We left Japan
last month in the snow and returned today to a balmy 22 degrees and sunshine. Spring
has arrived! Takes the edge off being home at least. I thought my last blog entry should be about
things I will miss about the Philippines.
Things I will miss about the Philippines:
1. The really friendly people. People
are nice to you even when they aren’t trying to sell you something.
2. The beautiful landscapes; tropical
forests lining the roads, beautiful beaches and interesting mountainous interiors
dotted with volcanoes.
3. The food. This one was a surprise as
our only experience of Filipino food prior to our trip was at a dodgy
restaurant in Abu Dhabi
called The Golden Fork. The sauces are rich and tasty. The fried chicken is
yummy and nothing like KFC and . Filipinos love garlic – it’s in the most
unexpected places…. cooked rice, crisps, peanuts….
4. Mango shakes. Actually mangoes in
general.
5. Jeepneys. They are a really fun
way to get around.
6. Everyone speaks English which
makes life very easy for travelers.
7. The clothes shops. Why don’t we
hear more about Filipino designers?
8. Everything is very laid back and
relaxed – anything goes.
9. People don’t wear watches and
couldn’t care less what time it is.
10. The native jewellery
11. The food being sold on buses: corn
on the cob, peanut biscuits, quails eggs, chicken’s eggs, jackfruit fudge and
coconut (buko) pie.
12. The way everyone calls us “Mam-Sir”
or “Sir-Man” (like it’s all one word) pronounced mam-sure / sure-mam
13. San Miguel Light at sunset
14. The way strangers say “Hey Jo”
when they see me.
15. This isn’t actually one of mine,
but David has enjoyed being Brad Pitt for a brief spell. Wherever we go girls
giggle, look at him adoringly and nudge their friends.
I must say that I won’t miss the crappy Lipton teabags
however.
I enjoyed blogging on this trip. It always helps me to
remember what we did. Here are some of
my previous blogs if you are interested:
South America 2004-5 http://jomynard.tripod.com/traveljournal/
Malaysia/Borneo and Singapore 2005 http://mynardjo.tripod.com/blog/index.blog?from=20050827
California 2006 http://californiadreaming2006.blogspot.com/
UAE 2006 http://mynardjo.tripod.com/blog/index.blog?from=20060330
Indonesia
and Singapore 2006 http://indonesiasummer2006.blogspot.com/
Hong Kong 2007 http://hongkongphooey2007.blogspot.com/
Bali and Taiwan 2007 http://balitaiwan2007.blogspot.com/
California 2008 http://jomynard.blogspot.com/search/label/california
Thailand 2008 http://jomynard.blogspot.com/search/label/Bangkok
Snowdonia 2008 http://jomynard.blogspot.com/search/label/North_Wales
Next destination? Who knows. I might go back to keeping a blog in Japan if I'm not too busy, but I will continue on my usual blog. See you there: http://jomynard.blogspot.com/
