A Pinay in Europe

The Green Team trying to be visible during the Holy Week Procession
Camiguin

Mr Driver, I think you dropped your plate number somewhere..
Camiguin

“I promised to clean Mambajao Town when we get elected!”
Camiguin

Errr….madam, you’re supposed to hang that banner..
Camiguin

Ancestral home vandalized
Jagna, Bohol

Jagna, Bohol

Jagna, Bohol

Jagna, Bohol

Jagna, Bohol

More rice trolleys if I win!
Jagna, Bohol

Cebu City

Who’s going to clean these walls when election is over?
Cebu City

At least it hides this hideous G.I. sheet fence
Cebu City

The power of Photoshop
Cebu City

Carcar, Cebu

Mr. V, if you become President, could you please tidy up these electric cables? They are really an eyesore.
Cebu City

Please create playgrounds for each barangay so these children will not go astray.
Carcar, Cebu

Please get the Health Secretary to impose controls on our street food. How can we be sure that the lechon manok we are buying was not already dead due to starvation or heatstroke?
Carcar, Cebu

Please preserve our historic buildings. They form part of our national heritage.
Bantayan ng Hari, Carcar, Cebu

Promise to remove your banners after election. They ruin the beauty of this bamboo house
Carcar, Cebu

There are far too many tricycles in this town…just make sure they don’t emit black smoke..
Tabunok, Cebu

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 Right after the interment of my father, we organized a day out for the whole family just so we could relax our grieving hearts a bit.

Manila Ocean Park is a very educational and interesting place for young and old alike. I just thought the price of 400pesos per head is quite expensive so no chance for the deprived to enjoy this marine park. Also, for all its popularity, visited by thousands each day, they only have three (3) wheelchairs! But the guides are very good! One of them specifically toured us around, even acted as our family photographer! 

And what a better way to end the awesome experience than to treat ourselves to a fish spa!

I first saw this fish spa thing several weeks ago on French TV news where they reported that this is becoming popular in China.   Never did I imagine that I would be experience it myself in  the Philippines! That goes to show that our country is not getting left behind after all !

The feeling of getting bitten by “anchovies”? - well, at first I was imagining that they were dwarf piranhas and they might eat my skin slowly but after a while, I started to enjoy it.  It was actually ticklish!

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Saw this view minutes after taking off from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and I thought, “Wow! this might be our very own version of the Seine river in Paris!”

I wonder where is this..  Our plane was flying southward from Manila so this might be somewhere in Quezon..

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It was our last day in Bohol, in fact, the last day of our Visayan odyssey so H insisted that we have to see a dolphin, whatever it takes!

Dolphin-watching in Bohol looks straightforward. No Philippine Coastguard (unlike the one to Apo Island) nor Philippine Tourism Office (in Bais) seems to be involved that here in Panglao Island, more banca boys have the chance to make money without ripping off tourists. The price of 1,700pesos covers dolphin-watching and snorkelling at nearby Balicasag Island plus rental of one life-jacket (for me) and two snorkel masks. Sounds reasonable enough, and even made ultra-reasonable when Ryan (our boatman) qualified that if we don’t see dolphins, we pay only 400pesos!

We met him on the beach by 5:30am the next day and at around 7am, our boat was floating in deep waters waiting for the dolphins. We were floating… sailing fast… lingering slowly..then sailing fast again - all these went on for what seemed to be ages that we were starting to smell disappointment, but at the same time, feeling rather triumphant that we won’t be shelling out the extra 1,300pesos(only 400pesos), hurray!
Suddenly, lo and behold! they started to appear….starting with two jumping together in perfect synchrony, then four…then more that i started to lose count! A school of dolphins, I swear there must have been hundreds of them!!
I was almost crying with joy while continuously clicking my camera! I must put this awesomely moving moment into picture!

Suddenly, the camera’s memory card registered “FULL”.  Oh no! I need another card!
But H was so absorbed videoing the moment that he wouldn’t even take his eyes off that damn video camera.  He was deaf to my screaming “where-the-heck-is-the-extra-memory-card?”

Groping on his camera bag, I eventually found one - what a relief! - but alas! the dolphins were jumping too fast  and the boat was continuously tilting that it was almost impossible to get a stable shot. And even with the camera’s sports mode (continuous shooting), it was difficult to get a full-bodied shot.

