Philippines Trip Day 10

Epril with her parents at the airport in Cagayan.We had an uneventful trip home to Pattaya.

Filipinos are supposed to show return plane tickets when they leave the country, but I decided to try getting Epril out without one, and if the people at the airline counter asked, I would just tell them that our next stop after Thailand would be Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam, and that we didn't know exactly when we would be going back to The Philippines, or what city we would be flying from. However, the people at the airport in Manila didn't ask to see a return ticket once.

(I was later to learn that we were just lucky: A German fellow with his Filipina girlfriend, with whom we shared a taxi back to Pattaya, tried the same thing and wound up having to buy a ticket at the request of one lady at the counter... a ticket which was never asked for by a different person whom they saw at the same counter 30 minutes later.)

I have to remind myself that getting out of The Philippines costs over 3,000 pesos in taxes per couple: Epril had to pay a 1,620 peso tax to immigration for leaving her own country, and then each of us had to shell out a 750 peso airport tax. (I had forgotten how much all those taxes cost from last time, and only left myself about 2,000 pesos in cash at the end of the trip... and had to hit the ATM again before leaving.)

Philippines Trip Day 9

We rode up into the mountains outside the village of Jassan today. About 30 minutes out, we got this view of Epril's village on the peninsula.The Philippines has great baked goods, as this bakery in the village of Jassan illustrates.
Threshing rice near Epril's family's house.
Village scene, kids playing.
Little boy outside house with coconut palm leaf roof.
Little girl walking with colorful chicken.
Old lady walking to the store.
Kids play while lady burns leaves she swept up.
Two little girls who were following me around.
Kids watching me through a fence.
Neice Doreen, father Eddie, Dimple makes a peace sign, Inday behind her father, pretty little Chupel, and her brother, C.J.
Tonight's movie was a little boring.

Philippines Trip Day 8

Epril and I did some after-Christmas shopping in Cagayan De Oro before heading back to the village. We bought little sister Inday this cute outfit, and bought little sister Dimple a Barbie backpack for school.The stereo and television I bought on Christmas Eve were delivered yesterday.Neighbor girl mugs for the camera.Personal pizza for lunch. Toppings: Hot dogs, mushrooms, peppers, pineapple, raisins, a white Velveeta-style cheese, and a pink chili sauce. I have no idea why it tasted good, because it really shouldn't have... but there you are.Local neighborhood boys making noise: Hollow bamboo logs wrapped with rope for strength, and a small hole at one end. They spray window cleaner or some other flammable liquid inside, and then wave it around in the air to fully aerosolize the mixture, and then hold the end with the hole in it over a flame until it explodes. I was secretly hoping for a mishap, but none occurred.Inday holding baby Poknat.In the afternoon, it was off to Rock Spring Resort, the second of two swimming pool resorts, where we had a wonderful time splashing around. I taught the local kids how to play "Marco Polo".Local teenagers sitting on a rock at Rock Spring Resort.Empty rice paddy, with small house out in the jungle.Cousin-in-law Jean and cousin-in-law Ida holding baby A.J.In the evening, it was off to Epril's elementary school homecoming dance. This was her seventh anniversary of graduation, which you wouldn't is special, but in The Philippines at homecoming, each graduating class (called a "batch") for a certain span of years has to get up and do a dance. This year covered 1960 up to 2000... so it was Epril's class' first turn to dance. If not for the constant drizzle, mud, and standing around, I might have stayed longer.Epril's mother and father relaxing in front of the television.The local bug-eater, called a tuko, one of which inhabits the rafters of Epril's house. It is about 12 inches long, and everyone is scared of him. I played a great joke on Epril's family by claiming that I would catch him in a pot and set him free outside. I then went back in the kitchen by myself where nobody could see me and pretended to catch the creature in the pot and cover it, and then made a big show of struggling to hold the enraged lizard inside the pot while trying to take it past the family to the outdoors. Then right in the middle of the living room, amidst everyone, I pretended to trip and have the cover of the pot fall off, and gave out a big yell. Everyone ran for the exits before figuring out that I was playing a joke on them, and then we all laughed for about an hour.

Philippines Trip Day 7

More home hunting today.

