Two Weeks in Eden...

I placed myself in a comfortable position and closed my eyes…a short nap will do. I’m always doing this during training and my schedules are very hectic.  My spirit was about to take off to the dream land when I feel somebody sat beside me.  Even if my eyes are closed, I know that my seat mate is a woman.  Why?  Because her perfume smells sexy to the nose, not the muscular scent of men.

“Ahem… excuse me po…Pwede pong pakikuha ng kamay mo sa likuran ng upuan ko?” I heard the woman said.  I don’t  know what she is saying but I like the tone of her voice. I bet she is a teen-ager.  I opened my eyes and found not a teenager but a very lovely lady with a long straight hair. I looked at her with a questioning gaze.  She looked at me irritated. But geez…even annoyed she still looks beautiful.  Her eyes are black as the night.  

“Oh miss…are you saying something? Forgive me I don’t understand your language, “ I said with a smile.

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow as if not believing me.

“Are you not a Filipina?” she asked in English language.

“No…I’m not.”

“Oh …I thought all the while that you are a Filipina. “

I realized nobody will really think I’m not a Filipino.  I have brownish-black hair… mixture of Dad’s brown hair and Mom’s black hair which she got from my grandma.  I have a fair complexion but not that fair enough to stand-out among the crowd.  Maybe because I’m always in the field…I’m a very athletic person... I love the sun.  One thing that makes me noticeable is my height.  I stand 5 feet and 8 inches which is tall enough if compared to the average height of the Filipina women.

 “You were saying something awhile ago…can you please say it in English so I can understand?”

“Nothing…I’m just requesting you to take your hand from the back of my seat, she said with a straight face. She then took a book from her bag and opened it.  I understand that she don’t want to talk to me and that’s the end of the conversation.

 I took my hand from her seat and positioned myself close to the window.  This woman has an attitude problem and I don’t have patience for that.  Patience is not one of my virtues.  I put on my earphone and closed my eyes.  Better be off to the dreamland.

After an hour later I find myself standing outside the Iloilo Airport and watched as the passengers hurried to claim their baggage.  Relatives and friends are eagerly waiting at the arrival area.  

So what am I waiting here? For sure no one will fetch me.  No one among the relatives of grandma knew that I am here.  Grandma has two other siblings who were living in Guimaras.  I have their addresses but I don’t want to bother them.  I want to reach that place on my own.

“Ma’am….taxi..taxi?” I heard the man shouting.  I approached him and asked.

“Hey…I want to go to Guimaras island…could you please drive me there?”

The man looked at me and asked “American Maam?” I nodded. I saw him scratched his balding head and looked at me helplessly.  

“Ma’am…only know little English,” he uttered a little embarrassed.

I smiled and pat him on the shoulder.  I understand that their language is different but I am impressed with their guts to be honest and told me that he can’t talked very well in my language..  

“It’s just ok man.  Don’t worry.  Where can I ask for direction then?”

The man shyly ushered me towards a small booth.  I believed its a tourist information center.  I thanked him and approached the woman seated inside the booth.

“Good morning…Can I ask a question”

“Hi Ma’am…good morning.  Anything I can do for you? By the way welcome to Iloilo,” the girl said in her fluent English.

“Ah yeah…I’m going to an island called Guimaras.  Would you be kind enough to teach me the direction?”

The girl smiled and readily took some brochures from the booth.  She handed them to me together with a map of Iloilo and Guimaras.  She instructed me where to ride and how much is the fare.  She also jotted down some important numbers in case I will be lost.  I thanked her and bid her goodbye.

I followed the girl’s instruction and took the van going to the city.  From there I have to ride another vehicle going to the wharf.  I was fascinated by the scenery along the way. There were farms beside the roads planted with rice and other crops.  The sun has already risen above the sky when we reached our destination.  My stomach is already going wild because of hunger.  I remember I haven’t eaten a decent meal for two days now.  I alighted from the van, paid the driver and look for a place to eat.  Thanks God there’s a 24-hour fastfood restaurant nearby.  I readily entered and ordered for a couple of hamburgers, fries and softdrinks. I took the table nearest the window so I can watch the people outside.  

I ate in silence…so many things are playing in my mind. The reasons why I left Texas in a haze…the reasons why after five years in the service I took an indefinite leave. I still can’t believe that everything has happened. I felt my spirit was dampened by those thoughts…thoughts which I tried to erase from my mind these past few days.

 Just then a different kind of vehicle stopped outside the restaurant.  Ohh…It’s amazing how so many people have ridden that vehicle.  The doors in its front seats were both open…the two long windows on both sides of the vehicle were left open.  Two long seats are positioned on the sides of the vehicle with only one door at the rear portion.  Even the picture painted on the bumper and on sides were very colorful.  I smiled…Filipinos are very creative.  I love the idea of that vehicle.  Perhaps…when I go back to Texas I can create my own version of that, the one that can be used even during winter. 

 I studied the map given by the girl from the tourist assistance office.  Guimaras has a total land area of 60, 457 hectares or 604.57 square kilometer, that means it’s just a small island.  Five municipalities, 98 barangays…what does this means? I flipped the brochure and found a couple of pictures at the center page.  My heart skipped a beat when I saw the picture of the pristine white beaches surrounded by clear blue water.  So beautiful…so enchanting!

 So this is it… I’m near to my goal. I feel mixed emotions of curiosity and excitement.  This place keeps haunting me for so long.  I am thrilled with the fact that I will be going to see Guimaras soon.