Voluntarily Offloaded At Arteche
This was not really in my itinerary, although somewhere in the recesses of my brain was saying, I'd love to drop by, even for just a while. And it happened... Opportunity!
Let's start from the very beginning...
From the previous story, I hopped on a van at Gamay with Oras as my destination. It went well, with just one little caveat, that I would give up my Seats 1 & 2 at Arteche.
Arteche Arrival
Van stopped at the side of Arteche Covered Court (Multi-Purpose Building), to let off some of its Arteche-bound passengers. Here. This was the last pic in my earlier story.
I learned, not all Arteche-bound passengers have-to or need-to alight here, although I saw people get-off or wait-for their rides here. The 3 ladies with 5 'big suitcases' did!
Those of us not getting off, sat tight waiting (due to offloading of bags and boxes).
Tricycles strategically wait for passengers also at this corner (babaan at sakayan nga naman ng vans & buses), although "God's Gift" was a "private sundo" of those 2 girls.
What is God's Gift? Ayan, yung brown tricycle where the two girls are, tingnan mo sa taas nakasulat! Their mother was with our driver (nagbabayad) when I took that pic.
The blue tricycle beside it, is what the 3 ladies with 5 big suitcases took! Behind the white tarpaulin is where motorcycles wait. Aw, they're seldom called 'scooters' here!
Yes, in Eastern Samar (province) which is from this town (Arteche) onwards (south) the habal-habal is usually called "single", "motor" or "honda" (whatever the brand is)!
While our van was still not moving, I could actually see the town's Catholic church...
Yes I remembered I've been there sometime ago, but OMG I already forgot it's name (patron saint). Well I knew the easiest way, I just searched "Arteche" in this blog. Da!
Moving On A little!
Then we went on. Next stop, San Policarpo. After, that would be Oras (so I thought)!
Yes, so I thought, because after about 500meters (even less) the van stopped again.
Another Arteche Stop
At this Embie Terminal. For the rest of Arteche-bound passengers to get off...
I also disembarked asking the driver to which seat should I transfer-to as I knew the 2 passengers who reserved Seats 1 & 2 would be joining here. Ayiyii, may problema!
What Made Me Voluntarily Offload My Royal Highness!
After driver went to that ticket window, he came back beside the van, hindi bontogin but tulala nagiisip! He said "anay" (sandali; wait) to the girls who reserved Seats 1&2.
After 'recovering' heheh, he spoke to the girls (college students at ESSU). I listened-in. He explained that he thought there were only 2 passengers, that is why he reserved Seats 1 & 2, but he did not know that there was 3 of them. Kling kling! I got an idea!!
I interrupted with a loud (kunwari galit) voice "magkano ba Gamay hanggan dito"? He answered P150. So I gave him a P500 bill while saying "o ito, dito nalang ako, baka di pa maka-exam ang dalagang iyan"! He got my 500 and gave me 3pcs 100-peso bills.
The 3 girls thanked me (one of them is at right edge of picture above). I asked them saying "girls, how much ba for seats 1 & 2 from Gamay to Arteche if each seat is 150?"!
Ay, college students eh, halos sabay-sabay saying 300. I showed them the 300 - and still in English said "I gave him 500, he gave me these". They laughed saying 'sana all'!
One girl said "may discount ka sir, 50 for each seat, equals 100"!
Driver scratched his head, came to get the excess 100 and said "salamat otro sir ha". Then I jokingly told the girls "hala kayo inaantok yata ang driver nyo"! Laughter pa rin!
One girl said "hala hi mano driver kabongga"! But an older lady at Seat 4 said "atara in na driver, pag-kape anay otoy, mahulat la kami"! And I left the scene. Bahala na them!
Why Voluntarily Offload?
Now... why did I get off at Arteche, when I was bound for Oras? Sightseeing pa more!
Like this cute house. There aren't many houses like this in our country anymore.
Even in metropolis and urban centers konti na yan. Sayang daw ang lupa. Palakihan pataasan palaparan na ng building ang uso ngayon. The grassy yards are vanishing.
But its beautiful, right? You can still feel you're 'on earth'! Hey that's not a new home, sure ako dyan. That residential home style comes from the American colonial period.
Even the newer-style fence is admirably simple. At nagkataon me kilometer marker!
Do you still remember how to read that thing? 960kms to Luneta, 26kms to Lapinig!
Oh here here... past the marker, I took 1 more shot, background pa rin si cute house!
960kms from Luneta, 25kms to San Policarpo - with explainable placement deviation.
