Prelude to the Loboc River Cruise and Buffet Lunch

I was excited… not because I was going on this nostalgic cruise once again, but because I was nearing lunch! And it was past lunchtime, argh! From the Tarsiers I ‘commanded’ we go straight to park the motorbikes and buy tickets for the first available boat with buffet lunch. I told them we better just see whatever else is in town after the cruise (lunch). Yeah yeah, I still noticed and even got impatient at that one-way bridge where men in radios have to control passage of vehicles by doing their roger-roger and/or over-over. Its been so for a long time now and that one-way traffic is getting a bit excruciating since more and more vehicles are passing by this area. The timing is always subjective and dependent on the radio-wielding men as to when your turn will be called. Anyway…

At the ‘departure area’, I bought our tickets, and wondered where the two drivers went. I kept looking around as to where they might be. Its easy to spot a person in this area but I could not see them. Soon they emerged from the public comfort rooms giggling and teasing each other. Yes Matilda, the two dudes had a fun time at the air-conditioned comfort rooms hahaha! They were telling us how good it was to stay there as it was comfortably cool and they said it was even cozier than inside that mall over at Tagbilaran. We all had quite a laugh on that topic. But when I said “let’s go” their faces promptly turned serious albeit shy. One said they’d just stay and wait for us because the tour/lunch is very expensive. The companion nodded and agreed saying that the lunch price was already almost half what we are supposed to pay each of them.

A bit irritated (the hungry stomach rules), I arrogantly, yes arrogantly and sarcastically exclaimed to all three of them “so what do you want me to do with these tickets?”! Dah, everyone succumbed and followed me hehehe! As we waited to be boarded at our designated dock, and as we watched other boats arrive, the companion whisperingly asked me why I also bought tickets for the drivers to tag along the cruise. My reply was a simple “they should be the ones eating well since they are driving for us”! He had more questions on this topic so I tried to cut him off with “don’t worry, everything on this lunch is on me, I won’t ask for your share on this expense”! That got him a bit on the apologetic side and careful of what else to say. Until I said… “actually, did you know that they provide lunch for drivers over at that building while waiting for their passengers?”!

Hahaha, the companion’s eyes rolled mightily up and out… and I think that was a hard slap that landed just below my ribcage. I glanced at our drivers and I thought they were like little boys excitedly waiting for their ride of a lifetime so they were not listening to whatever it was we were talking about. But I had this to educate my companion… “they have not yet had the opportunity to experience this cruise and lunch, so we better give it to them. We can still afford a few hundred pesos so why not take them along? Besides, they are just habal-habal drivers from Tubigon and we’re not sure this ‘center’ will offer them that privilege of a free lunch for drivers”. I explained further that everything I did were still part of a maxim I always follow during my roams… ‘happy driver, happy passenger’! The companion nodded and I knew his smile meant I was doing the right thing and that he appreciated it. At least I thought so hehe. And I felt like there was a halo above my head and wings on my back he hehe he he. Let me qualify that… whitish cloudish halo above my head and white feathery wings on my back, okay?! I did not say anything red or black nor did I say I felt like there was something protruding from the two corners of my forehead nor did I feel I had a tail, okay?!!! Just making it clear hmmmbwahahahaha!

Anyway, I felt like a guardian-angel on this part of the trip and I told the three of them what to expect. Like, “when the boat docks and opens its ‘entrance’ for us to climb aboard, everyone will be running for the choicest seats, and that would usually be the frontmost area – if the buffet table is not there…, anyway, if front of the boat is the buffet table, the nearest seats/table would still be the best since we would all have a good view at the same time nearest the food”. It was a litany of something like that hehe. Guess what? When the boat docked for us to clamber in, 1st 3 souls to excitedly jump aboard and grab the choicest seats were my companions! And I was the 4th, no less! Hahaha, we had the frontmost table, just about a meter or so from the buffet. Whohoa!

There’s more about this lunch buffet and cruise. But let’s do that in the next installment, aight?!


If you want to read the chronology of all stories on this tour, click the following:
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

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