Roving Wild

Projects galore!

kirstenroche — Sun, 10 Aug 2014 23:20:00 GMT

I’m not ready to come home!!

It’s so exciting getting to come back in a week and a half to see everyone, but at the same time it’s so sad. I feel like I’ve settled in so nicely here, and have adjusted to everything but the blazing heat. I love walking down the street and constantly having people saying hello and smiling, kids running beside me saying “Ate Kirsten, where are you going?” (ate = at-ay = big cousin or sister in Waray Waray), the sounds of karaoke everywhere and palm trees blowing.

As of Monday, the clinic is being rebuilt! USAid came through last Friday and was shocked to find that it had not yet been rebuilt, as apparently they had planned to do it by the 6-month mark after the typhoon (it’s now been 9 months). They told us to pack up everything and find a temporary location and they would start this week. Literally half of the clinic has not been in use since the ceilings were irreparable and there was so much damage, and the makeshift delivery room was nothing compared to what it used to be. They now have land allocated, a sign up letting people know that “this is the future site of Tabontabon Medical Clinic, and plans to start construction this week. Al the midwife even said that they’re thinking about keeping the old clinic and reconstructing it to be an annex, so the new building can be primarily for labor and delivery and the old building can be for tuberculosis patients, patients with diarrheal and other diseases and patients who need to stay overnight for a couple of nights. Up until now they have not been able to keep overnight patients, so it would be a huge help to those who only need to be admitted for 1-3 nights, who have trouble affording the trip to and from the hospital half an hour away.

Learned a lot about cockfighting this week from Al (haha)- apparently it’s like a national sport! He says that people who dress the roosters with the blades for their feet (yikes) actually become quite famous and can make a lot of money, and fights are televised from Manila regularly. The whole town in Tabontabon comes out on Sunday afternoons when fights occur, and a lot of people make good money if their roosters become champion fighters, just from people in town placing bets. Al had fifteen at his house apparently. He also knows people in Canada and the US who come from the Philippines to work there. While they’re there, they raise roosters well with expensive food and great care before bringing them home later to fight! According to Al, the foreign-raised roosters are much stronger and better than the Philippine-raised ones. He invited me to see a fight…as much as I want to participate in a local pastime, I somehow think that watching two birds fight to the death and slaughter each other with razor blades would not be my cup of tea!

Yesterday we did a project tour and got to see the community garden currently being built for the people in Cangumbang (who do not have easy access to veggies), the home I saw/sort of worked on last week, and a school that has just been completed by VFV volunteers and local workers- up until now the kids have studied in UN tents in the blistering heat, exposed to the elements. We brought the chairs and desks that volunteers built and painted this week, and the kids will be ready to move in and start doing classes in them before I leave! I teared up a bit walking around the school grounds and seeing the conditions that the children were being forced to study in. A teacher said that when it rains, the kids get wet in the tents, and when it’s hot, it’s…well, extremely hot. It’s so cool that they’re going to have windows and doors and a real roof and shade now. We also distributed aid bags to Tanauan, which was really fun. We organized bags of clothing, soap and dental hygiene stuff and passed them out to a few dozen families who were on the list of those in need. It only took maybe half an hour or forty five minutes but I really enjoyed it.

On Tuesday I’ll be hopefully going with a new volunteer who was here two years ago to visit some kids she knows who are currently living in a “tent city.” She described the kids having swollen bellies (which makes me think immediately of either severe malnourishment or possibly leishmaniasis) and rashes…on Tuesday we are going to distribute some supplies she picked up for them like soaps, underwear and toothbrushes- all of which they don’t have- and to check on them. I’m going to have a look at them and try to determine if we should bring them to the free hospital in town. If it’s leishmaniasis or something else, they should go to the doctor, but if it’s malnourishment…well, nothing helps except for a long-term feeding program. I’m hoping it’s something easily treatable but am concerned that it might not be.

Off to book my flight to Manila and organize my life this week before I leave Tacloban next Tuesday. I also have a diving weekend planned in Southern Leyte again with Eve and maybe some others before next week, for which I am thoroughly stoked! Thanks for reading as always, and I should have one or two more updates before I’m back in Canada!

Oh yeah, and my goal to start running two or three days a week again has turned into a massive failure. I managed one week of it but since then it has been 35 degrees almost every day, with full humidity of course and a "real feel" of 40+ degrees according to another volunteer's iPhone! Every time I think I've gotten used to the heat here, I realize that it was just a slightly cooler or cloudy day and the next blistering day brings back it all back. This is the one thing I'll be thrilled to leave behind!

Busy days, crazy nights

kirstenroche — Sat, 2 Aug 2014 11:42:00 GMT

Well, I have to say that this has been my favorite week since I’ve been in Tacloban, as far as work goes!

Monday- Went to the clinic to learn that the only doctor there is away for a week at a seminar in Manila, and we can only handle emergencies or blood pressure measuring without her. Ended up going into a couple of surrounding villages to give immunizations to babies for things like measles and polio- a great time! We took the midwife’s bright blue tricycle down some of the rockiest “roads” in the countryside, with the sun shining on us and the wind in our faces. We finished around lunchtime in one of the towns, then were asked to wait an hour while they cooked lunch for us! Chicken and rice arrived and the woman providing it felt awful that I only ate the rice…I had worried stares from everyone for the entire meal. Luckily for me, I had been reading a book written by a Buddhist monk before the meal, so when they asked if I was Buddhist and I said yes, I was kind of avoiding the inevitable explanation when the food arrived about why I’m vegetarian. Filipinos generally do NOT understand why on earth you would be a vegetarian, but fortunately since they’re in Asia they know about Buddhism and that reasoning stops them from trying to convince you just to eat the chicken, or at least the fish! We enjoyed the meal together before heading back to the clinic and finishing for the day.

That night we went out to a tranny karaoke bar and danced and sang like crazy. Favorite quote from Maria- “I had a lot of expectations for this trip, but I can tell you for sure that I never expected to be in a tranny bar on a Monday night, singing karaoke with friends from all over the world!” Nick and I have had “Mama Mia” (our song) stuck in our heads for four days now.

Tuesday- Went with Ethel to the women’s shelter and finally gave our presentation! It was a huge success, I would say. Ethel mostly spoke it out since she could translate into Tagalog, but I did feel useful because there were a few times I needed to explain something medical in a little more depth, or answer some health questions from the social worker. The girls giggled a bit, but mostly were really mature and seemed interested (at least they were good at faking it if they didn’t give a crap, which is all I ask for!). At the end, we gave everyone a little piece of paper to write down an anonymous question, which we then answered for the entire group. Lots of really awesome question! Despite the social worker warning them in Tagalog that the section on contraception was “For their information ONLY” and kind of seemed to be telling them not to use them as Catholics (though my Tagalog is clearly pretty limited, that was the impression I got from the few English words she used), there were lots of questions about the pill and IUD’s, as well as a few about the other topics we covered- including shabu, or meth, which is somewhat common here. Someone asked more about the dangers of it so I felt really good being able to explain it to some folks who rarely get internet access and thus can’t learn much about it on their own! My plan is to head back to give some more information to the transgender girls who asked a bit about hormones that I only had limited information on at the time. This day was probably the highlight of my time at VFV.

Wednesay- “Helped out” at the construction site that two other volunteers who have been working on building a house for a new VFV sponsorchild’s family in the hardest-hit area in Tanauan. Had a nice time just being outside, sawed some coconut tree lumber, hammered some nails, much more straight-forward than construction is back home. The family has been living in a blazing hot emergency shelter/tent for the last eight months so it’s so exciting they’ll finally have walls! We had a great day, despite my ridiculous sunburn that most of you have now seen on Facebook! That night I arrived at tutoring and the girls all said "Ate Kirsten, how are you!" As I turned around to say hello, they went dead silent and one girl said slowly "What happened...to your face...oh...my...god." At least I always knows if I look bad, here...

Friday- Prenatal clinic at Tabon Tabon today, and I got to do all of the prenatal exams! Felt babies kick for the first time (when I poked at them with my ultrasound wand…they don’t like that!), God they’re strong. It was cool getting to do all of them, saying hi to the mums and being responsible for something myself, haha. Went back to the massage place for another $10, hour-long full-body massage aaaaah feeling so good now! Then finally, in the evening, we drank tuba and coke under the stars with some of the staff from VFV until we were too tired to stay awake. Said goodbye to the 5 volunteers who are leaving today, people I’ve been with every day for the last three and a half weeks!

Saturday- Supposed to help at another volunteer’s project, the community garden, but it’s far away, I have no clean socks or bug spray, and I have no outdoor clothes since everything’s being washed! Might help out tomorrow, instead.

That’s all for now, folks! I’m so looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone once I’m done this adventure. Thank you for all your support, and it was awesome talking to you yesterday, Auntie Brenda J Safe travels to your new life in Jamaica!