I then soon realized that all these photographic greed is in itself interrupting this heart-moving experience so I put the camera away and went on to enjoy the sight of these wonderful creatures.
These dolphins in the wild are so beautiful, so graceful, they are like humans with the way they are showing off.  They know fully well that we (some ten boats all in all) were there just to watch them and they did not disappoint us!  I simply adore them!  And after seeing them so happy in the wild, I now abhor what they are doing in HongKong’s Ocean Park, and now, we are even doing this in our own backyard, at Manila Ocean Park! 

Dolphins.  I have added them to my list of “must-see before i leave this earth!”.   

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There was no Apo Island snorkelling nor sightseeing today!

We got to Malatapay pier hoping to hire a boat but they were charging 1,500 pesos for a return trip.   We could  see the Apo just waving infront of us and to pay such amount is highway robbery!   Well, it’s not that we cannot afford it, it’s the principle!  We would not let them get away with charging so much money for a mere few minutes boat trip so we went away.  An Apo Island resort staff agreed with us, even moaned that it is the (municipal) government who push these boatmen to charge these ridiculous fees because they charge so much license fees to operate the boat tours.  

In order not to waste the day, we hailed a bus to Bais city hoping that we could see dolphins instead.   But holy cow!  The tourist office staff who operates the boat charges even higher.   For a big boat, you pay 3,500pesos, and for a smaller boat,  2,500pesos.   We looked at the small boat - a piece of what seems to be a floating box so old and rundown that we won’t even buy it for that amount!  They won’t even give in to our haggling - like, we arrived there at almost 3pm and boat trips last till 5pm, so even With 2 hours left, we still have to pay the full fare!   I mean, what are they trying to do?   But forget the foreigners, even local tourists wouldn’t even afford it so what happens is, we, Filipinos, wouldn’t even have the chance to see our own dolphins because of the high cost of seeing them!

Well, it’s not that we cannot afford it.  It’s the principle.  To let them get away with it is encouraging them to keep doing it, so we just did our favorite activity - that of walking. This is the best way to see the countryside because you get to see at close range the flowers, the people, their houses and what they do, in fact, the most colorful photographs we took were that of roadside encounters.

I got a lot of photos of barrio people (excellent for photojournalism!) who would even say ’salamat’ (thank you) for taking their pictures.  Believe me - this is a big no-no in Europe!

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Maria has taken some really nice shots and as she can speak Tagalog (although they speak mainly Visayas here) we enter into conversations easily with people and have taken some really good shots of children and people laughing and smiling outside their very poor little shacks. Some of them are so basic. Just a simple slatted bamboo floor to sleep on and they cook outside on an open fire. We were with one family today who were so pleased to have their beautiful children photographed, it was quite touching. I wish we had a polaroid so we could give them an instant picture to keep. They really have so little but always manage to smile and be very polite.The more I explore the Philippines, the more I realize the tremendous potential and natural resources it has. Unfortunately, the government is corrupt and hopeless and the country has been exploited for so long they cannot seem to get out of the poverty trap. We have really learnt a lot about bamboo and struck up a good friendship. I am convinced that there is a big market in Europe plus Bamboo is a fast growing and sustainable resource unlike cutting down hardwood forests in the Philippines. It is an incredible material. The more I research on it, the more I am fascinated with it and the potential it has.

…..A European in the Philippines

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We went for a day trip to Cebu today via a fastcraft (going) and pumpboat (coming).   The trip was only for 20 minutes and we went as far as Oslob, then Santander, both sleepy little towns with sleepy looking villagers…

Tomorrow we go to Apo Island  for another day trip of eco-touring and hopefully, more snorkelling.  Day after that, few days in Bohol then back to Manila to take a trip to the North.

So after some 11 days in the Visayas - Siquijor, Dumaguete and bit of Cebu, here are my comments:

Dumaguete is a rich town, most of the people have their own businesses, from a bilao selling trinkets to selling bamboo products to anything really. It’s also aclean, the locals obviously more disciplined, cleaning their own frontyard and growing flowering plants which make the town very nice and colorful.

That part of Cebu where we have been is noticeably poor.   We passed by the highway, the same road going to Cebu City, and the place is dirtier, poorly maintained, old houses close to collapsing, there is not much business going on except for some sari-sari stores where you cannot even buy a bottle of mineral water. 
Siquijor is a green island, lots of coconut trees which reminds H so much of the Caribbean but they do not grow enough vegetables that they import them from Cebu and Mindanao.   You can probably call it a bit prosperous because we don’t see poverty and beggars, only a long line of people by the roadside drawing water from a single tap, the only public tap for drinking water in the village.  Those who can afford to pay the cost of digging a well in their own backyard are luckier!

