Paseo!
In my adolescent years, the paseo was part of our pastime. What is a paseo? It is a leisure walk with friends for the purpose of observing the landscape especially nature’s resources. The most apt time for this paseo during our time was at sunset when “the sun is salmon and hazy in the west” as Jose Garcia Villa puts it. This is the time when you want to watch the sun slowly eaten by the hills and the mountains giving way to the sipping of the sun’s luster as darkness takes over.
When we were young, we usually did our paseo as soon as we were all through with our home chores. Our usual destination (we, the girls) was the Baluarte of our town, Baclayon. In this place, one can have a clear view of the sea and the sunset. One can also have a full view of the magnificent mountain and the green coastline filled with centuries old pagatpat trees. On a clear sky you can see Mt. Hibokhibok with its majestic peak facing Mindanao and the Bohol seas.
There were times before when our Oyang Tiva would bring us to a Paseo in her chauffer-driven black ford. Our destination was the Laya beach which has now become a haven for picnickers. In those days Laya’s beaches were powdery with white sand and its seas could be described as emerald green. Mao kadto ang paahon nga daghan pang mapunit sa honasan: swaki, komongkomong, lato, lomot ug nagkalainlaing klaseng kinhason. Panglao beaches were not yet popular, then.
Our paseo was also meant for the pahangin–hangin. “Laya”, was then a peaceful barangay in Baclayon lined with dainty swaying coconut trees – a very good place to gather for the pahangin-hangin. Adto jud mi magtapok ilawom sa mga kalubihan ug samtang naglantaw mi sa halayong dagat, sandig sa punu-an sa lubi, among hanggabon ang lab-as kaayo nga hangin sa baybayon. “Laya”, was and still is, indeed, a beautiful picnic spot. However, the pristine sand is gone. Some “gentle” (binali) hands have used such to build concrete edifices.
In midlife, I went with my family to Tacloban, Leyte. The destination for our paseo there was the airport which is several kilometers away from the city. The airport traffic, then, was not yet heavy with only one flight in the morning from Manila and another flight from Cebu; and the two flights in the afternoon. Taas ang imong panan-aw sa airport tungod kay gilibutan man kini ug kadagatan. Nindot ang imong pamati sa lawas kung muadto ka sa airport sa Leyte. There was a VIP room at this airport for those were the Marcos years. There were several seats in the pre-departure area and no restrictions for the village people to send off their loved ones going to other destinations for greener destinations and for leisure trips. We loved to watch the incoming and outgoing passengers. Denims were not yet in fashion, so, at that time, the people who took the flights were always dressed up to the occasion with their “overnight bags” (maoy uso ni sa una) ug ang siudlayan sa buhok sa mga babaye, pina-ulbo ang estilo. Basta, kay ganahan ka motan-aw sa mga musakay sa eroplano kay posturaw kaayo. We would look at their bags, their shoes and the jewelries they wore. My friend and I had this dream that when we get a little older, adto gyud namo himuon ang among paseo didto sa airport kay daghan ug nindot matan-awan.
It is sad to note that in our later years, that airport in our dreams is no longer there. It does not exist anymore. It has become a “crazy” place nowadays. This is true when you see people who seem to get lost there; when every passenger seems to be always in a hurry looking at the schedule on the screen; when men and women keep on running back and forth trying to beat their deadline; when almost all are trying to listen attentively to the announcement of ground attendants informing people of the sudden change of gates, the sudden cancellation of flights, and the sudden postponement of schedule.
Maka stress gyud oi. Pareha nahong senior citizen, amboooooootttt na lang. Mura ta ug ulipon sa mga announcement sa paging system. Unya paghuman ug usa ka announcement, makita nimo ang mga pasahero nga mura ug mga amigas nga gimando-an ug mga robots. Haaaayyyy. Then i see people getting lost. Some get pissed off; others enjoy the running and walking fast; while most are gihangak, gigutom, ug gisapot. I could not anymore see the beautiful sight in my dream of that beautiful airport – cool, serene, ideal – that used to be the model place of my paseo in life.
Now that I’m above 70, I also have my current version of the paseo; and I often do it with my friend Caridad Tharan, Carie for short. My BFF Ardy and I, used to go around, a lot, but as she said: ”Kung kanus-a ko na edaran ug gamay (gamay ra ha) na busy na man hinuon ko. But I enjoy it. It is really true that when you love what youo are doing, it is not work at all. To God be the Glory.”
So, Carie and I go around. Our first trip was in the countryside of Baclayon, specifically, in the barrios of Canggawa, Cambanac and Tunga. You would never expect to find a four-lane road up on the hills where big houses are sprouting and subdivisions abound. What’s surprising is the kind of roads being built. The Baclayon-Corella road pale in comparison. You must wonder why!
Our second paseo was to the hillside of barangay Lomboy in the town of Loay.This place is called the “Morning Hills”. The view is breathtaking and Lomboy trees were all over the place. Now I know where the mga lomboy nga 20 centavos ray usa ka Caltex, came from in the days of my youth. Walay timbang timbang sa una – caltex ray katapat. Our driver, Sonny, also brought us to Conception, Loay – on a road leading to Sikatuna. The trip was a re-tracing of the route we took after the 2013 earthquake on our way to Carmen then to Sagbayan, the epicenter of the quake. I was enthusiastic to see the houses along the way. Upon reaching post-earthquake Sikatuna, I noticed that the town is thriving and oozing with development. It’s a town to watch!
I had fun in my paseo with Carie especially when we sang Henry Mancini’s “Two for the Road”.