when A meets P

The only things of real value in life are the things you have to fight for...mushy? Haha, I only hear it from somewhere. And I think it's real pain. ;-)

I just got home.

No. Just kidding.

I have been home since June 4, 12:20AM - many hours ago (do your math).

Where have I been?

Well, exactly a week ago, I was in the middle of an island in Mindoro which wasn't too accommodating at first but became our 2nd home the entire stay.

I was talking about my stay with friends in Pandan Island. Just so you know, I didn't have the internet connection, neither did I bring with me Kaki there so what accounts below would be the fruits of my imagination.

Seriously now, at the back of my mind, I was documenting what transpired during the trip.

May 29, 2009 - after office.

We all agreed that we took a van as our means of transportation. There are three ways to get to the place. 1) by plane, the easiest yet most expensive one; 2) the bus - dimples bus specifically - and this is the most cheap yet not so comfortable one among all; and lastly, 3) thru van. We took it. It's a hundred peso more expensive but it's the next best thing after Dimples - the bus company was petitioned to close. Gie made all the arrangements and we were all informed we needed to be at the location not later than 8 or 8:30PM.

It was Friday, May 29 ... and a pay day. So since I haven't shopped for anything yet, right after office, I went to the mall to grab myself a hair cap, googles...i meant goggles ;-) and a pair of swim wear (a 2-piece-suit and a beach dress). They're affordable and nice! Honest!

I didn't expect the mall would be packed with all the consumerists - mallers and shoppers - and so instead of the 30-minute-shopping, it ended up like forever. So I arrived at the meeting place almost 10 minutes before 9PM and we still had to take a cab going to the location. So to make the story short, I was the only one without the bathroom kit plus canned goods or some food to eat on the way. But with the friends around, it was all good. (I am not saying I'll do it again next time)

We travelled by land - a van which was, by the way, late for over an hour. I would have spared myself from being a parasite of the bathroom kit, etc. had I shopped longer. When the van arrived, it was already jampacked like we were in a canned sardines ourselves. You call this convenient still because you have your way to get to the place you'd go.

Day 1: May 30, 2009, Saturday: This is officially our first day in Pandan Island

We travelled by water and land this time. It was my first time to take "roro" and it felt great (meaning, I was just a little dizzy due to sea waves but nevertheless survived without puking). From Manila, the van driver took us to Batangas Port. We departed Manila around 10:10PM and it took us almost forever to arrive Batangas port (maybe because manong driver had to pick up some more passengers). Oh did I mention here we didn't rent the whole van for ourselves? Yes, we didn't.

From Batangas port, a "roro" was bound to "Abra de Ilog" in San Jose and from there, we rode in the same van going to Sablayan, Mindoro. There was a little port in Sablayan where we took a motorboat going to an isolated island called Pandan Island. It's where we went to and we arrived around 10AM on a Saturday. The owner's wife, Ms. Marina (her husband and her co-owner is a French guy named Dominic Carlut) met us and welcomed us with cans of juices, a bottle beer and a little of PR-chit-chat. We chatted while the room reserved for us was being fixed. When we were all in our designated family-room, Gie and I went to the information area to inquire of the things - mostly bills - we were to pay during our whole stay. We planned to stay 5 days and 4 nights in that place should everything went well.

And it did goes well. But before things got better...it went real bad!

Marina asked how much we got the room for and Gie told her it's under negotiation. She then told us to talk to Rizza (of Pandan - I need to draw distinction here because Gie is also Rizza but we call her Gie). She was talking to the secretary, Marivic. We were supposed to talk to Rizza (of Pandan), the one whom our Rizza was coordinating with the whole time we were still in Manila. She was told to wait or just be back because Rizza (of Pandan) was at the "computer room" which, by the way, gave me the impression that I could blog on a daily basis but I was wrong. The whole island is run by a solar energy - this is something i am so proud to say I love the place.

Where was I?

Well, yes, Rizza (of Pandan) and our Rizza (Gie). They were supposed to be talking but we were informed to go back. Take note: We haven't eaten any major meal and it was almost 11AM on a Saturday, our first day in the island. I wasn't feeling well with the whole thing - I was starting to give my side comments, which was, by the way, a bad sign because at any moment, I could be the bitchy-type that I could be. (Boy, did I tell Gie that Marivic was not supposed to be there? She doesn't have this customer-service-attitude like Marina does? And we found out, Marivic is Marina's daughter to her first marriage.)

