Print media abound with reports
that local ferry operations in outlying remote areas are patently crude and grossly
mismanaged where overcrowding is dangerously left unchecked by port
controllers, more likely, giving a blind eye in exchange for payoffs from
greedy ferry operators. That situation inadvertently diminish life-vest-to-passenger ratio and consequently, heaven forbid, a
mishap can send dozens of people scampering for life jackets, possibly predisposing
themselves mindlessly fighting tooth-and-nail over fewer life buoys. The abhorrence sent my wife and I one weekend for
a compelling trip to Juan Luna street in Binondo that yielded us lifejackets priced
at 350 pesos apiece, adult-size. Cheaper
by 100 for kids. It may not qualify as
industrial-grade, but these 350-peso flotation jackets all to ourselves could
save our lives.
Anticipating the absence of any
decent family accommodation on Matukad, we acquired two high-tenacity polyester
bivouac tents at 1200 pesos each set from a department store and had it packed
into two 40-liter knapsacks with two sizes of ropes for pitching, a Kovea 3-legged
stove, LPG canisters, various camping gears, utensils and clothing, Citronella
oil and first-aid kit. The exercise elicited
some fond memories of high school as a scouter, in particular, my training and participation
to the 13th World Jamboree on the foothills of Mt. Fuji. It also ushered
the opportunity of mentoring my daughters on basic knot-tying such as bowline,
sheepshank, timber hitch, square knot, diagonal lashing, sheet bend, and so on
and demonstrated how a scout’s neckerchief doubles as a triangular bandage for
first-aid use.
Forget about toilet formalities.
Like aborigines on bare essentials, digging a hole in a foliage cover will
suffice, burying the golden-brown treasure with soil and run to the nearby
shore to conclude the biological ritual.
I am reminded of the anecdote about how to use a bus ticket to wipe the
remaining debris from one’s bum, something that sounds familiar for those who
had been a boy scout once. But the tale
may run afoul with one’s sensibilities that am too reluctant to narrate here. But just like Lord Baden-Powell’s Boy Scout
motto had been championing since 1907: “Be Prepared!”
Oh, and I see your discomfort
being grossly curious about this bum business.
Then by all means, watch the process in its entirety here: Bus Ticket Relief
Attributes of sea travel just
characterized also presented the challenge of how to ensure the protection of my
photographic gears from the elements. A
DiCaPac waterproof housing took the role of babysitter for the Nikon D100 while
the D2X and D200, plus an array of lenses, were snugly organized in airtight Lock
& Lock food boxes, stuffed with packets of desiccant, hoping they float in the
misfortune of being thrown overboard. Assuredly,
when taken and tested in the pool, they did float alright.
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