Part 18

Part 4 (1)

Passports✔️anti mosquito venom✔️credit cards & cash✔️Imodium ✔️Tylonal ✔️sunglasses, shorts & smiles✔️

My son John & I are leaving a day earlier then departure  time, we can't have a flat tire or any mishaps? Breaking down on the mountain passes good luck getting any form of help where there's no cell signal or towns. There is no option to fail for us getting on our flight. Terry again has come to relieve us for our yearly escape to Philippines.

We are excited beyond belief and blessed to get a break from United States. Waiting, waiting, waiting for that call to board the plane, once seated there are no more worries for me or him. Now the boring part of stuck in the seat for 12 hours & transfers. But he's a trooper, a great companion and bestest friend- he knows well the rewards that await us!

About 18 hours later we land in Macton, Laupu-Laupu, Cebu and get our first smell of the hot sweet and sticky air ,mixed up with desiel, someone burning a pile of trash- plastic optional!  But that other seductive smell from far away gets attention from my big white nose, can ya smell that that surrounds you in a warm blanket of BBQ? My senses on overdrive-of course it's time to eat!!

Always there to greet us are Ken and Grace to accompany us for food and then deliver us through our condominium again. I have the desire to get some much needed and deserved rest, and I haven't slept since the day prior to departure from San Francisco and nothing on the plane as well. But like always I'm much too excited to be back home unlike my boy, can knockout any time -anywhere within three minutes and in a signal six don't be bothered or interrupted?  Sometimes this Boy of mine really can get on my nerves is I watch him snoring! Lol

OK, shower, pool, breakfast, money exchange, haircut, snack, got the morning covered already! I have some business to catch up on that I can't do over the telephone or computer from California. In the backseat of the car Grace navigates through traffic of metal like doing the tango. It's an art form that is rather leave to the professionals- Samar & Leyte no problem there but this is the 2nd largest city in Philippines like Edsa on steroids? We drive to a couple of projects, view some models and blueprint specs and meetings of our proposals and bidding with our construction supply company. It's not as easy as doing business back in California, here you kinda need to romance them not only with the best prices but lunch or dinner at a nice establishment as well as a gift sometimes!

All worn out we head up again into the mountains and hills of Busay (my happy place) and view the vast wonder of the city below at night time and have some drinks. Tonight is not much different from other times as Ken continues the search for property for me to buy. But, my being white, freckles, blue eyes and big nose the prices doubles so Ken negotiates saying it's the companies. Just like the wet market its customary to haggle, almost an insult  not to engage

John and I get restless and bored often waiting for our friend "Filipino time" so we run away and get lost on purpose. We grab a jeepney and tell them to take us to the end of the line as far as they go. We leave the city behind us and we climb and we climb around twists and turns through valleys and past multiple waterfalls down into canyons.

My kid is all but 12 and enjoying the ride but I'm grabbing him and poking him to look here- look there- look....... A squirrel????? I never tire of these majestic mountain ranges of virgin forests! I've tried asking about the virgins that live here but they don't seem to come down? It's almost like I am a child here of wonder and amazement here, yeah I'm half my age here in the Philippines and double back in America for sure!

John and I are stroll around the little town at a dead end. Way far out into the valleys and several waterfalls. We get some snacks and about three or four glasses of the most amazing fresh frozen coconut juice frozen mixed with the pulp,buy them out sadly? I could dive into a pool of this stuff and be most happy for a week!

Now, as a few hours have passed I ask the driver what time did he does his return and he answers that his tire is not roadworthy to make it to the city and return? So he gets to motorcycle drivers for a 45 minute ride back down the mountain into the city. The cost is four dollars each but I'll give them five.

We've been here week but I get it telephone call back at the condo from my younger, Filipino brother Benjie,  The reason why I 1st came to the Philippines and why I ended up staying. I've usually been alone in my travels here pretty much a month or so every year but this time you know, I'm not alone as my son John now age 12 is my shadow even at night time. My body or my bestest friend my younger self I can see of way back when......... Once upon a time.

I get a call from Benjie to come to Leyte~~~~~~~~