Visiting Talim Island
It had always been the case: I would stand by the shore of the lake ogling the view of Bundok ng Susong Dalaga on Talim island in front of me. The vast Laguna Lake, murky and mysterious, would always lie between me and the mountain. For many years, I dreamt of visiting Talim island, which is located in Binangonan, Rizal.
My late father, who doubled as a fisherman if he was not busy in the rice fields, would always bear the lilting accent of the people of Talim after coming from the island. He would tell of joyful stories of his fishing experience and how accommodating the people there were. I grew up calling soft-drink straws pahothot because my father learned that term from the island people who became his friends.
When biking became my newfound passion, all the more I became enamored of Talim island because my favorite puruntal (wharf) in Cabuyao or Calamba would always be the highlight of my short ride before sunrise or during sunset.
From my vantage point, I would see the sun rising from the precipices of Bundok ng Susong Dalaga. Majestic. Mesmerizing. If I parked my bike by the shore during sundown, the waters of Laguna Lake turned soft orange while the mountain remained blue. Mysterious. Marvelous.
Until last Sunday, on a whim, I decided to take the chance of visiting Talim island.
Before us was the soon-to-be-conquered Bundok ng Susong Dalaga. Behind us was the ridge of Tagaytay. To our right was the cloud-veiled Mount Makiling. To our left was the hazy view of Metro Manila. Inside me was a joyful soul made even happier by the unplanned adventure.
I had just parked Lover, my white bicycle, on the edge of the Baywalk in Calamba City. My friend Beejay Lapinid, who joined on my sunrise ride, had also parked his bike beside mine. It took us some 30 minutes to reach the Baywalk from Gulod on a chill ride.
We walked to the makeshift berth to avoid getting in contact with other bikers on the Baywalk. Attached to the berth was the makeshift dock. I admired the view of Talim island from afar, the yolk of the morning sun rising above the mountain.
Sweet was the breeze. The waters were calm. Music was provided by birds quacking as they dove to catch their meal from the lake. The silence at the Baywalk was pierced only by patrolling barangay officials who always reminded everyone in the area to wear their face masks. With my face mask on, I continued basking in the rays of the morning sun.
Then an outrigger made its way to where I was. A woman in the banca threw a rope to a man standing on the edge of the dock. The man, with precise agility, caught the end of the rope and quickly tied it around a steel pillar.
There was joy and excitement in their voices. I gathered that a couple in their mid-50s ferried their daughter and son-in-law to the Baywalk. From the boat emerged a motorcycle. One man lifted it from the banca and another man on the dock caught it safely. That gave me the idea that I could also load my bike on the outrigger and finally see Talim island.
Next thing I knew, I was paying P1,500 through GCash to the daughter of the couple for a round-trip day tour of Talim island.
When our bicycles were loaded on the banca, my heart was doing a cartwheel. Finally, I would see Talim island. The couple who owned the outrigger, Danny and Memeth Punelas, were from the island. Danny was the helmsman; Memeth, the bearer of the tikin (a long bamboo pole used in pushing the boat forward).
A little after 8 a.m., we started to sail away. The life vests were ready. I couldn’t contain my excitement. A flock of kanaway birds followed us as they flew above the boat. Before us was the soon-to-be-conquered Bundok ng Susong Dalaga. Behind us was the ridge of Tagaytay. To our right was the cloud-veiled Mount Makiling. To our left was the hazy view of Metro Manila. Inside me was a joyful soul made even happier by the unplanned adventure.
When we got near the sitio of Banaba in barangay Rayap, the barrio of the couple, a colorful coastal village, emerged. The scene reminded me of a quaint village in Passau, Germany, when I once took a cruise on the Danube River. There was an instance that the village also reminded me of a community in Kom-Ombo when I joined a Nile River cruise in Egypt. But Talim island was different. It had my heart long before I set foot in it.
After an hour, we docked right outside the nipa house of the couple. A blaring “Happy Birthday” was being played on the neighborhood karaoke. I remained calm at the porch of the couple’s dwelling place. Before me was the lake, almost the color of jade in its beauty. The wind made love to my face. I closed my eyes and embraced the breeze. Danny unloaded our bikes. We would ride the wind in Talim island.
The couple cautioned us to not pedal away with our stomachs empty. Little did we know that while we were cruising the lake, Memeth already sent a message to her beautiful daughter Danica to prepare breakfast for us.
So we were served crispy fried tunay na tilapia (the ones caught in the wild and not bred in fishponds) and ginisang balatong (monggo). More “Happy Birthday” choruses were played as we partook of our sumptuous meal. Next thing we knew, we were being invited to the seventh birthday of a girl in the neighborhood.
Beejay and I wore our helmets and rode the wind after breakfast. The very narrow yet well-paved roads of Talim island were exhilarating. Jutting on either side of the roads were native bamboo trees. To the left was a ravine that also gave way to a mesmerizing view of the lake. The view was the reward for every uphill climb we encountered.
Both my bike gears were set on 1-1, for easy climbing on undulating slopes along the road. Children shouted “Bikers! Bikers!” when we rolled past them, their eyes filled with innocence. Elderly men in the many wharfs in Rayap were accommodating and funny.
By 1 p.m., we were back at the house of Memeth and Danny. A lunch spread of grilled tunay na tilapia and pizza was on the table. It was a sumptuous lunch, made more sumptuous by the calming vista of the lake.
A little before 3 p.m., we sailed back to the Baywalk in Calamba. There was joy in my heart and peace on the lake.
I will be back in Talim island.
