Gotham's Time Traveller

My dream started out in a strange living room. I was with two supposed friends, whom I do not recognize. We were watching a TV advertisement in a big screen in what seemed to be a living room in an old concrete house. The commercial was about a place where you can go to buy new, yet very affordable cars. The place featured in the commercial was rather strange. Cars were driven over a vast piece of land where the grass stood taller than the cars yet they were as soft as cotton. The grass lay down flat as the card rolled over them. In the middle of the land was a large mansion. The featured cars bore the emblem of Mazda. The surroundings were damp, very damp, an indicator that there was a strong rain prior. While watching this strange TV ad, my friends and I were suddenly transported to the place. It was as if we walked right into the TV screen. Once there, I saw three people riding a white Mazda SUV. They stopped in front of us and they were talking about taking a bath in the rain. This time, the rain was really pouring down. Oddly, my friends and I didn't get wet. I soon realized that we were under a shed of some sort beside a dirt road that was now muddy because of the heavy rain. The driver of the SUV stepped out to catch the rain. He was the one who wanted to take a bath while the other two were trying to convince him that it’s not a good idea to do so.

A strange vehicle parked beside the white SUV. It was rather large and old. It looked like an old train car. All the gauges were analog. I couldn't see who was in it. Then in some surrealistic way, the scene changed again. I was transported to the house of billionaire philanthropist, Bruce Wayne. He was throwing a party on his front yard, but he was nowhere to be seen. My two friends were not with me this time. It seems I was the only one transported to Gotham City. It was dark; leading me to conclude it was evening.

I was surrounded by rich people just chatting and eating. They were being served by waiters in black and white tuxedos, but none of them was Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s butler. I was wearing a trench coat which meant I was either a cop for the Gotham PD or I was a politician. Either way, at the back of my mind, I knew Bruce was a close friend. Close enough to know his secret identity. I was standing at the bottom of the mansion's rather large front stairs where the party was being held. To my left was a small black, very ornate, steel gate. I didn’t have time to look to my right because at that time, something crashed through the gate. It was the strange looking train car I saw before I got transported to Gotham.

An old man stepped out of the car. He had short, cropped, grey hair. It looked like he didn’t shave for the past 2 days or so because he also sported a short beard. He had a leather vest over his white long sleeves with the cuffs folder up twice on each arm. He approached me and demanded that he see Bruce Wayne right away. I don’t know if it was his tone of voice or that I knew he was a villain, but as soon as he spoke, I was rushing up the stairs to warn Bruce about his strange and imposing visitor.

The front door of the mansion was large and heavy. I looked as though it was made from a single piece of wood. I opened the door to find a beautiful lady who was also looking for Bruce Wayne. She was a brunette in black high heels and she was wearing a trench coat just like me. She just stood there on the receiving area as though she was waiting for someone. She smiled as I approached her. She introduced herself as Amanda, but I don’t remember giving her my name. I don’t know if she was his date or if she had official business with Bruce. What struck me as strange was her trench coat. It was an indicator that she was either a cop or a government agent, possibly FBI or CIA. One of the doors in the receiving area opened and out came a woman and a boy holding pistols. They moved much like puppets, clumsy and somewhat slower than a normal human. Amanda and I rushed out the front door and oddly enough we were able to subdue the woman and the boy. We got their guns and we started to interrogate them.

While we were interrogating the woman and the boy, it was apparent that they were under some sort of mind control. I also found out that they were mother and son. We tied them to a chair at one of the tables in the party, but for some reason, the people at the party didn't even bother. It was as though we were not even there. No one panicked and no one seemed to have the slightest idea that they were in some sort of danger. The old man, who found himself a comfortable seat at one of the tables, was looking at us with a grin on his face. It was then I knew that the mother and son we apprehended were his henchmen.

The boy broke free from his restraints and gazed at the crowd with killing intent. I was quick to point the gun I was holding at the boy's head and I immediately popped a bullet in his head, but he didn't go down. The mother, screamed as though she was trying to break free from whatever was controlling her. She screamed at me saying, "He already has a bullet in his head. If you want to stop us, shoot us in the heart." I soon realized that they were corpses that were reanimated. I shot the boy in the heart instantly bringing him down. Then I pointed my gun at the woman's heart. She was crying, but I can see the relief on her face. It was as though she was thanking me with her eyes. Amanda was now sobbing like a child with her hands covering her face. I pulled the trigger. The bullet went through the woman's heart. I tried to comfort Amanda by giving her my handkerchief. She accepted it gladly, wiped her tears with it, then she smiled at me.

Amanda and I rushed into the mansion. We knew Bruce was in danger. I was careful not to lead Amanda to the secret entrance of the Batcave. We searched the house for Bruce. All the while I was pretending to follow Amanda's lead. We entered the room where the entrance of the Batcave was. Amanda then proceeded to tell me that she knew Bruce’s secret identity and that she was there to protect him. I also openly admitted that I knew Bruce was the batman. Amanda seemed to know as well, but it was clear that Amanda didn't know where the Batcave entrance was. I assured her that if we ever got out of this mess alive, I would show it to her. She looked me in the eye and just like the movies; we knew were falling for each other.

