Backpacker: Santa Ana, Cagayan

Previously on Souljacker

Second Part: The Jotay Boylet

It's past six thirty and Tophe was taking too long to arrive. 

The bar where the guard at Jotay resort urged me to stay was filling up with people. The problem is, their get-up suggest that they are not stay-in guests. One was already well-groomed, and was wearing pants and collared shirt. 

And while the other wore jersey shorts and sando, his very casual chat with the guard made me look like a total outsider. Either the guy lives outside the resort, or he must have booked himself for a week. 

What kept me from snapping was my pre-occupation. Inside the bus on my way to Tuguegarao, I was able to compose the anniversary entry - on my phone. I copied the jumble of paragraphs on Word and by the time I was able to find a table overlooking the beach, finishing touches were already being done to my work.

As a plan B, I borrowed my neighbor's Sun Broadband USB in case there's no Internet. It didn't work in Santa Ana during my second attempt (I already tried it at home, but couldn't connect online) but stubbornness prevailed. On my third try, bytes of data finally trickled. But it wouldn't hold to a video chat. 

Not even publishing a blog post.

Doon pa lang I knew that if the Wi-Fi didn't work, I will be in big trouble. A big, big trouble. To be able to video chat with my partner was the highlight of the trip, and I cannot afford to miss that chance. So either someone press the reset button of the router or I'm moving out. 

While contemplating my next move, one of the attendants arrived.

It was Tophe.

I didn't try to paint a picture of Tophe when I spoke to him the day before. He appeared unsure of the answers when addressing my inquiries and besides, I felt a tinge of uncertainty that my reservation might not push through.

I was the one asserting my sure arrival.

With such lukewarm response, I didn't feel excited to meet him. I wouldn't mind if he just hand me the keys to my room, and off he goes to attend to the other guests. But the moment I stood up that morning to shake his hand, man, I was telling myself if he could be my personal attendant.

Imagine a six-footer, brown-skinned guy. Fit, curly hair, chiselled jaw, a slightly pointed nose. Just ignore the floral shirt, which reminded me of Lito Atienza and focus on his smile, his youthful, naughty smile that let my imagination fly into the realm of Brazilian porn clips I see on XVideos.

I told him the problem and immediately, he walked to where the router clings and reset it. I could have just tilted my head upwards to freeze at the sight of his sexy torso, but by then, my eyes were glued to the laptop to see if his tinkering worked.

It didn't.

"Baka naman sir, kaya hindi maka-connect sa Wi-Fi namin kasi nablo-block nung settings ng Sun Broadband niyo?" Tophe has a point.

So the next thing I did was to take out the Sun Broadband application and try connecting again to the resort's Internet. Again it didn't work.

After countless tries, reboots and even complaining again to the host that I could still not surf the web, thoughts of finding another resort had taken hold. It didn't help too that a couple of ladies, wearing heavy make up and colourful dresses passed by to hang out at the bar.

At seven in the morning.

I overheard them talking to the host about some matters I try not to be privy of. What happened after the ladies had left hints of some business between the attendants and the outsiders.

"Bigyan nila ako ng P500, papagamit ko yung banyo." Tophe was laughing his ass off while talking to a colleague about the ladies. Somehow the surreal sight reminded me of old Chinese men with young ladies in tow.

Truth or just plain fabrication it didn't matter. The fact that I could still not connect to the Internet and there's no one to help me, not even show a little sympathy that I came all the way from Manila was enough reason to leave.

To hell with the P1,300 room rate.

The sky's the limit, I can afford a much more expensive place.

After speaking to a nice Chinese lady (who is a guest) and learned that I was the only one having problems with my Wi-Fi, I told the guard that I would get some fresh air and just return after the one occupying my room had left.



- tobecontinued -