PI Day 18 (9-1-24) Poctoy to Boac

Day 18 (9-1-24) Nanay’s 87th Birthday!
White beach 0444 woke up to a cramp on my lower left calf. I’ve been having issues with my left foot swelling up. Not sure why but I don’t have anything else bothering me 🤷‍♂️. We actually thought for a moment we were locked in the restaurant bar but we had another door that opened to an outdoor patio. Problem solved. KD & I went for a walk along the boardwalk, stopping by the cabana to check on JAJA & Kenneth in their tent and hammock. We saw a huge construction project on the beach. Seems the previous Governor purchased a large lot to build themselves a huge mansion. Which somehow seemed to motivate investors to build a 5 star beachfront resort. It’s unfortunate I didn’t get a photo of that resort. We headed back to the hotel and I found some coffee cups as we brought our instant coffee. KD figured out the toilet situation as there was no water in the tank. Just a bucket & a tabo. Jaja & Kenneth appeared & showered up and we left about 0715 under cloudy skies. It never occurred for me to check the weather. KD must have as he was wearing a light rain jacket. The roads were wide open again and off we went chasing the circumferential Hwy north to Santa Cruz (Ahlyn’s hometown). About 60 minutes of mountain riding and some light rain we arrived at AHlyn’s mom’s house and stopped to pick up the crispy pata (crispy pork). Peter liked a bit rough from drinking all night with Kenneth and Jaja. I told Kenneth KD & I needed pandesal and we needed to stop. Kenneth then directed us to the town church (1 of several as I’ve seen a few Jehovah witness buildings along our travels). Not realizing it was a Sunday morning until we made a right turn into the parking lot 🤦‍♂️ chock full of vehicles. Thank God we drove by just minutes before services ended. Turns out the main purpose of church parking was to see the giant Moriones statue to honor the Moriones history on this island. We stopped and Jaja was able to snap a few photos between the large groups of people that were now exiting church services. I brought up pandesal again and we drove around the block, only to find out that it was already sold out. I guess it’s a breakfast bread that they only sell in the morning and it seems that it being Sunday and near the church they sell out quickly. Oh well. Off we go onto the empty Hwy with roads that were wet from a previous rainfall. Kenneth had his rain jacket and KD his. I just had a lightweight quick dry spf 50 fishing shirt with a hoodie and Jaja a zipped up fleece hoodie We ran into light rain here and there nothing to be worried or concerned about. We stopped at another small town bakery that actually had a sign stating Pandesal was available. KD got a few sweet baked goods and we’re off again. All the while keeping a close eye on the time as we had instructions to be back by 1 pm (more on that later). We rode some more and saw a pathetic looking poodle cross the road as we were coming down a hill. It’s coat missing hair it looked like it had a mohawk on it’s back and head and we could actually count the ribs. After the initial shock of seeing it it was hard not to laugh but as we passed it I felt extremely sorry for it and wondered if I should turn back around and dispatch it. Then again I had to wonder if it wasn’t someones pet much less my responsibility to make that choice. Still felling hungry after only eating 1 tiny pandesal we finally stopped in Mopog at a small restaurant (Kalambingan) that had some delicious food! It was there that the days rain would start in earnest. Some hot Beef Pares (a beef broth soup) warmed our insides and after realizing we only paid about $2.50 (US) less than 10 bucks for 4 people with 6 dishes and drinks! We then went out to the motorbikes where the seats were now wet. Dried them off as best we could and headed back to Boac. We arrived in a light rain and were quickly greeted by Luis and Anelor. We unpacked the bikes and headed to the hotel. Showered and a nap or maybe work on the video or charge our electronics up for Nanay’s 87th birthday party, which we now found out wouldn’t be until 3 PM. I’m sure 3PM was the start time all along. Why we were told to be here at 1 pm kinda limited our return trip; as we had cut out some stops to be back at 1pm but anyway 2:30 came and we were all showered up and dressed in our Sunday best. We walked to Ate Ian’s house were everyone was gathering. I mean everyone Dancers, a guitar player and the entire family and extended family and friends to celebrate the birthday of the families matriarch Nanay. After the welcoming dance and the crowning of the guests of honor there was a spectacular array of Philippine cuisine waiting inside. Though the rain had limited our outdoor seating it sure didn’t dampen the mood or the celebration. The people of Marinduque are a hard working, stress free, family oriented and welcoming people.