Alfred emerged from one of the rooms with batman. It was apparent that batman was injured. Batman looked at Amanda then at me. Amanda and I told Alfred that we will keep the enemies occupied while he and Bruce escaped. Alfred and Batman disappeared into another room. Amanda and I, pistols in hand, went out to face the enemy.

We were eventually captured and held under guard. It looked like a government operation to invade Bruce Wayne’s home because the government had a hunch that he was the batman. We watched as investigators combed the house looking for clues. I knew they will never find the Batcave’s entrance. Sadly, Amanda will never know its location too, now that we were captured by the enemy. As we sat there in the mansion’s living room, guarded by two unflinching, mind controlled guards, she held the handkerchief I gave her moments ago. She gestured that she would keep it because it was important to her. Her smile was filled with sadness, I can tell. Her words meant we would soon part ways and will never see each other again.

In a strange twist of fate, my father, my real father, suddenly stepped in the room. I knew he came from the province because he was carrying a lot of stuff that was supposedly for me. This was a scene that repeated itself time and again when I was away for college. He sat next to me in the living room. He looked young, much younger than he is now. I introduced Amanda to him and they shook hands. He told me he was sleepy so I led him to one of the rooms in the mansion. As my father lay down to sleep, the scenery changed once again. I was now in our ancestral house in the province and it seems as though I had just woken up from a dream.

I stepped out of our old room thinking about Amanda. I hurried to the living room hoping she would still be there, but I realized she was only a dream. Walking into the kitchen I saw my mamang (grandmother) cooking breakfast like she used to when I was a kid. I looked around and noticed the furniture was the same as when I was a child. I went to my parent’s bedroom and found my mom. She looked way younger than she really is today. She was with Mama, her twin sister. They were talking about something. Mama suddenly told me to go check on Daddy (my grandfather). I was surprised since I knew Daddy had already passed away years ago. I hurried to his room and lo and behold I saw him there as healthy as I can remember him. He got up from bed as soon as he saw me. He said, "Oh you are here! It’s so good to see you my boy." He told me to peel a weird looking pastry for him. It was pink with paper wrapping. I removed the paper wrap and handed it to him. He ate it with gusto. Then he proceeded to explain to me how the Native Americans had different tools for different purposes. It was reminiscent of the conversations we had when I was a curious little boy asking him about the sciences.

As the conversation went on, I soon realized I travelled back in time, but with that came the realization that I was still in a dream. I was almost tempted to tell Daddy that I am Mike from 2014 and tell him all the things he missed, but I couldn’t get the words out. The rush of emotions I got just being able to see him again prevented me from saying anything. I just smiled as he kept on talking about the Native Americans.

To avoid appearing crazy I frantically searched for a calendar in order for me to know what year I was transported to. I found an old 1931 calendar on the wall and concluded that it was an old calendar because the numbers have almost faded into unreadable blobs of ink. I asked my family members what year it was and all of them just smiled and said, "You don’t know what year it is?" I got a bit frustrated. Why didn't they just tell me what year it was?

There I was looking at my family and seeing younger versions of them like the family portraits we had when I was still a child. By my estimates, the year was somewhere between 1985 and 1986. I didn't see my little sister anywhere in the house so I guess that means she wasn't born yet.

I heard someone yell, "twelve, twelve, twelve..." over and over again. I also remember seeing a 5 peso bill, and again hearing someone counting, "one, two... one, two". That was when I finally woke up. My head was throbbing and my breathing was heavy. My dream was so vivid. Seeing a younger and healthier Daddy; Mamang cooking in the kitchen as I usually witness when I was a just a little boy; my parents looking like they were just in their mid thirties. It was surreal and quite weird. I guess that’s what happens when one watches too many movies.

All in all, it was a great experience. It makes me appreciate life more. I guess I'll give my parents a call after writing about this dream of mine. It could mean I miss home.

Mount Palali: Return to Skyworld - Still didn't get to the Summit

The return to Mount Palali was a year in the making. I took a break for a year so that the bad experience I had during my first attempt to climb this mountain would be forgotten. Actually, I never forgot the experience. It made me realize that the weather can really make or break a climb. With that in mind, I set out to climb the mountain again. Summer was the ideal time to do this to avoid rain altogether. Climb was set on May 17 to 18.

Of the 4 of us who climbed last year, only two of us would be returning, Joy, who is now my wife, vowed never to return to that mountain again. Worthy, on the other hand, was still game, but Ann, would not be joining anymore since she and Worthy had a falling out. This time around we were joined by Barry, Worthy's brother, and Clinton my climbing partner whom I share gear with.

Upon arriving at our house in Aritao, we made sure we could rest early and had our gear sorted out, packed, and ready to go. We started earlier than we did last year and the climb commenced at around 8:00 AM. It didn't rain at Palali for the past week and we expected a very dry, and warm trek despite the fact that rainy season was just around the corner. We were thankful for the good weather despite the fact that it rained hard in Aritao the night before. However, Palali is located about an hour away from Aritao via car so it wasn't a surprise that it didn't rain at Palali.

