AN IDIOT'S GUIDE TO MAYDOLONG

If you happen to be an itinerant stranger, or if you are a balikbayan or a local who have simply missed the changes in this bucolic town, here are some life-saving tips you can consider to enjoy your stay in Maydolong.

1.      Accommodation

My top pick for the best place to crash if you are staying in Maydolong is the Seaside View Apartment and Lodging House. The establishment has a five-unit apartment for those who wish to stay in town for a long period. Each apartment unit has its own bathroom, kitchen, and a bedroom. However, they are not furnished with appliances or furniture. If you are staying overnight or for a few days, the establishment’s bahay kubo-themed lodging house will suit you best. Each room can accommodate two and has its own bathroom (with tub) and cable TV.

Rates: Each apartment unit has a monthly rate of Php3,000.00

            Each lodging house room has a rate of Php800 (Air conditioned) and Php500 (Non-air conditioned) for a 24-hour stay

Location: Roxas St., Brgy. 07 Poblacion

Contact: Jennifer Caspe at 09065437106

Extra Tip: Make a reservation before checking in

2.       Food

Unfortunately, there’s a paucity of gastronomic establishments in town. Seaside View has its own snack joint which serves fast-food staples such as hamburgers, fries and sandwiches, including pearl shakes. Just recently, it expanded its menu by including meals such as chicken with rice, chicken with spaghetti, hamburger with spaghetti, and hamburger with chicken; each comes with a glass of iced tea. You can also try BenzGeAr Bitehaus for, well, more fast-food. For the best short-order pancit, head to the de Guzmans’ snack house right across the Maydolong National High School. There are also a few carinderias which serve modest meals at affordable prizes. But again, your food choices are limited. If you have the passion and patience for cooking, head to the Public Market and haggle for some freshly caught seafoods – by which, I mean fish mostly.

My Pick: Head to Seaside View if you are a fast-food foodie. They have a wider selection which is more reasonably priced. My personal favorite is their ham and cheese sandwich.

Prices: BenzGeAr hamburgers start at Php20.00, add Php5.00 for coleslaw and another Php5.00 for the cheeseburger upgrade. Hamburgers at Seaside View start at Php25.00, but they’re already fixed with TLC, add Php5.00 for the cheeseburger upgrade, and toss in another Php5.00 for the fries add-on. Meals are valued at Php80.00 each. Pearl shakes are priced Php20.00; a sandwich costs Php35.00. Short order pancit starts at Php108.00, the de Guzmans’ cost Php130.00.

Haggling Tips:

1.   The best way to haggle if you’re buying fish and other seafoods is to do it with ambulant vendors. This gives you a better prospect of getting the lowest price for the commodity compared to doing it at the public market. There’s a caveat though: a municipal ordinance prohibits the sale of seafoods outside the public market, which, sadly and in reality, isn’t observed by ambulant vendors and customers alike.

2.  The rule of thumb in haggling for food items is: if they’re sold in the streets, you can always haggle, except when they’re cooked.

3.         Nightlife

If you feel like hitting the dance floor, head to Coastal Place Discobar on Fridays. Saturdays through Thursdays, except Mondays (the establishment is closed), are Karaoke Nights. In case you haven’t heard yet, there’s a new place earning rave comments from night owls including myself.  Ensconced in one of the commercial stalls at the municipal gymnasium, Box 21 Mini Bar offers a variety of drinks, including popular mixes such as margarita, kamikaze, rum sour, etc. The bar also boasts of tastefully selected music, ranging from techno/dance to disco classics and pop, giving it a hip ambience. Factor in the excellent service of the bartenders and the bar owner herself and you’ll surely have a blast! The Seaside View is a good place to enjoy booze if you want a more relaxed and cozy atmosphere. It offers barbeque and a variety of grilled innards for pulutan.

          Prices: Beer starts at Php25.00. A glass of margarita or kamikaze costs Php35.00. All other mixes at Box 21 are priced Php30.00. Coastal Place offers only beer which costs around Php5.00 more than Box 21’s. Be ready to shell out an extra Php20.00 for your entrance fee during Friday night discos.

        Extra Tip: Revelers usually mass up at Coastal Place at around 10:00 PM on Friday nights, avoid getting inside earlier or you’ll might end up having the dance floor all by yourself. As they say, it’s better to be late in parties than coming in too early. Try Box 21’s margarita, it’s a must!

