I’ve gone back to Lake Mainit bearing with me a better camera. And this time, I hope the pictures will be much much better. I still see a lot of potential for this place. The province only has to spend a little more time developing this area as a tourist destination and it should be a good source of livelihood for the people in this area.

One model that the local government can look at is the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex that was created by Governor LJ Villafuerte. Perhaps even the good governor can serve as some sort of a consultant for this endeavor.

One thing going for Lake Mainit is it’s accessibility. It’s along the National Highway so people should not have any problem going to the area. There’s also the Airport at Butuan City so even folks from outside Mindanao can easily go there. I can already see a lot of pension houses, bars, and commercial establishments being created along the Lake Mainit water front. The commercial potential is really huge.

The only thing that scares people away from this place I guess is Schistosomiasis. Now that’s a scary thing. Here’s what I researched about this disease:

Health issue: Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is found in Lake Mainit and in the Tolosa-TabonTabon area. For those volunteers working or going to these areas the following information is important. If you have any questions you can contact the VSOP office or the VSO Medical section in London

Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is a disease caused by parasitic worms.

How can I get schistosomiasis?

Infection occurs when your skin comes in contact with contaminated fresh water in which certain types of snails that carry schistosomes are living.

Fresh water becomes contaminated by Schistosoma eggs when infected people urinate or defecate in the water. The eggs hatch, and if certain types of snails (here’s the link to this type of snail)are present in the water, the parasites grow and develop inside the snails. The parasite leaves the snail and enters the water where it can survive for about 48 hours. Schistosoma parasites can penetrate the skin of persons who are wading, swimming, bathing, or washing in contaminated water. Within several weeks, worms grow inside the blood vessels of the body and produce eggs. Some of these eggs travel to the bladder or intestines and are passed into the urine or stool.

What are the symptoms of schistosomiasis?

Within days after becoming infected, you may develop a rash or itchy skin. Fever, chills, cough, and muscle aches can begin within 1-2 months of infection. Most people have no symptoms at this early phase of infection.

Eggs travel to the liver or pass into the intestine or bladder. Rarely, eggs are found in the brain or spinal cord and can cause seizures, paralysis, or spinal cord inflammation. For people who are repeatedly infected for many years, the parasite can damage the liver, intestines, lungs, and bladder.
Symptoms of schistosomiasis are caused by the body’s reaction to the eggs produced by worms, not by the worms themselves.
What should I do if I think I have schistosomiasis?

See your health care provider. If you have traveled to areas where schistosomiasis is found and had contact with fresh water, describe in detail where and for how long you traveled. Explain that you may have been exposed to contaminated water.

How is schistosomiasis diagnosed?

Your health care provider may ask you to provide stool or urine samples to see if you have the parasite. A blood test has been developed and is available at CDC. For accurate results, you must wait 6-8 weeks after your last exposure to contaminated water before the blood sample is taken.

What is the treatment for schistosomiasis?

Safe and effective drugs are available for the treatment of schistosomiasis. You will be given pills to take for 1-2 days

Not really sure if this is still prevalent in the area, but I’ve read some past publications saying that was the case then.  I’m not sure if such is the case until now.  If it is, then that would be a really sad thing. Who would want to dip in Lake Mainit if this parasite is around.

But before I totally sound like the harbinger of doom here, let’s go back to Lake Mainit’s pictures.

Note: featured photo from Butuan City Today

By some unforeseen circumstances, this blogger will find himself spending the holy week in the historic City of Butuan, the capital of Agusan Del Norte. It shouldn’t be a surprise since I’m from there though I happen to work here in Manila.
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I say unforeseen because this was totally unexpected. I have accepted the fact that I will be working through the holy week (yep, including black saturday) since I’m supporting some European country and we’re about to migrate some of their work here. This european country however is strictly catholic (think in terms of Padre Damaso and Fray Butod and you’d know which country I’m talking about) and they decided not to come to the office, which means I’ve got some time in my hands. It also helped a lot that the significant other made arrangements for me to fly tomorrow which is really awesome.

So barring any force of nature, I should be in Butuan by noon tomorrow. Now if by some stroke of luck you find yourself in Butuan City, what do you do, where do you go, and where do you sleep. Despite being a city and all, Butuan is still a very small place with very limited options. No offense meant, I’m talking relative to Manila here. Anyway, there are still very nice places to go to within the city if you have time to spare.

If you’re an internet addict like myself and you’ve got your own wifi enabled laptop, you can always go to Margies at the Pan De Pugon along forgive-me-i-forgot-the-name-of-the-street, lol. But the place is very popular so you shouldn’t have any problem asking the tricycle driver to take you there. In a way this is where the ‘sosyal’ set hangout (that’s what I heard anyway). They have free wifi and their cakes are awesome. Ask for a whole chocolate cake and you’d be set back by around P800. In fairness, Margies does not skimp on the ingredients so it’s sinfully delicious. I have yet to taste a chocolate cake that’s as rich as the one that Margies has. Yep even here in Manila. Conti’s? Puhlease.

If you’re looking for a meal on the gourmet side, you can always go to True Brew where they serve those mouthwatering pork ribs and those hungarian sausages that are bigger than the sausages you see in porno movies. Sorry, bad joke. But really, the food they serve there is first rate. Trust me on this one, everytime I’m in Butuan, I always manage to gain a couple of pounds from visiting True Brew so much.

Butuan also has its share of little cancer centers in the form of BBQ stalls near the public elementary school. Again the name of the street escapes me. But these stalls are only open from late afternoon onwards. If you’ve got the grilled meat munchies, this is the place to go to. I often go there with my and eat our hearts out, the big gluttons that we are.

If you’re after seafood and chicken (the ubiquitous chicken inasal) there’s always Weegols and Aling Cora. I prefer the latter though. The kinilaw there (sort of like sashimi but bathed in vinegar with lots of chili if you like) is absolutely fantastic, pair that one with grilled Ketong (nope not the disease dummy, it’s a kind of fish) and you’re in for an absolute treat.

After all these pig-outs, you may want to get a little pampering and head on over to Body and Sole. You can get a facial or a full body massage at ridiculous prices. You’ll easily find yourself snoring after all the pampering you get.

Now the good thing about all of these is that this is Butuan, and as I said a very small city, which means that all of these things will cost you very, very little.

In terms of shopping, there’s really only one destination– Gaisano Mall. And while you’re at it, you may want to visit Bambi’s. It’s a can’t miss store and if you have the hots for anything Barbie or Hello Kitty and all those cute little characters that’s the place to go. They might even give you a discount if you mention that you know of Bambi’s through this blog. The beautiful Bambi better be prepared to compensate me for this plug. Lol.
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