Three in and one out

The title applies to persons in and out of the Bowden household....first the persons in....

Ann's sister Joy approached us some months ago and broached the subject of her daughters education, Jaiya and Nika. The girls who are both in the same grade expressed some desire to attend high school here in Davao to go to the same state school that Lorenz, their elder cousin already has attended for the last 2 years. Lorenz is 13, Jaiya, 12 and Nika 11.

I agreed and of course Ann wants to support her sister and nieces, so, a couple of months ago in they moved. There have been some small "teething" problems but never mind, we are all adults (no we aren't 2 are kids but you know what i mean) and we need to get on with life... the 3 (joy and the kids) have spent their summer holidays here, school starts in about a week and there we are, real life will kick in.

The one "out" is Lizelle, who left last week after being with us for a year, she was our maid and was a pleasure to have in our house, she is a quiet girl, but very pleasant and polite, she is a great cook, doesn't cause any problems and was a great addition to our family. However...she decided to move on, we let her know we didn't want her to go, but it's her choice and we wouldn't hold her back.

What is she going to do? She told us she is going to Manila to work / stay with her cousin, but Germaine, our yiya (nanny for annika and lizelle's friend) thinks she is going to get married, i have no idea but for the last couple of months of her stay here she got a massive amount of texts from someone on a daily basis, husband to be? who knows.

Photos shown are Lizelle at her birthday party, looking suitably happy, Lizelle holding Annika in typical family pose with the girls, and then Jaiya and Nika looking beautiful and with Joy (Mum) at their graduation from junior school.

We are getting another maid on tuesday next week, although she s on trial only, the position is being held open for a couple of months for Lizelle if she decides not to get married or go to Manila or whatever...we would like to have her back.

(photos wouldn't upload so, will "edit' them in tomorrow.....wait)....update tuesday....photos are not being uploaded, tried 3 or 4 times, anyway never mind eh

Blue Jaz

We have lots of options here in Davao for day trips out, for example, Eden nature park on the slopes of Mt. Apo is beautiful, there are lots of beach resorts and suchlike very close by and there is Samal island which is in Davao gulf, at the nearest point only about 500metres or so away from the mainland.

Samal is a beautiful island, its quite big, and rural, mainly coral rock base but also has mountains and waterfalls, it is, say about the same size as the isle of man and there are roads and pathways crossing the island, main roads are ok, side roads are dodgy and are subject to heavy rain making them impossible to pass.

My neighbour Raul who has lived in Davao all his life has not for example ever been to the other side of the island, i promissed him a trip there, must do that soon...anyway.......

On Samal and close and convenient to Davao city there are lots of beach resorts, where you arrive by boat direct from the mainland...the boat dropping you at the resort. The beach resorts are not Samal, they just exist on Samal and are a major employer on the island and generally cater for tourists from Davao and everywhere else.

The most popular resort is paradise beach and yes, its great we have been there many times, say 20....so we decided to go and try another venue, Blue Jaz. 14 of us, adults and kids, all our family and Karen and Arnels, we packed up loads of food and drink and shoehorned us into my car, off for about 7:30am and drove to the ferry. Parking was a bit chaotic and the large ferry was full, but before 9am we were in.

The resort is large, and has some great facilties, like water slides and pools but in all honesty it is a "work in progress" (building site) and feels about 70% finshed, nevertheless we enjoyed the day, particularly the kids because of the water slides and well, kiddie fun, i asked the kids afterwards and they all said they prefer Blue Jaz to Paradise beach, but for a cleanliness and facilities, paradise wins hands down, so, its pay your money and take your chance.

Annika went down a small but wizzzy slide 3 times with 3 different cousins, she was a bit mystified by the process, but enjoyed splashing with Dad in the pool while children all around us played and splashed and had kiddie fun. She had 2 lovely sleeps in the arms of Ann and Germaine, we left about 3:45 and were safely home by ferry and car by 5 on the dot, an excellent and fun day out.

Sari Sari Store

I just asked mrs bowden for a translation of sari sari and it means something like mix and match or variety of goods and that will do because in the Philippines sari sari stores are everywhere.

They fill the gap in the retail market and i give my interpretation only of the pecking order.

Supermarkets and wet markets........... For bulk shopping but usually you need to take transport to get there.

Convenience stores and local fruit veg, meat and fish stalls. More expensive than above but can be more convenient than going to town to visit the wet market or getting jeepney to go to supermarket.

Sari sari store. They are at the street level, often it seems like every street has one, we now have one in our street, construction just finished, see photo.

They buy in bulk and split items to sell individually, like cigarettes, like hair stuff, shampoo or conditioner, or coffee sachet or beer, or load for phones, food, beer, spirits, all sorts of things, but not usually fresh things.

If you run out of things or like to top up with beer or spirits on a sunday and are too lazy to get in the car then this is what sari sari stores are for, of course also if you can't afford a pack of cigs, may be one at a time is affordable, the fact that it ends up twice the price, never mind, the sari sari needs to make profit.

Its small local business and they can be found all over the Philippines.

The first image is the store i use (for beer) and the second is the one just opened on our street a few doors away, the other pictures are of local and larger sari sari stores ....not my type of business.

