Pink Churches etal

Some things I love about the Philippines, the sunsets, the people, the warm water, the people, the smiles, the resiliency, the combination of old and new,  Today I was driving home from Moalboal, I decided to drive during “the fight”, figuring the roads would be clearer.  I was right; I made it home in record time.  Along the way I passed many people coming from the fight or church.  I tried to guess from their faces if Manny had won.  They were smiling and I was thinking the answer was yes. It turns out he lost.
I stopped in Minglanilla, to look at the pink church I have passed several times.  I parked in the church lot, the service inside, was broadcast outside.  There was a statue with a message, please fix the statue of Jose Rizal.  The fake Greek columns and steps and terraces could have been beautiful if they were not in such disrepair.  On the road again, I loved seeing the water buffalo being led down the center of the new SRP highway.  Had a burrito for dinner tonight, decent.  You’ve got to love the Philippines despite and because of its growing pains, contradictions and frustrations.

May Day, off to Moalboal

Off on May Day!  I like this. Off in the morning to Moalboal, a seaside town.  I hope to rest and perhaps snorkel.  Going to Cora’s place, I stayed at when I went before.  Moalboal is often suggested for good, “local” beaches, it is a 2 to 3 hour drive from here.  I am spoiled by the California beaches.  I love the long stretches of beach in Point Reyes.   Generally these are rocky beaches, although there are “white sand” spots throughout the Philippines.  The water here is much warmer and the reefs are great.  Moalboal is another of the many dive spots around, I hope to tag on a boat, called banka here, to snorkel.  

To catch you up, I had a long weekend, the end of March for Tucky’s 60^th birthday.  We flew to a sweet island, Camiguin.  We rented motorbikes for the day and went around the island.  Stopped at a beautiful waterfall.  We stayed in a very small “hotel”.  We had our own small building with a veranda, yummy breakfast and dinner at a restaurant owned by a guy from San Diego.

 

 Spring Break in Japan

Serene met me in Japan for spring break and we had a terrific trip! Tokyo was amazing, the amount of people, the train stations, the beauty. As we got off the train in Tokyo, we got lost in Shinjinkin station.  It must have six exits.  After walking for an hour, supposed to be a three minute walk, we finally took a cab.  Leaving Tokyo for Kyoto, two days later was also laughable.  We stood for an hour at the wrong level on the station, watching trains go by, until we realized our mistake.  

 We had one night in Kyoto, passing Mt. Fuji on the train, on the way.  The highlight for me here was the shrine behind Starbucks.  Across from our hotel was a Starbucks and behind that the shrine.  We learned about the hand washing, purification, at the shrines.  If I have this right, Shinto has shrines and Buddhism has temples, all of it fascinating.  Cherry blossom were in full bloom, we saw an illuminated show at the castle in Kyoto.  One could spend a lot of time there, but we had Sachiko for one day. Atchikochi.org  She was referred through Serene’s family, and she is delightful.  First stop was the Nishijin Textile Center, with a fashion show of kimonos.  On to the Golden Pavilion, the Gion district and Kennin-ji, the oldest Zen Temple in Kyoto.  We never could have done it without Sachiko guide us and to get us on and off buses.   

Next stop was Nara, an almost mystical place.  I think Serene and I both reacted to the forests.  Nara Park is known for having over 1000 deer roaming around.  We booked three nights in a ryokan, a Japanese guest house, located right next to the park.  We booked the meal plan.  I have never loved Sushi before, this was exquisite.  We had a choice of dinner served in our room or in the restaurant downstairs.  We tried both.  The dishes just kept coming!  The first night I had no idea what I was eating but I love meals with lots of tastes and small portions.  We learned to ask for a menu in English.  Nara is home to the Todai-Ji Temple with the largest bronze Buddha. It was awe inspiring.  We watched a ceremony at the Kasuga Taisha Shrine at the foot of the mountain.  The mountain is sacred, as Shintos “have faith in the veneration nature.”  It also has over 3000 lanterns. 

 I hope you enjoyed the short slide show.


Thanks if you've read this far, it's nice too know you care.  Moalboal was great, I didn't need a banka, I snorkeled right outside my door!  Awesome sunsets.

