philippines redux

in honor of ann & dabney's recent trip to the philippines, they decided to re-post an email sent this time last year, also from the philippines. for those that weren't privy (or should we say burdened) by these email updates last year, ann & dabney sent them periodically from the road during a six-month trip around the pacific rim. this time, they included photos to complete the experience.

It was so nice to be greeted at the airport by familar faces - our special tour guides "Tessie" and "Be," a.k.a. Ann's mom and aunt.



We thought we would have a relaxing two weeks in their care, but Tessie had us on a strict schedule - all planned in advance (for us a real treat = a break from constant decision-making). Manila meant family - lots o' family - grandmother (Nanay), Nana Rosa, Aunte Heling, Nana Osong, Uncle Boy, Aunt Esther, cousins Christine, Hazel and Diane. And that doesn't include friends of family (a very fine line in Filipino tradition).

The Philippines-- having been occupied by China, Japan, Spain, and America at points throughout its history-- reflects all of the above, but most resembles the basilicas and churches of Spain.



More than once, Dabney thought it looked like St. Augustine, Florida (for those of you who have been there). We spent some time re-stocking our supplies, sightseeing around Manila and a day trip to Corriegdor, site of WWII battles and General MacArthur's stomping grounds, and a lot of Pinoy pride. After five years of living together, Dabney finally was able to fully indulge in Ann's culinary traditions - we found a vegetarian restaurant that served "chicken" adobo, etc... Dabney was in heaven and finally understand what all the drooling was about. Beside eating, we wandered around markets, had some clothes made, and bought $2 "Swatches."

After a few days in Manila, we took a boat to the island of Mindoro and the small town of Puerto Gallera. Our first day was spent on a cart attached to a water buffalo going down trails and through streams in the middle of nowhere.



The ride was rough and hilarious. We know our words will never do justice to the sight of 5 women laughing and screaming as the cart rolled over boulders and nearly tipped over repeatedly. The final destination (a spring and some waterfalls) made the bruised bums worth the rough ride.

Our accomodations in Puerto Gallera were bungalows made of woven rattan, thatched straw roofs with open slats for air circulation, a fan and a mosquito net. We had three adjoining rooms separated by walls the thickness of a peso bill. We learned a lot about Tessie during this trip - the main thing being her fear of foot-long lizards which are called ti-coks (a Tagalog word which sounds a lot like the actual sound they make). For fear of the ti-coks, Tessie made us all sleep with the lights on to keep them away. The first night this worked fine. The second night it rained and we woke in the middle of the night to thousands of winged termites beating against our mozzie net. It was a swarm of biblical proportions. From the sounds next door, we learned that a hungry ti-cok had jumped on the top of Tessie and Be's net for a late night feast and stubbornly refused to leave. Never mind the bugs - the screaming and laughing next door made it hard to sleep that night. The next morning we found thousands of termite wings covering our floors like snow drifts.

We then went to Bohol in a section of the Philippines called the Visayas. There we visited the famous "chocolate hills" which looked like hundreds of mammoth chocolate kisses dotting the landscape. We also spent some time on one of the most amazing beaches we've ever seen.



Our last night in Bohol was May fiesta and was spent driving around visiting the families of Tessie and Be's friends from Kennett, MO. Per Filipino custom, we were required to sit down to meals at each household.



After our third full dinner of crab, shrimp, lumpia (eggrolls), pancit (noodles), lechon (roast pig), leche flan (creme caramel) we were finally driven home exhausted and thirteen pounds heavier. Whoever told us we'd lose weight on this trip has never been to the Philippines.

As you can imagine, we were so sad to say goodbye to Ann's mom and aunt. We can't believe we are already half way through our trip. In honor of our mid-way point, we decided to list out all the modes of transporation we have taken since leaving Boston. Here they are:

Plane
Bus
Catamaran
Mini-bus
Van
Car
Junk boat
Hydrofoil
Riverboat
Speedboat
Ferry
Water Buffalo
Tuk Tuk
Sidecar (Filipino pedal taxi)
Calesa (horse-drawn carriage)
Taxi
Jeepney
Train
Shinkansen (Bullet train)
Cyclo
Sailboat
Horse
Dinghy
Songthaew (Thai motorized boat)
Long-tail boat

Next installment: Australia, including the rainforest, Ann's "chundering" into the South Pacific, the Great Barrier Reef, and much much more!!!