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So okay, it has been a while since I have updated, but something happends all the time.. The day before yesterday, monday, I decided to go back to Tagbilaran and visit NSO, National Statistic Office, to try to get closer finding my bio mother. First I went past, Inday, the wife on La Petra resort, to see if she had made any process contacting her friends around the island. That was not the case, but she did advice me to head up to Ubay, which is on the northend part of Bohol, since its closer, and since they can connect with the NSO, archives. The road to and from La Petra is rocky and dirty, so I did not really notice my back tire going flat.... After a few kilometres out in nowhere around 10 AM, the last air disappeared. Out in nowhere and at first noone in sight I started to push the motorcycle to the nearest village. Sun was burning and I had forgotten to bring water with me. The first small houses I arrived to told me that I would have to walk like 2-3 kilometress to the first place where they could actually repair the tire. In strong belief this was doable, even without water and the sun burning, I pushed on. 500 meters later I gave up. Luckily one of the waiters from the resort came by on his moterbike and I explained him the situation. At first he tried to get the wheel off himself. But without any actually tools it was impossible. So he decided to drive for help. It gave me some strenght to push further along. I do not know how long I had been walking this time, but I just remember my t-shirt was soaked with swet and i was slowly getting less and less aware of my soroundings, but out of nowhere this old guys came and asked me to come into the shadow with the rest of his family. They all helped me and the bike off the road and offered me something to drink which I gladly took, did not really care where they had gotten it. It was two elderly men, a young man and woman building a small shed between two vilages out in nowhere. Before I could say anything, they send the young man on his bike to get some help aswel. So now I had 2 people going to for the rescue. The two old men said they were retired goverment employees, no matter they were or not, they aswel offered to help me find my mother. They said they had a lot of contacts all around the island and they would send their nephew with me, of course for a small fee, to guide me to the different places. When I was about to answer I saw the first guy I send off getting help passing guy at a highspeed, tried to yell for him, but the sound of the bike engine concealled my voice. The two eldermen laughed at me, saying; "relax, what ever happends, will happend." That was true, I had no mean of transportation to follow them, and I could not text them, since i did not have their number. So I just sat there talking to the elderly guys till nr 2 rescue came. After he started to work on the bike, no 1 team came aswel and they got the tire off and went back to fix it at the shop. I think the whole event took 1 and a half hour before I got back on the wheels again.
Since it had taking so long to get the bike fixed, I decided to go Ubay, instead of going the long way to Tagbilaran. I asked the nephew to be my tourguide, and he accepted for a small fee, and if I payed for gasolin and food etc. No problem, since having a local guide gives you a few perks. First thing I did when I came back on the big road was getting some more water, bought 2 and a half liter water, gave the half to my newly accuired guide, though I did offer him one liter first he refused, drank one liter myself, and put the last one in my bag. Now this was around 11:30-12.00 and the sun was at its highest, burning very hot, but being on the motorbike you do not notice. Atleast I did not. Actually, this morning I had put on some sunscreen since I noticed I am getting dark skinned extremely fast. Even with the sunscreen, the following day I had gotten tiny buds on my arm, guessing it is through over exposure to the sun.
But we went through Bohol, past another ricefield after another, up big hills and down small valleys till we hit Ubay. My guide had stopped in a small village saying hi to a friend, and I got to see a local house from the inside at its poorest. Would not call it a house, more likely a shed with an office fan placed at one corner, and cloth on the ground as beds. They had no belongings other than a little stall at the road. I forgot to bring out the camera due to suprisement of the so called home and amazement of how they were still happy, friendly and in a good mood. But anyway, we hit Ubay and my guide started to ask the public services for direction to a place where you could connecto the NSA archives. We ended up at a "comelec office", think its an voting/election office where two young ladies were happy to help. We actually arrived when they was having their lunch break but they still let us in and started working again when they heard my story and I showed them my papers. Going through the the phillippines regristry on a 5-10 year old computer takes a looooong time, and while we was sitting in the office my tourguide started complain about being hungry. So we left the girls, ensured that they would keep on looking while we were gone, and headed down to Ubay local market to get something to eat on a local restaurant. 54 pesos for a full lunch for 2 people. I should do that more often, I thought when we left it. My tourguide instisted on paying the meal for himself eventhough we made the agreement I would pay for everything while he was with me, so I actually had to throw the money after the women collecting the payments for lunch. I went abit around the market looking for nothing but just absorbing the energy from the market, while Flower Beach is secluded and there is hardly any stress of noice. Afterwards we headed back to the comelec office where the girls had found a brother from her, born in 1960, still living on Bohol, and an address of a woman resemblencing the information I gave about my mother on Leyte, an island east from Bohol. Since the computer was still looking, I exchanged mobilnumbers with one of the girls, so if they found some more information she would text me.
We headed back towards Anda then and I thought, when I have "hired" the local tourguide, for the day I better get the maximum use out of him, so I decided to go to a place called "Lumanoc" a small secluded island, known for its small caves, and the mystic around it. Also there are "the mangroves" before you get out to the island, which a basically trees living in saltwater.
