Four and a half hours later we arrive in Manila and Clair with driver Rolling were there to meet us. We stopped at SM to pick up rotisserie chicken for diner. Our niece Laarni (daughter of Roberto) who is Nori’s brother was visiting.
Taken in Clair's kitchen.
We chilled out and talked about our China trip and I went on FB to let anyone who reads those posts that we had returned.
Saturday: We went to SM and Nori and I got a pedicure, together and bonded (girl style), then I was taken to a hair salon to get a shampoo, haircut and blow-dry. This was living the “Life of Riley” for those who remember that old TV program. We also purchased some medicine, change money and when we got home, we washed clothes.
Sunday: Raining…. It was a good thing that Monday was wash day so our clothes would be dry to pack. We had to work on our blog and upload photos which took all day and only I broke for 3 meals. The internet was very slow to load photos.
Monday: Nori and I were dropped at SM as soon as it was open to avoid the school sales, so just the two of us could spend quality time together again and check out every little shop. There was not very many men’s clothing places but plenty of ladies things to buy and we went a little wild. We also got facials together…this girl pampering is GREAT! We went back to shopped till we dropped and spent 2 meals at the mall. We did not expect to find such good deals….wow shopping is addicting and everything we found was affordable and of course it was mostly for Nori.
Clair was getting worried that something happened to us since we were gone so long…so she came to the mall looking for us. She found us eating because shopping is exhausting and it makes you hungry.
We went back home to find that sister Lily who is accompanying us to the Bicol region had also arrived. It was time to work on our blog again and we stayed up to till 2 AM to complete it before our departure to Legespi city the next day.I was too tired to pack that night and just got up early to sort out all of our stuff and select the items needed to take to the province.
Tuesday: Our driver arrived early and we took advantage of it just in case we ran into traffic in Manila. We got dropped off and went through the normal security check and again we could carry-on water but not folding umbrellas. Our A/C for the second time has this cool mist venting out from overhead. I have never seen this before and thought that it was a fluke the first time but apparently not.
Strange mist?
Our flight only took an hour and I slept for most of it. After deplaning in Legaspi, Lily negotiated for an A/C van with driver to take us to Gabao (2.5 hour trip) with a stop at a prearranged (via text messaging) destination to pick up our niece Jannah (daughter of Evelyn and Tino) and her friend. They both had a school break and needed a ride back home and since we had hired a van…….why not……that is just how things are done here.
Evelyn and Tino were home to greet us and we settled up with the driver for P2500.00 pesos plus a tip for the side trip to pick up Jannah.
Welcome to Gabao sign.
Left to right: Lily, Nori, Evelyn and Tino
Evelyn and Tino's place.
Shortly after arrival we found out that the two burner stove that requires LP gas in a bottle just like our gas barbeques back home was out and they were using firewood to cook outside. Evelyn and Lily we chosen to make the gas run while Nori and I took an early evening stroll to the center of the village (one street) and pick up some instant coffee and banana ketchup.
Nori saw some old (long time) friends and I greeted all the folks just sitting outside their home/sari-sari store as we passed by. Folks are friendly but you have to initiate the greeting because they are shy to foreigners. That’s easy for me to do because shyness is not in my vocabulary.
As darkness was upon us, Nori’s brother Roberto and wife Roring along with their 4 year old grandson, Vien, arrived by motorcycle to greet us. Roberto has always been a hard worker who had to work overseas numerous times to provide for his wife and three children. He is a great brother-in-law and we always enjoy each other’s company.
Roberto with wife Roring and grandson Vien.
We ate and talked about what is going on in our lives now and made some future plans to go to the hot springs and waterfall in the mountains. Cock fights are on Sundays…and that’s a must! We plan to enjoy the heat together and have plenty of beer/wine coolers on hand in case it rains, just like the old days of typhoon parties.
Wednesday: We did not sleep very well because those pesky chickens are all over and I swear that the next door neighbor has a chicken farm.
Fighting cock from next door to Evelyn.
