Friday, April 11, 2008 Delen: Long weekends By Annie Delen Jaded Mind
SAGADA! In the past years, every time I hear this word, images of caves and hanging coffins immediately pop up in my head. Somehow, the word has come to be naturally associated with these tourist come on. Not that we should complain.
After all, tourism has in some ways provided income for many of our "kakailians" in the Mountain Province. This, I was able to see for myself yet again last weekend.
I never really thought I'd ever "say" this but the President just might have the right idea when she decided on revising the calendar by literally transferring holidays in order to create long weekends.
I'm not really an expert on tourism statistics but from what I saw, there were a lot of tourists, both local and foreign in Sagada and Bontoc that time. Some said it was due to the holiday which personally was also the reason I was able to make it to our aunt's church wedding.
I don't make it a habit to join family occasions. Some might call it a form of regression while others might even consider it simply being bitchy.
The reasons people come up with do not really matter. The reality is I just do not go. And were it not for last weekend, I would still be on the same lonely path to familial destruction. (Whew, that's heavy.)
Ironically enough, Sagada is not and can never be just another tourist town for me. One would say it is "home". The sad part as I found out very recently is that, I have become a stranger to the very people I should have been close to. It is disheartening to say the least.
Right, so I did write an essay detailing the reasons why I shy away from "family". But at the risk of hearing "I told you so" from all quarters I must admit I was a bit biased. I guess the alien Stitch (Lilo and Stitch) has more sense after all. "Family means nobody gets left behind."
* * * * *
Whew, the first half is a bit too heavy. After sudden revelations and realizations courtesy of last weekend's holiday I'm not sure I can handle a serious essay right now. So, on to lighter topics.
If there is one thing that I like about going up the Mountain Provinces, it is the hospitality that Igorots (translation: people from the mountains) naturally exude. And I don't mean the slaughtering of animals (though some are known to do that) and the bringing out of the best china for visitors.
It's in the context of inclusion. I don't know about you but I sure do believe that in these areas, one is not in danger of being ignored. If at all, it's quite the opposite.
Fine, so you think I am biased because I am an Igorot. That's a big possibility but then again, I am both an Igorot and a stranger in the real sense of the word. (Read introductory part...)
Anyway, Saturday morning saw me in a Lizardo Bus bound for Sagada. Being alone, I could just as easily felt alone but for an old guy at the very back of the bus on the seat we refer to as the "balcony" it being the last and raised seat.
He was quiet at first but by the time we reached Atok, Benguet, he started telling jokes to his seatmates...loud enough to include the whole bus so to speak.
Soon enough, people were joining in except for a group of local tourists who preferred to converse among themselves. And if I never take another Lizardo Bus to anywhere, I sure would remember this joke as the one that broke the ice among passengers on a fateful trip to Sagada one fine summer day:
Narrator: There once was a Chinese woman who did not know how to speak in English. A few days after she arrived in the States, she needed to buy food from the local grocery. The first day, she walks in wanting to buy chicken legs.
Salesclerk: May I help you?
Chinese Lady: (Makes chicken sounds and shows her leg)
Salesclerk: Oh, you want chicken legs?
Chinese Lady: (nods)
Narrator: So, the lady gets her chicken legs and walks out the door. The next day, she walks in again and mimes bathing then pointing to her hair.
Salesclerk: You need a shampoo?
Chinese Lady: (nods)
Narrator: Again, she gets what she needs and walks out satisfied with herself. Then next day, she needed to buy sausages and brings her husband in to the grocery store. Why do you suppose that is? Of course the delivery is a lot funnier in the dialect but I am not sure my editor would allow it. Anyhow, this was the ice breaking joke and you can make your own conclusions. But I assure you, it definitely isn't what you're thinking. (to be continued...)
