My boyfriend visited Philippines at 1989 before we met, his most loved restaurant.


 

 

 

A Beautiful Memory written and photo by Stephen Wong

the memory, july 1989

the photo essay, mar 2012

  

 I remember I had breakfast like this at 1989, same good eggs.

 

 

 I remember I stayed in Pension Natividad in Jul, 1989, had coffee in this garden.

 

 

 

 I remember I saw lovely girls here, nearby Pension Natividad had an old house, it was a red light district.

 

 

 

  I remember drinking apple juice here, people had personal typewriter at that time, walkman was tape.

 

 

 

" There is an engine defect, sorry the flight delay. " the pilot announced in Vancouver Airport. It was July 1987.

 

I was waiting, I saw a young man reading charts. He introduced himself as Alex, a Canadian Peace Corps.

His father was an aircon engineer, he was helping him the caculation of ratio between room heat and aircon power.

 

In the next 5 hours flying to Montreal, he told me his project in Palawan, Philippines, invited me to see him.

We kept mailing for two years, he booked a dormintory for me in July 1989, I remember it was 100 peso a night with good aircon.

 

Since then, I love this country.

I left Hong Kong, the place I lived for 34 years, settled in The Philippines in 1997.

I have no intention to move back.

Last time I saw Alex was 2003 in Makati, he also stayed in the country he loved, developed a career.

 

  

 

  Alex was waiting for me here.

 

 

 

 

 

  The lobby hasn't been changed much till 2012, I remember the same old oil painting on the wall.

 

 

 

  Pension Natividad hasn't been changed much till 2012, I remember the same white gate.

 

 

  few houses have stone steps

 

 

  very few houses have long wood steps

 

 

He joined EF because of me.



next