This Irish landscape may not be really different from what we've got here in Batanes. Except for the cold climate, an Irish accent and bagpipers of course.
The idea surfaced last night when my superior and I spoke about our travels in the past. She has traveled so much while I am just beginning to really enjoy it after seeing England, lived there for quite some time and proved to myself that the earth is indeed round. She is excited to see London and do backpacking trips all across the United Kingdom and Europe. I am not really sure how I would fare as backpacker in Europe but I think I have better chances of surviving there than in China where the locales do not speak English or other places where terrorists thrive and rule.
I haven’t really tried backpacking. I got used to being treated like a queen on several trips I made. Airconditioned rooms with comfortable beds, hot and cold shower, itinerary for the day, and delicious meals were taken care of by someone else. I just have to bring my luggage and get on the bus. It’s zero inconvenience. Purely leisure but less adventure.
Backpacking is something out-of-the-box fear factor type of adventure that may not really sound so enticing at first. It is more than just budgeting and planning but getting myself prepared to face the unknown. But I am excited at the prospect of walking on those less-traveled roads, seeing more places and learning more about the people and their cultures and tell you all about it while I still can. A European backpack tour may sound complicated for now due extensive Shengen visa requirements for a member of the Third World – bank account that would sustain you during the entire trip, certificate of employment, invitation letter, etc. So I guess I’ve got to start somewhere here right at my own turf and go back to London few years from now. After all, I still have Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to cover.
Cebu guitars
We spotted a souvenir shop and a guitar store near Mactan Shrine after a heavy sutukil lunch. The souvenir shops in the area do not offer that much except for cute wooden key chains I bought at P15 each and Cebu shirts at P70. Locals peddled their dried mangoes and otap to tourists. But these varieties can also be found at any SM Mall or fast food joint where some kids approach dining customers with a letter from vague organizations and sell dried mangoes at absurd prices.
Somehow these pasalubong top guns have lost their magic leaving the Cebu guitar the sole pride of the island.
Tuning up a mahogany guitar
We passed by a guitar store and the colorful displays attracted us inside. Manong, the storekeeper who has been in the industry long before the invasion of remote control helicopters, played a couple of tunes on at least three units. His highly recommended piece was the mahogany guitar. To demonstrate the strength of mahogany guitars, he hit the cemented floor with one. Crazy, ‘no? But that demo certainly proved the point. The strength of Cebu guitars lies in quality materials and workmanship. Mayan finally decided to buy herself a small but nice mahogany guitar for only P1,000. Someday it might just come in handy.
Kids waiting for their turn
My favorite sidekick, Olga, was down with flu so I tagged Hey Jude to accompany me in a face painting gig last week at Bel-Air Village in Makati City. It was my second time to do face painting in Bel-Air in a month. I was glad that my first client there, Becca and her husband Nick, both gracious to us, still has my number and forwarded it to their friend, Maya.
During Bel-Air parties, I did face painting and glitter tattooing both on kids and adults. Most kids would rather have cheek art or a glitter tattoo than have their full face painted. But as an artist, doing a full face paint is far more challenging and exciting. My schedule is free this Halloween. Drop a line or two should you need one.
Here are some photos. Just click on thumbnails to view larger images.
