A beautiful fiasco

Sometimes in life we set out to do things but they don't always turn out the way we planned. And sometimes the unexpected outcome is actually better than the expected result. Some people call it a blessing in disguise, or the silver lining on every cloud. Nevertheless it makes the shame of a fiasco a little bit easier to swallow.

Out on a whim, we decided to take a road trip to Minalungao National Park in Nueva Ecija, a neighboring province in Pampanga. We didn't know exactly how to get there, but everyone gets by with Google Maps nowadays. And since the park is just in the province beside ours, we thought getting to the park would be uneventful. We thought it would be the perfect destination for a day trip.

It couldn't have been further from the truth though. We never made it to the park. While Google Maps was right in plotting the coordinates for the nearest route to the national park, it plotted a path through the Sierra Madre mountain ranges, a very rocky, harsh terrain, which is no longer used! After about an hour trying to ascend in what could be the zigzag road from hell, we decided to turn back, a mere 2 kilometers away from our destination. The last leg of the road was blocked by huge boulders. And since my mom and sister were with me, the last 2 kilometers would be too far and too challenging to hike.

Even though the trip was a "fail' by definition, we were treated to some nice view of the mountains, and more importantly, the hospitality of rural Philippines. After descending the mountain ranges, we stopped by a very humble hut with a store offering some simple snacks and drinks. The store owner, having heard of our failed attempt to reach the park (apparently we weren't the only ones Google Maps has deceived), she and her family set out a table and gave us some food which she was saving for her family later. Other than the snacks and beverages we purchased from her store, we weren't charged for anything else. 

I was very surprised, and touched, by the kind gesture. I have only read about these acts of hospitality in the Philippines in books, and now I got to experience it first hand. City folk are very fast to dismiss rural Philippines, describing it as a jungle of uneducated savages and where poverty is very high. However, then and there, I felt I was the one who was the uneducated savage. 

So after saying our goodbyes to that family, we headed back towards Pampanga. The "correct" route to Minalungao National Park was still some 100 km. away and we would never make it there before nightfall and the park would already be closed.

Normally I would feel deflated after such a failed trip but I feel surprisingly fulfilled, like I didn't come home empty-handed after all. Having experienced the kindness of strangers, I feel blessed. 

We will try to get to the park again in two weeks. Hopefully we will not get lost this time!

So here is the only picture I was able to take: a view of Mt. Arayat which I took on the way back home.