Songs of a City

I wake up with the sun rising gloriously behind the lush shoulder of Mt. Isarog. At about 1500 meters away from Bgy. Del Rosario where my Mom and I live, the "hunchback" mountain view is a wonderful sight to behold during early mornings. It refreshes the soul as one's vision is slowly guided towards the summit where the mightiest yet the gentlest power resides. Seeing a mountain, I lift my hand and trace its contours imaginatively and realize everything leads to HIM.

From HIM, a brand new day is born. This is a kind of day where May's flowers are in bloom. You will dizzy your eyes counting and smelling the differently shaded plants on Mom's garden. Varied yet beautiful. I reunite myself with nature and admire the fruit of our summer's labor. Had I spent the days of summer in lazy slumber, none of these beauty will be here.

A female voice calls downstairs. The familiar scent fills the cold breezy air. I look down the terrace and greets Tia Melay standing at the gate with a nigo (a native basket) of freshly baked rice pudding on her head topped with crisped coco strips. My breakfast.

Two hours more and it's another hectic day at the office. I hurry for my meal or I might not be able to catch my favorite padyak driver who diligently drives by the house at 7 am to bring me to the highway where jeepneys are stationed for a route towards the centro.

An urban creature like myself now living in a remote barangay at the outskirt of the city requires more everyday, and late night, sacrifices. Those when I count, are but cheapstakes for a fresh grab of a nice morning.

Moments Captured at Magtabid Long Beach Resort, Pasacao, Metro Naga

A Place Worth The While in Metro Naga

I went to Pasacao for a break away from work last April 7, Friday. Together with a friend, we were fortunate to be received by the Sariana family (Thanks to Mang Boy and Chloe, his registered nurse daughter who manages the Magtabid Long Beach Resort for the warm accommodation in a comfy native cabin by the shore). I can see tangible acomplishments of the local government that has been laying the groundwork for a serious tourism promotion. I was informed by Emy Velasco of the Metro Naga Development Council on how things are going in Pasacao and how this small town has managed to sustainably preserve its natural endowments through multi-stakeholder participation.

Chloe Sariana, beach resort manager of Magtabid Long Beach Resort is on to some serious work as they prepare for the upcoming Daraw sa Pasacao Summer Festival 2006. Activities are all lined up for the occasion including the Machos and Beauties Body Expose/Nunca de Olvidare , a body-painting contest that is scheduled on April 21, 2006 2 p.m. at Magtabid Long Beach Resort. A trade fare of Bicol native handicrafts and delicacies starts on April 14 and will last til the 21st. For infos related to these activities, you may call (054) 513-9496 or mobile phone number (0919) 7983- 807.

I am publishing some photos on a separate post taken at Magtabid Long Beach Resort (the cleanest and most panoramic beachside resort, as my early morning evaluation would prove), hoping it would entice more tourists and visitors to come to Pasacao this summer and experience a place worth the while.