Sun 7th Jul - Since my last posting on return from Indonesia life has really been in
the slow lane. Shiera was ill with all of the symptoms of swine flu (aka H1N1).
The alerts all said to watch out for a list of symptoms in the first few days
of returning and sure enough we ticked the list, but she refused to get medical
treatment and sweated it out in quarantine for a few days or more. It went
eventually and we assume eliminating the idea of it being swine flu. Was very
worried there.
Today being
Sunday, was market day and we joined the throng of folk cramming the aisles for
the weekly produce. Some new seasonal
things appeared today such as ‘White corn’ and the fruit ‘Santol’. Bought some
of each to give them a try. White corn differs to normal yellow sweet corn in
lacking in the same flavour and being mainly used in soups. Santol is a
yellowish dry surfaced fruit that has a similar pulpy inner surrounding dark
brown seeds o some other fruits such as Mangosteen, and doesn’t taste as sweet.
At only 5 pesos each they are worth a try although you need a knife to open
them.
I find that
Silang town proper on Sundays is choking, with a big increase in the volume of
diesel puffing Jeepneys and tricycles. The air on the approach road was grey
with the smog. It surprises me that the folk here haven’t resorted to wearing
face masks as has happened in other highly polluted areas. I feel my chest
tighten if there for too long.
A
few notable sights from the market…..
An
old lady was selling ‘Chewing gum for the oldies’. Small green leaves to which
Apple powder is applied and then wrapped around a block of flavoured tobacco.
Similar to other countries I have been to such as in India where they wrap a
concoction of Betel nuts and additives that are actually toxic. They were
classed as a social nuisance there and they tried to ban it.
In
this hyper-sterilised world we sometimes live in, it is intersting to see
babies reared in what can only be described as squalor. One baby, sat in a bucket full of dirt, with
its feeding bottle on the floor next to it; right beneath a meet stall with off
cuts falling on the floor and the smell of dubious meat lacing the air; hair
matted with dirt and not looking as though it had been bathed since birth. I bet
that baby will grow up to be strong and resilient to all known germs!
Some
older versions of those childre are weaving their way through the crowds
begging for handouts. Being a foreigner means a direct target for their
outstretched hands, parents included. Sometimes they are persistent and follow
until they get the idea that you aren’t going to give in.
One
of the main pastimes recently has been the garden. Borrowed some gardening
tools from a nice neighbor and got digging. Managed to get some freebie plants
to start off a collection of herbs and fruit. Now got some pineapple and
coconuts growing. Being a rented house we don’t want to spend any money on it,
but it becomes a challenge to see what can be got for nothing. Going out for a
walk is now a foraging expedition for wild plants. Edible leaves are common
here and it proves how adapted Shiera is to her environment, as she can
identify so many plants and what to do with them that it is an education going
for a walk. I am getting to know some of them slowly. Also, when visiting to
the market we try to get root vegetables with the roots still attached for
planting.
I
never used to be much of a movie addict, but have got into going to the cinema
again over recent months and buying DVDs from the various cheap stalls. Here
you can buy a 24 or more film compilation DVD…not fantastic quality, but
acceptable, for 40 to 60 pesos. The top movies that are only just in the
cinemas now, are all there. We saw Ice
Age 3 a few days ago, and it was on the market today! Admittedly, I always
prefer to see it on the cinema first as the quality is infinitely better, and
the cinema is only 120 pesos on average.
I
have also been trying to catch up with friends and family recently. I have been
very negligent for a long while, due to being busy doing other stuff away from
the computer. The internet connection at the house continues to be an issue.
After months now we still haven’t got a connection that is good enough for
Shiera to use for on-line teaching. It just isn’t reliable enough and it might
even spell the end to that aspect of her teaching career. Ironic considering
the choice of location was based on the ability to gather sufficient work. Not
sure what the best way forward is now. It is ok for general internet use, but
nothing demanding.
Back
out on the hunt for some more garden plants. Bougainvillea grows like a weed
here as do many lovely plants, so the garden is now looking full and all that
now waits is for it to establish. Okra is a common vegetable too and one
interesting thing is that it seems to attract a rather strange form of bug.
Pairs of red spotted with black and white bugs are mating at the moment. They
cover the okra plants en-masse in a push-me pull-you formation, joined at the
rear. The larger male pulls the smaller female along and then the female seems
to take over. They wander around the plant in a fascinating dance ritual. The
rather cute baby bugs can be found huddled together on dead leaves and feeding
on some succulent parts of the plant. What is surprising is that it doesn’t
seem to frequent any other plant.