Photos: Baguio and Sagada- 2 days in Baguio and then 3 in Sagada.

kirstenroche — Fri, 1 Aug 2014 07:00:00 GMT

It was 234k from Manila to Baguio which took 7 hours and about 140k to Sagada which was 6 hours of S turns

Photos: Makati/Sabang

kirstenroche — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 07:00:00 GMT

Manila/Makati for 2 days of rest and the on to Sabang for Diving

Not too much to say

kirstenroche — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 11:40:00 GMT

Well, I don't have many interesting things to say today since it's only been two days since my last blog entry, but since I have access to reasonably fast internet this morning I figured I would say hello anyway!

Friday night about 12 of us went out to a videoke bar, where we were encouraged to pour our own drinks. The only mix available was iced tea, and there were only a couple of kinds of liquor behind the counter, but after paying 80 pesos per drink ($2) I was able to pour a literal glass of rum with a splash of iced tea and spend almost nothing the whole night! Karaoke is slightly more fun when drinking and when all the terrible singing is coming from your friends...we then headed off to La Fideral, a club downtown, where we proceeded to dance HARD until 2am without a rest. The music was awesome and we made many friends there, it felt so good to dance because it's been so long for me! My knees were actually sore all of yesterday because I was dancing so hard!

Saturday morning, Ethel and I finished working on our 45-slide powerpoint presentation about women's health and hygiene. It was fun to put together because the social worker at the shelter told us that they learn most of these topics in school, but they would love to learn more and to go over everything again. This allowed us to include topics on contraception and family planning, HIV and safe sex (including safe anal sex, primarily mentioned for the transgender women who sleep with men...wow, wasn't expecting to be able to mention something like that in a country of 80% Catholics!), so I feel really happy about the presentation!

Sadly, right before we left to present to them yesterday there was a medical emergency at the shelter so we've postponed the presentation until Tuesday to give the girl time to recover. I'm hoping that everything is okay and am sending her healthy vibes <3

We've decided that, even though Ethel leaves on Thursday, today we will put together a presentation on healthy relationships and boundary-setting, and likely present that on Tuesday as well. Hoping to put together some handouts for self-esteem and whatnot that we can complete as a group to make it more interesting. I'm pretty excited to say the least- I love this stuff so much!

Yesterday after finishing presentation #1, I went with a fellow volunteer to see the "big ship" of Tacloban since it was our day off. We hopped a jeepney and then a tricycle to a small barangay/community outside of downtown...It is literally a MASSIVE oceanliner ship that was forced onto land during Yolanda, where it has remained about 20 meters away from the ocean in the middle of a neighbourhood. It actually crushed part of the road it got so far up. Pics to come soon, hopefully! Immediately after the typhoon, so many people had lost their homes that they began putting ramshackle homes around the ship's base, and it is now a full-on neighbourhood. There is now no way to remove the ship due to the number of homes around it that would need to be destroyed, so it is thought that the ship will remain there! An interesting reminder of the strength of nature, and an interesting tourist sight!

Anyway, I'm off to revel in the internet speed right now and possibly just spend a few minutes surfing the net *because I can*!!! :D Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Sea turtles and new projects!

kirstenroche — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 12:22:00 GMT

Whew! Apologies for the lack of updates, but the internet here is only fast enough to load pages until noon most days. I am in transit or at the clinic from 6:30am-1:30pm on weekdays so you see the issue.

Where did we leave off? On Thursday night, 13 volunteers (including me) got ready to go on a diving weekend in the south of Leyte island, near a place called Sogod. The driver of the van we rented showed up about two hours late, but after all of us waiting on the side of the road in the dark for two hours at the point of hysterical laughter, we were on our way! The van was filled to the brim which didn't help the 3-hour bus ride through the second most winding road I've been on (after the trip to Sagada). We stopped once to allow one of the volunteers go get out and throw up on the side of the highway, but aside from that the trip was uneventful. I happily rocked out and mouthed the words to "Total Eclipse of the Heart," some of the top-knotch music the driver provided from his mp3 player, while the other volunteers slept in back.

We arrived around 10:30pm and nearly cried with appreciation that the hotel staff stayed late at the restaurant (which technically closes at 8:30pm) to feed us. 10 of us stayed in a rented house that was supposed to sleep four, but in low season apparently no one cares so the staff stuffed a bunch of extra mattresses in. Three of us stayed in a much quieter but beautiful room down the beach that had three beds and a private bathroom with hot showers with ACTUAL WATER PRESSURE, and flush toilets! And there were no bugs in the room at all, somehow! No roosters or dogs nearby either, since we were outside town a bit, so we slept like angels. Total luxery for about $10/night each. We slept and awoke to the sounds of ocean waves immediately outside our balcony.

The next day I did two wall dives and a night dive under the pier in town, all of which were stunning. I love wall dives 100% the most, the ocean floor suddenly drops off and you're left swimming next to a literal wall of coral and sea life, with no ground above or below you that you can see. I saw a big turtle swimming gracefully and followed it for a while. The night dive was very cool as always- we saw three turtles (!), stargazer fish, two seahorses sleeping with their tails wrapped around corals, and tons of interesting sea creatures. Thoroughly enjoyed myself despite having lost one of my contacts before I started any of the dives. Because I foolishly forgot my backup pairs, I spent the entire day only seeing out of one eye! Hahaha, still good though.

The next two days were pure relaxation. Decided not to dive with one contact again, so I spent all my time visiting, sleeping in, playing Chinese checkers and floating in the ocean. Can't really beat that.

We got back late Sunday night and woke up for our projects early Monday morning. This week I've helped with intake, helped with the prenatal clinic, and gave immunizations to a million screaming babies. It's been great! I also spent a lot of time talking to the midwife-slash-nurse (he's been trained in both). He was finishing a night shift at 5am in the clinic with two other nurses when Typhoon Yolanda hit last November. It was raining in typical typhoon fashion (they get 20 a year in the Philippines, mostly just rain and wind for a day or two) when suddenly, he said, the roof blew off the clinic! He described as a man came to the clinic with a gigantic shard of glass in his chest, and he brought the man under a table- the only covered area they had- and removed the shard, tying his chest in a tournequit right there in the middle of the typhoon! He saved the antibiotics and stitching materials as they waited the typhoon out, dealing with patients as they arrived.

Help took one week to get there after the disaster struck. Al, the midwife/nurse, told me that he rationed antibiotics as much as possible and, for lack of a doctor, prescribed them as needed. He lived at the clinic that month, since his house had been destroyed, and he dealt with patients 24 hours a day until MSF brought in other medical staff after the first couple of weeks. My organization, VFV, was the first to send medical supplies after week one. The conversation has me thinking a lot, and 100% reinforced my desire to work in disaster relief. I think that is going to move up to my number one goal working in health care. It was incredible to talk to someone like Al, and I'm so grateful to be working with him.

Today I didn't go to clinic because I'm working on another side project with another volunteer named Ethel. She volunteers weekly at the women's shelter here. The women have been abused or traffiked, it's very intense. We decided to do a presentation for them regarding basic health and hygiene, buttt this project has turned into a big one.

We are now doing one presentation on that, followed by one for the women regarding women's health (breast health, UTIs, menstruation, contraception, pregnancy, safe sex and other important topics...most girls there are under 17), one on health specifically tailored to the four transgender girls who stay at the shelter (covering topics like oral hormones, breast health since they're on the hormones, shabu- the drug like meth that many traffiked youth are forced to take during their imprisonment- and addiction, safe male-male sex and other subjects), AND a presentation for a young boy who lives there who had nowhere else to go.

We're presenting tomorrow! Ethel is American but her family is Filipino, so she speaks Tagalog and can adequately translate everything for us. I can't wait! It's been really exciting putting together all the info and finishing it up is today's mission. We're thinking of going back on Tuesday, as well, to present on healthy relationships and boundary-setting, since obviously those can become issues for people who have been abused in the past. Ethel leaves next week, but who knows? I might put together some more presentations for after she leaves, if I can find a translator since the girls are not completely confident in their English skills.

This weekend's goal is to sleep in and put together the presentations. Next week I can't possibly anticipate. All I know is that I love it here. I'm missing home and the people and cats that I love, but I'm also feeling very settled and happy here :) Thank you for reading and I'll send an update next week some time. Sending lots of love home!

Waterfalls, clinics and tofu- Week 1 in Tacloban!

kirstenroche — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 15:08:00 GMT

Tacloban has been a great experience so far. Here’s the breakdown:

Homestay is great. I love my little windlowless room, it’s quite quiet with the fan going so I can actually sleep without being woken up again and again by roosters! My Nanay is the BEST cook, I get different meals every day that are massive and gourmet-delicious. For example, it will be something like a mango, vegetable pancit (noodles), coconut vegetable soup and some bread, or I’ll get a mango (always a mango, twice a day! I’m in heaven), rice, vegetable stew and adobo tofu. Nanay used to work cooking in a hospital so she is quite creative and flexible in adjusting Pinoy/Filipino food to suit different diets. I’m eating better than any other time!

