Yesterday morning started off with the usual blast of rain that I am now looking forward to waking up to each morning. At least I know that it will be somewhat cool for part of the morning.
Grace and I went for a huge walk and tour of the local provincial hospital - oh my god, what a horrid place and according to Grace it has been tidied up a lot since last year. Then we walked to the private hospital for a bit of a comparison. There is a huge difference but even the private hospital is nowhere near NZ minmum standards.
My breakfasts here are becoming increasingly interesting. Yesterday it was fresh pan de sal (these little 1 peso bread rolls), goldilocks biscuits, fresh mango shake, these funny cracker sandwich things and bananas straight from the tree. I needed my strength (haha - I have about 4kgs worth of extra 'strength' now) for our adventure to Bacon beach and to the lagoon.
Riding in the jeepney for the first time was so much fun. Basically it is a pick-up truck with a large covered in cab and the back with a bench seat down either side. Going out to the lagoon, I rode with 6 large sacks of coconuts, 7 people's groceries and a box of piglets. Coming back, we were able to buy fresh yellow fin tuna from a bucket of fresh fish that one lady was transporting in the jeepney, some fried bananas and then a usually very expensive fish from anther woman who was taking sting rays and other fish to the market. Only int he Philippines can you do your shopping on the bus to the beach.
The first beach we went to has an island about 10metres off-shore where you swim out to at high tide and swim in the lagoon in the middle of the island. We went at low tide so we waded out and had a picnic. The water was gorgeous and clear blue so I was able to watch the fish schools and listen to the biggest crabs I've ever seen crwaling across the rocks. Like every other place I've been to in the Philippines, the sound of horrid videoke broke the silence even in the lagoon. It doesn't matter if it is only 1pm, there will always be someone singing old Enlgish songs (yesterday it was the Carpenters). There is even a tv channle completely devoted to karoke 24hrs a day. Anyway, babot and Grace decided we should go and check it out and Babot did an hilarious rendition of breathless by the Corrs. The other women couldn't actually pronounce most of the words but got 99/100 scores - a tone deaf videoke machine!!! I got roped into singing Bic Runga (who would've though she'd be popoular here) and cracked up when a table of 15men who were playing poker in another hutt gave me a standing ovation and asked for an encore...if you can pronounce Enlgihs words here you are a videoke star!
We then went to Bacon beach and were enjoying a quiet swim when we were interrupted by a guy who was snorkelling and had been bitten by a baby shark which he brought to show us. What I wasn't so impressed about was the fact that he'd first seen it out a little further with it's rather large mother!
Thanks for our fish market friends on the jeepney, we went home and cooked up a feast of fresh fried fish, a fish curry thing, creme caramel, mangos, jack fruit, rice and all variety of peli-nut (the local celebrated nut). Then I went and had a manicure and pedicure (for less than $3 NZ) and tried some of the street bbq - tonight it they plan to take me to eat all the street food downtown including chicken feet, intestines, clood and a rooster head - they'll be bloody lucky.
This morning I went ot tae-bo and attempted a run but it is like running through custard the air is sooooo thick. Then I went and ate noodles and coffee at the open air restaurants with some people from the class and went to watch the 80year olds tae-bo class. The rest of the morning I have been at the orphanage site in the mud and rain watching the buldoser leveling off the land. The saga of the bulldoser could be an entire entry by itself but needless to say, we are all treating the workers like kings to make sure they don't slack off and do the job properly.
Right I must be off, there are dishes of the local food being prepared for me at home. Everyone is trying to cram as much as possible into my last few days. i think we are off to the beach resort for the night tonight - will be interesting both swimming at night there and in the tropical rain.
Take care, not long until I'm back in a land with hot water and some form of justice.
Torie