Oh ha! Alam mo ba iyang explainable placement deviation na yan? Later na, mahaba!
Another question: Why was I at this place anyway? Ah, explainable itinerary deviation!
Hahaha, oo me ganun! I was walking from that Embie Terminal cum Gas Station, all the way back to the Church/Covered Court/Munisipyo, and that's about 500 meters.
At 1:30PM on a "pacific sunny day"!
But why Mano Waway! The van already stopped there for so many minutes di ba la? Why did I not jump out? Bakit hindi pa ako kumalayog sa mameresting Embie Van?!
Because...
1) as told above, I gave up my seat for the sake of a college girl on the way to ESSU, due to an error of the Embie Transport driver, that we found out only at the terminal.
2) I was riding from Gamay to Oras yes, but craved to wander around Arteche again! So ginawang alibi dahilan pasumangil pasangilan pasasginan ang item 1 above. Ta!
3) I wanted to peep at the Petron Station (beside the cute house) to see if closed due to San Juanico Bridge closure too. Yes it was. Probably the 11th I saw since Gamay.
Eh that Petron station is only 50 to 70 meters from Embie, so no need to ride, right?
4) From Petron, one curious thing led to another. Di ko namalayan. Yes, I didn't even notice, I was already walking the entire 500 meter distance! So, yun nga "ang dahil"!
What curious things, aber? Aw, example: I didn't see a garden at Brgy. Garden! O ha!
5) It was getting late, and the body needed food. Nagsisimula na si hypoglycemia at nagwawala na yata ang mga bulate sa loob ng tyan ko! The walk started at 1:30PM.
So It Was Lunch Time. Where?
I knew from a past visit though (2016) there's food across the side of the church. At 1:38PM, I entered this place that felt the right coordinates, but not what I remember.
The building is now 2 levels and generally white, while in 2016 what I ate at was like generally red na style Goodah! (I am not sure if any of you would even remember that)!
Ah whatever! Basta, I saw that the place looked nice and clean, the menu list medyo 'too many to choose from', and they all sounded delectable to me, so Go Ra! Tadaa!
That's their "bacon silog". Oist, ayaw aringasa, ay hin liya (saba; 'wag maingay; hush!) baka baguhin nila hehe - I found the bacon strips too satisfyingly a lot for just P149!
Good that I "voluntarily offloaded" my handsome self here, because there is nothing like this in Oras. Did you know that? Well, there is Igbaw Restobar, but this, is better!
This is part of the interestingly designed ceiling. But more interesting is: I don't know the name of this place hahaha! Eh, I looked everywhere, I didn't see a name. Pramis!
I also forgot to ask or get a receipt. Basta this is across the side of the church along the highway. Well, in 2016 the name 'was' SAVE Meal G Snack Zone. Baka naiba na.
Teka, ang pantulak? I think their silog came with a free drink, which, I probably would have declined anyway, or they just don't have softdrinks, or both. Basta walang Coke!
The Coke Hunt!
I endured my thirst and roamed the neighborhood only after the bacon silog meal! A horrendously frantic search for Coke, which even became water, both of which were nil. As in none available. Wala! Because I went left upon going out of the restaurant.
All stores said: "no supplies delivered due to the closed San Juanico Bridge".
Good that a tindera pointed me to the store 4 houses to the right of the restaurant. I went there fast. It did not only have (bottled) mineral water, it also had Coke Mismo!
I stood inside their store as I finished the Coke-Mismo in one gulp, because I knew I would need another one. Da! The smiling tsinitang tindera (owner?) told me she still have stocks as she has a bigger bodega, but expects "all will be sold out tomorrow".
Oh my bridge! Hoy DPWH, ayusin nyo na iyang San Juanico na yan!
Hey, come to think of it, this old store (big old wooden house, now concrete at ground floor), like the restaurant, also has no name. I'm serious, I didn't see their names out!
Ah what a small world, I saw just now as I write, both are in the top photo above. Eto!
OMG what a chance 'no? Both the restaurant and the only store that had Coke, were actually at the center of the first photo I took when I arrived at this town kanina lang!
Anyway, happy I had a good lunch followed by 2 refreshing bottles of Coke, nagyosi!
One Purpose of a Multi-Purpose Building? Habal-habal Terminal!
Then I crossed to the town's covered court, to see what was happening inside!
Nothing much. It looked like it was either being prepared or just done being used as venue of a "fab" event. Hmm, gold ang color motiff, surely event ng mga tanders yan!