Nice
Milkfish for dinner accompanied by all free vegetables and served on banana
leaves. Yummee…
The
days blur into one at the moment mainly gardening and domestics. The garden is
coming on. We now have some Aloe Vera, which you will know as one of those
extremely useful succulent plants. Don’t use it much myself other than to rub
into cuts, but it is useful for all sorts of skin complaints and beauty
treatments. Easy enough to prepare by slicing open the soft stems and
slicing/squeezing out the colourless gooey inside. Shiera made a concoction
with some cucumber to put in the bath. Good for rubbing on the skin for making
it smooth too. We’ve added some Tomato plants, Okra and Chili bushes…all for
nothing as castoffs from other places.
There
are so many interesting bugs around where we live, that my camera is always
close to hand. I have been working through my portfolio of over 26,000
photographs taken over the past couple of years of travel. The aim will be to
try and sell some commercially to get some income from it. It would be a waste
otherwise, as I have amassed some awesome photographs covering the whole gamut
of subjects.
Occasionally
a monsoon comes across with such force as it obliterates everything from view.
There is a house being built opposite us and a guy dressed like a ninja was
sitting on the roof, really high up when the sky opened. The guy looked
stranded. It is odd to see Filipino workers building a house, especially when
compared with western standards. The bodges (short-cuts) are interesting to
watch. Hardly any professional tools used. Of course, when it comes to painting
time, no scaffold, just a few bamboo poles strapped together and make like a
monkey! The order in which things are done sometimes defies logic, but it comes
together eventually. Things have been speeding up lately and every day sees a
major step forward towards completion.
And
so a few days pass as a blur.....
When
we returned from Indonesia I was only given the statutory 21 days tourist visa
again. This poses a problem again as it costs 2,530 pesos to extend it to the
initial 59 day period allowable, and then I’m back into the two-monthly
extension fees. I have to accept this of course if I was to make the
Philippines my home base. There are some things I want to do in Thailand and
decided to head over there on 13th July when my visa expires. Not
sure how long for, but will return to the Philippines after I have finished.
Shiera won’t be coming with me this time as there is a pressing need for her to
get back into finding work. The distraction of further travel will just delay
this. Not a happy situation, but it is a necessity for the moment. It will be
unsettling to be apart as we have been together without much of a break for
such a long time now.
Of
course, when I return from Thailand I will only be given a 21 day visa again,
but will have to pay the extension fees then. I will mention one piece of
red-tape here that frustrates me to the point of wanting to take on the whole
Philippine visa system. When I return here, as mentioned, I will only be given
a 21 day visa and be expected to produce a flight voucher for 'onward travel'.
In other words, to prove I am going to leave the country. Now...after 21 days I
am not going to leave as I live here and rent a house. So I have to buy a
flight and then cancel it when I get home....just to shut immigration up! This
wastes my time and costs me money of course. After 21 days I then go to
immigration and extend to the initial maximum of 59 days and then renew every 2
months. Nobody asks for any proof of me leaving at any of these renewals as
long as I have a sponsor whilst I am here....which is Shiera of course! So, why
the hell do they ask for it when I arrive? I have the documentation showing I
have a house and all else they would require....but no, they need a stupid
superfluous flight ticket! Wake up immigration...time to calm down now!
Mon 13th Jul - And so the day of departure to Thailand has arrived. Far
too quickly for Shiera's liking unfortunately. In typical fashion last night
and today have been torrential. Lashed it down all night and accompanied by
hefty gales for part of it. I am booked onto Cebupacific airlines flight 5J931
to Bangkok leaving from the International Terminal 3 at 9:15pm. Planned to head
off at 4pm from home to give plenty of time allowing for any delays due to bad
weather. This gave most of the day for sorting stuff out around the house and
spending some time with Shiera. One distraction though....you might have read
from past journals about my occasional troubles with my ATM card getting
blocked. Well guess what, it happened again. Couldn't get money yesterday.
Tried again this morning and still nothing. Contacted the bank in the UK to
find security had blocked my card again. The Philippines is classified as such
a high fraud risk country, that on a regular basis they freeze or'ice' the
card. To get it de-iced is a ritual I have now repeated so many times to be
totally fed up with it. Meant a return trip back into town once I had sorted it
out, wasting valuable time. The bank refuse to stop it happening again,
claiming it is for my own benefit. I do agree of course in security, but it
always happens to me at the worse time, when I am in a hurry.
Anyway,
the rest of the day until departure time dragged as was expected. But sure
enough 4pm arrived and the sad parting left a lump in both of us. A rainy trip on the tricycle to catch the
Manila bus, and pouring rain the whole way; just like when we recently went to
Jakarta. Arrived at the airport cold and wet with a yucky mist forming in the
sky as the rain relentlesly drifted into the darkness of night.
