Touring Tarlac

Manila, Pampanga, Tarlac. Stop.

Tarlac City reminds me a lot of Roxas City in Panay -- provincial, noisy, yet booming nonetheless. The primary mode of transportation are the tricycles. Then there are the buses and the occasional jeepneys but no taxis -- airconditioned or otherwise.

Tarlac City also comes as a surprise. My tongue has barely gotten used to switching to Tagalog-- the many 'po', the saying of mama instead of manong, and etc. etc. -- and then I arrive here only to discover that it isn't the home dialect. You hear a Tagalog speaker now and then but most people here either speak Kapampangan or Ilocano. One time I talked to a tricycle driver who refuses to answer me in Tagalog when I asked how much the fare was. I couldn't understand a single slurred word he was saying. In defense, I finally gave him a coin and ran.

Luzon is apparently a place where people say "para" instead of knocking on wood or clicking the steel handlebar to make a driver stop. In Manila, the taxi drivers are shameless. Even without them asking if the service was good, they automatically take a hefty tip for themselves and don't give you your exact change at all. Here in Tarlac, the tricycle drivers are way beyond shameless. I figure they take pride in assuming the role of a taxi driver. But take note-- there is no standard flagdown. Apparently people here decide how much you're gonna pay based on how you look. The better you dress, the less local you look, the more they charge. Speaking Tagalog is a dead giveaway that you're not from here and you can easily see with trepidation the automatic gleam that comes to their eyes. If it's just near (read: from UP Cebu College to Turtle's Nest) they already charge 10 pesos. Beyond near, it's 20 pesos. No breakdowns. And that's per person. Shameless. Just shameless.

The cheapest hotel here, I'm told, is Bambino's (The Transient's Home) along San Isidro, and so that's where we stayed overnight. Cheapest rate is 500 per room. And after awhile, I discovered why it's cheap after all. But I'm really in no position to complain since I'm on a tight budget. And when you are, almost anything will do. At least, the tv's 3 channels are working. In fairness, the grounds are cool and there's a swimming pool somewhere we weren't able to use.

Like most, Tarlac is basically just a small town. In fact, the next day, I felt confident enough to tour it by myself while my friend Almera worked for her dough. And being a true blue city girl, of course, my feet looked for the malls. In the city, there are two major malls -- Magic Star and Metrotown. Both were crowded and looked like Gaisano on the inside, if you know what I mean. Metrotown's bigger though. They're having this big sale and already, I found about 50 items I'd have wanted to buy if only I were in Cebu and don't have the strain of added luggage stopping me. The items here are cheap and the styles very varied. And the shoes, well, I can only imagine Berna. hehe.

And then I had to go visit again Plaza Luisita Mall, that's in or near Capaz, some 20 minutes away from Tarlac City. Almera and I went there last night but were only able to peruse the outside since the main mall was already closing. It is said that the place (Luisita) is owned by Kris Aquino's family or the Cojuanco's, and that the mall fronts the famous hacienda Luisita. It was there at Luisita Plaza where I ate my first meal in Tarlac -- and among the open choices--- Max, Pancake House, Pizza Hut, and others -- of course, we chose Jollibee. Haha. At least and in fairness, their Jollibee is the grandest branch I've seen. I don't know, but it seems that for every new town I visit, I always end up taking my first meal in Jollibee. It simply is everywhere (and I mean that literally) And for a metro girl like me lost in a provincial town, the aromatic whiff of its chickenjoy and yums at least brings back a semblance of home. Anyway, I digress.

Luisita Mall was a disappointment. Outside, it looks posh, but the mall? Never mind. It looks disorganized, the aircon doesn't seem to be working, and it's crowded. But then, maybe I'm just used to Ayala Center Cebu. At least, Luisita's got Starbucks and from there, all the national papers you can read.

Tarlac City, with its typical schools, churches, hardware stores, and such, is a place I don't really wish to live in. What frustrates me about it is that you can't stay outside for 15 minutes without your hair smelling like smoke from tricycle fumes and dust settling on your face. From your very low seat in the tricycle, you inhale all the black fart from the vehicle in front of you. The people are polite, but not friendly enough. Yeah, no cuties either. And goodness, they don't speak any of the dialects I know!

But hey, it's something different and so is interesting enough.

Tonight, we ride for Cabanatuan.