Volunteers are great. There’s a group of about 20 of us, all working on different projects like nutrition, community gardens, rural clinics and teaching, and we all get along really well. We’ve been out for beers most nights that I’ve been here, went to a bar in town and saw a live band, and yesterday 16 of us went on the excursion that the organization, VFV- Volunteer for the Visayans- offers once a month to volunteers. We rented a private jeepney and enjoyed a very scenic ride to the boat we would take to the island with the waterfall. An American girl in the group ALSO LISTENS TO MATISYAHU AND THE CAT EMPIRE, so she lent me her iPod so I could listen which made my day, since I broke my mp3 player 4 days into the trip and haven’t listened to my music since.

The jeepney blew a flat tire just 15 minutes into the journey, of course, so we played soccer on the roadside for 15 minutes until the driver changed it, and off we were again! So far I have not had one day without an adventure in transportation since I got to Tacloban :P We arrived about 2 hours later at our destination and hiked for about ten minutes to a beautiful waterfall and natural swimming pool. We climbed the rocks around the falls, played in the waterfall, played catch with the soccer ball for hours, swam and did nothing but relax from 9am until 3. I have had very few days that relaxing in my life, it was soo nice.

The transportation is hell. I’m still not quite figuring out the route, since seeing out of a crowded morning jeepney verges on impossible. On the first day, I arrived at 9, an hour late, because I got the right jeepney, got off at the right place after asking where the heck we were, got a 5-person tricycle (the motorbike with a sidecar on it which takes 5 people, almost like a mini bus or something) to my placement. About a half-hour walk from the clinic, the motorbike blew a flat so we waited on the side of the road in rural Philippines for about 40 minutes, awaiting the next tricycle. Coming home 4 hours later, I got completely lost and ended up way past my stop and ended up walking for half an hour in the blazing afternoon sun, realizing that I wasn’t anywhere near my neighbourhood, then walking half an hour back to find a tricycle. He drove me…well, two minutes past the furthest point I had walked. Yes, I had been going the right direction. He let me off at a different entrance than the one I’m used to and I ended up inadvertently recruiting a local woman to walk me ten minutes through the winding streets back to the centre and my homestay, after asking her for directions. On day two, I took the jeepney too far and ended up two towns over, in Tolosa. I then needed to catch a different jeepney going back the other way to get to Tanauan (Tah-nah-wahn), ym transfer point. Then I waited 45 minutes for the tricycle to fill up enough to leave, with me finally just paying for two fares so we could leave when we waited forEVER for the last seat to fill. Arrived at work an hour and ten minutes late. Thank god the nurses, midwife and doctor understand. I will attempt again this week and am hoping I get the hang of this!!!

The clinic is great. There is a makeshift delivery room replacing the one that collapsed during Typhoon Yolanda, a small prenatal office where checkups occur, an office for admitting, an office for the doctor’s consultations, and a small pharmacy. The ceiling is basically a tarp and apparently leaks when it rains, another result of typhoon damage. They have learned that aid will come soon to help rebuild, though they don’t know when. On day 1, Thursday, I helped with admitting for the whole morning, and am slowly learning Waray-Waray for phrases like:

Last name (apelido), first name (ngaran), age (edad), home community (barangay), what is the problem or concern (ano at in problema?), what is your name (ano it imo ngaran?), thank you (salamat), you’e welcome (shit, I forgot that one already!), scale (timbung, like please step on the scale), and the names of various symptoms like a cold (ubo). I also try to use good afternoon (maupay na kulop) and good evening (maupay na gabi) as much as I can for practice! The kids always say “Hi!” excitedly when you walk by, so I like to reply in Waray to surprise them haha…

Goal is to become somewhat useful at the language, but it has been so busy for so many days now! Will learn more tonight for sure since I have the day off.

Day 2 I helped with the prenatal clinic that they run three days a week. The midwife re-taught me how to measure fundal height (the measurement from the top of a pregnant woman’s pubic bone to the top of her abdomen under the sternum) to help determine how far along she is, to take an ultrasound to check fetal heart rate, and to palpate/poke around the abdomen to check for fetal positioning…I don’t think I’ll ever have that skill down-pat but it’s impressive when he does it! Then we calculate appx fetal age using long division based on her last menstrual cycle, and calculated the baby’s appx weight based on the fundal height. It was pretty awesome! He let me help out and do most of the patient-poking by myself which is always fun J He also told me that if a delivery happens while I’m on-shift, I’ll assist in the delivery! I’m hoping that happens!

The situation is not easy for the staff or the patients, to say the least. The patients pay what they can, it seems, by giving a “donation” which might be as small as twenty-five cents. Last year they were given an ambulance by the local government, but shortly after, the typhoon hit and collapsed a cement roof on top of it, rendering it useless. They have not been given a replacement and it remains visible under a pile of rubble next to the building. I asked what they do when a complicated labor occurs, noting that “You can’t put a woman who’s in complicated labor on the back of a motorcycle!” He kind of paused and arched his eyebrows. “You have to,” he said. Better than letting her die on the table in a clinic that has almost no medical equipment or medications. “We tell the family to find someone they know with a motorcycle now, then send her on the (half-hour) trip to the nearest hospital.”

A little shocking, I’ll admit.

A fellow volunteer told me of a clinic he works at that re-uses needles after sterilizing them, due to lack of supplies, so I’m grateful that this clinic does not (at this time, anyway) need to resort to that. I was so thrilled when, after I gave an immunization to a pregnant woman for tetanus- something common here since most people do not have this shot, unlike back home- he showed me a sharps container to dispose of the needle in. A relief for now, though I don’t know if that is all the time or only when they have supplies like that.

The doctor gave an injectable painkiller to a patient with gastritis and then told me that she tries to save them, since they only have then vials of it that they got from one of the charities working in this region. Ten vials. It’s difficult to grasp the idea of ever having only ten vials of something as important as a painkiller.

Things are different here, of course, in ways that I’ve read about in books about humanitarian work but are still so hard to come to terms with when you witness it in real life. All I can say is thank god for these staff, who get paid so little and work under high-pressure conditions but who provide some of the most valuable services to the people who live in the surrounding towns. Without them, there would be no hospital referrals, no prenatal care, no medical assistance for deliveries, no immunizations and no antibiotics (so important in a place where serious infections can come out of the smallest injuries due to needing to work in fields, siblings living with no parents, playing with open sewers nearby, insects and animals that transmit bacteria and parasites, occasionally lacking soap and the millions of other risk factors that exist here).

Amazing fact of the day: The midwife told me that, as a nurse in Tacloban and other areas of the country, nurses can not find jobs and need to volunteer in the hospitals first before being hired. If the hospital folks like you, you may get hired. After up to A YEAR of unpaid, full-time work. And then each nurse is assigned up to 40 patients. At home, each nurse is assigned up to 6 patients, for some perspective on that.

Pretty incredible. I feel blessed to be here, learning and watching and making comparatively sad attempts to help anything. I’m feeling that I’ll help very little compared to how much I’ll learn from the staff and the patients, but luckily tutoring VFV’s sponsor kids every evening makes me feel a little more useful J They’re extremely enthusiastic and interested, and they’re really funny! I usually end up in the grade7-8 group, which is a good age group for me since I don’t remember enough high school to tutor the high school kids but don’t usually have the desire to spend a lot of time with kids under ten (except for Mischa, of course!).

Anyway, thank you for reading my very long blog! Will post soon!

To Tacloban!

kirstenroche — Wed, 9 Jul 2014 15:23:00 GMT

I have arrived in Tacloban!

Dad and I spent our last night in Cebu together, going out for Indian food (yum!) and drinks at a bar on the street, then watching television (what a treat!) at our fancy $30/night hotel until we went to sleep. He set off early and we said our goodbyes, miss you travel buddy!

The ferry took 2.5 hours and the bus ride, which I had read online takes 1.5 hours, actually took 3. I could that we were approaching Tacloban as more and more collapsed buildings and damaged homes began to line the roads. Houses and businesses with only frames left, covered by blue Samaritan’s Purse and UNICEF tarps to act as walls and ceilings, became more frequent. Finally, I arrived in the city. As I drove through it, I could see that very many places have been rebuilt- the place was bustling and signs saying “Now open!” and “Grand re-opening!” seemed to offer signs of hope, resiliency, and reconstruction. Grim reminders of the typhoon still line the streets, however; on some walls of collapsed and abandoned buildings, desperate messages such as “We need food, SOS” and “Save us- people inside” offer a stark look at how the city must have looked in the days following the disaster.

I arrived at my homestay at 6pm, in a barangay of Tacloban. The streets in the neighbourhood are sidewalks lined by covered sewers (open sewers covered by chunks of concrete that can be removed, and in many areas are missing completely…a fellow volunteer tells me he prefers to wear hot shoes instead of flip-flops due to the tendency of the sewers to flood many days and carry various parasites), the houses, which were probably not in the best of shape before the typhoon, have been partly rebuilt after being flooded. Mine is painted bright green inside, by paint donated by some past volunteers who stayed at my same homestay before the disaster. Volunteer for the Visayans, the group I am working with, has been here for ten years working in this area. The friendliest people and sweetest, most curious and outgoing kids you’ll ever meet run everywhere. I feel welcome and comfortable.