As it turns out…he is raising fighting cocks and I’m hoping that he enters all of them in Sunday’s cock fight and they lose. In fact, I think that it’s such a good idea; I might pay his entrance fee just to have a 50/50 chance that they don’t survive. I’ll get back to you on that!
This was the day to go food shopping and so after a good wash up called tabo. Tabo is when you use a large 40 gal plastic container filled with water and then use a dipping plastic pot to toss water on you to wash off shampoo and soap. Nori and I bath together and I sit on a plastic stool to bath to lessen the chance of slipping. Sorry, no nude photos available for free...check out our pay per view plan when we get back! The water is not heated and the coolness of the water is refreshing after the initial cold shock.
Tino fetched a relative that has a tricycle to take us to the market place and I went with the three sisters. We had made a list of what to buy and toilet paper was #1 on our list……even before beer. The main grocery/hardware store that we went to does not have a whole lot to chose from but keep in mind that they do not sell meat, fish or vegetables there, just dry goods. Across the street is the fresh food market to complete the rest of the list.
Note: Mustard was not to be found anywhere and so we went without. I bought case of San Miguel beer with half apple flavor and the other lemon and 12 bottles of Tanduay Ice (wine cooler) for the ladies. It was suggested that I should buy a couple of bottles Emperador Light Brandy because that is the local drink of choice and that we would have some guest later that night. We also bought some ice to cool down the beer and Tanduay Ice that did not fit into the freezer.
After unloading all the groceries, I took a photo stroll to the property where Nori and sister Floria and nephew Marlon had pooled their monies to buy years ago.
Property has the coconut trees.
Property close up.
The rice fields had already been harvested and folks were still drying the rice grains before they could take them to the mill. The street is the most common place for the drying process and happens throughout the Philippines.
On the street to Gabao.
At the rice mill.
In Gabao.
I took some photos of orchids and other flowers and fruit
Cacao (Coca)
Orchid^
Cacao tree.
Lily
Orchid
Avocado
Casaba root
Casaba plant.
Papaya.
Pomelo
Orchid
Orchid
Orchid
I don't know, but it was pretty.
Orchid
Orchid
Orchid
Orchid
Atis
Yellow Bell
Orchid
Don't know?
Not sure!
Boaganavea?
Unknown?
I have no idea?
Jack Fruit
In the Jack Fruit family but smaller
along with a plant that locals call “sleepy plant”.
I first saw this kind of low ground covering more than 40 years ago when I was stationed at Clark AB. I remember crossing a field to walk from the barracks to the Airman’s Club and it covered the ground. This amazing plant has fascinated me since I first encountered it in 1970. When crossing a field, one could look back and see your footsteps where you walked. Its sooo cool!
Mimosa pudica (from Latin: pudica "shy, bashful or shrinking"; also called sensitive plant and the touch-me-not), is a creeping annual or perennial herb often grown for its curiosity value: the compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken, re-opening minutes later. The stem is erect in young plants, but becomes creeping or trailing with age. The stem is slender, branching, and sparsely to densely prickly, growing to a length of 1.5 m (5 ft). The leaves of the mimosa pudica are compound leaves.
The leaves are bipinnately compound, with one or two pinnae pairs, and 10-26 leaflets per pinna. The petioles are also prickly.
My brother-in-law Roberto met me on my way back and we walked together to Evelyn’s place. He arrived with a very tall son,
nicked named Bombay (he has a dark complexion), grandson and wife with homemade food items.
Roring made (Atcharra ) pickled papaya with carrots, garlic, ginger, vinegar, hot peppers and sugar and it was delicious.
Roberto made a dessert called Malagkit. It is a long and tedious process to make and it takes all day. Basically it involves roasting, pounding, boiling, and mixing of rice that turns into flower and mixed with young coconut, and brown sugar. It too is delicious.
I got our lap top out to show pictures of family members and our travels. When it was dark, Nori got out those slingshot helicopters from China for the small and big kids to play. The rubber bands were deteriorated so Roberto took his motorcycle to the market to purchase new ones. The lighted helicopters were a hit and the neighbor hood kids came to watch and recover them after they were launched.
