to the wedding (sagada nights)
pls click here for the first sagada note.
despite the warmth of its people and the majestic view of its rugged mountains, sagada can be cold and lonely at night even for someone who is used to solitude. there's just something about the place that makes you long for someone to cuddle with, break bread with or share a bed with.
after a dinner of chicken adobo, fried lumpia shanghai, fried rice and mango shake shared with a couple who was traveling from munich, i started walking around sagada's dark, almost deserted streets looking for a place to piss the cold night away. the young german couple refused my invitation to hang out somewhere, saying they wanted to sleep early, tired from walking around sagada.
^^^^^^^^^
after a few minutes of brisk walking, trying to beat the chilly air, i passed by this bar called sagada pine cafe that played bob marley, santana and mantras. at the door, one of the waiters wearing cowboy hat, tight black shirt and tattered jeans told me that i would have fun inside, then winked at me. that piqued my curiosity and fueled a desire so intense and overwhelming that i felt as though i was about to explode. i never felt this way before.
a sign was displayed prominently at the wall: "the beer here is as cold as your ex's heart." luvly! another reason to get drunk then. haha.
the decoration is shabby chic - empty cigarette boxes, discarded computer parts, balloons, were displayed on the walls, along with photos of bob marley and posters. an old bicyle was hanging at the ceiling along with worn shoes, a basketball and other knick-knacks. in other words, the whole place made of bamboo and nipa vibrates fun, fun and fun. it's a place to relax, chill, let your hair down after a tiring trip to the scary caves, whimsical falls and the mysterious mountains.
"anything goes here," one of the bartenders said after he noticed me eyeing the place with amazement. "leave your inhibitions outside."
there were already tourists (local and foreign) having a beer. i recognised some of them, including the two from new york and one from germany who were with me on the jeepney ride from banaue to sagada earlier in the day. they recognised me as well and asked me to join them. we finally had our formal introductions - adam and hassam were the two young guys (both twenty three) from new york and david (twenty one) was the exchange student in korea from germany. they were having red horse, i ordered san miguel light. the beer arrived nearly frozen (at least they are true to their word, as what's posted on its wall) and i finished half of it in one gulp.
(don't you just luv the fact that anywhere you go, there is beer to quench your loneliness?)
&&&&&&
a few hours later, a couple traveling from manille arrived. the lady, svelte and pretty with porcelain white skin and wearing a white mini skirt and sexy top, introduced herself and joined us. she was with her younger brother, a brooding twenty year old who rarely talked and never smiled in black jacket and short pants. he was more interested in having a game of chess (there were chess boards in the bar) than in socialising with us.
we let him play chess with the local boys.
among the local boys, i recognised charlie, my guide to the cave earlier in the day, having red horse with his friends. they were all young, brawny, brown and friendly. oh well, they all work in the tourism industry, that's why.
but as the night wore on and as we talked some more over bottles of beer, i realised that they were genuinely nice and friendly, not just because they were working as tourist guides.
*******
having a diverse mix of people in one table from different parts of the globe with different backgrounds (two of us have mbas, one is planning to enroll in an mba programme in switzerland, three technology professionals, one engineer), the conversation ranged from the european crisis, the forthcoming election in germany, the recently held us elections, obama's new term, the typhoon katrina, why the philippines remains poor despite its rich natural resources and its bright population, sex, one night stands, weeds, bob marley, pop korean superstar psy and his immense popularity overseas, korean economy, facebook and its impact on our social lives to sex).
one of the boys, still mourning the recent loss of his father, couldn't stop talking about him. how he taught him to make a table from scratch, sketch, fish. it was touching, the way he talked about him. i envied him. i never had that kind of relationship with my late old man. i've always wanted to (who doesn't?), but my father was cold, distant and aloof. he hardly talked to us.
that night, i missed him too. i remembered how he used to wait for me late at night (when i was out with friends) just to open the main door. how he would quietly switch on the lights, then turn them off as he headed towards his bedroom. he was a light sleeper. he wasn't a talker.
$$$$$$
one local boy mentioned that there was a street party going on down the road in celebration of a wedding and everyone was invited. curious, we all decided to go.
indeed, it was one heck of a party. there was no music, only the sound from the gongs. men and women were huddled in a circle at the center doing a native dance. rice wines flowed, but there were no beers. so we bought beers from a nearby store. there was plenty of food on the buffet table.
later on, as we consumed more beer and rice wine, we joined the dancing in the middle of the street. i tried playing the gong as well and doing the native dance. it was fun. i was shameless.
then charlie asked me to go with him somewhere. he said he had a surprise for me. i obliged. this was already around four in the morning. while i could not disclose everything lest i be hauled to jail, let's just say that i felt as though i was in heaven afterwards.
jack kerouac (whose book, on the road, inspired the trip) and the rest of the beat generation would have approved.
%%%%
the next day, i woke up so late in the day with a headache. i missed breakfast and lunch. but i felt bliss. lightheaded. alive. some of the things that happened the previous night were a blur.
on my last night, the owner of the bob marley inspired bar (i thought he was just one of the waiters. he was so humble), who is only twenty three, invited me to his place after the bar closed. i was surprised to find out that he lives in one of the big houses in the area (that's when he told me that he owns the bar). it was almost three in the morning. he lit the fire place and we have a few more beers. one of his friends drew me using only pencil and plain white paper near the fire place.
we stayed until the sun rose and the village slowly hummed to life.
another day, another adventure.
******
"isn't it beautiful that after tonight, we will all be a part of someone's memory?" one of the guys told me, before we kissed and after we shared sticks of joint and bottles of beer. then we fell asleep.
(next - if you still care - the baguio night scene and a funny meeting with a psychic at the park. please lick here for the baguio leg of the adventure.)
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