the lonely planets of kc, maverick and ariel, and that lady on a white horse

One of my favorite shows during the late 90s until the start of the new millennium.was “Lonely Planet” shown on Discovery Channel. It was a travel show about the solo sojourns of the backpacking host, usually by my favorite, the clownish Ian Wright. What appealed to me about this show was that the host went around to check not the usual tourist itinerary but delved into the more exotic and the atypical of a certain country. The host would not be billeted in the regular Ramadas or the Hiltons, but would be housed in small inns or cabanas. If he is lucky, he might sleep alone but sometimes he had to share room with other backpacking and snoring guests. And if there was no place which could be rented out with pittance money, then the host just had to be content with sleeping under a tree. The show provided the viewers a roughing it method of a traveler different from the customary comforts and convenience of the sightseer toting his digital camera. If you wish, “Lonely Planet” was akin to “Amazing Race” except the guy in the “Lonely Planet” had no one to bicker with.

Interestingly, last Sunday night I got to catch three versions of Pinoy guests roughing it in different sites of the world. Sharon Cuneta’s eldest daughter gave us a glimpse of her life in oh la la Paris when she had stayed there for four years as a student. She introduced us to her pretty friends that have been her source of company and strength while living without Mommy Sharon around.

But I had to give it to the girl, ah este, the woman, KC. I was floored by the way she lived her life in Paris. Paris may be the city of high lifestyle, but KC decided to take less than privileged life in that city of lights. Her life was spartan. She would just take her bike to go to school, but then at one point the bike got lost to thieves. She would cook and would clean. But what took the cake for me was her small room which really looked like a dorm rented in a place near the University Belt. She could have asked for a grander apartment, and maybe a yaya around. But she did not. That’s my kind of girl, este woman.

On another channel, I got to see the wacky duo, Maverick and Ariel, exploring the truly enigmatic landscape of Nepal. If KC had a subdued stay in Paris, Maverick and Ariel tried hard to live it up as they were too happy to be rebaptized as Kapuso members (they always said it with glee). With Ariel donning his all plaid Burberry suit and tagging along his likewise all plaid Burberry briefcase, he and my tukayo Maverick explored with difficulty the exotic food that Nepal had to offer. At one restaurant which was like our own carinderia, Ariel had the audacity to bring his own plastic plates all the way from Shoemart. Although they got to feature how one streetfood was done, they refused to eat the hand prepared, and visually unappealing food. I guess they never got to learn the saying – “When in Nepal, do as the Nepalese do”. My kind of guys since their stint at ABC 5.

At the same time, on the Pinoy Movie Channel I caught snippets of the remake of “Ang Pinakamagandang Hayop sa Balat ng Lupa” with the young Ruffa Gutierrez as the lady visitor who created havoc in a fishing village because of her sensual appeal cast upon the male inhabitants. Thus in a way at the tail end of the story she became the unwanted guest, most specially by the women. But my essential question regarding the film was how come the statuesque leading lady was riding a puny white horse. Couldn't the art director use a better looking white horse? Or did he just rely getting the animal from Tagaytay or Baguio where small equines abounded for traveling visitors. Obviously that hayop was not my kind of horse.