My nanay (housemom) is an incredible cook, happily making delicious vegetarian meals for me and my fellow volunteer housemate, a med student from Wales who is also vegetarian and is named Ganey. Nanay is retired and her grown children live outside the home, but her daughter lives next door and frequently brings over her 3-year-old daughter who is totally hilarious. She runs a little store out the front of her house and we communicate mostly through smiles and laughter, since she is not fluent in English and I know no Waray-Waray (the local language). I get to take a Waray Waray class tonight, though, and I am going to work very hard to gain some level of functionality with the language! The other volunteers are super-nice, we went out for drinks last night and spend quite a bit of time together in the center since our projects go throughout different hours of the day.

Yesterday I did my Tacloban City orientation (a tour around town) and got some groceries. I get to make my own lunches, for which I’m very thankful as it is an opportunity to choose my own comfort foods like peanut butter and jam sandwiches on whole wheat and Skinny Cow cheese on Ritz crackers, and to get actual protein every day through snacks like pumpkin seeds and trail mix. I even got wine that’s NOT Chablis, a first in this country since I was in Manila! My nanay makes me breakfast and dinner every day. Last night after shopping, I spent some time tutoring in the after-school tutoring program for the neighbourhood kids- I went in with another volunteer and sat with 6 grade-eight students to go over their math and spelling questions from earlier that day in school. I was terrified initially but I actually knew what topics we were talking about and was able to be helpful, I think. I committed to do it on Wed and Fri nights but will probably do it more often than that. Today I learned how to get to my clinic as my guide took me on the half hour jeepney and 15-minute tricycle ride there. It is beautiful, run by a doctor and a midwife and still has tarp ceilings and one tarp room as they are still waiting for help re-building after Yolanda. I look very much forward to starting there tomorrow morning, roasting in my scrubs as I continue to roast and sweat all day every day. Now I sit in the intermittent blowing of the fan in the internet café, escaping the heat for an hour until I head back to the center to help prepare meals for the nutrition program that takes place every evening for the kids in the neighbourhood.

Until next time, my friends! Thank you for reading!

Lobac and Nuts Huts-Wayne

kirstenroche — Sun, 6 Jul 2014 20:11:00 GMT

Spent 3 great nights at Nuts Huts. Unbelievable jungle get away with a great laid bac k feel. Didn't dp too much for activities as Kirsten is preparing for her 6 week volunteer assignment in Tacloban so thought some downtime would be good. We did rent kayaks 2 nights ago and went firefly watching on the river which was awesome. Lots of fireflies around here and it was a really cool experience. Met Emil and Sarah from Denmark and both are great people that we had a lot of fun with. He just filmed filming Denmark's Survivor series in the Philippines while Sarah just finished University and signed on as a journalist for enmark's Teen Mom TV show. They really enlighteded us about Copenhagen and the Danish culture over many drinks and we did the same with them about Canada...did more laughing than anything else. Only saw one "big critter" which was a lizard that was about 3 ft long including the tail, it did not attack me which was great. Saw one huge flying beetle that was not well coordinated and it hit me in the back, Kirsten took a picture of it as did our Danish friends and I'm sure she'll post it later.

Walked up the Nuts Huts 277 steps for the last time this morning (with 75 lbs of backpacks) to the roadway where we got a 45 minute tricycle ride to Taglibaran. Then jumped a ferry are are now in Cebu city before I head to Manila tomorrow and then back home. Was a fantastic trip and will likely write my good and not so good summary points when i return home.

Moal boal-Dumagete-Loboc- Wayne

kirstenroche — Fri, 4 Jul 2014 16:01:00 GMT

I liked our tricycle ride (motorbike with sidecar) into Panagsama Beach town when we arrived. The deal was 150p ($4) to our hostel but he asked for an advance of 50P to get some gas. I thought it was very funny but afterwards when I chatted with someone about it they said that’s normal as they do not always know when the next fare will be so have to watch every penny- tells you how tough life is for many of them.

I got the crap scared out of me in the hostel. I was picking up pair of shorts and a GIGANTIC spider was on the wall…..I mean FRIGGING GIGANTIC! It was larger then my hand when I spread my fingers but even that was not as scary as when he ran across the wall. He was so fast he probably cover a 20 ft section in 1-2 seconds….holy crap. Kirsten asked how we could get rid of it and I said I hope it leaves by itself cause I sure can’t catch it! I opened the door and it left on it’s own…thank God. I never saw it again but it sure spooked me. After that the cockroaches were like little pets to us.

We started running short of cash in Moal Boal after 2 days so went in to town to an ATM. Found out they only had 1 and not the 2 we had been told. As luck would have it that one was out of cash and down and we kept hearing it would be repaired tomorrow, which never came. We ended to having to eat at the only restaurant that would take a credit card in town for our last 2 meals. We had 1100 pescos ($25) left to get a bus, two tricycle rides and a ferry to our next destination which was Dumagette- we made it with $3 to spare in our pocket!

Dumagete was a great town to stay in and Harolds is a great Hostel. The driving continues to amaze me as it’s a city of 120k people and there are no traffic lights and no stop or yield signs…I cannot figure out how they do it without killing each other. Met some great people and 12 of us went diving at Apo Island which turned out to be fantastic! Did a drift dive which means you go down 25 mtrs and just let the current take you to the end point…what a blast and the highlight of my 7 dive career.

Went to a restaurant with the same gang that night and drank way too much Red Beer which is 7%. Dan from Australia (excellent young guy who has worked in the Alberta oil patch) asked when he returned from the washroom if I had gone there yet. When I said no he replied not to use the urinal because he had. When he peed there it ran down on his foot as there was no pipe on the bottom. All of us at the table cracked up laughing and then later on another guy went and did exactly the same thing…he..he…he…

Left Dumagette yesterday and got a ferry to Tagbilaran. From there jumped a tricycle to the bus station and then the bus to Nuts Huts which is in the jungle about 3 kilometers outside of town. The driver of the bus dropped us off and started to leave. I jumped back on the bus because he forgot to give us our backpacks! We were dropped off on a dark highway with a 20 minute walk to the Huts. Luckily we had a flashlight and headlamp as it was pitch black and we had to follow what was little better that a path to find the place. We made it there aok but were soaked with the humidity and the heat. Only had to stop two times on the way, once was because there was the worlds biggest toad on the path in front of us -and he wasn’t moving- so we went around him. The next was when we were walking down the initial 145 steps to the huts when Kirsten said to me :hey Dad, see what you just walked by” and I stupidly turned around to ask what it was…it was the largest snake I have ever seen outside a cage. It’s head lay half was across the step and I had narrowly missed it by an inch or so…..after that spider even the snake didn’t look bad!

Cebu City to Moalboal to Dumaguete- Kirsten

kirstenroche — Thu, 3 Jul 2014 12:24:00 GMT

Well, where did we last leave off? After Cebu City we took a short 4-hour trip down to Moalboal (Pangasama Beach) to rest and relax for a few days. We planned nothing, we did nothing, it was wonderful. The first night we arrived at 7pm and went to Moalboal Backpacker's Lodge. One room left, upstairs sharing a wall with the street. We thought "Why not!" and booked the room. They provide filtered water for 10 pesos a litre out of a big blue jug (the kind we have at home), which was a nice change from having to buy plastic bottles over and over, and there was a gorgeous sitting area upstairs with a leafy roof and bamboo railings, open-air. Hammocks to chill in. Perfect. 2 minutes after check-in we starting chatting in the bamboo terrace with a girl from Hong Kong, May Ann, and we all decided on drinks and dinner at Chili Bar. We ate and drank and shared great conversation there, straight on the ocean with the waves crashing around us, until nearly 2am. People-watching included:

*3 transgender prostitutes seated at the table beside us

*1 Japanese man apparently trying to broker a deal with one of the prostitutes, her excitedly talking to her friends about it, and then him (after an hour of this) suddenly leaving the bar, leaving the lady very confused

*Older Dutch couple sitting behind us, with him taking photo after photo of her just sitting across from him, and eventually I noticed he seemed to be covertly taking pics of people at the bar as well. He approached one of the ladies at the table beside us, said something looking very lustful, and was completely ignored by the ladies for the rest of the night, despite the "sexy" looks both in the couple were shooting the ladies all night

That night, due to a fan that hardly worked and the fact that our roof was semi-open-air and allowed us full exposure to the many loud sounds of the streets, we slept 3 hours. Hungover and exhausted, we moved hotels the next day. The pool it usually has was being renovated but the resort nearby let us lounge in and near theirs for 75 pesos per person per day, so we spent the next three days there doing nothing but drinking rum and coke and sleeping! Did an incredible dive there with the famous schools of sardines...it's overwhelming how many there are. Millions, or at least tens of thousands of them, swim over top of and beside you in huge walls, glittering in the sun above. It was one of my favorite dives.

