A PC Nerd who visits Asingan really would need a laptop if he/she has to stay in town for a number of days. After the novelty of arriving in Asingan wears off, then something inevitably happens. You get bored with a capital B. In our 2003 trip, my wife Miguelita, my sister Aurora and I went together. My sis Ester who resides in Asingan and her family met us at the airport. After a couple of days at the Dusit Hotel in Manila, a van came to pick us and brought us home to Asingan.....
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When I was young and would spend a week end ( or a school term ) in Manila, I always loved watching the scenery thru the window of the Asingan bound bus. After we passed by the Balintawak monument ( the old route ), then we come to the smaller towns of Bulacan, the province of the poet laurete, F.Balagtas. I would drink in all the views that went buy. Everyone in the bus would always laugh when we pass by Meycauayan. The smell would remind you of someone who did not take a bath for a whole week and did not change his clothes either. And the bus vendors were already there; selling the usual sitsaron which at that time was solely manufactured in or near Meycauayan. A guy in the bus one time said " This is where they manufacture the sitsaron" when the bus passed by the leather curing factories and people cupped their hands on their noses.
The towns in Bulacan were close to each other. After a brief trip thru some rice fields, you arrive in another town which alas, looked like the other one which you have seen. Then the bus crosses into Pampanga, and the field sceneries get longer..Then one see the tower of the San Fernando church and one enters a REAL city view with bigger buildings, stores, THEATRES ( I always check the titles of the movies they were showing ) then in a few minutes, the bus enters another stretch of a long, boring excursion into greenfields, left and right until we reach Angeles. Angeles seems to be a copy cat of San Fernando.I peeled my eyes to the names of stores or the Chinese owned buildings.The bus winds around the town a bit, does not stop except to pick up passengers then went on its way.
The next stop is more exciting. Yes, it is DAU! If you pass by Dau in the morning or noon, you will wonder whether the women walking there about are hookers or what. You would see the various exotic signs of the pleasure pots of Dau ( Clark Air Base was still occupied by the Americans then ). If the bus passed there at night, then there would be loud music, flashing lights, enlisted men walking hand in hand with friendly local women. But the locals would complain if you tell them the women are Pampanguenias..those girls are from Bicol, they would say. Whatever...
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At present, vehicles from Manila always take the Highway that goes all the way to Mabalacat, Pampanga. In 2003, we left Manila late afternoon. When we were in Tarlac, we saw the granduer of the Christmas lights that seemed to sprout in every tree in front of many houses. The town looked like Disneyland at night. I tried not to fall asleep so as not to miss the sights. These sights for overseas visitors come few and far between. After crossing the Carmen bridge over to Villasis, our van took the side street passing thru Pias, then Carusucan and finally, into Poblacion, Asingan .
We arrived in Asingan late at night .The next day, Manong Lilo ( the source of many of my stories ) met us and so did his kids and grandkids. It is always emotional to meet relatives whom you have not seen in years. The first days in Asingan are always exciting. Then depending on the daily agenda of the next days, things could drag on slowly into a standstill
This would be the time when you would need the laptop---#
(more to come)
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