the
many walks my youngest son Brad and I had together in his younger days. Children perceive a different kind of World
or reality than we adults see in our differing stages of life. We quickly forget
the innocence of our youth and follow blindly into the regimented structure of
society as automatons. Indeed, I have
always envied the few who would reject those rigid rules, stay the course of childhood
virtue which resulted in a life filled with adventures and discoveries. In reflection, I recall that some have told
me over the past decades that I needed to get a life, but unbeknownst to them,
I have always had a life…and it has been out there, among the endless
roadways, tiny hamlets, burgeoning cities, and its wide as well as exciting variety
of its people. All to be encountered,
experienced, savored, and stored in the mind for those future days when such
adventures are no longer possible. And,
when that eventuality finally arrives, I will be ready for the next real
adventure…into that land of no return.
Daryl A. Cleveland
a.k.a. bounder
December 28, 2015