My other favorite dive happened yesterday at Apo Island outside of Dumaguete. Although much of the coral was damaged in Typhoon Yolanda last year, the fish were abundant and I saw many things I've never seen before, like huge black and white striped sea snakes, a lead scorpion fish, crazy sea cucumbers and nudibranches and numerous new fishes. I swam beside a massive school of jackfish which was stunning, they're huge! Then we grabbed new oxygen tanks, dropped into a fantastic current and drifted like we were in a dream, all through the area, until the boat picked us up. Partied and ate with people at the hostel (who had been on the dive with us) until midnight. Now we're off to Bohol to stay in a jungle hostel, see the chocolate hills and kayak with fireflies for a few days until dad has to leave on the 7th!

Whew, that's all I've got time for right now...talk to you all soon! Pics to come, thanks for reading!

Buses,Mango Cake, Coconut Buns, Roosters, dogs and Bat Shit- Wayne

kirstenroche — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 15:00:00 GMT

Kirsten is giving an update of the happenings over the past 3-4 days (or is it 8-10 days???) so I will throw a few bullets at you about the things we have seen and experienced so far:- SAGADA a) when we got there (about 3500 people) we went and registered in the tourism office which is necessary to take any of the tours. Lady was very nice and I asked her where we could go to get a beer. She had no idea so had to go ask someone...I am assuming she is new there....or doesn't drink

b) Sagada'spopulation should be doubled as I have never seen so many dogs or roosters in my life. Our guide told us no one leashes their animals so they have the run of the town. There is a 9 PM curfew but it does not apply to the dogs and roosters. All throughout the night the roosters crow and then the dogs join which makes it very loud and a little tricky to sleep...all part of the experience. I will need “white noise” like this when I get back to Kamloops. Will ask Donna to start rooster shopping immediately -

c) The townis very well known for 1) being a backpacker mecca. I did not know what this really meant before but it basically means that everything is very cheap and VERY laid back. The people are hospitable and easy to deal with about anything. We LOVED it there! 2) Being the Pot capital....when in Rome....

d) Went tothe Kimchi bar and chatted with the Owner Frank for 3 hours. Bob Marley pictures everywhere and his music playing constantly. Bottlecaps for curtains and floors that will set you on your face quickly after a few beers. Great guy, well traveled and an excellent host. There was another bar attached to it with music playing and lights flashing but it had a padlock on the door. Came back to Kimji the next day but it was padlocked and the other bar was open so we hung out there with a group of friends...I think there is a system to the bat opening hours but couldn't stay any longer to figure it out.

e) Kirsten and I went for a walk for about 2 hours as soon as we came to town. Found Sagada pottery out of town but the building looked like it had been shut down for 10 years as it was falling down. We could not find anyone around but it was listed as one of the sights. However, there was another sign for a place called the Cellar Door that had a great selection of imported beer and wine. We started following the signs and they went on forever! Every time we'd get to a corner where we thought it was there was another sign. This continued for about 1/2-3/4 kilometer into the woods and I was starting to suspect that a) we were being videotaped for an episode of Punked or b) two guys with banjo's were going to jump out of the trees and say how cute I was or c) I was on an old episoe of the Twighlight Zone. However, neither happened and we found the place deep in the woods along beautiful rock paths that I could never walk if I was drinking. Kirsten uploaded a few pictures to Facebook but just getting there was an adventure

f) met a girl from Ireland and Kirsten and myself had a great breakfast with her. Then met a group at the tourism office and had dinner and drinks with them that night. It was my first UN gropu meeting as had a girl from Scotland, girl from Quebec, guy from England and then another from the Netherlands. Everyone is looking to meet and chat with people about their adventures and it is so much fun. When you see them the next day it's like you have been friends for life

g) Prices are unbelievably cheap. I bought a round when we went to the bar the other night (not something poor backpackers usually do). There were 6 of us and we had two beers each, total tab was 350P or $10! Our Hostel was 1000P for both of us for 2 nights which is about $30. Please remember this is not the Hilton. It had hot or cold water...he key word there was “or” as you couldn't mix them together. You could have one or the other. I love backpacking.

h) caving was unbeievable! Have never done it and never wanted to but thought we'd push things a little more after I survived the diving. Rock formations were hard to imagine, we rappelled, waded through chest deep water, climbed tires to get to various levels, jumped rosks (thank God for all that training jumping rocks in Flatrock Newfoundland) and walked mostly in our bare feet as they grip better than shoes or flip flops. There were hundreds of bats on the ceiling that we could see with a light...and that was the GOOD part! In the one area there was batshit everywhere and your choices were to slip on it or grab hold of the rocks covered with batshit to keep from falling...you quickly learn to appreciate batshit! Donna, please check at Walmart and see what removes Batshit and buy 2 bottles.

i) Had a long busride back to Baguio with a number of other backpackers. This group were from Israel, Austria (wore a t-shirt that said "we have no kangaroos in Austria" because she has been confused so much with Australia) and Italy. When we stopped for a break we bought snacks like mango cake and coconut bread. Everyone shared their food so we all got to sample it. It was a good way to travel.

j) rode another bus to Mainla the next day and then had to call Donna to book us a flight to Ceu City as the syatem kept crashing...thanks Hon!!! Got to airport just in time and landed around 9. Went on the rooftop bar at the hotel (we splurged and blew $30 on a room) for a quick beer and met Michael and Martha from Poland. Finally went to bed at 2 after 5 hours of laughing and drinking. Had breakfast with them and they gave us some great travel tips about wehere we are heading next.

And last of all, you know when you have stayed too many nights in cherap hostels when you decide to spend $30 on a room, walk in and the first thing you notice is that a) it has toilet paper and b) you will likely steal it and take it to the next hostel with you! That's all for now.

Photos: Philippines

kirstenroche — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 14:34:00 GMT

Baguio to Sagada to Baguio to Manila to Cebu- WHEW! - Kirsten

kirstenroche — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 13:58:00 GMT

Whew. We have completed 16 hours on buses and planes in the last three days (22 hours in the last five days, and about 32 in the last week) and it is now time for a rest from it all!

Our days in Sagada were absolutely wonderful, anyone going to the Philippines should not miss it! We traveled for six hours (to get 234km) by bus on the most winding mountain road full of S-turns I've ever seen. S, S, S, S; you were never driving straight for the entire trip. A bit of help from Gravol and we were good, though, and leaned out the bus window watching endless miles of green mountains and valleys carved with thousands of rice terraces. Can't beat that view! And your butt didn't get sore on the seats, since the constant shifting and bumping meant your entire backside never touched the seat at one time!

Sagada was small and extremely laid-back, had only three small bars (which were all open different hours, so there was usually only one open at any given time), everyone super-chill. The first two restaurants we went to basically told us that they only open when the owners feel like it:

Dad- Can we get dinner here? Are you open?
Girl who answered the door to the restaurant-slash-house- *shrugs* We are not open until 6.
Dad- Okay, can we come back at 6?
Girl- You have to order by 3pm. (it's 4)
Dad- Oh, are you open tomorrow?
Girl- *shrugs*
Dad- Or will anyone be around tomorrow so I can ask?
Girl- *shrugs* They might be down the street there. *points in unclear direction*
Dad- Thank you...

Luckily we did eventually eat. We then found a bar called Kimchi, which seats about ten and which had bottle caps covering every inch of the walls, done up in designs like geckos. Bob Marley's face was plastered all over and smooth reggae played over the speakers. The service was...um, delayed, as dad got his beer from the fridge but I waited 20 minutes for my rum and coke as the waitress disappeared out back. No matter, we were relaxed and happy and when I gently reminded her, it appeared in about 5 seconds, which makes me think she just miiight have made it and then forgot immediately after. It was strong, though, and I had a few more. We ended up talking to the owner of the bar, Frank, for 3 hours, having a grande old time.

The next morning at the tour office in town, we met travelers from Quebec, England, Scotland, and the Netherlands. We talked for five minutes and then decided collectively that we should go for drinks later. Dad and I then hired a local guide, a young guy named Humphrey, to take us on a two-hour hike in the blazing hottest part of the day into Echo Valley. He pointed out plants like coffee trees and edible ferns and we saw the hanging coffins- coffins placed precariously on the walls of sides of cliff faces by family members of deceased Animists over the last few centuries, so their bodies would be closer to nature. Extremely interesting sights to see, that's for sure! Upon our return we had a quick lunch and fed rice to a very hungry and very friendly kitten (who scarfed the food, then laid in dad's lap for half an hour as we blackened our hands petting him the whole time), and went out for drinks with the crew. They are A BLAST and we adored them surely, we had some beers and rum and cokes and shared a delicious dinner. I was sad it had to end but the restaurants and bars in town are required to close at 9pm for curfew. Ed, the English guy, noted that he was in Thailand during the coup, and even then the curfew wasn't until 10!

