Not sure why but this day, I woke up at 2am. I was in and out of sleep until around 6:30 and decided to get up then. I spent the morning packing up, had some breakfast, chatted with a nice couple from Florida, and hung out with Manol and his family. Manol told me some stories, as his daughters and wife came in and out of the conversations as they went on their day to day, and his grandkids were running around asking us questions or doing whatever kids do.

After a couple hours, Manol took me to a beach where I caught a ferry to Bohol. During the ferry ride, I actually thought back on my conversations with Manol and ended up writing a little blurb about him on my phone.

*****
Had a wonderful time in Oslob! A big reason was because of Manol and his family. He owns the MWR Pension House that I stayed at. He is a God fearing man and shared many of his testimonies. One such story was when he got hit by an 18 wheeler while on his motorbike. His helmet broke on impact and he was tossed 20+ meters without it. He said he felt someone holding him and bracing his fall. He walked away with only a broken arm, and not a single scratch on him. Another time, when he was serving as captain on a military ship, a thick cable on deck came loose during bad weather. It hit his shins, but he was able to walk away with only cuts. Most times, these accidents end with a lost life or limb. He also told me about his many angelic dreams. He truly believes he has an angel watching over him. I almost don’t want to believe some of his stories, but when a man shows you scars, and conviction in his eyes, you believe.

He is truly a great man and it shows through his family. They all treated me like family. I had dinner with them every night. I didn’t meet everyone (he has 8 siblings), but everyone I met was happy and chatty with me. 

Whenever he’d drive me through the town, many people would wave or honk to him. He says he just wants his community to be happy and lead a good life.

One thing I thought was strange was his hostel/home. It is not as nice as it could be. He owns the hostel, karaoke bar, and the only licensed cock fighting ring in the area. I wondered where his revenue was going. I wasn’t going to ask this but the answer came when sharing his story. He’s been building a shrine on one of his lots. He made a statue of Mother Mary and Jesus and had them placed there. He goes there every week for worship and is slowly building out the building. It looked huge in pictures. He says he’s also looking to sell the cock fighting ring. He says God told him to sell because it is money made from gambling. His friends think he is crazy since there is so much money in that business. He says he just knows this is what he must do. 

Meeting Manol and hearing his testimonies was very powerful. I am truly grateful to have met him.
*****

Hm. I wrote more than I remember. Well, the ferry ride was 3.5 hours long. Anyways, I was really moved by this man. I hope he’s doing well and I hope to be able to visit him again one day.

Once we got to Bohol, I checked into my hotel, the Lost Horizon Beach Dive Resort and grabbed a bit to eat before heading to get a hair cut. Afterwards, just hung around the resort reading by the pool and possibly took a nap. I had dinner on the beach at the resort, walked along the Alona Beach, smoked some shisha at Alia Hailey Reggae Bar, then hit the sack around 11pm and fell asleep watching Tremors. You can never get away from Kevin Bacon.