Back At Arteche

As mentioned in my previous story, we were looking for lunch but didn't find what we liked in Lapinig. So back to Arteche we went, since we earlier saw a new "snack house" across the side of the church!

This is it, though I wasn't really sure if "Save" is the name or just a teaser ad. Is it? So okay, it is hehe!

New, tidy clean and orderly.., plus I earlier saw that they have "silog" - I can live with that forever!

There goes Mana "Ku-an" (am not sure if she is an owner or manager) pointing to us their bestsellers.

And there goes what my driver likes.., hmm kaninang umaga ko pa napansin etong si driver ko. Hmm!

Yeah yeah, he likes burgers, hotdogs and pancit canton very much - he said that! I said "estoryahee"!

But I like the open and airy concept of this eatery. It has a high ceiling, bright on all corners, and does not even need electric fan. Hope this won't be a favorite "tambayan" of flies. None as of now, bago eh!

In no time, my order came... "baconsilog". Yey!

This is rare. I mean bacon+silog is not common, even in Tacloban, even in Cebu. I just don't like it cut!

And that of my driver... "tapsilog". Mas marami ba? I saw it was received with a mischievous smile!

Hey, the round thing where the 'achara' is placed, it doesn't separate from the plate. They are one and the same "container", dinnerware whatever! I found out while "giving away" my achara to the driver!

Lunch done, we stayed a bit (tambay) at the eatery, and we noticed this kid squatting by the entrance.

Driver asked his 'new girlfriend', aw oops I mean the waitress, if this boy was normal, and what was he doing squatting like that on the road, by the eatery's entrance. Waitress told us he is perfectly alright.

He's a beggar waiting for dole outs. That surprised me as he looks tidy, wears nice clothes, not talking to us or anyone else, and doesn't even make eye contact with anyone of us! How can he be a beggar?

I mean how can he beg if he doesn't say his intentions? He wouldn't even look at us. I thought he was just a child playing solo child games on the street. In other places, beggars will even touch you, right?

To prove her point, waitress asked the boy if he wanted food. He nodded! I asked if he wants tapsilog, he shook his head. That shocked me a bit! Choosy beggar sya? Driver asked if he wanted a hamburger. OMG he looked at him with enthusiasm, smiled and nodded! We gave him that! Yet, he would not talk.

Ah, that triggred an instant intellectual discussion (yes gad me ganun) between me, my driver and the waitress. Our topic and conclusions dwelt on: there are no 'real beggars' in remote towns like Arteche.

Everybody (especially children) still eat meals daily. Proof? The boy didn't want tapsilog! The waitress said "ka may-ada ma hit didto ha ira" [there is that in his home]. So it was not a need but a want. Da!

Waitress continued that: the kid may have meals at home, but no money for a taste of luxury - that is, a hamburger! And driver suspected: the kid could even be scolded, if his parents knew he went out to beg for food! And I said: technically or legally, he did not really beg, since he didn't even say anything!

Di ba? Is nodding or shaking of head equivalent to saying "palimos po"? Hindi ha!

Haay hehe! That was one great learning encounter. What was that, Sociology 801? Economics of Need? The Art of Begging? The Psychology of Sharing? Hah, travel is education. The world is a big classroom!

Anyway..,

I knew this would happen... now that we were already in Arteche, we had to think if we should go back to Lapinig so that I could go onwards to see Gamay. Dropping that idea easily won. But had I checked my maps and asked around, I would have persisted in proceeding to see Gamay - which is only about 35kms away from Arteche! Sus, wouldn't even take an hour one way, right? Duwag kasi ang driver ko :(

I asked that we at least roam around the rest of poblacion Arteche before heading back to Oras.

At the innermost part of town, away from the coast is their central elementary school..,

Speaking of coast.., they have this baywalk-style street complete with sitting areas..,

The yellow thing is their Rural Health Unit. But I like the sitting areas facing the pacific ocean!

They are made of concrete but painted like wood. Hard to take away.., yes, mahirap nakawin yan!

Just two blocks away from the town's multipurpose building, they also have this at Brgy. Central!

Wow! If all barangays have a multipurpose building each, they'll never run out of venues for anything!

And remote a town this might be.., there are also big commercial/residential buildings..,

I had a chance to see their port area and public market area. Where? Nasaan? Hain?!

The yellowish building at left (almost not caught in the picture) is their public market building for dry goods and eateries. That one out front that is also yellowish and looking roofless is their wet-market-building. On closer look it has a roof, concrete even! I think it's going to have a second level or more :)

This seemingly dilapidated waiting shed at right is to be renovated, together with the construction of something new behind it (probably a port building). Just guessing, since I saw big equipment at work!

Okie dokie, time to move on to San Policarpo and Oras.., one last look at center of town and turn left!

And then I was at their KM-Zero! Yep, the Petron Gasoline Station we mentioned in a previous story!

As said in that previous article, I have yet to know why the kilometer-zero of Arteche is on this spot.

Ah, it was also time for the sakayan to guzzle up some needed gasolina, there it was just about done!

And of course you can see the yellow kilometer marker post. Oist I noticed, there is a new post that is about to replace the old one. Of course I wondered why. Does that old yellow post seem broken? Duh!

Passing by the other gas station that I saw earlier, I realized the hospital is behind it. Whoa!

The things you see going one way are not necessarily the things you'll recognize on the way back! The red arrow is to the gas station itself, the blue arrow is going to San Policarpo, then Oras. I knew those.

But I did not see there are buildings just behind, there. More so, I did not notice that it's a hospital!

I could see the hospital name (by the tree trunk and thru the waiting shed) - Arteche District Hospital!

Curiously, this is the entrance "pathway" to the hospital. It's like going to a farm building!

There's even some kind of a monument on the side that I failed to checkout. I wonder what that is for.

After the hospital, we started up and out on the highway. So this was really a final "goodbye Arteche"!

But this place here looked really interesting.., and on a siesta time (we just had lunch, remember?)...

So I asked the driver if we could stop and stay a bit: to do nothing.., just looking out to the shore and the sand and the sea, enjoying the panorama.., muni-muni.., piktyur-piktyur.., selfe-selfie.., quite cool!

Until the driver said it was time to "move on". Move on daw o, ano sawimpalad?!

We proceeded to Oras for an event with my long-lost-friends.., but you don't wanna hear about that!

Next, let's go instead back to Sohoton!