Night Walk By The River, Snacks, Couples and The Balangay Boat

Hi, beautiful people of the Wednesday Walk community, I am finally back.
It's another late-night walk by the river with family. After my last class, we were back at the night market again.

Why were we here again? I requested my sister to drive me to a nearby bank because I needed to withdraw some cash. Then suddenly her daughter, who was at the night market, called for a rescue. Her youngest child wanted to buy a sugar-coated strawberry, but she didn't have money left to buy one. That's why we went to the night market again.

We went back home to fetch my eldest daughter and my niece because they wanted to come with us. I also get dressed.

It is our city's Balangay Festival, as I indicated in my last post. The celebration lasts for a whole month. That evening, the rain stopped, allowing us to go for a walk and buy some food. Although muddy, the ground was fine.

They were waiting for us at the parking area. Then I grabbed everyone to take a photo. From left to right are my middle child, Kyla; my niece; my sister; my niece; my eldest daughter; my niece; my sister; and me. It's fun hanging out with the young ones—it makes you feel young too. Haha!

Kona was there too, as always. She is my niece's dog. She didn't let them walk because it was muddy.

Just opposite the food stalls, the band was playing. Even though it was already late, people were still there, drinking, enjoying the band, chatting, laughing, and having fun. I even ran into Ate’s batch—they were sitting and watching the band perform. Ate would probably feel a little jealous, knowing that we came here again without her. But well, she does live far away.

Another puto bumbong!
I like sticky rice. We call this kakanin. I bought it for my sister. That's a lot of condensed milk. Too sweet. I should've told the vendor to pour a little condensed milk. She was too quick, so I wasn't able to tell her.

My daughters
I have two other daughters, who are my first and second children. I bought calamari and drinks for them. Because it's summer break, my daughter came home from Cebu, where she studies, and we can spend time together.

After we got our order, we headed to the benches near the river.
We also bought chocolate fudge and "chicharon". I like this salty pork cracklings or pork rinds, a crispy, deep-fried snack made from pork belly or pig skin. This would have been a perfect pair with an ice-cold beer. We rarely drink beer now. haha... Maybe next time, we could have beers on another occasion.

We hang out here while eating snacks, but I proceed to walk forward after a few minutes.

Bela, my niece, who looks up to me as her mother/aunt, and I continued to walk by the river. She is my companion at home and my partner. She is always beside me whenever I am having classes. She helps me with minimal things.

This is the Agusan River, and that is Ramon Magsaysay Bridge, named after the seventh president of the Philippines.

I like it here because the air is fresh and it's so relaxing.

I didn't mean to invade their privacy. Since this is a public place, anyone can stroll, sit idly, and take pictures, right? Haha... I saw three couples sitting far apart. The other couple is a bit far, so it's not captured here. Were they staring blankly ahead or talking about their future? Hehe... Look at the stray dog lying down at the edge. It's not the couple's dog because I saw it walk far away, and the couple isn't there with the dog.

It's a peaceful atmosphere to just sit there with the love of your life. The scene feels calm and intimate, with the three couples seemingly relaxing, talking, or simply soaking in the moment.

Moving forward. As we walked, we saw the Balangay boat ahead. It had a label that read "Raya Kolambu." I took some photos of it.

This is the iconic Balangay boat. The Balangay boat docks at the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) riverside docks. "Balangay", known as the Butuan boat, was the first-ever wooden watercraft to be excavated in Southeast Asia, demonstrating early Filipino (Butuanon) boat-building genius and seamanship expertise during the pre-Spanish colonial times. But this is not the original boat, but a replica. Raya Kolambu was a king of Butuan. You see, it was more than a thousand years ago. There were recovered old boats at the museum and at a Barangay in Libertad, dated 320 AD. It is said that when there was no Philippines, there was Butuan, and that is true since Ferdinand Magellan arrived in Masao Butuan City in 1521. I really hope that the Local Government will strengthen its tourism promotion and highlight the heritage of the city. And that the city would be known for that. Additionally, I hope to visit the museums where the old boats were recovered and share them here.

More story here:src

Staring at a computer every day can really burn you out, so I like going outside every day. Be with nature, breathe fresh air, and visit a new environment. It's just a short walk, but it's joyful and fun.

I have to end this blog now. Thank you for swinging by.