“Nakatulong ka na, nakagala ka pa.”, part 3

One plank and two beached whales. (Photo courtesy of Ivan De Castro)

Lying down in a small tent without a makeshift pillow and with very little cushioning was quite uncomfortable, and I don’t think I would have been able to sleep if I wasn’t tired from the previous days activities.  I woke up ahead of all the others with a very painful back, making the act of sitting up excruciatingly painful.  I afterwards spent some time just soaking up the pre-dawn silence before the next person awoke.

“Nakatulong ka na, nakagala ka pa.”, part 2

The gift-giving activity only lasted until mid-morning.  After exchanging farewell pleasantries with some of the older scholars, we then prepared for the climb.  The skies looked like it was going to rain soon, so it was settled that we would not go camping at Mt. Malindig.  Instead we would just spend the night at the foundation’s premises later, once we’ve descended the mountain.

“Nakatulong ka na, nakagala ka pa.”, part 1

Returning to Marinduque wasn’t really in my plans for 2011, even though I thoroughly enjoyed my visit during the Holy Week of 2010 (Moriones and all.)  What made me accept the invitation of my friend Madz Crisostomo to return to Marinduque is the prospect of doing some charity activity while traveling.  This is something that I’ve never done before, but which I was very much interested in doing.

Preview: Literally Chilling at Mt. Malindig (Marinduque)

I returned to Marinduque on October 8, 2011 for a charity activity, as well as to climb Mt. Malindig – Marinduque’s highest peak.  Here’s a video I took of my companions during the climb using my BlackBerry.  I’ll blog about this after I finish the Surigao Series.

Uncharacteristically, I forgot to point the camera at myself.  (*sigh)

Marinduque Day 4: The long goodbye

Despite being dead drunk the night before, I was at least conscious enough of the fact that we were leaving for Manila in the morning of Day 4, and so I managed to get up relatively early.  The morning scene in A&A Beach Resort was typical of a lazy Sunday.  Some people were having breakfast, some were reading and some were watching TV.  Julius and Mrs. Belinda Uy went someplace else to catch some street dancing as part of the Easter celebrations.  I didn’t plan to go there anymore as I was too worried about getting stuck somewhere and missing the Ro-Ro ride back.

Marinduque Day 3: Tres Reyes, Gaspar Island, Buenavista, Torrijos, etc.

I got sidetracked by all my activities this summer resulting in a sluggishness that prevented me from continuing my Marinduque blogs.  Right now, aside from finishing this Marinduque series, I also have my Mt. Pinatubo, Taal Volcano, Pahiyas Festival and Mt. Pulag blogs in my blog backlog.  And so, before I forget important details, I will now finish the Marinduque series.

Marinduque Day 2 (afternoon): Back to Gasan, Back to Boac….with a boy genius and a lot of blood in between

The Antipos of Gasan

AFTER having lunch, we then boarded our jeepney again to return to Gasan to document the Antipos/Flagellantes.  Before that, we did a brief stopover in the ancestral home of some of Boyet’s relatives.  He said it was the home of a former mayor and it’s a house that President Ferdinand Marcos himself visited when he was in Marinduque, and even pointed to a chair that the late president actually sat on.  After taking a few photos of the home’s interior, it was time to move on.

Marinduque Day 2 (morning): Morion Parade in Gasan, Via Crucis in Boac

SO according to Fung’s comments in the previous entry, Albert and I indeed had a snore-fest the night before.  (Sorry!)  Anyway, it was a nice sunny morning on Day 2, and after doing my usual stretching exercises and push-ups, I prepared for the day’s activities.  I made the mistake of not charging my camera battery before sleeping and I just hoped that it would last until the end of the day.  (More on this later.)

Marinduque Day 1: Boac, Kabugsakan Falls and a bit of Gasan

CHECKING my summer schedule last March, I was pleased to discover that I would be having my first complete Holy Week vacation ever since my pre-call center days.  In planning what to do with a rare and luxurious 4 free days (Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday) I was torn between going out of town on one hand, and staying at home and rediscovering the beauty of my Catholic heritage through the Holy Week rites in my local parish on the other.