The next day, which is 2 days ago now, we woke up and went caving for the first time. I can't imagine a better place for a first time, but now I think we've seen some of the best of the best! It was like the moon down there. We descended down, down, down into the belly of the earth from the mouth of the cave- first, gripping limestone rocks that were slippery with mud and bat dung with all of our limbs, then arriving at giant formations of rocks smoothed by hundreds of years of water constantly streaming over them. They were like sandpaper on your bare feet so you gripped them easily, so we walked, climbed and rappelled on them like spiders on a wall! Down we went, hundreds of feet, crouching down to manoeuver through a tunnel, walking in waist-deep pools, looking around us at boulders and curtains formed from stone. Indescribable. As much another world as diving is! Definitely doing that again one day.

After caving, we went straight to the 11am bus to Baguio, arrived there in the evening, ate and went to bed. Yesterday we booked our flight to Cebu after a LOT of effort (including an hour at the internet cafe, which cancelled my information right as I was on the last page of course. Called mom about 30 times from a dying cell phone on a bus through the mountains, getting her to book the flight to Cebu for us from Canada. We lost service constantly as we wound through the streets but eventually we were booked! We were scheduled to arrive in Manila at the bus depot at 4:20pm, giving us two hours to get to our flight. The bus ACTUALLY arrived, thanks to Manila traffic, at 5:40. We ran to the taxi and, with some rule-breaking and illegal U-turns, made it to the airport five minutes before boarding.

And now here we are in Cebu! By supper time we will be in Moalboal, a relaxed diving town, to spend a few days recovering from all this transit by diving, drinking, and general lazing. Very, very much looking forward to it! Will update one day soon. Thanks for reading!

Sabang and a weekly summary- Wayne

kirstenroche — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 22:25:00 GMT

June 18- Landing in Sabang and my first crack at diving

So we landed and were surprised to find out that we only had about I minute of walking to reach the cabin we rented. There were actually 3 areas to land on in Puerto Galera and we chose the exact one we needed to- the luck continues. The cabin… the good….right on the beach, 50 ft from the water, fantastic view of everything, 100 yards from pubs and entertainment and a double bed with a fan, but no a/c, which was our choice. Come on, it’s in the low 30’s with 450% humidity so why would you need it! The bad….nothing really… sure, we were on the main strip for the peddlers, the hookers and the wild dogs and cats but everyone was so friendly and welcoming it could be overlooked. Anyway, the saying about Sabang is that there are two main things to do with one being diving and drinking the other. Being as how diving didn’t start until next day we went to a great Pub on water called Eddies and drank beers and wine for a few hours. Went to bed early as diving started first thing in the morning and I was a “little” nervous.

My teacher was John and he’s an Aussie and was fantastic and more than a little patient. I had done the theory part of the course on line and was just here for the practical which “by the book” means diving in a pool until you get the skills mastered and then progressing to the open water (means the ocean for you non diving landlubbers). Well, after 15 minutes chatting with John, looking at the scuba gear and him explaining how you put it on I quickly myself in water over my head in the ocean doing skills- I assume this was because I was catching on so quickly. This included things such as taking a regulator out of your mouth underwater, learning how to empty water out of your mask if you fill it up while underwater, getting water out of the regulator if it fills up, buoyancy breathing (inhale and your lungs swell up and you rise towards surface, exhale and you sink.. do it wrong and you float like a beached whale to the surface or sink quickly to the bottom- both of these I excelled at on the first day). Shortly thereafter I followed John and another Aussie out to a deeper area and soon found myself 30 feet below the surface breathing through something I had only just seen pictures of up to an hour ago. Now I could kid you and say I was totally relaxed but to be blunt I was biting so hard on the mouthpiece I thought I was going to swallow it! I wanted to poke John and say something like “excuse me, but the theory part says I don’t do this until Lesson 4” but I couldn’t catch him so I did something people few people have ever experienced when in my company… I kept quiet (apparently buying me a regulator and sticking it in my mouth 30 ft underwater is the cure). I kept looking at the air level on my gauges constantly and was waiting to die when I realized I was actually surrounded by an unbelievable amount of fish of every shape and size. They were a little curious but very calm just swimming along with me in the middle of them and it was so awesome! The colors of the rocks, plants and coral were fantastic and it was an unbelievable feeling. My focus started to shift away from what I was “hoping to learn” as I realized that I was already doing it, what a freaking buzz! I was so pumped when we finished the dive and was already looking forward to the next one later that day. During the second one we did more skills and went diving at another location and it was even a better experience than the first time. The reality is that swimming around in a pool and doing the drills is one thing but jumping into the ocean, actually diving and using what you learned is so much better and a much quicker way to learn. I won’t say anymore about the diving except to say it was one of, if not the best, experiences I’ve ever had and would encourage everyone to do it…enough said.

Just got to Baguio last night after an hour boat ride, a 2-1/2 hour bus ride and a 6 hour bus ride. My butt was sore but today was great. Kirsten reported on that above.

The weekly recap…. TOKYO- 1) landed in Tokyo, got lost and rode train to “somewhere” before we eventually jumped off and spent 30 minutes trying to get out of the train station and underground mall we found ourselves in, 2) accidentally found a great bar with a seating capacity of 20, this included 18 non-English speaking Japanese and 2 non-Japanese speaking Canadians, managed to order food which included a non meatless pepperoni for Kirsten, beers and- after credit cards didn’t work- we were able to pay w/o working in the kitchen, 3) somehow found the train station again that got us close to our hotel, found a 7-11 that dispensed what I thought was $30 of Japanese Yen- it was actually $300, tracked down a cab and using only our fantastic communication skills (knees on ground and hands in praying position in front of face) found our hotel, gave the driver $100 for the ride (I thought it was $10) but because the Japanese are so honest he stopped me from jumping out and gave me the $92 back that I tipped him, 4) got to hotel, found out father and Daughter had a double bed between them in a room the size of a closet, using only our raw reasoning skills found out after 15 minutes how to turn on the lights (put room card in a well hidden slot in the wall), turned on a/c unit that blew anything but cold air and finally- after 11 hours of flying, a 16 hour time change and 28 hours without sleep crashed for 5 hours of sweaty sleep.

SABANG- the bucket list is shrinking after this few days….1) rode on our first (and 2^nd) banka and did not puke- check! 2) shared my room with a gigantic cockroach (will upload picture later) and developed a relationship (he could run on walls but not hang out on curtain over my head when I was awake)…I called him Rocky…check! 3) was stared down and had my first proposal from a lady of the evening…check! 4) had my first proposal from a transgendered person “with a price” that she was open to negotiation on (I blame this on Kirsten as she left our deck to get chicken for the ferrel cats which left me open to this offer) 5) had my first dive and survived!…check…got my open water certification….check!! 6) met and partied with fantastic people from Amsterdam….check! 7) loaded three fruit baskets back on the heads of 70 year old women who sold me fruit..check! 8) drank so much Sam Miguel beer I am now allowed to call it SMB like the locals do…check! and 9) watched some of the most beautiful sunsets any parent could ever ask to experience with his daughter (no tears you mothers)..check!!! Looking forward to this weeks adventures.

Sabang to Baguio- Kirsten

kirstenroche — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 19:54:00 GMT

We have left Puerto Galera area/Sabang and are now in Baguio in North Luzon, the Northern province in the Philippines. What a fabulous couple of days it has been, of course, as always. First, finishing in Sabang…

Second impression of Sabang: Still beautiful, although some of the faults become more visible after a couple of days there. There are many vendors there, selling their wares- sunglasses, necklaces, bracelets- along the beach on the strip of sidewalk that our little veranda rested on. For days 1 and 2 it was no issue at all, everyone was so friendly and if you said “No thank you!” in a friendly way, they smiled back and continued on. On day 3 in Sabang we woke up to suffocating heat and humidity, and possibly a hint of a hangover. As we read our dive books on the veranda, people seemed to be more persistent and would not take “No thank you” for an answer. We headed far down the beach for breakfast, sitting near the sidewalk again since it’s out in the fresh air, and encountered the same issue…the people who sold their things there were now getting comfortable with us and were getting very pushy, saying things like “You promised me!” when we definitely did not do anything like that. It’s hard to turn away and just ignore them- they’re people! It’s so rude to turn your back on someone, especially when you know they’re just trying to make a living, but it got to a point where we figured out that we needed to just say (with a smile, of course, in a genuinely nice way, despite how frustrating it was not to be able to go anywhere without harassment that morning) the “No thank you” a maximum of two times, and then if they kept pushing to not really respond. It was really hard for both of us, I think, because we DO understand that some of those vendors have a really hard time in low season, and that they need to make money to live just like any of us do. And it’s hard because not only do I not want to be a rude tourist, but I don’t want to be a rude person in general. It’s a tough balance sometimes, but you do need to set some kind of limits and boundaries I guess.

On top of this, the slightly seedy undercurrent of the sex trade in Sabang becomes MUCH more blatant on Friday night, when we watched dozens of grey Aussie and Japanese men, arms linked with young Filipina women, heading back to the hotels. At one point we saw four Japanese men in at least their seventies, all with very young-looking Filipinas, laughing and talking all the way to their hotels. On one hand I have full respect for women who work in the sex trade industry, just as long as it’s her decision. The awareness of the sex slavery industry, however, always lingers in my mind, so the idea that in some cases it may not really be consensual is disturbing to say the least. That being said, it’s a reality in this world and my judging it right now is not going to help the situation at all (at least not until one day when I hope I’ll be doing some psychiatric work in this area!).

