Hiking with Kabayan

At last, I was able to taste a hiking with my Kabayan Oscar "Jon-jon" Lopez, Jr. in our hometown, San Antonio.

We went out a little bit late in the morning, Jon-jon texted me at around 5am asking if I would like to go hiking. (My Pareng Imon Garcia and I were supposed to hike near our relatives "tumana" that day if the walk with Jon-jon will not push through).

So we went to Jon-jon's place after a quick breakfast, Pareng Imon came along as I asked him to use my 0.177 JBC hammer type "Swiss Army Airgun". I took my heavy competition model 0.22 JBC Bolt Action airgun with me. Packed some sinangag my mother already prepared for breakfast and took 2 cans of "Karninas"(canned sardines), a pack of suman, a gallon of water and off we go...

Met a cousin of Jon-jon at their gates "Manalo?"(sori Bro forgetful of names) and he accompanied me to Jon-jon's house in Santo Cristo as Pareng Imon waits in the car. A short cordial introductions, met Jon-jon and his father, Mang Oscar Sr., they were not ready yet, so I asked Pareng Imon to join us, and with some "adobong bato-bato" cooked by Mang Oca,  the ice was broken.

Mang Oca showed us some of his collections of doves and saw one which is whitish in color for the first time.


We went out after they ate their quick breakfast and off we go to Bagong Sikat, near Luyos which is just after Santo Cristo, the barrio where Jon-jon lives.

Parked my trusted white crosswind at the dike with a larger roadway and off we went hiking, Mang Oca and Jon-jon showed us the place. Mang Oca positioned me in his former "kura-kura", natural blinds made of "talahib" grass shaped to hide a hiker in, noticed some feathers inside also. Pareng Imon was positioned earlier near the entrance with the sun at our backs. There's a water enclosure used to be a fish pond starting to dry. They said this is where the "bato-bato" and other quarries drink usually around 10am.

Posted myself inside the hide, waiting....looking and a little bit excited. Took some pictures from inside and here they are below.

Inside the hide, shot my fist one here in the middle,


I missed 2 times on this side..."sayang"..


Missed one also here, poor shot he-he...


After 2 misses and 2 hits, its already lunch time, nothing is landing in the area, its quite windy that day, maybe the quarries are hiding somewhere. Went out of my hide and passed by Pareng Imon who got his first one, noticed that he took off his camo jacket and he's perspiring well, he said there are ants inside his jacket so he took it off. Went to the car and took our packed lunch, saw Jon-jon on my way back under the shade of the bamboo tree(grass). Got the spanish bread Pareng Imon bought on our way and ate some with Jon-jon. Pareng Imon came out of his hide also and joined us. We decided to have lunch and walked to the place where Mang Oca is posted. We found him under an acacia tree, just ate his lunch already so we ate ours, opened the "karninas(canned sardines)" but I remember, Mang Oca gave us some "adobo" in the morning when we went out. It was with Pareng Imon. I took out the "sinangag" and divide it with Pareng Imon. Jon-jon pulled out his packed lunch also. What a lunch, the canned sardines, was not touched,ha-ha-ha.... only the "adobong bato-bato" was consumed...

I remember to take some pictures as a souvenir, and here they are below,

Pareng Imon, Mang Oca and Jon-jon holding my JBC Bolt, his Filarms is resting by the acacia tree..


Another shot,


Before lunch, Mang Oca got 3, I got 2, Jon-jon got 2 and Pareng Imon 1, not a good day to hike, after some chat of maybe transfering to another site, we decided just to stay and wait, maybe they will land soon, or maybe tomorrow in another site in "Along-along"...noticed that its very windy, maybe the quarries are hiding somewhere.

We returned to our posts but just after a few minutes of waiting, a pair of "korokotoks" landed in front of me, got one, the other one flew away. Then again a pair landed near the same place, I got 1 again. These are both in the midlle just around 15 yards away...

After a few minutes another one landed on my left around 20 yards and I missed...what a day!! Just across the water 4 korokotoks landed again, sighted one, too excited which one to shoot, I missed again..ha-ha-ha...firstimers....after lunch up to around 1:30pm I got 3 and nothing landed again...

Waiting....waiting...took some pictures, nothing to do, I remember Mang Oca told that he also sleep inside the hide when there's nothing landing, so I decided to lay down but I can't fit the hide, I cut some "talahib" stalks with my hunting knife and tied them to make the blinds bigger. I was able to lay down later and rest for a while.


Some pictures, nothing to do....


As I lay there trying to nap, heard some shots from Pareng Imon's place(learned later that Jon-jon transferred there and Pareng Imon to our backs somewhere), then some more shots from Mang Oca's place and from far back, have to come up, wake-up and take a look, nothing in my watch...waiting....waiting....saw Mang Oca coming to my place, gave him some spanish bread, the senior Oscar Lopez is complaining his scope is not zeroed...after a few chats, he went back to his post....another "bato-bato" landed in front of me, took aa shot and missed again...ha-ha-ha...what a day, the poor "bato-bato" landed back again on my left, this time I took it from around 20 yards....he-he-he...20 yards....

Decided to take a hike to the mango tree area, far from our posts, I remember Jon-jon mentioned that they used to go there...walking...hiking....reached a closed fence....its very hot....and the mango trees are far away..I made one more look at the trees, nothing moving, nothing flying....I decided to return to my "kura-kura"..saw Pareng Imon sitting at the neighbor's bahay kubo...waved him and I returned to my blinds....

Its around 3:30 pm already, nothing to do, decided to remove the feathers of my catch, anyway they're just 4 of they, I left the 2 inside the car's trunk in the morning....I remember when we went to Karaome in Norzagaray, the quarries landed at some minutes past 4pm so I decided to stay and wait some more....tic-tac....tic-tac....waiting...nothing landed anymore till its around 5 pm.....

I decided to call it a day, went out of the blinds...saw Jon-jone's came out also....called his "Daddy" Mang Oscar Sr..but he's not there, told him its ok, let him enjoy...went to the car and saw Pareng Imon came in also..we ate some of the left over spanish bread and almost forgot the small hopia in my pocket..he-he...saw the bag of Mang Oca behind the car....later on he came out from near the Buliran river...he decided to shoot some fish....from the nearby river...mentioned that the "tilapia" was able to unhook as he hit the belly...offered him some hopia and the "suman" my mother asked to bring along...he shouted for Jon-jon and of we went home...some goodbyes'...thank you and we're tired at home, I still have to clean the catch..a baskal and 7 korokotoks, plus the catch of Pareng Imon...2 or 3 yata......

Tired at home.. I took a bath..texted some friends, downloaded the pictures, what a day! A very enjoyable and another memorable day to remember....Thanks Jon-jon and Mang Oca and Pareng Imon also....