Hidden Treasure

Kalibo, Aklan is only known to all because it's one hop away from Boracay. A stop over. Perhaps less than half of Boracay tourists has thought of stopping by Aklan to see what it has to offer. And one only stops by Kalibo if they take PAL. But otherwise, Air Philippines and Interisland offers straight flights to Caticlan.
My dad and I attended an inauguration of JS Contractor's (Uncle Jackson's office)Nippon Orient Training and Education Skills Center in Aklan the other day. We flew in Monday morning and and flew back to Manila tuesday morning (overnight thing! Wow, more and more I am becoming an empowered business woman! Going to a far away place or province just to attend an occassion or important meeting then fly back the very same day or the first hour in the morning because of a very busy schedule! haha! To whom plane rides just seem to be an ordinary road trip! haha!). So anyway, I wasn't expecting to see anything special in Aklan as I know it to be a poor province even if it has Boracay as it's tourist attraction. I was even trying to work around our schedule so I could at least spend a day in Boracay. When we reached the training center mass was being said. It was then followed by lunch and then the program where speeches were made. Uncle Jackson and Tita Inday brought us to the hotel when the ceremonies ended. The van stopped in front of a gate and and outside it said SAMPAGUITA GARDENS. So it's just probably a decent enough lodging place.I really did not expect much of Aklan. As we walked inside the resort, WOAW! first to my left I see ferries wheel and merry go round for kids! To my right, a european designed Christmas cottage house! Something like a disneyland store structure. AHidden Treasure is what came into my mind. The more astonished I was to see that inside the Christmas cottage were all sorts of Christmas dolls and trees sold! First Class Christmas Store! Of course, the business sense in me started to doubt. Who in his right mind would invest in such a place where not much people visit??!?! My dad and I still at awe went around the resort to realize how HUGE it was! at the back was the poolside, aquariums, oriental designed garden and the mansion of the said American owner. The mansion was open for visitors and inside you'd be surprised of it's antique furnitures (a 350 years old chinese opium bed!) and 3.5M worth of imported cabinets! While we were being toured around, one of the housekeeper mentions that the owner of this hidden treasure was the creator of Precious Moments! No doubt he has so much money at his disposal! Then I realized that the theme of the entire resort were all Precious Moments paintings! I also remembered the very first thing that caught my attention in the Christmas cottage house was that those Precious Moments dolls were much cheaper than those sold in Manila. When I signed the guest book at the mansion, I couldn't say anything else except that it was TRULY ENCHANTING..

Mr. Sam Butcher, the owner lives right there in the mansion and does most of the paintings and designs by himself. You might think that he is probably married to a Filipina. But no, his wife is American but their daughter adopted two Filipino children who grew up in the US. I have come to conclude that to Mr. Butcher, Sampaguita Gardens is not meant to make money. It just sort of serves as his rest house and perhaps his help to the Filipinos by providing employment. Man, he owns precious moments! Does not need the extra cash from renting out rooms! He must have fallen in love with the Philippines for Him to have chosen to find and build His home here. I would agree that the Aklanons are indeed very warm people and customer service is commendable. They are easy to love. That is why i couldn't blame Mr. Butcher for falling in love with the place.

While I went around Sampaguita Gardens , the more I felt how Mr. Butcher has poured so much for heart into the place. It was much more than a business to him. Being the artist that He is, Sampaguita Gardens was more like a very grand work of art that is full of potential. He will beautify it as long as there is something to work on. Mr. Butcher's passion for art can be felt in every corner of the resort. I personally saw him seated in the corner of the breakfast area (Sir Sam's Corner) where he was quietly drawing and planning his next addition to the place.

May all of us be able to find that one thing that we are most passionate about. All of us has treasures deeply kept within our hearts. An overflowing passion that cannot be helped but to be shared with others.