03.23.2011 Ramble
Time to catch up. Can’t remember when I last rambled on, but I think it was after the Siquijor trip. Anyway, Geneva, Is and I flew to Manila on the 9th, and the next couple of days were hectic and rather stress-inducing.
The wedding went off without a hitch. Well, almost…The judge wouldn’t sign the official certificate until I produced three documents which I’d not been told to present. Two paparazzi crashed the event (everyone assumed that someone else had engaged them) and were totally rude about trying to flog their wares after the ceremony when we needed to get to the reception through noon traffic. One even walked into the reception lunch and approached us at the head table, trying to sell us a package. I told him where to go, but someone near and dear wound up buying from both of them at a later time. I would have let them suck hind tit, to put it nicely.
Other than the air conditioning failing, everything was fine and the food was really delicious. Among other local dishes, we had blue marlin steaks, steamed Lapu-Lapu, prawn tempura, crisp Pata (a crackling and in my mind, more delectable sort of lechon made out of pork extremities), indispensable rice and, of course-San Miguel.
Next day we flew to Laoag City in Ilocos Norte, the Northwestern-most province on Luzon. It is “Shameless, Thieving Dictator” (S.T.D.) country, his home province and where his widow, “Sinverguenza”, stacks her innumerable pairs of shoes; ensconced as a high-ranking, power-grubbing politician and one of their notorious progeny is also “serving” in a lucrative position.
We stayed at Fort Ilocandia, once a five-star-rated resort that was, coincidentally built during the last years of S.T.D’s reign and is rumored to have been built with the people’s purloined millions. It is now still nice, but rather dog-eared and scarcely populated. Of 400 rooms, no more than 20 were occupied, and we essentially had the place to ourselves-all except for two open of the four (reputed) restaurants. Not being a connoisseur of Chinese food, I would have to say that the fare at Red 8 was better than passable. At the Café Ilocandia, the Filipino and “western” offerings were a disappointment. I would be generous if I rated them mediocre.
The place was palatial, to say the least. We were told that S.T.D. built it as a venue for a daughter’s wedding, and it must have been a grand affair. Unfortunately, but predictably the halls are lined with photos of the disgusting duo rubbing elbows with some really historic world leaders such as Reagan, Castro and Gorbachev. I guess even great people have to suffer fools every now and then.
We did day trips to Laoag and Vigan, the respective capitals of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. We toured a couple of museums, ate at two surprisingly good restaurants, rode jeepneys, busses, tricycles and calesa, and had a really warm but good time. Vigan was my favored locale in that it boasts Chrisostomo Street which, architecturally, remains much the same as it was in the days of Spanish occupation and grandeur. The buildings are currently filled with eateries, stores and souvenir shops, much as any “Destination”, but if you squint to blur the details, you can look back a few hundred years.
Back in Pasig for the nonce; picking up documents, scheduling appointments, paying fees and eating well/cheap. Is has managed to reschedule her visa appointment for the 31st, but is classified as “sensitive but unclassified”. That is, no doubt, a result of the Border Bastards’ flagging her passport when they refused her entry last September.
Chances are 30-60 that if she is granted a visa; we will be able to convince the consul to issue it a.s.a.p. to allow her to fly with me on the 3rd. If she is able to the likelihood of her getting on my trans-atlantic flight is slim to none, given the late date. So many variables-so little time for San Miguel.
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