Ok, so we’re getting a little cheesed off with Tongo Point…halfway into our first week we’ve been told that the water from the mountains has stopped due to a faulty pump. Therefore we must buy our water from the town. Ok, we say, that’s fine as long as we don’t have to do this all the time (it could get very expensive). Alfon and Linda reassure us that it’s only once in a while that we’ll have to do this.
We agree to buy 38 gallons of water to fill our tank. Sure enough some guy on a trike turns up with our gallons, hauling each one off his trike with surprising ease. He has to make at least 4 or 5 trips, but eventually our tank’s full, unlike our wallets…
We do love it here, but so many things are beginning to prove problematic- one thing in particular is the sheer amount of bites we’re getting (not good as this area is sometimes prone to dengue fever). We’ve been trying our hardest to prevent them, but without any screening in the kitchens or our bedroom, it’s proving to be quite a problem. Our kitchen seems to be a haven for the critters; there’s a huge vat of standing water (they love this) for us to do our washing up. The kitchen’s pretty much like being outdoors as the windows are always open (and there are lots of windows!)- A perfect place for mozzies to take refuge, just waiting for our silly bums to come waltzing in- before you know it you’ve got legs and arms covered in bites.
To get to the other, more useful kitchen (blessed with cooker) you have to cross two lawns and an always animated Chocolate (so gorgeous, a cross between a chocolate Labrador and Springer Spaniel methinks). Fortunately, this kitchen has been mozzie proofed with the appropriate screening so we don’t have to worry about being bitten.
Whenever we cook, Mana comes in to help; forever amused by our culinary antics. In fact, she’s taken it upon herself to act as our assistant chef, insisting that she cook our rice whenever we need it- sweetheart.
In fact, Mana is a godsend- filling up a hot flask for us every morning and night as there’s no electric kettle. We keep telling her to stop doing things for us but she always turns a deaf ear to our protests- I get the feeling she likes having people around to look after.
I’m beginning to wonder what happened with her- why she never married or had kids- it’s a bit of a mystery, but I don’t like to pry. She tells us that her home is in Mindanao, where she ran a small stall selling groceries, which she’s left her sister to maintain until her return. We ask her about the problems in Mindanao and if she’d ever experienced any trouble there, but she seemed pretty casual about the place, telling us that any rebels are pretty much confined to the mountains.
Both Linda and Mana have been intrigued by my constant vegetable masala making (Mana’s convinced we’re vegetarians even though I adamantly deny it), so I’ve promised them all a taster before we leave. It’s a nice way to end things here; they’ve all been so kind to us; always offering us various Filipino delights.
Over dinner, Alfon and Linda tell us many anecdotes concerning the witch doctors of Siquior (an island we’re going to visit), Alfon often taking on the mannerisms of the late Kenneth Williams (freakily uncanny resemblance) as he explains the Filipino concept of revenge and retribution. It doesn’t sound pretty. Never piss off a Filipino is the message we get.
As the dinner goes on, Linda tells us of how many witch doctors can make your nose crumble into your face- good chat as we chew on the veg masala.
We soon realize that, much like in Korea, the people here are governed by superstations and lore. It doesn’t put us off Siquior in the slightest; in fact, it’s a better reason to go as it sounds like the place will be empty (apart from those few disgruntled Filipinos milling about in search of a good witch to hex their enemies).