Evelyn had invited several of her lady friends over to celebrate the arrival of her sisters and I.
There were a total of 6 ladies and 3 men that came. When the guest started to arrive we moved into the house and only Roberto, Tino and I were having beer while the locals wanted the Emperador Light Brandy.
The men guest sat on a bench in the laundry/cooking room while the ladies sat at a large round table in the dining room.
One bottle went to each room along with one shot glass and one water glass with a pitcher of H2O. The bottle is opened and the first person pours a brandy and either adds water to the shot or drinks water after they down the brandy. The bottle, shot glass and glass of water are passed clockwise to the next person to get a drink. This process repeats itself till the bottle is empty. After each complete round the shot glass is rinsed in a rinse bowl. The men do the same but dispense with the rinse bowl. Neither nori, nor any of her sisters participated in the drinking of brandy shots. You guessed it! I had to step in and take one for the family and sat with the ladies while Tino sat with the men. The first bottle went in about 2 hours for both men and women and off to the store to get two more bottles we went. The brandy was quite smooth and it did not need a water chaser in my opinion, so I elected to just take shots. There is a lot of talking and sometimes it takes 10 minutes to pass the booze to the next person.
After the ladies and I had finished the second bottle, they were ready to go home and left the men here. Being that it was after midnight and the men still had a ways to go to finish their bottle, I joined the men for some shots as well. When it came to my turn, I filled the glass without water and tilted my head back. The guys offered me water but I told them that water was for women. They laughed and then not one of then took water with their shots from then on. It was my intention to speed up the process of finishing the bottle so Tino and I could send the fellows on their way and we could get to bed. It worked just liked I planed and 15 minutes we had that puppy downed.
Thursday: I slept much better than the night before…I can’t hear those chickens when I drink brandy…may have to do that more often. We had hot pandesal (warm buns) with scrambled eggs for breakfast and I had egg salad for lunch while dried fish was on the lunch menu. Jannah took me to the internet café and we both did an hour on line for a total of 75 cents. Even though generally things are affordable or downright cheap….the cash just seems to dwindle quickly.
As soon as Jannah and I got back, the three sisters were all dressed up and ready to pay their respects to the next door neighbor’s brother who had died of lung cancer at age 52. Even though I would love to have those fighting cocks enter the arena…the death in the family for the folks that live next door prevented me from making an offer to pay their fight fee on Sunday. The sisters go to the deceased home and I drop off my computer stuff at home before joining them. It was my first reviewing of the body that is in a home parlor room that was converted from a living room. I did think for a moment that this could be a photo opt...but common sense took over and I left my camera in my pocket.
The coffins top was all glass or Plexiglas and you could see the entire body. He looked real and there were typical flowers and candles lit along with information posted about his life. This was not a somber occasion as I was expecting. He had been on display for 6 days and today was the last before tomorrow’s funeral. There was a group of ladies playing cards just outside the front door and teens playing cards in the backyard while other folks sitting in various rooms. Apparently the card playing is not only accepted but encouraged because a percentage of each winning hand is collected and given to the family of the deceased. Nori said, that after her mother passed, she was in the house for 13 days while they waited for family members to arrive from overseas and over 3000 pesos was collected in that manner. We stayed for about 30 minutes and then continued on our way to Roberto’s and Roring’s home for meriendea.
We sat and talked for a spell, and then we were taken to see Roberto’s piggery and new second story added to his home since our last visit 6 years ago. He also took me to look at the rice field that he manages and we took lots of photos.
Piggery
Yummy
Mama
She was expecting and due in a few days and she is placed in this cage so if birth is in the middle of the night, she won't roll over on the babies by accident.
The second floor was added since my
last visit.
A view of the ladies from the balcony.
Front left view from roof.
Front straight view from roof.
Rear Right view from roof.
Zoom front left from roof.
Side/back view of Roberto's home.
