I honestly don't know how to start. I am still overwhelmed. They said a picture paints a thousand words, but since I lost all my photos it seems I also lost all the words to describe what I've seen and what I have felt when I saw them.
I guess I'll start with how much Leyte means to me. Leyte was the promised land. Ever since I was old enough to take care of myself, Daddy Tatay had promised a trip home to Leyte. Daddy Tatay was born and raised in Carigara, Leyte while Mommy Nanay's parents, though they met in Pampanga are both from Leyte, specifically Baybay and Carigara. Half of my roots are from Leyte. Iv'e got a barangay full of relatives there. More than that, Leyte was the setting of my Daddy Tatay's beloved tales and for me it would be like visiting Nick Joaquin's Manila or C.S. Lewis' Narnia. I've always wanted to come home.
The coconut nut is a giant nut.
What can I say, it was coconut galore. Coconuts probably outnumber any other trees when it comes to tree population. And they are so tall! but the amazing thing about it is no matter how tall they are, people still climb them to get thier fruits. You can tell that because of the crevices on their trunks that coconut climbers use so they can climb the tree. Oh and they also don't safety belts or safety nets or any kind of safety devices.
The lands that my fathers tilled
I saw rice fields in different stages. Some are just being prepared for planting, the carabao (a real live one, no longer in pictures!(Bettina called them the caraboos)) doing the work he is most famous for. Some have been newly planted while some have been planted for about a month or so. Most of the fields have tall rice stalks and are nearly ready for harvest. But the fields ready for harvest are the most enchanting of them all. Golden fields. They look like hope. They look like happiness.
Lolo Ben took us on a tour around the field he and my Mommy Nanay inherited from their father. It had been said that their Lolo owns almost the whole Carigara but since he lost it in a bet, what was left was divided to all his 15 children. Anyway, now Mommy Nanay and Lolo Ben own a hectare of land. I know it looks like any other rice fields but I can't help feeling sentimental about it. It is sort of mine. Sort of, I mean I could only have a share in it if I go into agriculture and if our not-so-nice relatives don't use it for their own good. Actually, that was what they were doing before Lolo Ben stayed in Leyte and now they are trying to get drive him away. But whatever, the scene was really breath-taking. Everything just feels more alive. I got a cut from walking through a pineapple! That was fun, I proudly showed it to my mom.
On the side note, since we left all our stuffs in the van and group of kids hang out in it, I lost my make-up kit and my underwear pouch. I lost my newly bought panty, my 1 set of eye shadow which contains the white, pink and my favorite dark brown shade. I also lost my nude lipstick and my clinique lip gloss. I know it sounds totally shallow but I love that clinique lip gloss! It was the perfect lip gloss ever!!! (I cried a little, don't tell!)
Between the stars and waves
Lolo Ben's place is near the beach, but it is a rocky beach not like the white sandy ones pictured on posters. It really doesn't matter to me. It's the water that is important.
I always become speechless whenever I look at the sea. It makes me feel small, like humbled or something. I am awed by the sea but I'm also scared of it. In contrast, The sky dazzles me. I love its changing colors. and the stars, there are no stars that many in Manila. If I compare the sea and the sky to a person, the sea is like a mother and the sky, a playmate.
We spent the second day by the sea. The sea was so calm, there were hardly any waves but I got amused watching the small boats and learning how to skip rocks. By noon time, the water level had gone up and it reached the huge rocks on the beach. So I got an idea to lay down on the huge rock and feel like a dried fish. Actually, I think it was a very good spot to take model-y pictures or that it would feel very poet-like to sit on the rock be very deep and comtemplative. But mostly I think I just want to get a good tan. I think it was one of the best seats in the world. Especially during sunsets.
I remembered this children''s story; where as the sun was setting, God let all the colors out to play. So the world was bathed with all the colors, except for indigo who was left behind. I can't remember why it was left behind. Well, anyway, as a consolation; when all the other colors had gone back to sleep, God let Indigo play on Earth. So that's why the night is colored Indigo.
Leyte's sunset is filled with every shade of color. If my eyes could burp, it would. I can't remember how many times I have sighed. It was really so beautiful. It's the foremost reason why I would go back. When the had set, the stars started to appear. So did the lights from the island across, which also looks like stars on land. It also started to feel chilly. After dinner, Bianca and I chose to be left behind. There is no way her parents would let us go on the shore so we stayed by the edge of the dinner hall, barricaded by big rocks. By then we can now hear sea murmur with waves. I can't figure out how tell her everything about the Philippines in such a limited time, so I think I ended up telling her bits everything and nothing really. I remembered telling her about the legendary floods of UST, something about the stars (the are also no stars like those in Ohio), she asked about what Manila used to look like, so I guess I have to send her some Nick Joaquin's books to supplement whatever I told her.<,/br>
I shall return
On our way home, we stopped by the McArtur's Landing Monument. I totally don't believe that McArthur saved us from the Japanese. I think he almost came too late and I don't think he did that much, the Japanese were set to lose that war. But I guess I have to borrow his famous line. I have to go back and tour Leyte with Bhubhu. Take pictures, lots and lots of pictures. Stay at Lolo Ben's house, which is really charming in my opinion. Visit the market, the churches, the plazas. See more of Leyte, experience more of Leyte. Perhaps even have Leyte tales of my own.