The climb started out pretty much the same was as it did last year. We had 2 guides, our packs full of my mom's home-cooked meal, water, and determination that we won't let this mountain get the best of us this time around. The only difference is that there was no rain this time. The sun was up, the ground was dry, and the air was cool. To my surprise, the trail seemed to have changed. We didn't pass by the river where Worthy got injured last year which was rather strange because all the other parts of the trail were the same.

We were really fast on the ascend. We reached the camp, where we stayed last year, in 5 hours. It would have been 4 hours if we didn't stop most of the time to take photos. We also took our time during lunch break at haring bato. We didn't want to make camp at the first camp grounds since there was no water source nearby. We reached the 2nd camp after another hour. There was a beautiful spring for a water source. Clean and fresh mountain water that was clean enough to drink. We pitched our tents and had a bit of siesta before preparing for dinner.

Worthy's tarp came in handy to put up out kitchen and dining area. We just cooked a bit of rice since there were a lot of leftovers from lunch. Mom gave us bistek, adobong manok, and fried tilapia for lunch, but we were not able to finish it all. And I have to say, nothing beats my mom's beef and chicken. Even my companions praised my mom's cooking.

As night came upon us, we were faced with the possibility of rain. Having Worthy's tarp setup, we were confident that our gear would not get wet. Thankfully, the rain didn't come over us because we saw flashes of lightning at the distance just west of the mountain. With our stomachs filled, we set out to get our sleep. It was a comfortable and dry albeit cold night. We were able to go to sleep with no problems. At least for my companions who snored their way to dreamland until the morning.

I was the first to wake up at 5:00 AM. It was still dark. The stars were still very vivid and the moon was still shining down on us. It was a perfect time for me to think to myself and reflect about my life so far. It was really cold that morning and the biting cold made me remember the past. I think I stood there staring at the star filled sky for about 30 minutes when I heard the other tent unzip. Worthy was up, but he was awoken by the need to relieve himself. He was surprised to see me up and about, but he nonetheless decided to join me star gazing. As we glimpsed the first rays of the sun, we both sighed. Its the start of a new day.

We took our time cooking breakfast. Everyone was up and about at around 6:30. We cooked our meals, ate, packed our stuff and set out to return at about 8:00 AM. We didn't bother going to the summit since there was nothing to see there. It was all covered with trees and I was told that there was no view. I decided to myself that I would return again just for the summit.

The trek down was surprisingly quick. Clinton was really booking it during the descend that it only took him 3 hours to get back to the jump off point. I was green with envy because I knew I could do it too, but I was the sweeper. I took it to myself to make sure all my companions were safe. Taking the back seat also had its advantages for me. I could look at the surroundings more rather than just blazing through the trail like there is no tomorrow. I even happened upon the Palali fruit. Now I was sure that this is where the mountain got its name from. The Palali tree was rather tall and stocky. Its fruits were round and yellow. It was more like an unopened flower than a fruit. The peeling of the fruit was in layers and it was relatively easy to open. The edible part of the fruit was the core. Its rather sour, but I was told that it was used for sinigang. I took one to show my father. Our guide said that wild boars love to eat the fruit. I was surprised that there were still wild boar there. Unfortunately, we didn't see any.

Clinton was already waiting for us at the jump off point and he was all smiles when he saw us. I was still green with envy at the 3 hour descent he did. We waited at the jump off point since my family was coming to pick us up. I didn't think they would bring the entire family to come get us. When they arrived, I happily showed my father the Palali fruit and he gladly confirmed that it was indeed the palali fruit. It was then I knew that the name of the mountain came from that fruit.

Reflecting on our climb on the way home, I came to realize that timing is very crucial. Last year's climb was a disaster all because of the rain. This year's climb was surprisingly easy, then again last year was more fun.

I'll return to Palali again to finally conquer its summit and to get to bathe in the hidden waterfalls. I don't know if my wife would still want to return, but I know 3 other people who do.

Mount Palali: The Return to Skyworld

Its finally here. 3 more days and I will finally have my revenge. Mount Palali is a nice climbing destination in my home province of Nueva Vizcaya. My friends and I, we called ourselves team Maharlika, climbed this mountain last year and we were beaten by the weather and the trail. Imagine hiking down from camp 1 for 14 hours. Camp 1 was 2 hours away from the summit. There was something wrong there. My parents were worried, I was worried, basically, everyone was worried. We looked like newly dug potatoes when we got back. everything was just covered with sticky mud. My feet smelled weird for a week because of wearing damp shoes for 14 or so hours. It was just a disaster. The good thing is, no one got seriously hurt.

On the 16th of this month we will be travelling to my home province to finally conquer Palali (Skyworld). This time around, my team will comprise of mountaineers with experience. Worthy, who will be returning to Palali for the 2nd time. Barry, Worthy's brother, who has climbed many mountains as well. Clinton, also known as Dokie, my best bud in all my climbs, with whom I share my gear with. And me, who will also be returning to, hopefully, conquer Palali once and for all. I am confident in my teams capabilities and speed this time around. I can count on them to share more of our load in terms of food. Unlike last time that I carried most of the food. I pray that this time, no one gets injured or hurt.

Wait for me Skyworld! You haven't beaten me yet!