Weekend in Baldios(Billy Sample) Weekend in Baldios

After 72 days of patrolling the Arabian Sea waiting for something to happen with the Iranian Hostage Crises we were relieved! The USS John Paul Jones came about and set a heading for Subic Bay Philippines at the end of March 1980.

Before we left Subic in January I had met a nice local girl who I'd been corresponding with through the mail, her name was Terrista Cruise or Tessie. My birthday was a couple of days after we pulled in so when Tessie and I hooked up she asked me if I'd like to go with her to the place she grew up and spend the weekend at her Mom and Dads. She told me it was about 4 hours away, was a little primitive and in fact many of the residents lived in bamboo huts but her parents had a house with three bed rooms and a concrete floor! I had carried over most of my pay for the two months at sea and I had some leave time coming and it was my 26th birthday. I thought this could be fun and might turn out to be a birthday weekend to remember.

I said, “Sure, lets do it”!

We boarded a bus on the morning of the 3rd of April for Manila. The ride was around a three hour trip with some beautiful scenery enjoyed on the way. Jungle to plains to mountains to valleys, the sight outside the window was constantly changing. Tessie had packed us a lunch of home cooked potato chips, lumpia and fresh mango for dessert.

We arrived in Manila around noon and from there we caught a Jitney that would take us to a point where we could catch a local bus to Baldios. A Jitney is a converted Jeep with seats installed for passengers. They have extended beds and can usually transport 8 to 10 passengers, cost us about $5. The vehicles were painted bright colors with fringe and trinkets hanging from the sides. They are quite famous and legendary with their open air seating. About thirty minutes later the driver let us off at a roadside bus stop and within another thirty minutes the bus picked us up. A little less than an hour later we were at Tessie's home town of Baldios.

Baldios was about a hundred yards or so off the main road. The village was made up of 30 or 40 houses with a third of them bamboo huts just like Tessie said. Two dirt streets, more like wide trails divided the town. Animals were everywhere, the goats and chickens walked around unrestricted, the cows and pigs were in fenced lots. The rest of the houses were small, one or two rooms. A small store was near the road with an open front where an array of merchandise was visible inside. Bread, eggs, cokes, beer, canned goods and a freezer. Tessy told me the owner would start up a generator for a few hours a day to operate the freezer for the purpose of making ice. There was no electricity except that produced from generators.

A man came out to meet and give Tessie a hug, she introduced me which brought a hand shake and a suspicious stare from him. They chatted for a minute in Tagalog then we started down one of the roads.

“You're going to get a lot of stares this weekend. They don't see many tourists here, especially Americans” she said with a little squeeze of my hand.

We stopped in front of the biggest house in the village, this was the house her parents lived in. Her Mom and Dad came out to greet us, first impression was very positive. After some small talk we were invited inside. There were four rooms with an open front porch and a screened in back room. Tessie showed me to her room. I told her I could sleep on the couch or the back porch but she smiled at my obvious awkwardness and told me.

“It's OK, don't worry”.

I have to admit that I was feeling a little anxiety for the first time. Here I am just a country boy from Arkansas two years removed from my small home town and now I'm 300 miles from my ship with a girl I'd only known for a short while, in a village in the Philippines with no phone, no transportation and no one knew where I was but whatever, I just had to relax and have a good time with major trust and be on my best behavior, which I usually was anyway.

The first night was spent relaxing. Mrs. Cruise fired up the gas stove and cooked up some kind of vegetable soup which was delicious! After dinner we sat on the front porch sipping drinks, smoking and chatting. Her Dad was a World War II veteran who served under MacArthur. He didn't talk at all about the war but Tessie told me that he saw quite a lot of action and that he drew a small pension from the army which was one of the reasons they had such a nice house.

All through the village lamp lights were visible and as the night progressed the lights began to go off. I remember thinking that this was such a simple existence. Wake up when the sun comes up, go to sleep when it gets dark. No TV's, no night clubs, just the dark and the sounds from the nearby jungle. Those sounds were very prevalent, a screech followed by a growl and then a whistle. Continuous!

Mr. Cruise was a quiet man and spoke excellent English but was a man of very few words. He did tell me that sometimes he and other men from the village would go fishing or hunting at night during certain times of the year. Walk into that jungle at night? I was afraid to step off the porch! We called it a night.