The common things we have observed about these places are:

-  For a country growing the most exotic fruits like mango, banana, etc, it is almost impossible to find fresh fruit shakes and juices in hotels, restaurants and even in an ordinary eatery.   All they can offer you is juice in a bottle or a can! or Coca-Cola! hey! do you know that Dumaguete City or probably the entire Negros Oriental is Coca Cola country?  The logo and the colour red is painted everywhere, in all eateries, in all stores and even in houses that don’t have anything to do with selling drinks or snacks!   Call it marketing strategy!

- That we cannot find a single eatery, except in our favorite cafeteria in Dumaguete - serving native coffee!   Even hotels and restaurants don’t serve brewed coffee!  Hello!!  I thought we grow coffee beans in Batangas??  All they can offer us is Nescafe in sachet, Nescafe in sachet and only Nescafe in sachet! Wow!  How lucky could Nescafe get?  Monopolising the coffee culture of the Filipinos! (these Nescafe in sachet is very difficult to open anyway that servers had to include a pair of scissors in their serving tray! 

-  That we have so much natural resources in this country, bamboo, nipa, rattan, copra for example, which we can develop into a source of livelihood for the people.   Not to mention human resources where we have a tremendous supply!

I also see the natural beauty of our islands, this alone could bring tourism in our country which would give a source of income for every Filipino. Our coral reefs are the talk of the whole diving world, we should use it to our advantage!

And if we could just put our acts together - the government, the people - we don’t have to send our skilled workers to work as Domestic Helpers or contract workers to other countries.

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The bell tower of Siquijor

We are now on the beautiful island of Siquijor that has just clearly blown us away. It’s a tropical paradise, very laid back and peaceful with smiling friendly natives.

We are staying in the Kiwi Dive resort in a small nipa hut with no airconditioning but its fine. It’s cheap.

The dive spot starts just on the left where the boats are moored.

The girls who run the resort are lovely and so helpful.  We have been diving (snorkel, fins and mask) on the reef this morning. We were there for hours. Its just beautiful. The colours of the reef fish and corals are really a sight to behold. We even saw a sea snake. There are dolphins but we have not seen any yet. Bright blue star fish and evidence of sea turtles. You can see the holes where they lay their eggs in the pure white sand.Here, it is so facinating and totally stress free.

You just take your time, explore everything, go beach combing and see wonderful shells and corals just lying on the beach. If you get bored with that you go for a walk and explore the local flora which is mind blowing - bird of paradise flowers just hanging. The air is good and we both feel good.We are taking lots of exercise and can’t keep away from the water.

We finally found the only one internet cafe on the island, at Larena and just a while ago, a family from the mountains was trying to sell us a whole chicken, live, for only 100pesos! If only there’s more room in our suitcase.

 …………..A European in the Philippines

The bakery angels

Thanks for posing, spot!

This garden grass is planted on the roadside then sold per piece

Trying the “tuba” (coconut liquor)

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We are now on the Island of Negros in the Visayas, Philippines.

It is unbelievably beautiful.
We are having a fabulous time, meeting many interesting people, swimming and exploring the area. We are also looking at some business opportunities which so far look quite promising.
We have not been dolphin-watching but we hope to do so. Unfortunately the main season for this is in the Philippine summer which is March to May. We will however chance our luck and hire a boat. I also plan to go diving when we go to Siquijor and Apo Island where there is a Marine reserve.

The tropical flowers here are really beautiful. The place is full of exotic hibiscus, bourgainvilleas and orchids just to name a few. It is of course hot and quite humid. I prefer to be near the sea where you get a nice breeze.

It is very cheap to live here and the food is good , particularly the seafood and fish.
I think that I could easily live here for 6 months of the year and the other 6 months in France. I have to confess that I am not missing Leicester at all and I have adapted very quickly to the simple way of life here on the islands. We are enjoying the photographic opportunities and also writing about our experiences. I have time to think here and follow my interests completely stress free which is really great. We are both feeling fit and happy and pleased to have some time together in such a beautiful place.

Fish is good but difficult to find a restaurant where they understand how to cook it, We dream of having our own place here where we can buy food in the local markets and then cook it ourselves.

We are planing to go to the small island of Siquijor either tomorrow or the day after. We are going to book one night in a resort which is right on the white sandy beach with all facilities. Its not really expensive considering what you get. Its about 18 gbp per night but the hotel where we are staying in Dumaguete is only 10 gbp per night and very comfortable.

We hope to also hire a boat and go to Apo Island where there is the marine reserve that we can dive on. We have to go on an outrigger boat called a banca.

