The Argao Incident

So the plan was to go to Inambakan Falls in Calabawan in Ginatilan. Harry has never been to the southern tip of Cebu (being a native of Mindanao). So when he asked about a possible Southern road trip, I didn’t think twice.

We left the city at about nine in the morning. The weather was perfect because although the sun was hiding behind the clouds, there was no sign of rain. We felt really lucky. Our first stop was the cute town square of San Fernando. We dropped by specifically for the WI-FI spot and the playground. LOL.

Our next stop was the City of  Carcar.

Harry and the Argao Hall of Justice.

San Fernando Town square! Nice!

Harry and his new friend. LOL.

Before going inside the Carcar Church, we dropped by the Carcar City Museum. There, we met a nice little lady who told us everything we needed to know about the items on display. During the early part of the tour, she was a bit stiff. But later on, she became more relaxed and more receptive to our side-comments and jokes. At the end of the tour, we even managed to have a photo with her. Hahaha.

The pool at the back part of museum. According to one of the tarps we saw, the museum, which was once a hospital and club house, during its time, had the biggest public swimming pool in the island (pictured below).

Harry sitting on a 1926 bench. Hehehe.

After saying goodbye to our guide, we visited the Carcar Church. Here’s Harry observing the details of the church interior.

We also checked out the Parish Convent. It’s situated right beside the church.

When we were about to leave for Ginatilan, we learned that one of the tires was busted. And when we found a vulcanizing shop, it started to rain really really hard. In less than ten minutes, the streets of Carcar were flooded. The rain stopped an hour later.

The culprit. That little guy right there killed our rear tire. Hahahaha.

It was already 30 minutes after one when the rain stopped. So, we went to Jollibee to grab something to eat. Harry had lumpia because he said he was watching his weight. Hahahaha.

An hour later, we reached the town of Argao. It was perfectly sunny there, thank God! Here’s the Balay Lungsod of Argao.

Harry feeling like a real tourista.

Ako pud. LOL.

The oldest electric post in Argao!

The gate leading to the beach. I forgot what it’s called.

Choreographed. Totally.

A chapel for unborn children right beside the gate.

The sculpture shows an angel saving an infant from a monster.

A skull on top of a globe (?). I wonder what this piece means.

And of course, Harry had to pose.

Harry poses in front of the Argao town church.

Harry standing in front of the Argao Hall of Justice. And no, that’s not the bike that we used.

Our next stop was the old watchtower in Obong in Dalaguete. Very nice spot!

Red Wine, bai!

He’s so relaxed. Hahahaha.

Obong Spring in Dalaguete.

Another view of the spring.

Harry, I hope that guy beside you is all right.

And of course, we have these poses. LOL. Harry says he’s like my guinea pig. Hahaha.

It was already four o’clock when we finished swimming. So, we decided to visit Ginatilan some other time and just head home. Oh yeah, we dropped by Alex Kafe in Argao to grab something to eat. This was what we ordered. Hehehehe.

We also got Argao’s specialty – the Torta!

Everything was going well until it was time to pay the bill.

Harry announced that his wallet was missing! He said he might have dropped it while we were changing in Obong. He checked his bag and for the second time, he declared that he couldn’t find his wallet. I helped him check his bag again. There was no wallet! The waitress probably noticed the commotion so she approached us and asked if everything was all right. ‘Everything is fine!” I said.

But we were both shaking. I only had 80 pesos in my wallet. And we still had to buy gas for the bike!

What are we going to do????????

I scanned my phone book to hopefully find someone who could help us. The only person I knew who lived nearby was Gibb. And by nearby, I mean Carcar! It was a full hour away! I didn’t have my ATM card with me (which was useless because it contained less than a hundred pesos. LOL).

I looked at Harry and hoped to find even the slightest hint that he was just kidding me. But no he wasn’t. He was more alarmed than I was, even. He had almost two thousand pesos in that small little purse.

“Is everything all right?” the waitress asked again.

“Our wallet is missing,” Harry finally confessed.

“Well, have you checked your bag thoroughly?” she asked.

While we were checking the bag for the fourth time, crazy thoughts filled my head. What would the owner or the manager of the restaurant say or do? How are we going to tell him or her? Are we going to leave our phones or my PSP or my camera at the restaurant and come back the next day with P150? Are we going to wash the dishes? Are they going to take us to the police station?

I excused myself and went to my bike. I checked the u-box and hoped that I could find a hundred pesos there (although I knew that I don’t keep money in my bike.) As expected, I found nothing.

My mind was filled with the strangest (and scariest) ideas when Harry removed the last wet shirt from his bag. There, sitting at the bottom was the little black purse.

Harry grabbed the purse and let out a huge huge sigh of relief. I think that was the happiest day of our lives (ok, that one in Camotes was happy, too). Hahahaha. I noticed that the waitress, too, couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“150, right?” Harry asked. When the waitress nodded, Harry opened his purse and produced a crisp 500-peso bill.