Jeepney and Tricycle

My blog (generally speaking.....) is 100% not meant to be controversial, quite the opposite, if anyone gets upset with my post and starts a "flame war" (blog term, i think for extreme views to be aired, erring to nastiness) then this is not my intention and this post is as controversial as it gets, in public from me.

In my opinion, and only my opinion there is one absolutely superb means of medium distance public transport to be found all over the Philippines and that is the jeepney.

Equally there is also a smelly dirty form of transport which in my opinion is practically useless and that is the tricycle.

Arguments in justification of the above are as follows, first the positive, the jeepney.

Jeepneys take large numbers of people to work or to town or to shops etc, every day over short to medium distance journeys, usually from A-B (ie using highways) and at an extremely economical rate. They take up the commuter slack that bus's can't cope with, please bear in mind that taxis and private vehicles are out of reach of the average person on a day to day basis.

Yes, sure jeepneys are smelly, dangerous (not roadworthy....most of them) their drivers are not to be challenged (all of them) , but and its a big but, they are available, regular, cheap, and go where people want to go to.

The tricycle fullfills another function and this is basically to undertake local journeys, for example into a subdivison where the jeepney drops people off at the highway.....so....why do i dislike them? I will try and convince (anybody following and still awake).

They are dirty and smelly, (so are jeepneys) dangerous and not necessary in most cases because the distance they travel is so local it is almost easier to walk, again in my opinon. Very poor people and children use tricycles all the time and i find this amazing, walking doesn't seem to be an option and am talking of distances in the 100metre range. Sure its hot and sweaty here and nobody wants to arrive at work sweaty, but they are hardly spared the rigours of the external climate by riding the tricycle.

Anyway, this is my opinion, i doubt it will change whatever alternative point of view is raised, but i would be happy to hear alternative points of view.

For the foreigners......tricycles can be hired exclusive, or will drop people off in turn in a subdivision, they lurk when idle at the "mouth" of the subdivision waiting for customers, usually there seems to be more vehicles than customers.

Jeepneys are regulated and follow a route, usually displayed on their side and in the front window, the passenger flags them down anywhere, the fare is set by regulation, they pick up anywhere but the authorities designate places (like at busy traffic intersections) where they are not allowed to pick up. Some are decorated very artistically in gaudy style and often laden with fruit or other goods, again a bonus in their versatility.

Photos attached are for example....both jeepney and poor old tricycles....

Filipino Pride

Are the Filipino people proud of their country?, of course they are, demonstrated most visibly when watching their national hero Manny Pacquiao box.

Manny fought Ricky Hatton 2 weeks ago and we all know the result, a resounding defeat for the British guy and once again the Philippines can relax in the knowledge that their man is safe and champion still.

Truly the Philippines comes to a full stop when Manny fights, its all anyone wants to talk about for weeks before a fight and the pro's and cons are mulled over. Would Ricky be too strong for Manny? (we didn't find out) would Manny be too quick and skillful for Ricky? (yes for sure)

Manny is without doubt a great fighter and also from what i see a great guy. He came up from a tough life on the streets to become a self made man, this all adds to his charisma. To be honest when i first came across Manny on TV 6 or 7 years ago he was a little rough round the edges, but his english has vastly improved, he comes across as a great guy and is loved here quite rightly. Will he stand for political office after his boxing career, probably, i hope not.

Apart from Manny of course Filipino people are also proud of their country but there is also a very healthy high degree of cynicism on issues like corruption....a quote from a Filipino friend (i won't name) "oh its ok he has lots of money, he works for the government" and also on issues like poverty and some other negatives.

However Filipino culture is strong in Family, in food and in cultural beliefs but utmost and most of all at this moment in Manny Pacquiao.

We got PPV for the fight, didn't really get our monies worth but never mind, i consoled myself with beer and gentle ribbing from my Filipino friends.

I get my own back say when someone gives me an easy point at tennis "very kind to an englishman...not like Manny Pacquiao".

Pictures are just before the fight starts / national anthems, i was too sick to get the camera out after the fight, the rest of the Philippines didn't care for my or any other British wounded pride, why should they, they had their hero safe and victorious.

natural beauty

The title really is self explanatory and for sure and for certain this is a beautiful country, at times the scenery is breathtaking. I said to Ann some time ago that i will never grow complacent or tired of admiring the tropical palms but they are so numerous here and for certain local people Ann included take their beauty for granted. For me they are exotic and, well beautiful.

Blossom and bloom is everywhere and the beautiful bouganvillia (sp? too lazy to research it) is again almost too common to be appreciated. Orchids and other blooms are more sought after but personally i have never been an orchid person.

Beaches and seascapes, well with over 7000 islands there are no shortages of these in the Philippines.

Mountains and wilderness, again there are large tracts of mountainous regions here, i have only just sampled the beauty, must get out there more.

Photo shown are.....

Seascape near Mati, Mindanao
Mum at Philippine eagle Sanctuary, Davao
Mt Apo Peak
La Concha Samal island
Rural garden of a tenant on farm land owned by Emily and Raul.

A sample only to prove the point.