We had taken 2 tricycles from Gabao to Tongdol and Roberto borrowed a friend’s tricycle to take us back home using only one. There were 8 of us including the driver on the ride back which included a river stream crossing because the bridge had been knocked out over 10 years ago. I rode on the side car railing standing up.
We made a stop since it was market day at the center of Gabao, where venders come from outside the area to sell their wares. I found a pair of slip on outside slippers that fits me and Nori bought some new big knives for the kitchen and some vegetables for diner. As diner was being prepared, I wrote in our blog draft and watched the French Open on cable TV. No shower (tabo only) but there is cable TV.
Friday: We slept well and had coffee and hot pandesal for breakfast. In the morning, I usually stand outside as the school children pass by and greet them with a "good morning" in English. Most of the children return the greeting with a big smile and reply with "good morning" too. I believe that it sets the tone for the day for both me and the school children.
As we were sitting around the table and it was only 7:30 in the morning, I suggested that we should go do something while it’s a weekday and kids are in school. We decided to go to the lake in the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park for a picnic.
Everyone pitched in with cooking and other preparations to be ready for 10 AM.
Our drivers arrived at quarter to ten and all 11 of us got loaded up with our food and drinks to head out. It was only half the price to take two tricycles rather than just one jeepney.
We turned right towards the mountain when we got to Irosin’s city center. It was a beautiful 30 minute drive through small mountain villages and lush foliage. It cost us P1000 pesos for the transportation for all of us and only 10 pesos per person park entrance fee. As soon as we arrived, we got a table and ate while the food was still warm. We had the drivers join us for lunch at our table and we all feasted.
Left to right: Tino, Jannah, Bombay, Evelyn, I, Roring, Nori and Lily.
Great photo of Roberto and his grandson Vien at the lake.
First person to guess correctly will win something to be determined.
e-mail us at: patandnori@hotmail.com to WIN!
There was a trail around the lake but it was a 2.5 hour trip and so, we just followed the trail for the first mile and took photos and came back. The park also offered canoe and water bike rentals and had a snack and drink store available.
On our way back, the three sisters and I wanted to stop at the market place for more food for our diner and also stop at the Hot Springs to reserve a table for Saturday.
Nori and her sisters bumped into more relatives at the market place and one cousin who owns a karaoke drinking bar invited us back that evening. Well, I think that everyone who knows me is aware of my skills as a singer………so, we did not go.
We got back late and next thing you know, it’s time to eat again. While those folks that had clean-up duty, (it was not my turn) I was visited by four school kids from next door that ranged in age from 6-9. We watched a little TV, played with their toy guns, took pictures and tried to understand each other.
They spoke Bicol and not Tagalog nor English. It was fun and I rewarded them for their visit with 5 pesos each. They were called away by their parents and returned later to show off the candy that they bought with their money.
I downloaded all the photos from the camera as I do nightly and recharged the battery for the next day’s shoot. Roberto came by for a visit and confirmed the time for the hot springs trip the next day.
Roberto sacrificed one of his pigs to make letchon (roasted pig) for our welcome home visit. We hired a guy to kill, prepare and cook the pig so Roberto could have time to do other things, since he was donating the orig (pig in Bicol). There was always a plan to go with the extended family to spend the day at the hot springs; we do this traditionally every time that we come to Gabao. We also roast a pig every time we come too but the location where we eat it varies.
Saturday: All immediate family members met at Evelyn’s house at 10 AM with designated foods for all members to bring. The drivers arrived as well to take most of us with food to the Mateo Hot and Cold Springs Resort.
With two tricycles and two motorcycles along with roasted pig in tow, we arrive 20 minutes later.
Pig on tricycle roof.
After paying an entrance fee for each person and renting a large covered picnic table we only shelled out a little over a dollar per person. This allowed us access to both the lukewarm pool and the hot pool and shower facilities for the entire day till closing. It was a good thing that we stopped and made reservations the day before for the best spot in the place because it was packed with only two small tables left out of 20 when we arrived.
