Ghosts and children of the coal mines

Today was full of adventure. Creepy and exciting adventure which I'm going manipulate to sound even more exciting than it actually was, because that's just how I roll. I kid. I would never do that.

So. Adventure...

The day started in a panic with my mother yelling at me hurry up and get showered because we were leaving in 15. Ten minutes later, showered, packed and ready to go, I find out this was a lie. We had a whole half hour to spare. So I mosied down to the mouse infested "cafeteria" and ordered myself something for the most important meal of the day, only to be served rubbery egg on crustless white bread. Delicious. Two hours later we arrived at our seaside destination of Bislig, on the eastern shoreline of Mindanao island. As always, that first glimpse of the ocean is immensely exciting for me. Being at true sea level and seeing that massive body of water, waves gently lapping at the sand in friendly greeting, but with a body so vast and overwhelming at the same time.

Bislig has the feel of your typical sea-side town: dry, hot and salty. Life has a slow-paced, lazy aura about it. The sun is hot and blistering, but a warm breeze from the ocean keeps the palm trees in constant motion. This aside, the city is mostly built on marshland, so houses are built on bamboo or wooden stilts, and long thin kayak like boats are used to navigate the marshy waters. Houses are made of wood, and freely decorated with potted plants, trees and vines, as well as an assortment of useful fishing gear and fishing produce. A long heavy bridge has been built over these houses and the marsh to connect non-marshland with the concrete political and transportation center of the town. This is as far as I got. Again, two hours later after suitable transportation (although this was also a lie as was found out later - transportation was not suitable) was negotiated, we made way for Sikahuy, a village center of one of the combated tribal lands of Surigao del Sur.

These tribal lands are a very rich source of natural resources which private companies have taken advantage of in the past. The trees that grow in this area, large, white, bare trees are an excellent source of paper, and their forests have been largely exploited in the past. Hence the view of greatly reduced, ghostly white forests of felled trees. The activities of the paper company are no longer, due to possible bankruptcy, or the appearance of a larger source of income, coal. I do not know. Today however, privately owned miniature coal shafts can be founded dotted all along the now barren lands. These are open to curious explorers accompanied by chatty and equally curious semi-land owners. I do not really recommend entering a coal shaft in the middle of the day, in a hot and humid environment. It is already quite a cramped and uncomfortable experience even for the smallest of people, but temperatures are much higher down there. This is not only uncomfortable for the self, the the extreme heat can loosens the soil which is not the safest for climbing, and can result in walls caving in. The locals like to attribute the sounds of trickling soil and falling rocks to the presence of ghosts of dead miners, but my companion quickly assured me that a true catholic does not believe in such things. Really?

After the sweltering dusty mines, we discovered a little stream, surprisingly clear and healthy. Four little boys were jumping around naked and happy in the natural pools, quite astonished at my white, barefooted presence, but openly friendly and unihibited. After demanding a quick picture, they went back to their games and wrestling and I made my way back to the village. More exploring lead to the discovery of a church, two schools and health centre, all which have been constructed with the help of coal money...

Indigenous Filipino words and concepts

It didn't take long for the linguist/anthropologist in me to start asking language and culture related questions and start annoying people. Tagalog is the main language spoken in the Philippines, but in Mindanao, the most widely spoken language is Visaya, otherwise known as Cebuano. Here is some of what I have uncovered so far from basic observations and patient answers from locals:

Balun - Cebuano. A well or other man-made source of water. It is a public space used to collect water for consumption, irrigation and bathing. They are commonly found along national roads.

Bolo - Cebuano. Like a machete, but slightly thinner with a curved tip. Excellent for cutting coconuts.

Brigada - English origin. Originates from word, brigade. It refers to a community driven group of people who come together to perform community service activities such as building, cleaning and painting public schools and buildings.

Cemeterio - Spanish origin. Public cemeteries are a remnant of the Spanish conquest. Previously, Cebuanos would hang their dead from trees, declaring the area sacred and impassable for a year. Other burial practices include hollowing out the trunk of a tree and using this as a casket to bury the dead underground. Traditionally, all burial grounds were considered sacred, but since Spanish rule, the concept of public cemeteries has become widely accepted. As a result, public cemeteries, cement blocks shaded by rattan structures, can be found dotted along national roads and highways.

Inahan - Cebuano. Mother.

Purok - Cebuano. A covered wooden structure with built in seating which serves as a community meeting point. It is a public space for members of the same community to meet and chat, particularly after lunch or late afternoon. You'll find these dotted along the national highway, and are very common. These wooden structures can provide an insight into the community's organisational structure and social relations. A well constructed and designed purok indicates the presence of a strong and unified community. Additional decorations such as tribal markings, gardens, or accompanying sources of water, may also be indicative of this.

