A Basketball Game and a Busted Mobile Phone

I have always wanted to take the kids to a live basketball game.  Little did I know that we would end up doing it here in Palawan!  Rene was given some tickets.  Unfortunately, he could not join us. Although I do not follow the PBA games, it was another good opportunity for a field trip!

The two kiddos and I took a spunky silver tricycle to the town coliseum to watch the face off between the North and the South from the upper box. We were so high up, and the kids had a good view of what was going on. We could not see the players' faces -- too bad as I was a bit curious to see James Yap in person, hahaha.

As the game progressed, I explained how basketball is played, what a foul is, what would earn one point, or two points, or three points. Nacho rooted for the blue team, and Elise cheered for the white team. I think we were the nosiest bunch in our side. Nacho was busy eating his doughnut but squealed whenever the blue team shot a basket.  And when the white team would lead, he would growl so loudly. 

We left at the end of the first game. We still had to catch the 7:00P.M. Mass at the cathedral, and Nacho was beginning to feel sleepy. The blue team won, 38-37. I am not a basketball expert, nor a fanatic. But I was a bit disappointed at how lazy the game was. The next day, we found out from the news what happened after we left. The white team won. 

We made it just in time for Mass. We decided to take a multicab instead of a tricycle.  Right before the Mass ended, I sent a text to the van driver to let him know that we would join the 8:30P.M. pick up schedule.  It was getting late, and he unusually he did not reply.  My heart sank as I found out that the message was still in my Outbox!  I repeatedly tried to send it, and tried to make some calls, but my phone could not send, nor call.

We walked to nearby stores and asked if we could use a land line. They shook their heads - no land line.  A bakery had a pay phone outside that takes five peso coins.  I tried it, but I could not be heard.  The person on the other line thought I was making a crank call.  We walked some more, hurrying, as it was getting quite dark, and most establishments close between 7:00 to 8:00P.M.  We reached a gasoline station and the lady computing credit card sales on her desk was kind enough to let me use the phone.  I left a message for the driver that we would be waiting outside the bakery in front of the cathedral.  

We walked back to the bakery, and they were pulling the steel shutters shut.  We just stood there, waiting.  Nacho asked to be carried because he could see the shop lights turn off one by one on the street.  It was getting pitch black, with all the trees around us.  Even if Puerto Princesa is the safest city in the Philippines with the lowest crime rate, I still did not want to be there with two small children.  My phone still could not call!  The driver called me but I could not understand a word he said. Then the line got cut off.

I flagged down the last of the few tricycles in the area and asked to be brought to Itoy's Coffee Shop at Rizal Avenue, the center of downtown, where places close at 10:00P.M. and even later. We got there shortly and I informed the driver through their pay phone that we were waiting somewhere else. 

Barely five minutes passed by when I saw the familiar white van slow down and park in front of the coffee shop.  I looked at Elise's smiling face.  Yay, we were going home!