 |
 |
| Sirangan stands proud a scant, few metres behind the sea wall |
 |
| Sirangan Sunset |
 |
| Suzie cooked this noble Lapu-lapu fish in ginger and leek sauce especially for Chris and myself. The fish was so large, it could have fed an entire village. Thanks, Suzie. |
Chris did the sweetest thing by traveling to the Philippines to spend Chinese New Year with me. Our choices for a holiday destination had initially been Tagaytay or Anilao. But Chris being Chris, we ended up treading a far less beaten path, further down towards the southernmost coast of Luzon.
We took a 45-minute plane ride (delayed half an hour for take-off) plus two hours on an ordinary bus (coasting 20km/hr at top speed, with about a thousand stops in between to let passengers and snack vendors on and off, no aircon) plus half an hour on a jeepney (with a young buck stroking a fighting cock in front of me) plus ten minutes on a tricycle (whose driver didn't know where "BAY-cuhn" Beach was, because of course it's pronounced "Bah-KOHN").
It would have been easy for me to fall into dramatic despair of the "Oh!-This-just-goes-to-show-how-disconnected-I've-become-from-my-own-country!" variety. But I'm surprised to say I quite enjoyed getting reacquianted with all the colourful modes of transport in the Philippines. I felt like I've been away for a 10,000 years.
We finally got to our destination at 5.30pm.
"So much for spending the afternoon on the beach," Chris teased with a twinkle in his eye, finally admitting that he had known all along from obscure travel sites that there were public utility vans servicing the Legazpi - Sorsogon route. A van could have taken us to Bacon in a fraction of the time. But Chris gave me the time and space to figure out the way. Around my own country. Throughout the journey, he wordlessly cradled his beloved Kindle with one hand and held my hand in his with the other.
I was crushed by Chris's revelation. On top of feeling embarrassed and disconnected, I now also felt ignorant and stupid and spoiled.
"It's cocktail o'clock," Chris said, urging my depressed ass towards the bar. He ordered a couple of mojitos made with organic mint picked fresh from the resort's own garden. The bartender, Mark, is a strapping lad of 24 years who used to join male bikini contests in the region.
We sipped our mojitos whilst watching the horizon blend deep coppers and mauves and indigos over the Pacific.
Chris being Chris, he knew exactly just how to make me feel better. Instantly.
"It's cocktail o'clock," Chris said, urging my depressed ass towards the bar. He ordered a couple of mojitos made with organic mint picked fresh from the resort's own garden. The bartender, Mark, is a strapping lad of 24 years who used to join male bikini contests in the region.
We sipped our mojitos whilst watching the horizon blend deep coppers and mauves and indigos over the Pacific.
Chris being Chris, he knew exactly just how to make me feel better. Instantly.
*
Sirangan is a 5-star luxury resort located on the eastern end (sirangan or silangan being vernacular equivalents for east) of Bacon Beach, Sorsogon. It is owned by a Spanish corporation that has seven other boutique properties in Barcelona, Madrid and Madagascar.