Anyways, enough. When we finally talked to Rizza, apparently, she too, couldn't decide on what to do. Plain pffft! Grrrrrr!

Here are what we intended to negotiate.

• Room rate - at first, the reservation was good for 6 persons for Php3,000.00. Then since there were 8 of us, it became Php3500.00 but that wasn't final according to Gie, we could still be given discount should we stay longer (allegedly). So this was what we were trying to negotiate, a discount for a longer stay.
  

• Buffet meal - we were never informed we were required to take their BUFFET MEAL EVERYDAY (of our lives in Pandan) which was worth Php400.00/buffet OR we would stay famished the whole night because they wouldn't serve short-order-meal after 3:30PM. I am not fond of math but the numbers just came running my throbing head and my brain said, oh man, you're out of here. You don't have the budget! And that triggered all that there was. I didn't like it! Gie was neither in the mood. However we reasoned out, they seemed so close-minded - they were inside their tiny little boxes, they couldn't afford to listen further but told us to go back by 6PM when Dominic is already feeling better to face us. (Take note: We were hungry and tired guests who needed to settle down instead of thinking of an eventual relocation due to a price-y accommodation and food. We were hoping to get our host to have talked to us, to make things better - but we were like criminals who were all of a sudden abandoned in the middle of the desert.)

So after a little more sermon from Gie, we decided to go back to where we came from. It meant we were not pushing thru our stay in the island. I, too, agreed. Then off we went back to our friends who were equally tired and hungry. When we got to the room, people were sleeping, some noticed our sour faces so the whole gang was silent. We decided we eat first then packed for home. Some hesitated because of how much we already spent to get there. So the meeting was adjourned and would be resumed after we had taken our lunch - it was already 1PM.

During our lunch in the resort resto, Marina came by, clarified what she heard about us going back to Manila. She asked what was the problem and we relayed it was the buffet! She said we better talk to Dominic and suggested some things until all was cleared off and we all stayed! She even got us another welcome drinks of rhumcola (a combination of Tanduay Rhum and Coke) plus the usual chit-chat. And it was when we were able to talk to Dominic. Agreement was, we would take the buffet meal of Php400.00 on the first night and then he offered that the succeeding meals would be the Pinoy style dinner worth Php 220.00 plus a 20% discount for our accommodation. We could also eat at the resto anytime of the day, we could ask them to buy us food/canned goods from the town thru a boat that traverse daily and we would be allowed to cook our food in their kitchen with a minimal charge of gas and other condiments. Not bad, right? :)

That day we all had great smiles and a lot of firsts: first charade, first of the many drinking sessions and my first time to watch the real Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili sex video scandal plus a lot more after that.

Day 2: May 31, 2009, Sunday: I met the sea turtle and others!

This day, I met the sea turtle and Diana fish plus I got to see two coral mountains sorrounded by the school of fish! Yes, they were so fabulous! I was joined by no other than Mrs. Marina Carlut! My friends were still asleep and maybe didn't want to go swim so I decided not to disturb them. On the other hand, She Pablo had her first sunrise photo shoot. After my swim, we all had our first breakfast with the talking bird and we all had our first sumptous affordable buffet feast at 7PM.

Day 3: June 1, 2009, Monday: Our official non-working Monday!

The sun was up when all souls were in slumber. By 11AM, all of us were active...ready to conquer the island once more. Marina encouraged us to go visit the lagoon during our stay and still encouraged us to go check if we could still make it to Apo Reef (only if the weather is good). We told her we would definitely visit lagoon but the Apo Reef tour would now be put on hold...it meant, we were not pushing thru for 2 reasons: weather and budget.

Afternoon was really fun. We had our beach games: tumbang preso (not sure if I named it correctly - it's done by jumping high on top of a person's back without hitting him, he stays low first like a dog then higher like a carabao until it's too high for one impossibly not to hit the person's back) and patintero -- these are the games I never remembered playing during my childhood. Or if I had ever played those, we have different terms for them. Anyways, all it gave us (or at least to me) was muscle ache. We thought we were going to play charade - a game played usually by two teams, members of which take turns at acting out in pantomime a word, phrase, title, etc., which the members of their own team must guess to score.