4.    Tourist Spots

           

          The Menasnge Beach is the proverbial leisure destination for locals and guests alike. The cool breeze from the sea and the splendid view of nearby islands and the Pacific Ocean are a welcome respite for the weary soul. The newly constructed cottages offer a cozy setting for picnics and even afternoon siestas. You can also marvel at the beach’s unusual rock formations and try rock climbing if you fancy. The adage “the best things in life are free,” especially holds true in the case of Menasnge Beach. There’s absolutely no entrance fee and cottage rentals are measly, ranging from Php100.00 to Php200.00. Make a cottage reservation during Saturdays and Sundays especially during holiday seasons.

Menasnge Beach
 (Photo courtesy of my good friend Caloy Montes)

            Here are other tourist spots that I strongly recommend:

1. Borongan-Lllorente Closed Canopy Forest. The ideal jump-off point to this eco-tourism destination is Barangay Del Pilar, an upland barangay about 17 kilometers from the town proper. A few hours’ walk from the jump off point and you’ll be mesmerized by a multiplicity of natural wonders – ranging from waterfalls, a natural canal and bridge to breathtaking views of one of the best dipterocarp forests in the country. Prepare for a bumpy ride on the way to the jump off point. Coordinate with barangay officials if you want to get the services of trek guides – which is a must. Best time to hit this destination is during the summer season (late March to September).

One of the natural wonders inside the Borongan-Llorente Closed Canopy Forest
(Photo courtesy of Mrs. Roxcy Afable)

A panoramic vista of the Borongan-Llorente Closed Canopy Forest
(Photo courtesy of Mrs. Roxcy Afable)

2.  Omawas Beach and Surf Spot. If you love the challenge of conquering the waves but aren’t so sure of exactly how to do it, grab your surfboard and start your surfing lessons at the Omawas-Beach-slash-Surf-Spot. Head first to SurfOmawas for your surfing essentials. This facility offers a variety of services including accommodation, surfboard rentals and surfing lessons at affordable rates. You might also want to take a side trip to the “Disneyland” Beach which is just a few meters away from Omawas Beach. Barangay Omawas is about four kilometers north of the town proper. To get there, hail one of the multicabs and tricycles which regularly ply the Maydolong-Borongan route for a minimal fare of Php8.00/pax. Best time to surf is during the rainy season. Visit www.surfomawas.com for more info.

Omawas Beach: A surfer's paradise
(Photo courtesy of Mrs. Roxcy Afable)  

3. Can-indong Beach. Many locals may not have the slightest idea of what and where on the face of the earth this spot is located but that’s the secret to its allure – its isolation. This tiny patch of white sand paradise is nestled along the coast of Brgy. Campakirit (Botay). Perpetually kissed by the waves of the Pacific, it hugs the steep cliffs which starkly line the seaboard. How to get there: take a multicab or tricycle to Brgy. Campakirit, tell the driver in advance to drop you off the dirt road which leads to Campakirit Beach. You will the need the assistance of one of the locals to navigate the trail leading to the spot or better yet bring with you a friend who knows the place. The trek from the National Road junction to the beach would take about 15 to 30 minutes. Bring with you the following essentials if you are considering spending the night in Can-indong: flashlights/torchlights, tents (as there are no cottages therein), food, booze, and whatever your back could carry. One of the best treats in spending the night in Can-indong is being greeted by the first rays of sunlight in the morning and a magnificent vista of the Pacific Ocean.

4.  St. Clare Monastery. Inaugurated in September of 2011, this monastery serves as the quarters and house of prayer of the Sisters of St. Clare. The monastery is located on one of the plains of Sitio Bag-o Iro, Barangay Camada. The place is immaculately serene, rustically beautiful and spiritually comforting. If you want to relax your mind and soul, this is definitely the place to visit. The monastic nuns accept prayer requests from all individuals. The monastery will start accepting guests who wish to stay overnight once the construction of the chapel is done. If you are planning to visit the monastery, having your own vehicle is an advantage if not a must. The site is located along the Camada-Maytigbao farm-to-market road but no public utility vehicles ply this route. If you are coming from the town proper, head to the direction of Borongan and just before entering the barangay proper of Camada (on the Maydolong side), you’ll see a tarpaulin poster announcing the blessing of the monastery. Take the gravel road on which the poster is festooned and upon reaching the T-junction (which is about 200 meters from the National Road), turn left and drive or walk, if the case maybe, for about 500 meters. You’ll know you’ve reached the monastery because it’s the first structure you’ll come across if you’ve made the right turns.

Blessing of the St. Clare Monastery
(At the background is the House of Prayer [chapel] which is currently under construction)

            

BLUES

On a blue Saturday morning, upon learning that our classes had been suspended that day I headed to downtown Borongan, a fledgling city which has been stripped of its cityhood a couple of times because of the Supreme Court’s ambivalence. I was appalled by the rather late announcement, which came through a text message, while I was impatiently waiting for my classmates who were nowhere to be seen. The thought of driving twenty-nine kilometers back home for a futile trip made me even more frustrated. The state university I’m attending is about eight kilometers north of the city and I have to pass by the latter on my way back home to Maydolong – an idyllic town twenty kilometers south of Borongan.

