Snippets: Ricefields of Ma-ao

 

Taken last April 17, 2021, at barangay Ma-ao in Bago city, Negros Occidental. 

One random afternoon I felt the urge to drive at a spot I've been eyeing to sit and sip a good cup of coffee at the side of the road while staring at the view of the ricefield. It was close to harvest season for some of the paddy fields in that area, which was wonderful. The drive is roughly 30 minutes away from my house. An hour of driving is just the right amount of time wherein I'm still enjoying the drive, exceeding that I'll start to get annoyed and tired. I failed at my attempt to buy a cup of coffee on my way out of the city, but I did manage to arrive at a perfect time. There was no one working at the fields at that time as it was late in the afternoon on a Saturday.

I made a quick stop at this spot to take videos for my story feed on Instagram and to make my city friends envious of the fresh air I'm breathing. I watched in silent amazement, feeling so alive and present. The gentle sound of the irrigation water flowing down the canal was so calming that I can mistake that moment as being somewhere in the rural area of Japan...if not for the nipa huts I could see at a distance. There were even chirping birds and crickets to complete the ambiance. I was in a blissful meditative state, simply listening to nature as it moved in sync with the sight that spread before me. 

After a couple of minutes, I drove on a little farther and took a detour at a narrow road where a village stood in the middle of the ricefield. All of the villagers' eyes were on me as I passed through their houses, probably wondering if I was lost...or whose house I was stopping at. I drove past the village and felt unsure where the road was leading as it seemed to steer into a private property, so turned back in surrender.

I was slowly making my way back home when I noticed people on the streets looking up at the sky, some taking their phones out to take videos at a certain spot. I peeked through my windshield out of naïve curiosity and immediately saw what the fuss was about. There, at a distance, was a huge waterspout that has formed out of the dark clouds. This was the third time in my life I was seeing it, the first one was off the coast of Batangas, the second one was somewhere in Negros Oriental, and this time it was possibly somewhere along the bay of Pulupandan. Watching the force of nature is always fascinating...one that's worth stopping for and taking a bunch of videos to post online. So I did exactly that, driving back to the same spot where I took earlier photos of, only this time it had that huge natural anomaly. If it was a tornado and much closer to where I was, I could have had a different reaction and story altogether...especially when I told my parents I was only going out to check some shower curtains at a nearby store. In the end, I got the feeling I was chasing after, a thrilling calm. Not to mention, photos and videos that were a little more special than intended. Before the day ended I posted a couple of shots on my Instagram with the caption: "Some days are more fascinating than others."

There is so much peace in staring at a ricefield, either in its greenest vibrant tint or its lush golden form. It's a sight of my childhood that triggers memories of travel and home at the same time. I can watch the swaying of its leaves and listen to the rustling of its panicle for hours on end. It was one of the reasons I went to Bali, to fulfill my desire to sit at a cafe right next to the paddy fields. How I wish someone will be able to make that same concept here in Negros. For now, the best way to satisfy that longing is to bring my own cup of coffee and drive to an unpopulated area where hectares of rice plantations stretch then leisurely drink there. 

I'm gonna claim it. This is a post of affirmation to initiate the law of attraction. Universe, one day I'm gonna build a café next to a ricefield. Just like what happened on that day when I took the photo, I told the universe to entertain me because I was bored...and so it did. 

Mandayao Panorama Park at La Castellana

Marked as K73 L11, Mandayao Panorama Park is a fast-developing destination for bike riders and those on short weekend getaways. Located at Barangay Mansalanao in the municipality of La Castellana, it sits out at the highest point of Mandayao Legacy Park. With an elevation that is sandwiched between two spectacular views: the south-west face of Mt. Kanlaon at one side, then parts of the sloping plains of La Castellana, hill ranges of Central Negros, parts of Moises Padilla, the coast of Hinigaran and Binalbagan right down to the Strait of Guimaras on the other. On clear days you should spot the islands of Guimaras and Iloilo where you can witness spectacular sunsets. 

There you will find an array of affordable restaurants that serves a variety of dishes, from the classic Pinoy favorites like batchoy, silog, pancit, inihaw, crispy pata, kare-kare, and even boodle fight meals. If you want to try foreign-inspired dishes some restaurants also serve localized versions of Japanese maki, Taiwanese hot pots, American burgers, Italian pizzas, and gyros. Each restaurant has its own edge, be it from the food that they serve or the ambiance that they set. Almost all of the restaurants are managed and manned by their respective owners, thus making your experience a little better. The laid-back setting tends to match with their service as waiting time can get apparent once their places reach a certain capacity. There will be days when a couple of their menu items won't be available, especially on weekdays...but for the most part, people do tend to go there to unwind more than go on a gastronomical journey. Get a cup of native coffee or open a bottle of beer, then take your time to sip them while gazing at the unobstructed landscape. 

My Covid Experience

You know that moment when you felt something was wrong, and when your fear got validated your whole disposition crumbles?

The moment I received the news that I was covid positive, I closed my eyes and cursed to myself. Where did I go wrong? 

Then the idea of the butterfly effect came to me. Every careless thing I did for the past week led me up to this moment of having to go through with this ordeal. It's not as terrible as some consequences get, but it was enough to put my life and some of the people around me to a halt. Surely, it was from those few instances when I felt like putting my defenses down resulted to this ripple effect. 

If I were to look back, it started with the decision in my head, that I was gonna work myself tired after enjoying a night of drinking at home with my girlfriends. I watched the clock tick to 2:30am on a Sunday and I looked at the empty bottles of wine and beer on the table, all I could think about is getting up early in the morning because we had to leave for La Castellana to work on the glamping site. The entire week was dedicated to looking for materials needed for the construction, and this meant tiring myself out almost every day on top of lacking sleep most nights and not taking any vitamins then. By Wednesday I knew I was close to falling ill because I couldn't keep myself up past 10pm. I was exhausted. I managed to recover by the time I woke up and started working again at the glamping site. By Saturday I was able to do more work for our glamping, but by evening I couldn't sleep and I found myself awake until 3am, that I promised myself that right after celebrating Mother's Day at lunch I would sleep all I want from Monday onwards. I just had to finish our family lunch and then allow myself a good long rest for the week ahead. Little did I know that is exactly what will happen. It was the worst feeling to have to drive out to order take-out in a restaurant that took two hours to prepare the food while feeling like I was about to collapse. I had three hours of sleep that day, and I was starting to sneeze repeatedly while hearing the 6am mass. My greatest relief was when I finally sat to eat lunch and think to myself that I was done for the week. That turned out to be a proper rest that would last for more than two weeks.