THE WALK TO BACOLOD – DAY FOUR - PONTEVEDRA TO VALLADOLID

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

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. 

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

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

 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

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

 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

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

 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

 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

 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

 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