Pacquiao's Bohol Intervention

At exactly last Sunday at almost the same time as now, my family and I were in Bohol preparing to check out at the hotel and travel back to Cebu. It was also at this time that premier global boxing champ Manny Pacquiao was winning over the British boxing sensation Ricky Hatton.

While I was trying to savor Amarela Hotel's lush interiors and landscapes; and trying to get the grasp that my Bohol weekend was finally over, I nursed the feeling of disappointment because we initially planned to go to an island hopping trip much to the disagreement of my father and Mitch who aren't fans of it. True enough the weather didn't permit us so we just settled hanging out at the beach and swimming in the hotel's pool. To my dismay I was looking for Mitch because I haven't seen him since breakfast. He didn't swim with us in the pool like he intended, nor did I see him join us at the cold beach front. I checked his room, but it was empty. Where could he possibly be?

On my way to my room, I saw a group of waiters clustered at the main restaurant. Pure delight was in their faces. Together with my father, brother and guy cousin, they were all enjoying watching the live fight via web streaming care of my netbook Harriet, Amarela's great WI-FI connection and Mitch's surfing brilliance. So this was where the guys have gone to.



My father who was grumpy the whole morning because of the heavy rains and the ballooning budget deficit we incurred from our Bohol trip, was automatically appeased by the live coverage Mitch was able to put up. I saw my father in a lighter mood and sharing jokes with waiters hovering their table. My father even had the audacity to call his colleagues in Manila to engage in their own boxing analysis as he was able to watch it live.

Unfortunately Mitch, a first timer in Bohol didn't even get to swim in the resort pool nor see the beach of Panglao. I forced him too, but he didn't want at all. Like my father, he is a hotel-dude and not a traveler. It was enough that he saw a glimpse of everything and truth being, he was enjoying the fight more, being served authentic brewed coffee by the waiters...on the house.

We thought that with our scheduled check out, we wouldn't be able to see the entire fight. But like most of us know, the fight only lasted about 2 rounds and by the time Ricky Hatton was knocked out, our serviced van to Tubigon port parked outside the resort.

My dad was happy. The waiters and other guests who joined the show were happy. My cousins were ecstatic and Mitch was solved. I guess it was a perfect ending to a gloomy Bohol vacation. Remind me to bring Harriet at times like this and pray for good wi-fi.