The way to get there was driving past the Anda, and then on to a dirt road for about 6 kilometres, took me some time because driving on a dirtroad with big holes everywhere is not my strongest side, especially since I am not an experienced rider. We arrived at the place, and I payed a fee for the both of us to get int, for some reason my "guide" got a 175p discount, where as I had to pay the full price. Really did not care, because when we arrived I felt my throat inflamation kicking in, and I I was, this is going to be hard and exhausting, but now I have driven all the way out here, so might aswel try to get the best experience out of it as possible.
But big stairs leading down to the mangroves, onto a creaking bamboo bridge leading through the wilderness of the mangroves out to a small house where there was small fishing boats waiting for us to take us to the island. I was suprised we could fit 4 people in this small boat, again forgot to take a picture of the boat, but I think the fever and the hit from sun overexposure had kicked in. The small boat took us to a this small island where there was small caves hidin all around, used in oldertimes for rituals, witch doctors and witches, the spanish was around 1600th supposively using it as a hiding place for treasures, and the japanese used the caves for shelter when the americans came back to reconquer the phillippins in WWII. Though the guide designated to our tour little party talked perfect english and he had some interesting stories or myths about the island, I could not really appreciate it since i felt more and more sick. So when the tour finally ended, and we got back on solid ground at our motorbikes I did not really care how bumby or dirty the roads were. This time, my guide who was by all means more experienced on a bike could not keep up and he actually said I was driving like a crazy man on the dirtroads when he caught up with me at Anda. When I had said goodbye to my guide, I just randomly checked my mobilephone and I had gotten a message from the girl in comelec office in Obay. She had found a woman who fit everything, and who is living in Cebu City. Did not know how to react. My head was spinning and I was glad the managers of the resort was gone that night to pickup some new guest, so the diving instructor could put on a movie, so i did not have to socialized that much this evening. Also had trouble falling a sleep the next, kept on thinking about how the meeting is gonna be, and if it is actually my mother, and stuff like that.
Next day I decided to take it slow and stay in the shadow. My skin was burning like hell when I woke up, so I found a book at the reception and went down to the beach and stayed under the umbreally till lunch. Ate lunch and met some of the new guests, went back to the hut and got myself 1 hour sleep. When I woke up I thought it was time to connect to the contacts I have been giving through out the philippines to so see if they know anyone in Cebu City they can trust, and that would help me.
I took the bike again, around 15-16 pm to La Petra to talk to Inday and luckily they had nothing to do the afternoon so I stayed and talked about my newly found information. Think we sat for 3-4 hours talking about my adoption and just random stuff from europe or asia. But they promised to contact a friend of theirs living in Cebu City and see if he had time to help. When I came back to the resort at 19.00 PM one of the couples from austrailia asked if I wanted to join them for some beer and a stroll to the local basketball court where there was somekind of big event. When we got there the whole village was alive and was centered around the basketball court where the local team was playing against a nearby town. Though this event got in a big crowd noone really was cheering or clapping, they was just watching, which we all found a bit peculiar. After a few beers we went back and got something to eat, and we just sat at the restaurant drinking and talking with the rest of the remaining people till 23-00.
When I woke up this morning my skin wasnt burning but I could see some tiny dots on my arms, like goosebums, so again I have decided to stay out of the sun as much as possible. I have taking alot of pictures, but I am expecting when I get to Cebu ill upload some more.
My trip have all of a sudden gotten from a dull relaxing trip on a secluded beach, with just a bit out poking around with the locals about my mother, to a long trip around the island gathering information about my mother and her family, maybe my trip is already over soon...
- comments
annelie exciting to read Jay, Dad and Mom read it with a smile ...all the first time mistakes and wonderful coincidences. Dont leave Bohl too fast, try to find as many of your family as possible, maybe contact her brother to be sure it is her, and maybe get a reaction before you just pop up. And some phone numbers. Cebu...hmm, cannot remember, but think maybe Barry Deeney s family lives near there.. try his daughters over facebook. Keep it coming and watch your skin and eyes and ears, where you can easily contract infections in the tropics.And buy some loperamide pills, so you are prepared if/when you get the trots(diarrhea). We are heading back home to Århus today..still wonderful spring weather here... Love and big hugs from Dad + Mom
Peter Spændende læsning Jay. Forsat held og lykke med eventyret.
Diane You had an interesting adventure but I am sorry to hear you had sun poisoning which is brutal. and dangerous. The secret in avoiding sun poisoning is to drink liquids before you become thirsty. And please get a hat. Pilipinos are very proud people. Your guide wanted to pay for his own meal, so he could be equal to you. It is customary to insist three times that you pay until they accept your offer. Tipping is also okay if they have done a good job. If you decide to go to Cebu, Barry Deeney's son lives there with his girlfriend Jane who gave birth to their first child just last week. His name is also Barry and is 21 years old. You can find him on FB under Barry Deeney. He is very nice. The contact numbers I have are mobile - 63-906-251-5333 and the land line of Barry's mother Belinda is 63-32- 460-5650. I hope these numbers still exist since it has been a while since I used them. I hope you meet Barry if you go there. He speaks perfect English and knows Cebu quite well. Stay well and we look forward to hearing more of your adventures! Love from all of us in Florida :)