 Sardines and more sardines!

I’m off to a weekend in Singapore for a workshop in May.  School ends June 6th and I leave for China June 9^th.  The adventures continue!

I'm so lucky! February adventures 2015

I'm so lucky!  Not everyone would think so, but I sure do.  I get to explore the world and have meaningful work, that pays me decently.  Am I in the 1%,  Sure feels like it here.  The Philippines continues to welcome and frustrate me.  Since returning from spring break, I realize how much I have adjusted here.  The weather does not bother me any more.  I still live inside in A/C most of the time, because I can afford to, but the heat is not depressing any more.  I enjoy the afternoon breezes and my walks.  The traffic is normal to me now, which is a bit scary. I weave in and out with the best of them.
Feb. 17th,
Since last post, I have been to Manila for a day, to renew my passport.  I had an early am appointment so I got to spend the day in Manila.  I planned my day, with the National library, just a few blocks from the embassy, and the Intermuros, old walled part of the city nearby.   I was pleasantly surprised at how clean the streets were, and the walk was pleasant.
  When I arrived at the Library, I found the sign that said closed.  I asked the guard to let me in and went upstairs. 

So this is the frustrating part, in my opinion, there should be an uproar that the library is closed!  It is a valuable and much needed public resource.  But to object is not the Philippine way.  They make the best of what they have?  Onward to Rizal Park,  I have read much about and some by Rizal.  He is a, perhaps the,  important leader.  I believe he is called a man of the people, yet when I went by his statue, I couldn't get close, there were armed men standing guard. I was ordered off the lawn. 

The park itself is delightful and intriguing, Then on to the walled city, Intramuros.  There are many churches there, I only went to the big one, where I could pick up a horse cart ride. 

  I visited the church, love the "Lady of the Philippines" picture, so Mexican, Spanish looking. The stained glass was also beautiful. Does anyone else think the man in the first panel looks like Jimmy Durante? Kippas on their heads? 





Back to the airport and home in Cebu by evening.  Would like to explore more.

Feb 21, I set out with two colleagues, Elaine and Marj, with Susie in back, for the island of Negros.  My plan was to spend the night around Dumaguete and then go to a resort, Mumbukal, that accepted dogs.  What a disaster!  Dumaguete was busy, wouldn't take dogs, we finally found a resort a bit out of town.

.
The next day  I got really lost. i decided not to take the main road to the resort.  I went over roads I probably shouldn't have, and back again, sinceIi had to turn around after a couple of hours of this.  So we spent two much time looking for a place that took dogs.  We stopped for dinner around 7 at a restaurant owned by an Austrian man and family.  The result was, we stayed at a house on the property of the man at the next table.  He was also Austrian, married to a woman from Cebu, near Bogo. They were kind, interesting and   so accomodating!  They have a large property in a seaside village.  We woke by the sea, and went in search of breakfast. 

 my companions went back to the city and I rested in a delightful Nipa hut.

Love this exit sign, I needed the reminder.

 

That was just February, more in March.  My first year in the Philippines is almost over, I've learned a lot and enjoyed alot!

Love this sentiment, says alot about the Philippines to me,  and I love Halo Halo,  

http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1955442_1955443_1953940,00.html

6. Halo-halo By Lara Day

Bon Appetit /

If you could distill an entire culture into a single beverage, it would have to be a halo-halo. Confounding to some yet irresistible to others, this quintessentially Pinoy drink cum dessert — with a name that literally translates as "jumble-jumble" — is a refreshing concoction of shaved ice and evaporated milk, mixed up with any combination of sweetened beans, candied fruit, nata de coco, leche flan (Filipino crème caramel), ube (purple yam) concentrate and jelly, among other ingredients. Don't forget to top it off with a scoop of ube ice cream.