Onto happier things, all of my dives were incredible. I did a deep dive at 100 feet, a wreck dive, a navigation dive where I learned how to use a compass and natural landmarks underwater to navigate around, a dive focused on fine-tuning my buoyancy, and a drift dive where we floated with the current for the whole time. The water is unreal, warm enough never to need a wetsuit and so diverse and lovely! It made it hard to leave Sabang, but I’m excited for some more of it when I head to Visayas!

Yesterday morning at 11:30 we hopped the hour-long boat ride to Batangas, then got ona bus just as it was pulling away to Manila. Two hours later we got to Manila, grateful since we had only had toast for breakfast at 7am, but as we pulled up our bus to Baguio was about to leave so we had no time for food! Nice to get to leave early, though, which brought us to Baguio at a reasonable hour. That bus ride took about 6 hours, with three twenty-minute smoke breaks for the driver, and the air conditioning blasted on our shorts-and-tshirt-exposed skin the entire time. Everyone on the bus had hoodies zipped to the top if they had hoodies, and we all exchanged looks when we found out that the driver had no way to turn it down!

Baguio from the highway at night is huge and beautiful. The city is shaped like a bowl so buildings climb the hills on all sides of you. We finally got to the hotel, Baguio Village Inn, a bit after eleven, tired, cold, thirsty (for water, and for beer) and hungry (having had a donut and Vitamin K-enriched Cheesies for lunch). Arriving in a university city at 11 on a Saturday night sounds like a blast, but in reality the area we were in meant the streets were packed to the brim with extremely drunk and rowdy 18-year-olds. Not actually as fun as it sounds when you’re in the mood we were in. We asked a cabbie about good restaurants and he brought us to Volante, a 24-hour sit-down place with all kinds of food and drink for great prices compared to Sabang and Makati. I had a pizza and dad had fish and chips (before you judge us about not ever eating local foods, remember that vegetarian food in many places refers to meatless pizza or fries or plain rice, and remember that I would have killed for comfort food at that time of night!).They were the best meals!!! Possibly partly due to us being starved all day long, but I think the food might have actually been really good…The wine was cheap so I guzzled that and felt happy and relaxed again!

First impression of Baguio: Last night at first thing this morning, really bad, to be honest. Passed out or rough-housing teens in the street last night, not being able to see anything in the dark, and then being awoken at 7am this morning to blasting church bells ringing for over half an hour straight after going to bed at 2am did not make me love the city, that’s for sure.

Second impression of Baguio: Today made up for all of that, easily! We were able to go to a mall, a beautiful open-air mall with a super view of the city, and get a sim card that works. Called mom and Chris, it made me so happy to hear their voices and catch up a little. Ate a smoothie there, mmm my very fave food. Finally got to wash my clothes, which were pretttyyyy gross with sweat after I sweat through them all while in Manila and Sabang. It’s cooler here so you never actually drip with sweat, which is a welcome reprieve. Went out to a vegetarian restaurant in town that serves fantastic food, Oh My Gulay, and it’s run by a national artist! Pics to come to Facebook shortly, nothing can capture the immense awesomeness that was that place! It’s in an atrium and is just like a giant treehouse, with a lifesize ship built of reclaimed wood, carved reclaimed wood and staircases and bridges, a koi pond, and plants galore. The food was tasty as hell and the atmosphere was very whimsical. On our way in, somehow we ended up talking to two guys in the restaurant, Chris and Matt, and we talked like old friends for over an hour and a half, before we even thought to look at the menu. One is from Cebu, where we’re going next week, and one from Manila. We exchanged emails after one of the most relaxed and interesting conversations I’ve had in quite a while. Hoping to meet up with them before we leave :)

Tomorrow we head North to Sangada for some hiking, rice terrace-viewing and to see the hanging coffins.

Anyway that took me 45 minutes to type so I'm going onto other things now :P Sending lots of love everyone's way! Comment on our blog to make it more interesting, we like comments!

Makati and Puerto Galera

kirstenroche — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 18:26:00 GMT

Wayne- Has been a very interesting few days and I'll start with Makti. It's a suburb of Manila and the approx population for the Greater Manila is about 11.5 mm people. Stayed at a great hotel called St Giles and rooms were very nice with a great view on the 24th floor. Had our first ride in a Jeepney which is a converted American Army jeep from the war. They are somewhat souped up and many are reupholstered and chromed out- we will upload some pictures later this week on Facebook because so far the computers we have used do not have a port for uploading anything. Anyway, the jeepenys hold about 20 people with 10 per side, slats for windows and no AC. A 20 minute ride can make you swaet off 10 lbs so I am going to drink more beer to ensure I do not blow away. We then just off at a randon stop in the middle of thye city ans walked around for 2 hours which allowed us to lose 2 more pounds of fluids...we all know what that means...more food and beer for balance. We then went back to hotel, swam on the rooftop pool and gained the weight back. Later that evening we went to the hotel called the Shangrila which was the most spectular place I have ever been allowed to hang out in. We went to a bar called for Sage which had a fantastic band with 3 girls. We danced and Kirsten ended up on stage dancing with the band, fortunately I was there to keep her from signing a contract with them. It was a great night!

On to our travel the next day to Puerto Galera....got a taxi to the bus terminal which was putting our lives in our hands. Any Filipino could drive in Canada but I would never attempt to drive here. They seem to know what they are doing, horns are constantly blowing but amazingly not one finger or voice is ever raised. Someone would be dead if what happened on their roads happened on ours in Canada! We jumped out of the cab and figured out which bus took us to the Batangas which is where the boat for PG leaves from. The buses have a time to leave but don't follow it, they leave when they are full only. Two hours later we arrived at our destination and when trhe bus doors opened we were quickly attacked by about 8 kids who supposed help you get your ticket.....for a fee. Anyway, got through that and got on the boat which was due to leave at 330. Guess what...that;s right...it only leaves when it is full. However, right away five young guys disappeared below decks and used a 1-1/2 inch rope to turn over the diesel engine. 45 minutes later we were full to the brim on diesel fumes and started our 1 hour journey to PG. It was very rough but thanks to Gravol we made it ok, another Japanese tourist was not so lucky.

Kirsten-

Today’s diving was amazing. I saw some of the fishes I’ve seen in Latin America, but they are HUGE here! I saw so many batfish (they look kind of like angelfish, google them) that were a foot and a half long scooting by me without paying a bit of attention. The dive instructor made a little motion with his hands that attracted a bunch of fishes, so I started doing the same. I was surrounded by hundreds of fish on every side. I looked up, and it was like floating in a dream. Thousands of angelfish and others floated above me like butterflies. The coral below me, especially a few small fishing-boat-wrecks containing dense coral gardens, were swarmed with all kinds of creatures imaginable, and many not imaginable! Little shrimp walked by whose bodies were completely see-through except for some red stripes. A baby turtle’s head was just visible poking out of a crevice. Today I did a drift dive, where we hopped into the water and just floated with the current beneath the surface. It’s neat because you hardly expend any effort and can float along, exploring the corals and wildlife. I also did a navigator dive, after I learned how to use natural landmarks and a compass to find my way around and remember how to get back to the boat…that’s one step closer to becoming a dive instructor! Should I ever pursue that…

Tomorrow I have a wreck dive and a night dive, and I’m hoping to god I don’t get an ear infection from being in the water because the day after is my final dive, the deepest one I’ve done. Then my advanced certification is complete! Looking forward to seeing what comes :) Dad will post about his first diving experience tomorrow or the day after when he has time!

First impression of Sabang: Beautiful! Our rooms are about 15 feet from the ocean, across a narrow sandy beach, so we go to sleep and wake up to the sounds of the ocean waves crashing right outside our windows. There's definite character here, with many older white guys chatting up younger Filipino girls in the bars and on the street, but whatever's going on is nothing I can put a stop to by judging the situation, so who knows! The food has been good and the diving is unreal, so that's good enough for me!

We have arrived!

kirstenroche — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 22:26:00 GMT

We have finally arrived in Manila!
Yesterday we got from Kamloops to Vancouver, then hopped aboard a ten-hour flight to Tokyo. We were both unsure of what to expect since neither of us have ever flown for that long at once. We were very, very pleasantly surprised! The folks at All Nippon Air are about the friendliest you can picture, there was hardly a moment when the flight attendants were not smiling. Each seat had a television on the back of the one in front of it and contained about twenty different movies that you could choose from in a variety of languages. The alcohol was- get this- free. "You can have as much as you want, but remember you get drunk faster in the air!" said our flight attendant. Thank you, we'll be careful ;) The sun did not set for the entirety of the flight, despite the fact that we arrived in Japan at 3:00am our time.