I guess I'll start with how much Leyte means to me. Leyte was the promised land. Ever since I was old enough to take care of myself, Daddy Tatay had promised a trip home to Leyte. Daddy Tatay was born and raised in Carigara, Leyte while Mommy Nanay's parents, though they met in Pampanga are both from Leyte, specifically Baybay and Carigara. Half of my roots are from Leyte. Iv'e got a barangay full of relatives there. More than that, Leyte was the setting of my Daddy Tatay's beloved tales and for me it would be like visiting Nick Joaquin's Manila or C.S. Lewis' Narnia. I've always wanted to come home.
The coconut nut is a giant nut.
What can I say, it was coconut galore. Coconuts probably outnumber any other trees when it comes to tree population. And they are so tall! but the amazing thing about it is no matter how tall they are, people still climb them to get thier fruits. You can tell that because of the crevices on their trunks that coconut climbers use so they can climb the tree. Oh and they also don't safety belts or safety nets or any kind of safety devices.
The lands that my fathers tilled
I saw rice fields in different stages. Some are just being prepared for planting, the carabao (a real live one, no longer in pictures!(Bettina called them the caraboos)) doing the work he is most famous for. Some have been newly planted while some have been planted for about a month or so. Most of the fields have tall rice stalks and are nearly ready for harvest. But the fields ready for harvest are the most enchanting of them all. Golden fields. They look like hope. They look like happiness.
Lolo Ben took us on a tour around the field he and my Mommy Nanay inherited from their father. It had been said that their Lolo owns almost the whole Carigara but since he lost it in a bet, what was left was divided to all his 15 children. Anyway, now Mommy Nanay and Lolo Ben own a hectare of land. I know it looks like any other rice fields but I can't help feeling sentimental about it. It is sort of mine. Sort of, I mean I could only have a share in it if I go into agriculture and if our not-so-nice relatives don't use it for their own good. Actually, that was what they were doing before Lolo Ben stayed in Leyte and now they are trying to get drive him away. But whatever, the scene was really breath-taking. Everything just feels more alive. I got a cut from walking through a pineapple! That was fun, I proudly showed it to my mom.
On the side note, since we left all our stuffs in the van and group of kids hang out in it, I lost my make-up kit and my underwear pouch. I lost my newly bought panty, my 1 set of eye shadow which contains the white, pink and my favorite dark brown shade. I also lost my nude lipstick and my clinique lip gloss. I know it sounds totally shallow but I love that clinique lip gloss! It was the perfect lip gloss ever!!! (I cried a little, don't tell!)
Between the stars and waves
Lolo Ben's place is near the beach, but it is a rocky beach not like the white sandy ones pictured on posters. It really doesn't matter to me. It's the water that is important.
I always become speechless whenever I look at the sea. It makes me feel small, like humbled or something. I am awed by the sea but I'm also scared of it. In contrast, The sky dazzles me. I love its changing colors. and the stars, there are no stars that many in Manila. If I compare the sea and the sky to a person, the sea is like a mother and the sky, a playmate.
We spent the second day by the sea. The sea was so calm, there were hardly any waves but I got amused watching the small boats and learning how to skip rocks. By noon time, the water level had gone up and it reached the huge rocks on the beach. So I got an idea to lay down on the huge rock and feel like a dried fish. Actually, I think it was a very good spot to take model-y pictures or that it would feel very poet-like to sit on the rock be very deep and comtemplative. But mostly I think I just want to get a good tan. I think it was one of the best seats in the world. Especially during sunsets.
I remembered this children''s story; where as the sun was setting, God let all the colors out to play. So the world was bathed with all the colors, except for indigo who was left behind. I can't remember why it was left behind. Well, anyway, as a consolation; when all the other colors had gone back to sleep, God let Indigo play on Earth. So that's why the night is colored Indigo.
Leyte's sunset is filled with every shade of color. If my eyes could burp, it would. I can't remember how many times I have sighed. It was really so beautiful. It's the foremost reason why I would go back. When the had set, the stars started to appear. So did the lights from the island across, which also looks like stars on land. It also started to feel chilly. After dinner, Bianca and I chose to be left behind. There is no way her parents would let us go on the shore so we stayed by the edge of the dinner hall, barricaded by big rocks. By then we can now hear sea murmur with waves. I can't figure out how tell her everything about the Philippines in such a limited time, so I think I ended up telling her bits everything and nothing really. I remembered telling her about the legendary floods of UST, something about the stars (the are also no stars like those in Ohio), she asked about what Manila used to look like, so I guess I have to send her some Nick Joaquin's books to supplement whatever I told her.<,/br>
I shall return
On our way home, we stopped by the McArtur's Landing Monument. I totally don't believe that McArthur saved us from the Japanese. I think he almost came too late and I don't think he did that much, the Japanese were set to lose that war. But I guess I have to borrow his famous line. I have to go back and tour Leyte with Bhubhu. Take pictures, lots and lots of pictures. Stay at Lolo Ben's house, which is really charming in my opinion. Visit the market, the churches, the plazas. See more of Leyte, experience more of Leyte. Perhaps even have Leyte tales of my own.
****************
My heartfelt thanks to Tita Glen and Tito Benzon, Lola Paz and Lolo Ben.