Alternate Reality

I haven’t blogged in a while for a couple of reasons.  One is because between work and travel, I’ve been busy..  The other reason is because I sometimes feel I’m in an alternate reality.  
 Thailand was wonderful!  I enjoyed being away from the din of Christmas, red and green and holiday songs.  There were some signs of Christmas in Thailand but minimally, not the amount in the states and Cebu.  Thailand is colorful, clean and welcoming.  It was easy to get around and there is a lot to see.  I had a wonderful trip (by subway) to the “weekend Market”.  Picture the biggest flea market you’ve ever seen, with a variety greater than you can imagine.  I bought a silk bed set, bathrobe, blouse, three bracelets, earrings, cool shoes and elephant pictures.  I don’t think the total was $100.  Then I went sight seeing, mostly to the famous Wats (temples). 

 I saw the huge reclining Buddha, large Buddhas and small, beautiful carved doors and murals.  I went to the Royal Barge museum too.  Of course, we ate well, Indian and Thai food. 

 Then we flew to the town of Chang Mai.  I loved this small town, easy to walk around the walled city.  We had a one day package that included an elephant ride, a bamboo raft ride on the river and a walk to the waterfall.  Visited many more Wats and shopped some more, pant, scarves, souvenirs.  We also visited the Art in Paradise, Chiang Mai 3D Art Museum, perfect for selfies, and amazing. 

 Read “Bamboo Tattoo”, loved it . We took a bus farther north to Chang Rai, not as quaint but still lovely.  The highlights were a visit to the Asean Flower Festival, with music, dancing and flower displays and a visit to the WhiteTemple, another Wat done almost entirely in white with a great art collection.  Tucky, my traveling companion had to return to Cebu and I choose the “Slow Boat to Laos".  It consisted of a two day trip down the Mekong River.  One night stay(in a funky hotel) in Pakbeng and arrival the second day in Luang Prabeng.  The boat was pleasant, with people from all over and good conversations.  We arrived the second day in Luang Prabang, Laos.   My hotel in Luang Prabang was about a mile from town with a free shuttle and free bicycle,  I used both.  It is a beautiful riverside town that caters to tourists, many French, Russian and Thai.  It was great to stroll town, visit the museums and take a trip to the nearby waterfall.  More good shopping too.  The last day, I took the bus to the capital of Laos, Vientiane.  Bummer! my luggage was stolen at the bus station but I did have my shopping bag with most of my newly acquired goodies and of course my purse and passport.  The next day, January 4^th,  flew back to Cebu.

So that brings us to the new year.  Right after we got back, a local festival, Sinulog, was approaching.  The school hosts a family day with games, dancing and music and lots of food.  The following weekend, the festival takes place in downtown Cebu.  I got out of town, went to stay in Bogo, in the north.  
 The next week was called “Week without walls” at Cebu International School.  Classes reach out to the community.  I visited the local elementary school with the fifth graders.  We also went to the Mandaue dump site, which houses hundreds of families.  With the fourth graders, we made “liters of light” for those nearby without electricity.  We visited the historic sites in Cebu and the Jesuit museum, rich with Cebu history.

These experiences were eye opening.  The local fifth grade had 52 students in a small room with no air conditioning.  The library was a textbook storage area with six ancient computers.  The students were smiling and friendly, as are most people in the Philippines. 
  The alternate reality or universe is a feeling composed of the different ways people relate here and the different experiences.  People here talk with their eyebrows, it means hello, excuse me, etc.  It is actually charming.  The part that is not charming, rather frustrating, is when people act like they understand you but they don’t.  Or they just  ignore what you’ve said, like it never happened.   An example is when I was in the store the other day and asked where to find something, they just smiled and said thank you. This happens often.  Like, did I really talk? 
 Alternate reality is the traffic.  I live 6 km (about 3 miles) from school.  It takes about 30 minutes each morning.  I call it my morning obstacle course.  Motorcycles come toward you, on your side of the road, I dodge bikes, people and carts, the good part is you are never going fast.  The pot holes are numerous and challenging.  Jeepneys are always allowed the right of way and of course, they rarely signal their intentions.  One of the common expressions is “wait awhile”.  What is a while?  It depends.  Very little is easy here, from banking to eating out, to getting around.  So my days are spent with strange experiences, getting less strange with time.  All of this happens with a happiness and intentions of helpfulness.  Am I in the twilight zone?