Other peoples lives

We are all a bit nosy and interested in how other people live, or is it just me?, anyway never mind. When i visited the farm with Raul and Emily last week i visited his farm tenants and they live in basic circumstances, see pictures.

However, the one thing that was very clear was / is that the houses they live in, although basic are clean and tidy. Of course people here aspire to western standards, but they can't afford it, but also a lot of what we pay for they get free....for example.....

Fuel, for cooking...no need to pay in the country, coconut husks can be re-cycled as charcoal and abundant firewood and other dead foliage can be used as cooking fuel. See picture, lunch on the go.

Water, spring water for drinking, washing and everything is used on the farms, this, often requires some effort in collection but nevertheless, here in Mindanao water is plentiful.

Food. Of course farmers know how to harvest and to feed themselves, livestock, normally pigs and chickens and goats are kept, then there are fruit and vegetable crops grown and traded.

Entertainment. the guys drink coconut spirit "tuba", coconuts provide fruit (meat of the coconut) and "tuba" and husks for fuel and grow in abundance, wow coconuts are a blessing here. This is by no means an extensive list for entertainment....the subject is too big for a quick blog article

Religion, well a simple church is all that is needed, see picture

Just some observations on life outside the city here and the majority of Filipinos live outside cities still, its a limited lifestyle and people aspire to city life but not sure they are right, anyway i am not sure of lots of things.

Wet Market

Wet market is a term used generally here in Asia, the market part is sort of self explanatory the wet bit...not sure but there is always a lot of water around to keep things fresh and to wash away debris and to clean up.

Generally i dodge them because being a foreigner here i stand out like a sore thumb and in the wet market i get lots of stares and well smiles, so, its not really a big problem but i usually leave market shopping to Ann because some of the cuts of meat and types of fish are confusing....which fish goes to what dish and decisions like that need to be made, i would get it wrong, so, i leave it to Ann.

When we lived in HK we used supermarkets rather than wet markets because we were lazy, there were only 2 of us (me and Ann) and we ate out a lot anyway so it wasn't so important. Here though the fruit vegetables and fish are more significantly more expensive in the supermarkets and so Ann or the girls now go to the wet markets.

The pictures shown are when Raul took me to his farms and we stopped off at Toril wet market, i hadn't been here before, it was quite big.

The pictures shown are selection of dried fish, Bulad Filipinos love this, don't know any westerners who do, me i hate it...then.

A beautiful display of vegetables and particularly root ginger and garlic featured.

Then by coincidence we ran into a tennis friend Ram who was shopping there too and i took his picture, he smiled happily.

Then lastly, Raul inspecting the fish.

Farming

Farming, what do i know about farming? buggar all really to be honest, not one of my subjects and here in the Philippines, what do i know? even less than buggar all..... less honestly.

Nevertheless when Raul my neighbour asked me if i liked to visit his farms with him this morning, seemed like a good opportunity to spend some time with Raul and his wife Emily and enjoy some expert introduction.

His farm lands are (about 40 hectares in total spread over about 5 locations) on the slopes of Mount Apo and so, this was mainly fruit but also flowers and vegetable farming we were talking about, as opposed say to rice fields or fish farms etc.

The place itself is like paradise, fertile, plenty of rain and a very desirable place indeed to live.....but...farming is tough here, prices are low for produce, weather and pests can make crops variable and basically there isn't much money in it.

However i met some friendly and well cared for people, i was made welcome everywhere and even learnt a little along the way.

The land belongs to Raul and his family business, but farming tenants occupy the land and pay rent to Raul in various ways, like......

Sharing the crop bounty with the landlord, for example if a crop sells for a sum, Raul as the landlord gets a percentage share, or....

paying monthly lease and a lesser percentage as above, or...

Any variation on the above.

As Raul said to me, the tenant farmers have a marginal existence, but their children are beautiful and well cared for, their homes are basic and clean and they have dignity and pride in their work AND (and this is a big AND) they live in paradise.

I ate (plenty but also including) 6 different kinds of fruit which were picked straight from the tree, stomach was spot on and all the fruits were delicious, won't bore you with the names but they are all exotic tastey and fresh with a big F.

Raul was a gracious host to me and more importantly welcomed with great hospitality by his tenants, he is obviously very popular...he brought food and gifts to his tenants, we received, courtesy, smiles and Filipino hospitality everywhere we went. For example, one and only one example of his kindness is / was to stop off on the way at the local market to buy food for the day for the whole farm community, we dropped the food off, said "hi" went on a tour of the form (ate fruit)...came back 2 hours later to delicious food, cooked for us of course...

Raul was keen i try Tuba which is a distilled coconut spirit. The 1 day Tuba is like fruit juice, the 3 day old, like rocket fuel, the 4 or 5 day, like vinegar, we tried all 3 stages....what can you say, costs about 50 pence (uk pence) per gallon, drink it when you want.....juice or vinegar.

We stopped at his final small holding and we picked a crop each of egg plant, brought that back for breakfast tomorrow with egg, delicious. Egg plant is aubergine to us.

Some random photos of the day out are shown, it was a great day for me, for Raul it was work with his friend (me) tagging along.