Day 4: June 2, 2009, Tuesday: Our 2nd non-working day at the resort!

The morning sun gave us hope that this day would be the last wonderful one in the resort before we head back home on Wednesday. However, nothing beats the weather as an enemy!

During breakfast, there were two guests - a couple named Cris and Shanti - who have just arrived the resort. We found out that they've stayed in different parts of the Philippines for 3 months already. They came from Romblon, Romblon; Boracay, San Jose and somewhere in Sibuyan Island before they were in Pandan. We invited them in for the night's drinking session and wished them a happy stay before we headed back to our bungalow.

We thought the rain would never stop and we thought that day would be wasted by just sleeping away. Good thing by the afternoon, we were able to check the lagoon without worrying so much of the weather since everything was passable anyway. Afterall, no one or nothing could stop us even the heavy downpour. We had fun in the lagoon even for just some time.

Dinner was fantastic, fabulous and sumptous... and the chef, Manong Joel, was great and nice! He's a gift from heaven to us, hungry guests! We started earlier than 7PM because apparently the resort was running out of power - remember the power is generated from the solar energy...and it was always raining...so you know what it meant. By the time everyone (including other guests) was seated and taken some bites, the power gave in and instead, we had a candle-lit dinner. Dinner was followed by billiards, dancing and drinking at the resort's bar...with Cris. We found out that Cris was just 24-year-old lad who married Shanti and both stopped work to cruise Asia for a year. They were in India first before they went to Thailand then to Philippines. Their trip ends by September. And by then, they'd be back to Switzerland. What a couple!

Charade and the drinking session continued, still at the bar. We were joined by Manong Joel and sometimes, Dominic butted in. Then we finally call it a night until around 1 or 2AM. At the bungalow, we finalized our bills to be settled in the morning by Gie. It was another great day that we would be missing by the morning (I meant come the daylight). But for the night, all we want was a sound sleep. We finally were able to sleep by the fading sound of "a watch ...a what ... oh a watch" game by Nins and Lach.

Day 5: June 3, 2009, Wednesday: Our 3rd non-working day, last day at the resort :(

There were mixed emotions. I, for one, felt like having an LBM. Other folks were restless. Sun was shining so brightly I hated to say that I envied those new guests who just came in. And so when everyone was out, I packed (but couldn't find my camera), didn't take a bath and instead, I just slept. I pretended it wasn't our last day in the resort. And boy, I thought I lost my camera for good! Had it not by Joyee (who, by the way, has a 6th sense...told me to check the attic), I would have come home without it. I only found it in the attic, where She and I went there to take some snaps. I knew I didn't bring it there because She did have one already but anyway I found my camera on the bedside. Thanks goodness! I remembered Kathleen who mentioned the other night that the bungalow was inhabited by "the others" and that Joyee decided not to mention it to the gang to avoid panic.

Anyways, we were to leave the resort by 11AM because our van (the same van, by the way) would be at Sablayan port by 12NN. While everyone was taking turns to take a bath, I had my last round at the beach front and finally had my dive test of the Pandan Island. The feeling of anxiety was gone and replaced with excitement. I always have that feeling whenever I leave a place I am fond of.

We took the same route back and around 5PM, our roro sailed off not so smoothly because of the tropical depression at the time of our departure. We made sure we seated beside the "life jackets" storage. I could see the waves by the window slapped the ship and all I could do was hope and pray that we would be all safe. And we were.

The whole journey back to Manila wasn't that exciting as going to the island. We were silent the whole time except when we were to pull over to answer "call of nature - or take cr break." Around 9PM, we arrived at SLEX and had second stop over to grab ourselves some take-out dinner. The gang finally arrived Manila almost 11PM and Joyee, Lach and myself at Montalban around 12:20AM of June 4.

Literally, darkness loomed my place when I get in. Power was out and only around 2AM today, June 6, that the whole subdivision got the power back.

Overall, Pandan Island is a nice place...and I am proud to say I don't need to travel abroad to be there.