Upon reaching the city’s downtown area, popularly known as Sawang to many, I decided to stop by one of its oldest and most iconic establishments – Blue Room – for a quick refreshment.

Blue Room, a bakery and snack joint which brings nostalgic memories of my childhood, is located right across the whitewashed Borongan Cathedral. When I was still a kid, the bakery served as a silent witness to the cautionary pinches my mother occasionally gave me at times I threw tantrums whenever we visited Borongan for the customary weekend shopping. Most of those tantrums resulted from my defiance over my mother’s refusal to buy me a new toy or a shirt which was the “uso” (fad) at school then. Blue Room served as my mother’s haven during those times and the bakery’s assortment of delights never failed to placate me.

Upon entering the bakery’s threshold I immediately ordered a bottle of cold Sprite from one of the bakery’s frowning tinderas who must have already been exhausted from the early morning rush of church-goers. I settled on one of the bakery’s tables (which was actually two tables joined together) and started gulping my Sprite.

Halfway through my bottle, amid the bustle inside the bakery and the city outside, a mother with her two boys sat on the empty chairs on the same table I was occupying. Each one had a bottle of Coke and the mother had a bag of monay with her. Upon setting the bread on the table, the three kindred spirits started feasting heartily on their monay and soft drinks. They were suddenly plunged into a world of their own – a world whose center was a hard, white bread whose top resembles that of a woman’s bosom and a carbonated drink. 

I intently studied the three. The mother had a speckled face and occasional streaks of white hair which clearly showed years of toil. The look on her eyes seemed to be distant and absent. The older boy must have been eleven or twelve years old and his younger brother was about two or three years his junior. Each time the older brother guzzled his Coke, he would exhale heavily through his mouth – “Ahhhh..” –  as if he was letting out a deep sigh, only it was a sigh of fulfillment.

What caught my attention was the younger brother. He was gaunt and it was obvious that he was underweight. His head was bald and it was unusually big for his frame. His eyes were deep-set and like his mother, they had the absent and distant look in them. Unlike his older brother, the younger boy silently wolfed his monay just as his mother did.

The solemn feast was interrupted by an inquisitive voice from the other table. It was a woman with her own child – a boy who was about three years old. The boy who must have been amused with the other boy’s (the older brother) “Ahhh..” reflex was now doing the same sound every time he sipped his Coke.

The woman from the other table, clearly acquainted with the mother and her two boys, asked the latter where they have been. The mother replied, “Tikang pala kami ha bukid. Maiha na kami nga waray pakakadulhog.” (We just came from our farm. It has been a while since we’ve been to the city.) The conversation between the two mothers immediately ceased and the three fellows on my table once again resumed their silent feast.

Soon, they finished their snacks, which could easily pass as a meal to the older brother as he was now enthusiastically burping. Before leaving Blue Room, the mother bought two pieces of monay from the same frowning tindera who earlier gave me my Sprite, which was now almost empty. The mother mentioned something about giving the monay as a pasalubong to someone left at their bukid. I surmised it must have been the father.

As the mother and her two boys were leaving the bakery, a limping mendicant approached them at the doorway. The beggar’s hand was perfunctorily outstretched, his palm open, mumbling something which I assumed was a plea to “Spare me some coins, Mana, please.” The beggar then looked at the younger boy who was holding the bag of monay his mother bought as a  pasalubong.

The boy, now looking utterly confused, looked at his mother. With a reassuring look, the mother’s eyes met the boy’s as if to say, “Go ahead my son.” Without any hesitation, the boy handed the bag of monay to the limping mendicant. Looking pleased, the beggar took the bag and set off looking for the next kind soul. A warm smile appeared on the mother’s face then she patted the boy’s head and that of the older brother’s. She was obviously brimming with pride. The three fellows continued walking until they disappeared from my line of sight.

As I was on my way back home, I pondered on the events that transpired on that blue Saturday morning in an old bakery called Blue Room. I came into a realization that the greatest deeds in this world can come from the smallest beings, figuratively and literally. Who would have thought that a boy, emaciated from chronic hunger and destitution, would find it in his heart to share what meager food he has to someone who badly needs it as he does. And it never it dawned on me while I was feeling blue in that old bakery called Blue Room that fate would show me one of the most colorful lessons in my life. Indeed, life works in mysterious ways.

(Originally posted on my Facebook account)

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