At 7:00pm Japan time, we landed at Haneda airport in Tokyo, the only visibly non-Japanese people in seemingly the entire airport. We breezed through customs, acquired some yen, and then spent a long time chatting with the tourist centre lady about how to get to "downtown Tokyo" (as if that means anything in a city that size). Eventually we decided to go to Shibuya neighbourhood, which appeared by the map to be only two stops from the airport. How perfect! We bought our tickets and were off to the monorail by 8:00....end of Kirstens comments....and Wayne picks it up.....It sure sounded easy but as often happens things went slightly off track...well, the train didn't but where we intended to go sure did! Ended up in another partof tokyo and after wandering aimlessy for a while found a totally cool bar/restaurant that had great beer and Sangria. The place was packed, seriously, all 20 seats were full and I'm not kidding! No one spoke a word of English but they quickly moved people aroud so we could squeeze in between 18 of the locals. They somehow grasped the concept that I wanted a pepporini pizza and Kirsten wanted the same excepct with no meat. Went to pay later on and neither one of my credit cards worked. I had exchanged cash for $50,000 yen earlier and the food cost $47,000 so went back to being broke. Personally I thought it was better than being kung fu'd! I have to say it was a great experience and the people were unbelievably frinedly and helpful. Took us about an hour to find our way to our hotel on the trains. That also included a quick taxi drive at the end where I gave the guy $100 to cover an $8 cab ride, I actually thought i gave him $10 but luckily the cabbies are very honest. Made it to the hotel at 11;30 which was about 25 hours awake for the both if us. Room was 100 degrees and pillows were like bricks but we slept great. Made it to the airport great on the train and had a fantastic breakfast at the airport.....back to you Kirstie.....

This morning we woke up after about 6 hours of sleep due to our lack of ability to work the air conditioning unit, for which the instructions, of course, were all in kanji. It was a zillion degrees at this point, not 100, so we showered quickly and headed out. We attempted to find our way walking to the train station, but even with half an hour and two maps we could not quite decipher the streets so we cabbed it to the station, the trained it to the airport.

After one final, four-hour flight, we were in Manila! Needing a day of rest, we lounged with beers by the 35th-floor rooftop pool, where a group of construction workers building the 36th floor of a building next door stared blatantly. Lovely! We went for pizza (again, since it's the nearest restaurant) and walked through the neighbourhood, narrowly avoiding the ridiculous traffic and the jeepneys and motorcycles that use the limited sidewalk space as an extension of the road. Will write more on this tomorrow but it's been long enough now!

Kirsten's first impression of Japan: So friendly, so helpful, so polite, despite most people not having a clue what we're saying. All young women wear insanely high heels and very fashionable clothing, every single person around you is holding their i-Phone six inches from their face at all times (this is barely an exaggeration, sadly), and their toilets are all bidets which I find to be fun since I've never seen them before. Very crowded by very clean everywhere, no grafitti, and people leave bicyles parked on the street without locks overnight without them going missing! Compare that against Vancouver, where even locked-up bicycles are promptly dismantled and stolen within minutes of you leaving them.

and of Manila: Chaotic chaos. Watch every limb when walking near a road since vehicles come up onto the sidewalk. HOT and humid, but so far Philippinos are the smiliest, happiest people I think I've ever met! So excited for tomorrow!

Wayne's first impression of Japan:never seen so many people in my life and so many trains. People were super polite and very honest. Everyone helped us out when we asked, On the trains only Kirstie and myself seemed to be talking. That may not be a surprise to many but remember we were the two without iphones!

of Manilia. Very crazy driving but the drivers are very skilled to be able to get around. Motorcyle guys are kamakazi and squeal by cars and trucls by inches. People super nice and alway smiling and saying thanks. Love it here so far and we are staying in a very busy area with highrises. Weather is 31 degrees and very humid. Looking forward to the next few days!

Photos to come.

Pre-trip entry, first time in Asia!

kirstenroche — Sat, 31 May 2014 18:04:00 GMT

Several years have passed since I have typed anything in this "Add new journal entry " box, and I am looking forward to once-again recording and keeping track of some international adventures! I have nothing of interest to say at this moment in time, but I always seem to enter in a before-trip entry, so here's one for good measure.

This adventure will differ quite a bit from past ones. Primarily because I will not be alone on this one. I will be accompanied by my fantastic and adventuresome father, who will be using this as his first experience backpacking at age 55!! *round of applause*

We will be leaving on the 14th of June, overnighting in Tokyo, and then moving on to Manila the next morning, before spending three weeks together traipsing around the Philippines attempting to see and do as much as we possibly can. Dad has started the reading for his PADI Open Water Diving license, and although I have no pre-reading to do I am counting down the days to my Advanced Open Water Diving license as well. We intend to see the provinces of Mindoro, Visayas and North Luzon, hopefully getting a healthy balance of diving, surfing, nature-watching, hiking and relaxation. When dad's vacation days run out after three weeks, I'll stay behind volunteering in and around Tacloban City, Visayas, in urban and rural health clinics.

That's the plan as it stands! With two weeks to go, we have already made lists and piles of things to pack around our houses, and are continuously texting "15 days! 13 days!" to each other in excitement.

14 days!

Back in Canada once again

kirstenroche — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:06:00 GMT

I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that I'm back in Canada already. For God's sake, I still have Central American dirt on my feet! How can I have come so far in two days?

I stayed in Bocas del Toro, Panama, for 6 nights, sleeping maybe 3 hours a night all week. Definitely my favorite place in Central America, for so many reasons! I awoke at 11:30AM on the fifteenth and packed my stuff quickly, following the group of Kiwis to the boat. The owner of the hostel, the girl who worked at the front desk, and the three remaining people of our group looked shocked as I threw my stuff into my backpack in a rush. "You're not actually leaving, are you?" they each asked doubtedly. I have tried to leave three times this week and failed every time- I'd live in this hostel if I could!

"My flight leaves in less than 22 hours and I'm in the wrong country," was my reply.

High fives and hugs crossed the air and soon I was on the boat leaving the island. I crossed the Costa Rica-Panama border for the fourth time in two months and hopped onto a bus to San Jose. I arrived at 9:30 and promptly passed out, waking up far later than I'd expected and realizing that I didn't know which airline was mine, exactly what time my flight was, or how I was getting to the airport.

Ten minutes on the computer and everything was packed again and I was in a taxi to the airport with two other backpackers.

I landed in Atlanta that evening and remained on a bench, trying to reach out for sleep for the entire 13-hour layover. It was -502484 degrees in the airport and I was in pj pants and a tank top. Not fun. I slept maybe two or three hours off-and-on the whole time.

I got the privilege of sitting next to (this part is frighteningly exactly the same as my flight from Seattle to Atlanta on my way here) a young mother with her two young, out-of-control children, who she spoke both English and Spanish to. Seriously. EXACTLY the same as my flight here, we all even sat in the same aisle! Scary. Annoying. But it was fine.

I got to Seattle and flitted around the airport in lost confusion for nearly an hour. Somehow located the bathroom, ATM (which didn't work with my card) and payphone, and then eventually the taxi.

Took my $40 cab to the Greyhound station then realized I had $1 American on me. And that was it. So I went to four different ATM's. Congratulations, Kirsten; your Visa has exceeded its limit and you have no money on your debit card.

What?

Long (looong) story short, I burst into tears. Taxi driver turned out to be a saint and gave me his address so I can mail him the fare when I get the money (seriously! WHO DOES THAT! NICEST MAN EVER!). Phoned home and mom's work in desperation, no one picked up.

I was stranded in America with no money. Hadn't showered in four days, eaten in twelve hours, or slept more than 3 hours a night in 9 days.

With incredible luck, the heavens blessed me that day (probably karma for putting up with that girl and her kids on the plane). I discovered the Greyhound ticket I'd purchased months ago, from Seattle to Vancouver. Forgot about that one. I handed it to the lady, and as it turned out the guy who sold me the ticket had put the date down for April 17th (that day) and 12:30pm. I looked at the clock. It was 12:25pm.

When I got to Vancouver I pulled out my money belt. Surprise! $20 American!!!!!

I managed to get a hold of Anjulie from the payphone and found myself at her work downtown. She walked with me to Brett's work, and the three of us freaked out in an explosion of hugs and rainbows. We got a MASSIVE dinner and spent the night drinking and snacking in a group of six on Brett's bed. I slept a GOOD ten hours. Now I'm at Brett's amazing down town apartment for three days before I have to go home to Kamloops and face the dreaded reality of a job.

Life is perfect, everyone, and I thank you so much for keeping up on my blog all these months!! Wishing you the best of luck with all of your endeavors, I hope your skies are sunny and your feet are tired!

Plans for the future? Move to Kamloops for a month or two, pay off my maxed-out Visa and save up a bit of cash. Move to Vancouver this summer, go to college until February. Maybe go to Panama for two weeks with Anjulie in the spring (the stories made her really excited) and DEFINITELY go to Europe in the summer to see everyone.

So good luck, much love, and hopefully it won't be too long before I'm having more travel blogs up!

Paz y amor!

Kirsten