Bautista: Mum on mom

MOM will soon be turning 75. Juan might think it is an offense for such an announcement about my mother’s age. Trust me, I'm ever so proud to mention her age and to any Juan and to the disbelief of many.

She is Mrs. Bautista, of course, but to dad. Still, she has doubled as my Mrs. Bautista many times. Joy is busy with the kids, our home, the bank and her school. I will always understand why she cannot join me. Mom will.

In a Boy Scout Expedition to Mt. Pulag, mom joined me. In a meeting I had in Oslob in Cebu, and to the amazement of my colleagues in the National Board for the Jaycee Senate, we shared a room and registered as Mr. and Mrs. Bautista. We shared a room and a bed too. Seriously. Mom dove with me with the whale sharks after.

Spelunking in Sumaguing Cave in Sagada, check. Island hopping and snorkeling in Caramoan Islands over at Bicol and El Nido, check. Six months sleeping in trains over Europe with staple of only wine, bread, cheese or liver pâté, check. Back-packing with teenagers in Australia, check. Begging for money in Fatima in Portugal, as we did not have local currency and no banks or money-changers anywhere, check. No money for a few days in Hong Kong and Macau and cramped in a small room and only sardines in can for meals, check.

But not for a safari in South Africa. Me and Joy will join mom for this adventure. Visas prepared and everything, until a travel advisory was issued. SARS, was not to be for this trip. Someone ran away once with our plane tickets to Guam and that's the end of it. But only for this.

Every time for the last time, mom will always ask, where to next? Both mom and I write about our experiences to places for every Juan to see. She has now become my travel buddy. This can be found every weekend in SunStar Baguio.

While in most cases the luxury of planes, boat, ship, train, subways, bus or even in cars, when unavailable, we will walk. Every time she will ask me how much have we walked as recorded nowadays in a Fit Bit or iPhone. Measurement readily available. Sometimes a break for some pictures or reading some information or historical data and recorded in her notepad for her writing later on. Sometimes to have a beer or half a meal.

Once we waited in very cold freezing weather for some penguin to come home over at Phillips Island in Melbourne. A misadventure was had when we ventured out in another island during a storm and we were caught and trapped because of strong waves. We tried to get out but before suffering some broken bones from it. Seriously. Mom broke bones on her left and right hands. I, bruises in my hands, legs, feet and toes.

This was the second time. The first was when as a young boy I closed the sliding door of our Kombi with her hands there. Ouch! And to think that Mom is a concert pianist. A concert was cancelled for this. My fault.

But it was the other way in Sagada, while spelunking I slid and ended in the bottom with scratches and bumps, this time Mom made me "akay" from this. A long ways back to St. Joseph Resthouse.

Mom always doubles as Joy. It was always mom who would campaign and move around the barangays as Mrs. Bautista. This was for 4 elections. Time was when as a young boy she would drive us from Baguio to Banaue and back. Baguio to Bicol also it was. Today she still drives. I with a driver at times, it is just her, even with dad especially at night, mom is the designated driver every time.

Times change. We will be embarking on an epic journey for a drive along the countryside of Southern Italy (Sicily) then head North to Germany. This is in celebration for her 75 years.

Surely some side trips to Greece by boat, France by Train and back to driving in Austria and Budapest. I am tasked to do the driving and Joy, the other mommy, to do the planning and my navigator and tour guide. Both moms did all the planning for this trip. Dad as passenger, I as driver, both as photographers to them.

This was a plan we had with Joy for some time. I always wanted to drive around the European countryside. I have never reached the southern island of Sicily. I will be driving for the two Mothers plus the "Godfather", my Dad. Sicily, remember?

This journey with mom will take us all 2 months. The visa section was so surprised why we stay too long. Our answer, we never stay for a short time for a trip, especially such as this. Normally they said, applicants to Italy stay a maximum of two weeks.

They also wondered where we were to stay? We said, in trains and with some friends. Once more they wouldn't believe what we were saying. They asked us for our hotel and we said, none. They made us secure some authority from friends for hosting us which we did. They couldn't believe how we would travel.

Without any choice they finally had one over us, travel insurance. A problem with dad as he was over 75. It just cost us much more. Mom did one over them for this as she has not yet turned 75. The category was simple. 75 years and above and 74 below. Mom will just turn 75 so it really is her Day.

I will never be mum for this on mom, she is just so proud to reach 75. Anyway this will be to all Mothers out there. They never age anyway as they are always Super Woman and Wonder Woman in one. Happy Mother's Day every Juana. There.

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