But look to the lower right corner of that picture. Those motorcycles are the "single", "scooter", "habal-habal", "honda" or "whatever", waiting for passengers. On the other side of the wall to the right (not seen in photo) is actually the previous photo above.
That's an important corner. Good that I saw them, because I should be riding in one of them later to Oras, when I'm done wandering around this center of town, Arteche!
Function Versus Form: They Need More Buildings 😒
From that shooting position above, I just turned left and took this next picture.
Those kids excitedly ran to me to see the photo. They thought I was aiming at them.
One said "kuha an ak pag-li-ong"? I said "hin wara ka ma paka-li-ong"! They laughed.
Well, it looked like sila nga pinipiktyuran ko. But I was actually aiming at whatever is that construction on foreground, that will surely all the more hide the municipal hall.
It is not yet done, but once finished, I know it will be an ugly view from the church or from the covered court since the munisipyo will not anymore be in full view like this.
Oy, if you didn't click that like this link, do it to see an 'unobstructed view' from 2016.
St. Raymund Nonnatus Parish Church
After shooting that pic above, I instinctively turned to a lovely scene at left. This:
I know that. Flores De Mayo! An every afternoon activity for the whole month of May, at least for the children in the Diocese of Eastern Samar. Iba-iba kasi yan per locale.
Aw, yun ang di ko alam - bakit iba-iba ang ginagawa ng mga bata sa iba-ibang lugar pag Flores De Mayo. Example: it's different how they do it in Tacloban or elsewhere.
In many places of Eastern Samar, the Flores De Mayo 'monthlong celebration' is: an every-afternoon activity, where children (up to Grade 6 or so?), go to church wearing white (boys: white shirt; girls: with blue belt and flower headdress; some in angel attire).
That's why the little one in the picture adorably looks like so!
Anyway, I followed them to the church, as I was going there in the first place!
The St. Raymund Nonnatus Parish Church of Arteche, Eastern Samar. Better frontal shot than in 2016 right? Wala lang ang road. Well, that's still the same lovely church!
Compared to my last visit, I can say that many things have changed on the inside...
I would have liked to move around and go closer to the altar, but 'I cannot' this time. Nagsimula na ang 'catechism sessions' ng mga bata. I watched & listened instead.
There is singing, prayers, offering flowers to Mama Mary, and stories from the bible, read and annotated by the Ates and Kuyas (youth ministry) -sometimes by the CWL!
The last part (my most-awaited when I was kid) is always the sharing/distribution of snacks - usually prepared by the youth, from funds solicited by adults or "sponsors"!
Daily yan (except Sundays) for the whole month of May!
I liked how it was/is done at/by more rural places: the last day (May 31) is a mass & procession celebrating Mama Mary - walang 'Santacruzan' na mala-beauty pageant!
Anyway.., sitting at the last pew.., observing the little ones... Nostalgic!
For once in my childhood, naranasan ko yan. Di ko lang alam kung pasaway ako!
Oist, let me just tell you.., during highschool, even if didn't know 'any' of those things to be taught to younger the kids (taga-public school kasi ako), I still joined my friends from HCA handle Flores De Mayo activities. I enjoyed as 'taga-distribute ng snacks'!
Imagine that. I knew how to be 'useful' where I could be, even at a young age. Bow!
Hoy Gising! Move!
Ta! Kaka-nostalgia, nakangiti, nakatunganga sa simbahan, I almost totally forgot Oras was still about 40kilometers pa. At nag-dapithapon na with kulog and kidlat, ano ba!
I rushed out of the Arteche church to find a ride to Oras!
Let's start from the very beginning...
From the previous story, I hopped on a van at Gamay with Oras as my destination. It went well, with just one little caveat, that I would give up my Seats 1 & 2 at Arteche.
Arteche Arrival
Van stopped at the side of Arteche Covered Court (Multi-Purpose Building), to let off some of its Arteche-bound passengers. Here. This was the last pic in my earlier story.
Those of us not getting off, sat tight waiting (due to offloading of bags and boxes).
What is God's Gift? Ayan, yung brown tricycle where the two girls are, tingnan mo sa taas nakasulat! Their mother was with our driver (nagbabayad) when I took that pic.
The blue tricycle beside it, is what the 3 ladies with 5 big suitcases took! Behind the white tarpaulin is where motorcycles wait. Aw, they're seldom called 'scooters' here!