The polices are geared to folks who arrive by hired tricycle or jeepneys because the resort lets the drivers drive in to unload and then lets them walk back in to eat with their group at no charge.
The day was spent swimming/relaxing in the warm waters and eating.
I first went to these springs in 1972 and they have now made it really nice with even A/C cottages for overnight stays. The only thing that I can say that has not changed in 40 years, is the modesty that the local folks have when it comes to swimming. Only some children wear store bought bathing suits while women wear shorts with underwear and bras and “T” shirts. The men also wear shorts and underwear and some wear a “T” shirt as well. Heaven help them if they ever get a bus load of Europeans with their skimpy and thronged bathing suits.
We spent about 4.5 hours of water and eating time and at the end, all showered with shampoo and soap at an outdoor communal shower with 3 large water spouts of different temperatures. It was a great day that we spent with the family.
Sunday: It was Saturday in the US due to the time change and the Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas was taking place for us at 11AM today.
The three sisters and their nice Jennilyn went to church for the 9AM Mass. Tino contacted Roberto to see if he would join us to go back to the hot springs to watch the pay per view fight special that they were having. I rode on the back of my Roberto’s motorcycle and Tino drove his.
For just over 2 bucks per person, each fight ticket included a beer of choice and free swimming in the hot springs for the day.
Today was to be men’s day out because following the Pacquiao fight (the judges’ score was in favor of Timothy Bradley); we went to the next town to the regular Sunday cock fights. It was packed when we arrived and this was my first official organized cock fight.
When in Mexico with the ATA, I seem to recall watching one there a number of years ago.
There was also a coin drop betting game called caracruse going on next to the cock arena. It was like a heads/tails game but instead the coins were painted red (heads) on one side and black (tails) on the other. There was a medium sized table painted half red and half black where all the bets are placed. The coins were dropped onto a very smooth round portable cement slab that had a metal bar attached like a halo hovering over it.
The person dropping the coins used talcum powder on his hands and used it on the slab where the coins fall as well. The painted coins that land on the slab can be clearly seen by the 50 plus betters/on lookers. If you bet on red and two coins turn up red…you win!
Cock fighting is not just two male chickens pecking at each other. It is a serious event in many countries including the Philippines. These fighters are trained to be aggressive early in life and only for the fight each cock has a razor sharp blade strapped to its ankle left or right depending weather the cock is left or right footed. There is a blade sheath that is only removed at fight time.
There is a sort of weigh in or size selection as to which cocks gets matched up so a small one does not have to fight against a big one.
When the owners who are holding their prize cocks enters the arena, a third cock is brought in to bite/peck at each fighter to get them mad and owners release the fighters at the given time specified by the officials seated in a balcony ringside area.
Just before the fight there is what seems like mayhem in the betting frenzy that I could not figure out how it worked. The fight is very quick and feathers are flying as the birds go at each other.
There was a dozen or more scheduled fights, but after taking pictures of two fights and we did not bet it was best that we went home.
Question: How can you recognize a crazy person at a cock fight???
Answer: Look for the person who brings a duck!
We took a back road home alongside the mountain. This was like seeing the real Philippines where the rice farms and workers live and work. There are many Nipa huts in these small villages.
New roof installation.
Ready to e put on.
The delivery tricycle.
Soon after we got back there was a big downpour that did not last long but cooled the air.
After the rain (oran) Nori went to Gabao with Lily and I went down the same road to find some photo opportunities. We all got back about the same time and the neighbor’s kids came to pay me a visit again. I’m not sure if there visit has anything to do with me giving each of them some pesos to buy candy or not. It started with 3 kids and now we are up to 7. The bata (kids) and I sat on the porch and they watched me do silly finger/hand tricks. I was then called to eat and the children went home and after eating I worked on our blog draft. There are 2 internet café in Gabao but you must use their computers and so I can’t upload my draft or pictures and will have to wait till we get back to Laguna.