Not
too long to wait until check-in opened, but another of life's questions. Why do
I manage to get into a queue when the person in front of me has a problem that
freezes the queue? In this case, the guy was going to Saigon and didn't have a
visa to enter Vietnam. Silly sod. He was a bit embarrassed and was trying to
blame everyone else for his own mistake.
Departure
tax or 'Airport user's charge' as they call it here is 750 pesos. Time to
change some pesos into thai Baht as there is no currency exchange after
immigration. (Currently a rate of 1.7 pesos to the baht). And then a relaxing
coffee whilst waiting for boarding. I noticed on the receipt for my coffee that
I had been served in 21 seconds. Wow...that's quick! I wonder what their target
is and what happens if they take too long? And also why it is that important.
Anyone who sits for a coffee at an airport usually has plenty of time and
seconds don't matter. But it is all part of that hyper-efficient service we all
expect.
The
flight went well with the only niggle being no included food or drink at all. I
had exchanged all of my pesos to Thai Baht and they gave a diabolical exchange
rate of 1Baht to 1 Peso on the place, which made even a snack a crazy price,
but was hungry, so had so suffer the price.
I
have been through Bangkok airport a few times before and it is all very quick
and efficient. No hiccups on the way out and straight to the departures metered
taxi bay, rather than arrivals where they charge far too much.
Getting
into the city passes along the toll highway costing 70 Baht on top of the taxi
fare, which is 50 Baht in addition to what is on the meter. Cost me 320 Baht
total to get to Sukhumvit road Soi 1 Backpackers. Didn't hang around much and
went to bed and crashed out after a very long day.
Zzzz......
Tue 14th Jul - My body was still in getting early mode and was awake at
7am. Got on with the day and had a nice breakfast whilst chatting to some
travellers. The main aim today was to get some bits for my camera and look for
some thai style clothing. The MBK centre had proven to be the best place to aim
and so went west along Sukhumvit road. Part way along is the lovely Erewan Shrine, which I had seen before.
It always strikes me as a real conflicting experience. Located at a busy
traffic junction with skytrain lines running overhead. Traditionally dressed
Thai performers and musicians provide a chorus to worshippers making there
offerings to the gold buddha statue, set amidst an ornate shrine. A cloud of
incence from the numerous burning sticks can be a little choking, but it is an
unmissable experience. Peace birds in painted cages can be bought, as can be
food offerings and scented garlands. People watching is the main event here, as
well as photographing of course. A normal everyday experience here for the
workers taking a break or off to lunch or on their way home.
Onwards
est and before entering the MBK centre on the opposite corner is the Bangkok Arts and Culture centre. A
massive artistically designed building full of, well, very little. Several art
galleries and displays of almost nothing add poignant messages in this edifice
of curves and arty formations.
It
did serve as a break from the heat as the refridgerated air hits you at the
entrance.
Shopping
at the MBK can be a bewildering experience for a non-shopper. Floor after floor
of too much choice. Finding camera shops is tiring as they are spread all over
and I had soon had enough and retired to the 5th Avenue foor court where every
nationality is respresented in a superb system. You get a swipe card on the way
in. Ask for what you want at each section and ay for it all when you exit. All
very easy, with plastic display models of all of the meals available to avoid
any language issues.
Back
at the Guest house and a freshen up before hitting the town for a little of
what central Bangkok is known for....great street food and entertainment to
suit. Market stalls offering everything fake that can be faked. Ladyboys on
parade for business touch you as you pass and follow on the hunt when you
ignore them. Many are so stunning that you really cannot tell them apart from
model females. No surprise of course as they have to compete in a boy eat boy
world, where those that don't have it stand no chance and can only end up as
hairdressers or flowershop workers and the like. Those that have got it,
probably get to surprise a few guys who really cannot tell the difference until
it is too late. Leave this bit to your imagination! The real girls amongst them
play the same game every night of their lives....Hello sir...does sir want a
drink...etc etc it all gets tiring and after a while you either pay stupid
money in the false belief that they really do find you attractive and want to
have your babies, or you wake up and realise they are actresses earning a
living and selling themselves as the product. They have the looks, they have
the body, you have the money and the dream. Stay safe...keep your money in your
pocket and find a real woman not an imaginary one! I do have to say that they
are nice eye candy though....down boy!
Free
wi-fi where i'm staying, so able to stay in contact with Shiera back in the
Philippines. Day one of us being apart and a sensitive situation, but have to
adjust although not easy.
I
will post another blog soon about Thailand.
Bye
for now