Yes, in Eastern Samar (province) which is from this town (Arteche) onwards (south) the habal-habal is usually called "single", "motor" or "honda" (whatever the brand is)!
While our van was still not moving, I could actually see the town's Catholic church...
Moving On A little!
Then we went on. Next stop, San Policarpo. After, that would be Oras (so I thought)!
Another Arteche Stop
At this Embie Terminal. For the rest of Arteche-bound passengers to get off...
What Made Me Voluntarily Offload My Royal Highness!
After driver went to that ticket window, he came back beside the van, hindi bontogin but tulala nagiisip! He said "anay" (sandali; wait) to the girls who reserved Seats 1&2.
After 'recovering' heheh, he spoke to the girls (college students at ESSU). I listened-in. He explained that he thought there were only 2 passengers, that is why he reserved Seats 1 & 2, but he did not know that there was 3 of them. Kling kling! I got an idea!!
I interrupted with a loud (kunwari galit) voice "magkano ba Gamay hanggan dito"? He answered P150. So I gave him a P500 bill while saying "o ito, dito nalang ako, baka di pa maka-exam ang dalagang iyan"! He got my 500 and gave me 3pcs 100-peso bills.
The 3 girls thanked me (one of them is at right edge of picture above). I asked them saying "girls, how much ba for seats 1 & 2 from Gamay to Arteche if each seat is 150?"!
Ay, college students eh, halos sabay-sabay saying 300. I showed them the 300 - and still in English said "I gave him 500, he gave me these". They laughed saying 'sana all'!
One girl said "may discount ka sir, 50 for each seat, equals 100"!
Driver scratched his head, came to get the excess 100 and said "salamat otro sir ha". Then I jokingly told the girls "hala kayo inaantok yata ang driver nyo"! Laughter pa rin!
One girl said "hala hi mano driver kabongga"! But an older lady at Seat 4 said "atara in na driver, pag-kape anay otoy, mahulat la kami"! And I left the scene. Bahala na them!
Why Voluntarily Offload?
Now... why did I get off at Arteche, when I was bound for Oras? Sightseeing pa more!
Like this cute house. There aren't many houses like this in our country anymore.
But its beautiful, right? You can still feel you're 'on earth'! Hey that's not a new home, sure ako dyan. That residential home style comes from the American colonial period.
Even the newer-style fence is admirably simple. At nagkataon me kilometer marker!
Oh here here... past the marker, I took 1 more shot, background pa rin si cute house!
Oh ha! Alam mo ba iyang explainable placement deviation na yan? Later na, mahaba!
Another question: Why was I at this place anyway? Ah, explainable itinerary deviation!
Hahaha, oo me ganun! I was walking from that Embie Terminal cum Gas Station, all the way back to the Church/Covered Court/Munisipyo, and that's about 500 meters.
At 1:30PM on a "pacific sunny day"!
But why Mano Waway! The van already stopped there for so many minutes di ba la? Why did I not jump out? Bakit hindi pa ako kumalayog sa mameresting Embie Van?!
Because...
1) as told above, I gave up my seat for the sake of a college girl on the way to ESSU, due to an error of the Embie Transport driver, that we found out only at the terminal.
2) I was riding from Gamay to Oras yes, but craved to wander around Arteche again! So ginawang alibi dahilan pasumangil pasangilan pasasginan ang item 1 above. Ta!
3) I wanted to peep at the Petron Station (beside the cute house) to see if closed due to San Juanico Bridge closure too. Yes it was. Probably the 11th I saw since Gamay.
Eh that Petron station is only 50 to 70 meters from Embie, so no need to ride, right?
4) From Petron, one curious thing led to another. Di ko namalayan. Yes, I didn't even notice, I was already walking the entire 500 meter distance! So, yun nga "ang dahil"!
What curious things, aber? Aw, example: I didn't see a garden at Brgy. Garden! O ha!
5) It was getting late, and the body needed food. Nagsisimula na si hypoglycemia at nagwawala na yata ang mga bulate sa loob ng tyan ko! The walk started at 1:30PM.
So It Was Lunch Time. Where?
I knew from a past visit though (2016) there's food across the side of the church. At 1:38PM, I entered this place that felt the right coordinates, but not what I remember.
Ah whatever! Basta, I saw that the place looked nice and clean, the menu list medyo 'too many to choose from', and they all sounded delectable to me, so Go Ra! Tadaa!
Good that I "voluntarily offloaded" my handsome self here, because there is nothing like this in Oras. Did you know that? Well, there is Igbaw Restobar, but this, is better!