Monday: We took our time to get ready today since Evelyn and her daughter Jannah went to the big city of Sorsogon to shop for university school supplies. It is kind of like going from Alamogordo to El Paso to shop for good stuff not found in the small town that you live in. Roberto stopped by on his way back from a PTA meeting and he will to try to find a A/C vehicle with driver to take us to the airport 2 hours away for Fridays departure.
Lily, Nori and I were invited to go to Roberto’s house later that afternoon after we get back from going to Irosin. We went to exchange some US dollars at a rice mill of all the places.
If you recall, banks here are for loaning out money and not for exchanging dollars or giving change. We did some grocery shopping, pick up a pair of school shoes for our niece Jennilyn and paid to date the property tax for the land Nori bought with her sister Floria and nephew Marlon. Nori paid for 3 years ($6) per year. Wow, and I thought that NM property taxes were cheap.
We took a short rest before we went to Roberto’s home as promised. When we arrived he was fastening a bladed tool to a long bamboo pole to reach and cut the coconut vine some 30 feet high.
After harvesting some 14 coconuts in one cut, he was done.
Homemade spear gun.
Nothing goes to waste.
He had been waiting for our arrival to complete the plowing of a section of the rice field to prepare it for planting. He wanted me to see how he did it with his walking tractor and so I could get photos for my blog….now that’s a great brother-in-law.
Roberto and his tractor.
Notice the old live plow tractor in the background!
"New verses Old"
Roberto told me that his plowing time is only about 1/3 of what it used to be.
The white flags made of plastic were used to keep both water buffalo and birds away where new seedlings are planted.
After watching him finish up and took pictures we went back to the house to see his rice thrasher.
This beats the old way of beating the rice against a post or ground.
The hybrid seeds produce more crops per year than that of the generations before. Roberto's / Nori's dad never had the modern tools for rice farming before he died.
A old hand made rake for the rice farm in times past..
Just down the street was this old timer was making a rake of yesteryear. He must not have a tractor.
This was amazing stuff and I’ve got the photos to show too. I had stepped on an ant hill in my hast to get good photos of the tractor and suffered about 6 or so bites. Roberto had an ointment called KatinKo that is multipurpose for pain and itch and one application took care of all itching.
We had a nice talk and Roring cooked and served us a marienda (afternoon snack) of sweet rice cooked from coconut milk.
After drinking the coconut water, Roring scrapes the coconut meat from the coconuts that Roberto cut down.
Tino doing the same thing at his place.
Nori has the same tool back home.
Roring also makes serving spoons from the coconut shell for the spoon part and uses the trunk part for the handle.
[While writing this part of the blog, I was interrupted by loud laughter from Nori, Lily and their cousin Myrna and I just had to go find out what it was all about.]
{The sisters were reminiscing from the time when their mother would cut and bleach cotton rice sacks and make them into underwear. She would also add starch and the ladies said that they got rashes from wearing them. I guess that it was not so funny back then but it sure is now!}
We got to see Roberto’s improvised stove and it was very different and unique to say the least.
Since the LP gas is very expensive, he made his own one burner stove that uses charcoal for fuel and an ingenious blower.
This is an outside stove for cooking dried fish.
Every good outside stove needs a cover!
My inquiries into the water delivery system led to conversations about RO and UV filtered water for drinking. His personal well water has to be boiled before drinking and the community facet water is drinkable but has such a low pressure that he has to get up at 3 AM every couple days to fill all their water bottles.
This community well is for washing only, it's not drinkable and Roberto has one just like it at the piggery about 50 yards away. He has a pump to send it to the house.
This facet is one of about 10 in the village of Tongdol on the other side of the river from Gabao. This water is treated with chlorine and is drinkable.
The sun was starting to go down and Roberto still had rice drying on the street so in order for him to gather his rice we decided to bid adieu and Roberto told us that he would go to Evelyn’s home later that evening. We had a short but heavy rain just after diner and shortly after it stopped, Roberto came over. We had a beer, talked and then he along with Lily and Nori played tong-it into the wee hours while I had a picture show from our travels with Evelyn and Myrna.