I didn't sleep much that first night. I still felt uncomfortable about the situation and it was so quiet except for the screeching, growling and whistling! It seemed like I'd just fallen asleep when the morning was announced by Roosters! Yes a complete choir of Roosters! The sun peaked through the window and a very fragrant smell filled the air. There was the familiar smell of eggs cooking but also that of fish. Mr. Cruise had gone fishing before sun up! So for breakfast we enjoyed eggs, fresh baked bread and catfish!

After breakfast Tessie's Mom had a chore for us. There was to be a wedding in the village that night and she needed some material for a dress she was making for the bride. She asked us to go to Tarlac for her. Mrs. Cruise tried to give us some money and after a lot of effort I convinced her to let me pay for it. We headed down to the bus stop to catch the one and only bus that would take us to Tarlac, a good sized town about 45 minutes away. We would have to shop fast so we could catch the bus back. The bus made one trip from the city out into the country and back, once a day and if you missed the return trip, you were stranded.

The bus showed up and we boarded. The passengers were quite an assortment of interesting characters. Half of them either had a goat, a chicken or a pig as their traveling companion. Why they were taking their pigs, chickens and goats to town? I really didn't want to know but one thing for sure the animals weren't that crazy about making the trip. Half way to the city one of the pigs picked a fight with one of the goats and if that wasn't bad enough one of the chickens decided to join in too! Snorting, baying and chicken feathers filled the inside of the bus until their owners could settle them all down.

We arrived in Tarlac, found the material shop, grabbed a bite to eat and then caught the bus back. No livestock was on the bus ride home but some of the people who had been on the trip to Tarlac were returning without their pigs, goats and chickens. Now I really didn't want to know what happened to them but I had my suspicions!

Back in the village we spent the afternoon just walking around and even took a hike down a trail that led to a beautiful stream. This was where her dad had caught the fish that morning. The water was crystal clear as it meandered through the jungle. We set on a rock for awhile enjoying the view. Tess told me that if we would be real quiet and remain still for a few minutes we might get to see some of the jungles many animals. Sure enough about five minutes later a couple of monkeys scampered across a tree limb. Then another one came down a tree on the opposite bank. Colorful fish could be seen swimming in the clear water as well as water bugs. She said we might even get lucky and see a bawawak which is the local name for a water monitor or a giant lizard that likes to frequent the water banks of the area looking for bugs and fish. We stayed beside the creek for a half hour but no bawawak. We had a wedding to get ready for so back to the house we went.

Turned out we weren't actually going to the wedding just the wedding reception. As dusk approached we all walked to the east side of the village which was a little park with a gazebo. A generator was buzzing keeping several strings of colored lights glowing that were strung around the rails and hanging from the ceiling. I noticed a turntable with speakers also hooked up to the generator. I thought I'd maybe get to hear some traditional Filipino folk music!

The happy couple showed up. They looked like they were early 20's or maybe even late teens. Tessie told me they had grown up together here in the village. Both of their fathers were farmers. She said most of the time that's the norm for kids here unless they decided to venture out. The boy had left the village for a couple of years to attend school in Manila but had returned for her and to work with his father and hers.

There was plenty of food and drinks. I noticed that every time I would turn around I'd catch people looking at me. Tess had warned me that I'd draw a lot of attention. This bothered me a little, not that I minded people being curious about me, I just didn't want to take anything from the bride and groom. This was their night and I didn't want to become a distraction so I tried to keep low key.

After we finished with the feast the bride and grooms fathers got up and made a speech. I couldn't understand much of what they said, I spoke a little Tagalog but certainly not enough for as fast as they were speaking and there are so many dialects on the Island that it's impossible to know them all. Tessie told me what they were saying. They were happy and thrilled about the union and they looked forward to many grandchildren. Sounded just like what a bride and grooms parents would say back home.

When the speeches were done the couple was invited to the center of the floor. The designated “DJ” put a record on the turn table and music started. It was a nice waltz, the couple began a slow dance. They looked so nice, he wore a suit with a string tie and she wore a long flowing colorful dress. As they danced the guests would approach them and pin dollar bills to their garments. Alternating between hers and his until the bills formed a long chain connecting and surrounding the two. I added a ten dollar bill to the chain. I'd guess they had at least a $100 by the time the music stopped! They kissed and then returned to their seats. Someone shouted in English, “Everybody dance”.