This is part of the interestingly designed ceiling. But more interesting is: I don't know the name of this place hahaha! Eh, I looked everywhere, I didn't see a name. Pramis!
Teka, ang pantulak? I think their silog came with a free drink, which, I probably would have declined anyway, or they just don't have softdrinks, or both. Basta walang Coke!
The Coke Hunt!
I endured my thirst and roamed the neighborhood only after the bacon silog meal! A horrendously frantic search for Coke, which even became water, both of which were nil. As in none available. Wala! Because I went left upon going out of the restaurant.
All stores said: "no supplies delivered due to the closed San Juanico Bridge".
Good that a tindera pointed me to the store 4 houses to the right of the restaurant. I went there fast. It did not only have (bottled) mineral water, it also had Coke Mismo!
I stood inside their store as I finished the Coke-Mismo in one gulp, because I knew I would need another one. Da! The smiling tsinitang tindera (owner?) told me she still have stocks as she has a bigger bodega, but expects "all will be sold out tomorrow".
Oh my bridge! Hoy DPWH, ayusin nyo na iyang San Juanico na yan!
Hey, come to think of it, this old store (big old wooden house, now concrete at ground floor), like the restaurant, also has no name. I'm serious, I didn't see their names out!
Ah what a small world, I saw just now as I write, both are in the top photo above. Eto!
Anyway, happy I had a good lunch followed by 2 refreshing bottles of Coke, nagyosi!
One Purpose of a Multi-Purpose Building? Habal-habal Terminal!
Then I crossed to the town's covered court, to see what was happening inside!
But look to the lower right corner of that picture. Those motorcycles are the "single", "scooter", "habal-habal", "honda" or "whatever", waiting for passengers. On the other side of the wall to the right (not seen in photo) is actually the previous photo above.
That's an important corner. Good that I saw them, because I should be riding in one of them later to Oras, when I'm done wandering around this center of town, Arteche!
Function Versus Form: They Need More Buildings 😒
From that shooting position above, I just turned left and took this next picture.
One said "kuha an ak pag-li-ong"? I said "hin wara ka ma paka-li-ong"! They laughed.
Well, it looked like sila nga pinipiktyuran ko. But I was actually aiming at whatever is that construction on foreground, that will surely all the more hide the municipal hall.
It is not yet done, but once finished, I know it will be an ugly view from the church or from the covered court since the munisipyo will not anymore be in full view like this.
St. Raymund Nonnatus Parish Church
After shooting that pic above, I instinctively turned to a lovely scene at left. This:
Aw, yun ang di ko alam - bakit iba-iba ang ginagawa ng mga bata sa iba-ibang lugar pag Flores De Mayo. Example: it's different how they do it in Tacloban or elsewhere.
In many places of Eastern Samar, the Flores De Mayo 'monthlong celebration' is: an every-afternoon activity, where children (up to Grade 6 or so?), go to church wearing white (boys: white shirt; girls: with blue belt and flower headdress; some in angel attire).
That's why the little one in the picture adorably looks like so!
Anyway, I followed them to the church, as I was going there in the first place!
Compared to my last visit, I can say that many things have changed on the inside...
There is singing, prayers, offering flowers to Mama Mary, and stories from the bible, read and annotated by the Ates and Kuyas (youth ministry) -sometimes by the CWL!
The last part (my most-awaited when I was kid) is always the sharing/distribution of snacks - usually prepared by the youth, from funds solicited by adults or "sponsors"!
Daily yan (except Sundays) for the whole month of May!
I liked how it was/is done at/by more rural places: the last day (May 31) is a mass & procession celebrating Mama Mary - walang 'Santacruzan' na mala-beauty pageant!
Anyway.., sitting at the last pew.., observing the little ones... Nostalgic!
For once in my childhood, naranasan ko yan. Di ko lang alam kung pasaway ako!
Oist, let me just tell you.., during highschool, even if didn't know 'any' of those things to be taught to younger the kids (taga-public school kasi ako), I still joined my friends from HCA handle Flores De Mayo activities. I enjoyed as 'taga-distribute ng snacks'!
Imagine that. I knew how to be 'useful' where I could be, even at a young age. Bow!
Hoy Gising! Move!
Ta! Kaka-nostalgia, nakangiti, nakatunganga sa simbahan, I almost totally forgot Oras was still about 40kilometers pa. At nag-dapithapon na with kulog and kidlat, ano ba!
I rushed out of the Arteche church to find a ride to Oras!
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