WE TRAVELLED 10 HOURS...
at the bus terminal, Auckland...
First stop, at a terminal somewhere. The bus driver would give commentaries about the places and spots we'd pass by on the road but we were asleep half the time and weren't able to keep track of the towns we got into. We'd stop at terminals like this every two hours or so... clean and refreshing, a sure relief for someone who goes on a 10-hour ride.
The Country Kitchen, where we stopped for lunch. Nice country feeling indeed, and they've got a lovely garden to boot.
Dirty fence? I'd call it character.
like we were on our way to meet the Oz
The Gumboot Manor, where we stopped for afternoon tea. (Pa-tea tea ka pa dyan, softdrinks lang naman ininom mo.)
the garden shop next to the diner
... for this
In the picture are Papa, Danny and his two sons, Terence and Derek.
Danny is one of the friends Papa grew up with in school, one of the friends he has had for over 30 years. He left for Auckland a bit after we left for Singapore and they haven't seen each other since then.
Danny's got it tough at first... alone in a strange city, not knowing anybody, left at the mercy of kindly Filipinos he met there. Got a job as a machinist in a factory and almost got three of his fingers cut off. While recuperating, he met a friend who invited him to Wellington and decided the change would do him good. A year after, he sent for his wife and kids, and there they have stayed to this day. He's got this beautiful house now, built against a hill, with a three-tiered garden at the back and another one with a fountain out front.
He still has it hard, working full time as a nurse aide at a palliative care unit and part time as a night filler in one of the supermarkets there. It's all he and his wife could do just to juggle their time between work, the kids and sprucing up the house.
Tess, his wife, said to me, 'I wasn't even one month here, and I wanted to go back. It's hard, really hard. But when I see what we've already got here, it just seems harder to go back.'
Danny has never gone on leave since he started work. For our visit though, he filed for a week's leave, so he could take us around to see the spots. We were only able to stay for a day.
When he took us to the train station Tuesday morning, he said to Papa, 'Salamat pare. Kelan na naman kaya may dadalaw samen?'
First stop, at a terminal somewhere. The bus driver would give commentaries about the places and spots we'd pass by on the road but we were asleep half the time and weren't able to keep track of the towns we got into. We'd stop at terminals like this every two hours or so... clean and refreshing, a sure relief for someone who goes on a 10-hour ride.
The Country Kitchen, where we stopped for lunch. Nice country feeling indeed, and they've got a lovely garden to boot.
The Gumboot Manor, where we stopped for afternoon tea. (Pa-tea tea ka pa dyan, softdrinks lang naman ininom mo.)
In the picture are Papa, Danny and his two sons, Terence and Derek.
Danny is one of the friends Papa grew up with in school, one of the friends he has had for over 30 years. He left for Auckland a bit after we left for Singapore and they haven't seen each other since then.
Danny's got it tough at first... alone in a strange city, not knowing anybody, left at the mercy of kindly Filipinos he met there. Got a job as a machinist in a factory and almost got three of his fingers cut off. While recuperating, he met a friend who invited him to Wellington and decided the change would do him good. A year after, he sent for his wife and kids, and there they have stayed to this day. He's got this beautiful house now, built against a hill, with a three-tiered garden at the back and another one with a fountain out front.
He still has it hard, working full time as a nurse aide at a palliative care unit and part time as a night filler in one of the supermarkets there. It's all he and his wife could do just to juggle their time between work, the kids and sprucing up the house.
Tess, his wife, said to me, 'I wasn't even one month here, and I wanted to go back. It's hard, really hard. But when I see what we've already got here, it just seems harder to go back.'
Danny has never gone on leave since he started work. For our visit though, he filed for a week's leave, so he could take us around to see the spots. We were only able to stay for a day.
When he took us to the train station Tuesday morning, he said to Papa, 'Salamat pare. Kelan na naman kaya may dadalaw samen?'
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