VISITING URDANETA

.I find my visit to Asingan both exciting and boring depending on the daily agenda. In 2003, as soon as we became restless, we went to Urdaneta first since it is just a few miles away. We hired a tricycle for the whole trip, going coming back and going around the City. First we texted Greg and Aurora Manzano of Divine Word College. Aurora is a very good friend of Miguelita at this school and it would be a crime to come home and not to say HI to her. I learned to like the cell phone in the Phil, thus when there is nothing much to do, I just check my phone book which I compiled from the day I arrived in Manila. I bought the cel phone in Manila too. I got it for the ridiculous price of 4500 pesos ( a Nokia ) which is about 100$..Some cell phones in Canada are just 50$ or sometimes 0$..But you are stiffed somewhere after you have signed a contract. Too bad I could not use my Canadian Cell phone in the Philippines ( I can but imagine the roaming charges )

Anyway, we met Greg and Aurora Manzano at the Rainforest Resort in Urdaneta along the way going to Binalonan. I visited this resort a year before with Belo Malala thus I am familiar with the facilities particularly the food. Their pancit tastes like Dagupan made. And there is also a swimming pool which you can overlook from the railings of the restaurant. A strand of trees offer some privacy plus a noise breaker from the vehicular traffic that ply the highway on the top. The resort is on a lower level. It is very relaxing with the modern looking restaurant set-up and the flowers and plants surrounding the pool area. We ordered something which we can nver taste even in Filipino restaurants here in Toronto. The reason for this is the fact that most food supplies here in US/Canada are frozen usually for 6 months ( the curing process ) before it is sold in Supermarket shelves. But here in the Philippines, everything is fresh. You can always tell it by the taste of its SUGPO, veggies, soup and greens that adorn their pancit. So we ordered among other things: Pancit Guisado, Sinigang na Bangus, adobo, rellenong bangus and my favorite: igado! And since there were 5 or 6 of us, we doubled each order. Surprisingly, the bill when converted to $ is just like a meal for 3 at a MacDonald restaurant here in Toronto. We ordered San Miguel beer too, of course. This brand of beer is scarce here in Toronto..And the bottle ( and taste ) is slightly different. Nothing like the San Miguel beer you buy at the corner store in Asingan.

So talked and ate until all the food is gone and we felt sleepy ( the beer helped ). Nobody took a dip in that lovely pool. Nobody brought any swimming gear. And even if we did, we do not like to show how our bodies were transformed by the passing of the years! ( Hah! you must be kidding if I would SWIM then. In the first place, I do not know how to swim!)

So we said good bye to our friends. We see them only once in 3 or 4 years and such good byes are bitter sweet if you think about it. We know them when we were still single. Who knows when will we ever see them again?