mumbukal - much to be done

ketsana typhoon in ph caused big rain and floods, and loss of lives and properties in luzon. the ever-so-confident and forward-looking people will no doubt find the strength to stand up again in the weeks to come.

marathon man was in the philippines just last week.

he was in mambukal resorts which lies at the slopes of the famed Mount Canlaon, a dormant volcano. checked in and had dinner in the foodcourt. the prices of the food were very reasonable. went for body rub and massage, 600ps. walked around the park, with the clear sky above, he saw a lot of stars, some of which normally he could identify, but that night, they were too numerous and many of them were too bright to name them one by one. even the constellations hid themselves from marathon man in the ocean of lights - it was sheer delight to go back to the time when our ancestors were gazing at the stars and womdering what's there for us in that vastness of space.

the next mroning, had breakfast and did waterfalls track, with guide. very steep going up, but the forest was very thick and the stream was very soul-soothing and the falls were very vibrant with rain just fell the other day. reached the 6th fall, where some people plungde themselves into the pool to take a dip. went back by another route, not soo steep but very slippery and narrow. thanks to the experienced guide who did a good job else, marathon man would be lying in the hospital now.

from their conversations, marathon man came to know that the guides were not officially emplyees of the resort. he said, when the resort was opened by the government, they did not employed any locals, rather people from the city. and to make a living for his family of four(hsuband and wife and two kids), joey the guide had to solicit the tourists to take up his service. sometimes, especially during weekdays, he would go home empty-handed.

marathon man paid his guide and had lunch in the reosrt, before checking out at 2pm. and with a one-hour jeepney ride he arrived in bacolod city.

to think that the philippines has it all is not exagarating. but it also faces natural calamities all year round. typhoons, floods, earthquake, volcanoes eruptions, even draugts sometimes. coupled with humanly responsible mishaps like corruptions, polutions, civil wars, and terroristics violence... you have a kaledoscopic society which marthon man's fren ricardo puts it aptly:

so much is here, and so much more need to be done.