First house: 15,000 pesos (12,000 baht, $360) per month, furnished. Located in "Grand Europa" housing estate, which was supposed to be a high-end development. Heh. That pretty much means high-end prices, and not much more. Condition inside was about the same as what you see outside: Straight outta Compton. Also it was about 3 miles away from the front gate of the estate.Same development, 35,000 pesos (28,000 baht, $850), unfurnished. Tiny place with no yard at all. Yawn.
Off to Camilia Homes development, which was even more of a rundown ghetto of a place. This place was 10,000 pesos (8,000 baht, $240) unfurnished. Didn't bother to go inside... was afraid the roof might collapse on my head.Then, surprise: Same development, Camilia Homes, all the way down at the end, right at the very edge of the top of the Cagayan river valley, were 7 gorgeous little homes under construction, never occupied, with first and second-floor balconies overlooking the river several hundred feet below, renting for 20,000 pesos (16K/$480) to 35,000 pesos (28K/$850) per month. Epril and I have (hopefully) found our new home. The houses should be ready for occupancy in the next few months.Around the back side of the homes is a private walkway. "Front" porches are on the left, and on the right is a fence after which is a steep slope to the valley floor several hundred feet below.In the evening it was out to dinner at a restaurant slightly out of town called "Leo's". It was pretty good.

After that it was out to Spooks, Cagayan's popular gogo bar. Here are two of the girls who work there. If Spooks were in Pattaya, it would have a pretty good claim to being the bar with the prettiest girls, but there aren't that many girls in total... only about 15 or 20 that I could tell. Well, this isn't Angeles City, after all.

Philippines Trip Day 6

Doreen after morning shower.Unlike Thailand, in The Philippines, gun ownership and being armed is legal. Hence, signs like this one below on the doors at banks. It is a bit weird to see guards with pistol grip shotguns at McDonald's though. Nonetheless: There is much less gun violence in The Philippines than there is in Thailand, where guns are 100% illegal.Today, we were back from the village to the city of Cagayan De Oro to go hunting for a house to rent. We saw this house below, 35,000 pisos (28,500 baht, $850) per month, furnished.We looked primarily in high end housing estates, which I found to be a bit of a let-down. The estates are so big (1000-plus houses) and lacking in any consistency of appearance in houses or construction that they don't seem like a development at all. In addition, the empty lots (of which there are many) are overgrown and nasty-looking, and while the houses... some of the houses... may be in good condition, the community as a whole feels neglected compared to what I'm used to seeing in Pattaya.

It was out to dinner at Countryside Steakhouse at the recommendation of my friend in C.D.O., Mike. I had spare ribs which were simply awful, but Epril had one of the best steaks she had ever had, and I can say that the calamari (below) were splendid. (Total price: 1,500 pesos (1200 baht, $36) including drinks.)I looked into the alcohol selection at liquor stores in Cagayan: Jack Daniels was cheaper than Thailand, but Johnnie Walker was more expensive. The beer selection was basically "any flavor of San Miguel you want", which is a bummer... although there is an ale called "Red Horse" which isn't too bad. Wines seemed to be moderately varied, but not more than 50 or 60 wineries. What seemed to be really lacking are cordials and mixers. No triple sec for margaritas was one that sticks in my memory. Looks like liquor runs to Manila will be in the cards if I want to live in Cagayan and have a properly-stocked bar.

Philippines Trip Day 5

Neighbor Mary Chris, little sister Dimple, and niece Doreen enjoying Christmas morning with teddy bears.I invited a manicurist over to do all the girls' nails. The manicurist's daughter watched me through the wooden wall of the front porch.Epril and Doreen chat while Epril gets a pedicure.Doreen sits in the front door, watching television.House on the water, fishing boat in the background. At high tide, this house is surrounded by water.A roadside store dwarfed by trees.Doreen shows off her karate moves.Cousin Emma standing in the road.It seems that babies named Vincent are naturally adorable. (Love the earring dude.)

Philippines Trip Day 4

A street scene from Epril's village.The Filipino version of a tuk-tuk.The famous Jeepney of The Philippines. (Bald tires are standard.)These are actually rather bland photos of Jeepneys. They can get much more vivid and colorful. Loud stereos and flashing lights on board mean that the tail lights and turn signals must be disconnected at all times in order to preserve battery power.Epril's niece, Doreen... my favorite kid, and cute as a button.I did my Christmas shopping today... I bought teddy bears, clothes, earrings, toys, a stereo, a television, and a washing machine.Doreen with a Filipino icon: Jollibee is the country's popular fast food restaurant, with the world's worst hamburgers.Tonight, the Basamanggas resort, where we are staying, was decked out for a Christmas Eve party. The window to our hotel room was right above the bandstand. Music finally stopped at 3:00 a.m. Went to Catholic Mass for Christmas eve as well... my first Catholic service ever actually. I was expecting Gregorian chants, and instead got guitars and tambourines. Inside were about 600 or 700 faithful, while about 2,000 more stood outside in a light rain.