The first song played was “My Sharona”! So much for traditional Filipino folk music! This kid running the music had a pretty good collection for sure. Rolling Stones, Dobbie Brothers, Grand Funk and lots of other classic rock plus Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Rod Stewart, it was 1980, Disco music was booming everywhere, even in a small village in the P.I.!

The party broke up about 10pm. I had the deepest sleep that night. All those nights at sea, with the noise, whistles, announcements, drills in the middle of the night. Now all I could hear were crickets and the jungle sounds. I could have seriously got used to it!

Sunrise the next morning, April 5th, my birthday, was announced by the roosters again. I made my way back to the porch to join Mr. and Mrs. Cruise, Tessie was running a little late. On the table this morning was eggs, bread, fried potato wedges as well as a plate of fresh meat. I thought the meat was pork so I scooped a couple of pieces on my plate along with the other food. Tessie walked in and spotted my plate and suddenly went into a tyrant towards her Mother! Her mom sheepishly removed the meat from my plate and took the plate with the rest of the meat from the table. Tess set down beside me and I asked her what that was all about.

She replied, “I told her not to serve any Dog while you were here”!

So it was my birthday and the residents of Baldios were planning a barbeque in my honor. Unbelievable! I only met these folks a few days ago and would most likely never see any of them again and they were throwing me a birthday party!

People started showing up around noon. A pig was roasting over a fire in a pit in the back yard. There were plenty of vegetables and fruit and everyone was just setting around in groups. The men with the men and the women with the women. Almost everybody at some time during the day came over to speak to me. Most spoke English and those who didn't would have Tessie translate for them in order to tell me happy birthday. It was a great time, the food was good, the drinks were cold but the ice was melting. Because of the party the store keeper was keeping the generator running overtime to make sure we didn't run out. Tess and I volunteered to take a couple of buckets for a refill.

We walked down to the little store and filled the buckets with ice. While walking out the daily bus stopped just a few yards away. A man departed the bus and it soon became apparent that he was highly intoxicated. Actually he was stone drunk! He spotted me and started yelling.

“Hey Joe, Hey Joe, come here Joe, Hey Joe”!

Every American Serviceman is referred to as “Joe”. I don't know if it originated from “GI Joe” or where it came from but after the first 20 times or so you stop looking around for “Joe” and realize that you are “Joe”.

The guy took a few steps toward me, stumbled and nearly fell. He got up laughing and once again started with the, hey Joe. Tessie took my hands and told me to ignore him. I told her it was OK, he was just drunk and didn't seem to mean any harm. She still insisted that we leave and leave quickly.

When we got back to the party she went immediately to her Dad and some of the men and told him what had happened. Mr. Cruise and several of his friends got up and left. In a few minutes they returned with the drunk guy from the bus stop. They were practically dragging him into the center of the yard then thru him to the ground. He tried to get up and one of the men kicked him square in the chest causing him to tumble back, hard! He rolled over and once again met a boot in the ribs this time!

I was shocked at the brutality, they were beating the crap out of this guy, then I found out why.

I asked Tess if they were beating him because he was drunk and she said,
“No, they're beating him because he embarrassed us in front of you”!

Oh my Lord, they're beating this poor guy because of me! I told her that I didn't care and don't they have any police or a sheriff or anything?

“He is the Sheriff, that's another reason they're beating him”! She answered.

They finally brought the man over to me and he apologized. I told him that everything was fine and shook his hand. He left the area, still stumbling but now not from just the booze.

The party wound down as the evening approached. I tried to thank everyone individually for this great honor of spending my birthday with them. They all were so nice and insisted the honor was all theirs. We spent one more restful night in Baldios. The next morning Tessie's parents walked us to the road and waited with us till the bus came. I thanked them both for an amazing weekend. We arrived back in Subic late that afternoon.

I stayed in Subic for another week then sailed out of the Philippines for the last time never to return again. Before I left I paid Tessie's enrollment fee in a local secretary college. We wrote each other for months but with time the distance grew wider and the letters less frequent and then stopped completely.

That weekend took place over 30 years ago and I can remember details like it was last week. When I left I thought sure I would return eventually but that doesn't seem likely now. I will say without a doubt that no one can put on a birthday party like the citizens of Baldios Philippines!

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