We have been having fun travelling on the local shared transport - the jeepneys and motor tricycles. You would not believe the number of people that they pack into them, We took a ride back to town and there must have been 60 people in the jeep, on the roof and hanging onto the back. I counted 10 just hanging on the back onto rails. Maria managed to twist her ankle the other day which slowed us down a bit but she seems to have recovered quickly with just a slight limp. We are walking a lot and trying to get as much exercise as possible. Life is laidback, easy, cheap and relatively stressless if you have a bit of money. You can live very well on 250 gbp per month.

The change has really done us good. I was so fed up with Leicester and that high stress job. I now feel liberated and have quickly forgotten it all, Its amazing how quickly you can adapt to the way of life here. There is never a dull moment. Always a new story to hear, a new place to see, sights and smells of the market which are so colourful. People seem happy and are always laughing and smiling. They don’t have much but I have not seen any bad poverty here, however Manila is another story. Its just terrible some of the slums we have seen. Really pitiful. The most gross thing that i have seen here on Negros is an enormous fat American, I mean enormous with a tiny little Filipina girl. I guess she just wants a ticket out of here albeit with a total slob.

I am feeling pretty good and relaxed. It is so nice to go out in the evening in open sandals, a tee shirt and shorts and not be cold.

We have been looking at Bamboo and have been getting on well with a dutch philanthropist married to a Filipina who has been in the philippines for 43 years. He looks good on it and must be at least 75. His name is Franz and is the chairman of the Bamboo institute in Dumaguete. They make the most superb nipa huts, houses, gazeebos and furniture all in native style.

It will take me too long to tell you about Franz but such an interesting guy with a big heart , a passion for his work and the well being of the Filipino people. He is very active with his wife to get better conditions and deals for the local farmers and really ecologically minded looking at sustainable development on this beautiful island. He also has learnt the local language Visayan which is different to Tagalog. We plan to make a DVD documentary of his story.

……………..A European in the Philippines

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Wednesday is the day when the sleepy town of Malatapay in Zamboangita, half an hour ride from Dumaguete comes alive when vendors from neighbouring barangays come to sell their animals.  There is even an auction for the cows and pigs!  The produce and people from nearby towns come to do their marketing.   For the locals, the scene is very ordinary albeit chaotic, but for foreigners (where we saw a lot today) it is very exciting and a great opportunity for taking photographs!

What I find very fascinating is that the locals are all happy and only too wlling to be photographed!  They even smile and pose for the camera!  If you are in England, they will castigate you for it, and if the photographic subject is children, before you know it, a policeman will be arresting you and take you to jail!  Why? Because they will suspect you for a paedophile!

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I sprained my ankle today! my fault because i got carried away photographing the mind-blowing view of the sea, the mountains, the islands of cebu and siquijor in the far distance, and the beautiful gardens of “Our Lady’s Garden”. I didn’t see the steps going down and i twisted my ankle! thank goodness, my beautiful camera was safe and sound with that fall!

A must-visit when in Dumaguete is the “Our Lady’s Garden in Sibulan. A big statue of the Virgin Mary will welcome you up on the hill, majestically standing there amongst the beautifully landscaped gardens. And when you get in, you will be blown away by yet more beautiful flowering plants and traditional bamboo houses each representing Luzon, visayas and mindanao. 

Another place to add on your list is the Sidlakang Negros, a village showcasing different bamboo houses also representing the different towns of Negros Oriental.

Show huts in Sidlakang Negros
The reason why we found these two places is because we were lucky enough to meet the Bamboo King of Negros, Franz, a Dutch who had lived in the Phils for 42 years. Franz has designed all these bamboo houses (and furniture) and even supplied the bamboo cottages to most of the beach resorts in negros oriental, each one painstakingly built by the mountain men he trained in order to give them a means of livelihood. his bamboo enterprise is a non-profit organisation, supported by the government of Negros and his missionary group. So while Franz is doing his noble deed of helping this mountain people earn their living, his wife Inday is also helping women who are victims of rape, domestic crimes and others.

On friday, they are inviting us to a conference to be attended by Negros farmers, bishops and pastors so that the former can voice their plight about the government’s plan to convert their agricultural land into bio-fuel production plants. whereas the existing land is where the farmers get their main source of livelihood (where they grow rice and corn), they are now in panic about their future. there is also the resulting chemical waste of these plants getting into the sea, particularly the Tanon Strait which will threaten the habitat of dolphins and whales, not to mention the marine life which is the main source of food of the people.

It’s just a shame that the conference will be in Visayan dialect so hubby won’t be able to appreciate it.

The Buglas Bamboo workshop

One of the project resorts of Franz

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