THE BIRDING WASN’T ALL THAT WE HOPED but the three days that we spent in the hills of Mindanao at Pitcher Plant Farm was idyllic. German Voelker and Janet, his Filippina wife, and their two kids have found a bit of paradise near Malaybalay on the island of Mindanao. He is an entrepreneurial horticulturist who, in addition to raising and selling insectivorous plants, dabbles in solar energy.
Voelker and Janet get in some early morning badminton
Pitcher plant, Sundew and Venus fly trap
Our suite — kitchen, living area, sleeping loft and glorious deck — has electricity from solar panels and passive solar hot water. It’s great to be able to make our own meals, even if the menu is limited to pasta for dinner and oatmeal for breakfast.
Room with a view - and some birds
We have spent many hours birding from the deck, not overly ambitious but very civilized, don’t you think? In the evening there are DVDs to choose from, although most of them were selected by Sophia and Samuel. Watching The Most Exotic Marigold Hotel and The Bucket List after we have been to many of the locations made them even more enjoyable. Can’t say the same for the latest Batman flick, though.