Monday 12 June: It was a non school day because of the Philippines Independence Day. Jannah packed up, said her goodbyes and left to go back to school in Legaspi. I was invited to go with the ladies to pick a type of plant leaves used to make soup on “the property”.
While there, Nori shows me a stem from the cammote plant that they used when they were kids to make hair curlers. This was good information for emergency hair curling in the tropics.
SORRY, BUT PICTURE DID NOT TURN OUT WITH CURLERS
I’ve got to write a book about this stuff!
Tuesday: We were invited to Roberto’s home for Karaoke and sleep over and Nori and Lily cooked pork adobo using left-over roasted pig and brought it with us for dinner. It was almost dark by the time we got to Tongdol and right after dinner…it was time to sing from a CD that only had love songs in English. Only Evelyn, Lily, Roberto and Tino sang to the many old love songs of yesteryear till the wee hours of the morning.
Wednesday: After morning coffee, Roberto gave me a tour of his village and took me to the Barangay hall to meet village officials/ representatives.
A treat from the good folks at the local village hall. Salamat! (Thank you)
Look at the toy cars that these kids are playing with. All homemade with stems and fruit.
Bath Time!
After lunch we were all to meet Evelyn and Tino at the cemetery in Gabao to light a candle for Nori’s parents and other family members including Roberto and Rolling’s son Enting who passed away a few years ago too.
Nori's parents rest here.
Public cemetery.
We stopped by Evelyn’s place to pick up an extra change of clothing to spend a second night.
After dinner I wanted to walk to the village of Tongdol again and Nori did not want me to go and Roberto said that it would be OK but not nearly as far. He later told me that the mountain people come out at night and since he has given them rice/food when he as some spare, he told them before my arrival that he did not want and problem for me during my visit. At no time have I ever felt threatened or unsecure but on two separate occasions, I have seen tough/rough looking men that carry machetes and are not friendly and won’t look you in the eye. I did not dare to ask them to stop and pose for a photo…if you get my drift.
I was however able to get a photo of a woman who carried a machete and had her back turned and I was only carrying a camera, so I think I could out run her especially since she had flip-flops on.
Evelyn and Tino were going to come back for more singing but Tinos blood pressure was too high and so they stayed home.
Thursday: We got word the night before that a typhoon was going to hit southern Luzon Island late Thursday or early Friday, which happed to be our day of departure and where we were. I left Roberto’s by motorcycle early so I could go to the internet café to get an real time weather report on the typhoon in case our plans had to change quickly. To complicate matters—there was a scheduled brown-out starting a 6AM til 6PM Friday as well. By the time the ladies arrived, I was ready to go to use the internet in Gabao. I guess that second incense that I lit at the Buddhist temple worked because the typhoon was turning away towards China and our area would be spared for a another day.
I had a late lunch because I spent 2 hours on the internet researching water purification systems. After 1 hour Roberto came to pick me up and we both looked at the information that was found about UV and water purification.
Did you know that you can use just the sun for making H2O drinkable? Using a clear plastic container that has a PET code 1 printed on the bottom and is no larger than 3 liters. If the water is clear looking, it only needs to be in direct sunlight (few clouds) for 6 hours and 48 hours if overcast. If your water is not clear it must be strained first till clear and sunlight time increases. A company called Stiripen offers battery operated UV containers for backpackers and military too.
The rest of the day was devoted to packing, passing out monetary and clothing gifts, if you have any left.
That evening the entire family converged on Evelyn house for a last meal together and to sing Karaoke. Roberto transported his entire system just so there could be singing. Not my forte and I crashed at 11PM. I just had to get my beauty sleep!
Friday: It was a beautiful day to travel and so we did. Our arranged driver arrived just before 10AM and after our sad goodbyes we left for the airport.
Last day to say goodbye to my new friends just before they go to school.
We got there early enough to have lunch for 5. Roberto came along to see Nori, Lily and I off to Manila.
Philippine Airlines hands out these umbrellas to passengers to use NOT because it's raining,
but to shade you from the sun as you walk to or from the plane when it is not parked at the terminal.