Rattan - Cebuano. Thin vines from the forest used to make furniture, baskets, and traditional housing. Some also use the rattan vines as calendars. Rattan furniture is exported all over the world, but is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity for local indigenous tribes as preference is given by the government to logging companies and traders.

That is all for now. More to come!

Agusan del Sur, Mindanao

Life got interesting all of sudden. The past week was spent exploring the second largest island of the Philippines, Mindanao. Arriving in Butuan, promptly heading on to Agusan del Sur and Esperanza, there was plenty of adventure to be had. I am once again in my element, exploring the nitty gritty details that different cultures have to offer.

Wah Wah River, Agusan del Sur, Mindanao

I have been on three hour long boat rides down the Wah Wah river which make you wish you had more padding down there. This boat ride opened doors to meeting indigenous leaders of the area, taking part in a traditional ceremony and offerings, all in the name of preserving biodiversity and reducing indigenous conflict in the area. Very interesting. Mindanao is very rich in natural resources which is a source of conflict given the various indigenous groups, politicians, as well as mining and logging companies who wish to monopolize and make use of these resources. It seems efforts are being made to return these rich lands to the local indigenous communities for preservation, but politics is always complicated. We'll see what happens.

Man harvesting coconuts

Work aside, mountain trails have offered spectacular views of deliciously refreshing rivers you wish you could plunge head first into. The local people are kind, surprisingly open to vegetarian diets, promptly offering a variety of different potatoes, bananas (saba), yams (camote), freshly cut coconut, and all different kinds of edible leaves. I'm loving hiking along the mountain trails and having all different kinds of edible leaves pointed out to me. The only downside is that in an effort to show you how amazing their home land is, the local people will not necessarily tell you about the poisonous plants or animals you may encounter. This is not very good when you're going to the bathroom in the bush and brush delicate areas against potentially rash inducing plants.

Next week we will travel on to Bislig, on the south-eastern coast of Mindanao.

Hong Kong duck and Macau

Miniature vesion of mega duck. Not the same.

So I don't know if any of you have heard of the giant rubber duck that one day decided to leave the tepid waters of its bathtub, spread its wings and travel the world, but this duck is my hero. Seriously. The artist as well of course. What an ingenious idea. And since I'm on this side of the world, I thought, "hey, why not pop over to Hong Kong for the weekend and see this amazing duck"? So I did. In fact, my whole family did. The four of us bought tickets and flew 1hr 20min from Manila to Hong Kong to see the giant rubber duck that graces Victoria Harbour's waters. And what happens? The same day we arrive, some giant asshole decides to take all of their impotent rage out on a poor innocent duck and stab him mercilessly until he is reduced to a sad deflated version of his former self.

Mega sad face.

Well, since the duck was down for "maintenance" we did other things instead like rediscover the family roots and meet up with relatives we didn't even know we had. Which was fun. I like meeting cool relatives who are just as adventurous and full of life. They enjoy laughing just as much as the next person. Tim Chiu is one such relative, my mother's cousin on my grandmother's side, who lives in Macau. Usually I wouldn't recommend visiting Macau for all its glamorous and shiny casinos, but I would recommend it if you went to visit Tim and his version of the city. Old Macau is beautiful and historic, full of interesting alleys, old, run-down sky scrapers, humid and wet.

Cousins and Inti with bamboo stick

I may not be painting the most appealing images, but the beauty of Macau, is that if you really take the time, you will discover the historic Portuguese influence on the development of the city. The street signs are made of white and blue tiles. Detailed iron work decorates the old apartment buildings that tower over the old quarter. In the middle of the city, you'll find a surprisingly large park, carefully hidden away into the side of the mountain. At the top of this mountain, you will come across a tiny church and lighthouse combo and 360 view of the city. The two buildings are very simple, with minimal decorations, but the amount of care and effort that has been put into preserving these two buildings is impressive. I wish more people cared about historic buildings.

Run down the forrested mountain, leaping over waist-high white walls that line the city's paths, and you'll find your way to St. Paul's ruin, another impressive colonial gate like structure in the old quarter. Worth the walk, especially if you still have enough energy to march up another hill past the historic museum to wander around the old fortress. Picture another old concrete, mossy structure, with overhanging trees and vines, and giant canons. Very peaceful compared to St. Paul's.

There are more adventures to write about, but I will leave it here for now. I have to pack for Phillipine adventures in Butuan, my next destination.

Chinese-Portuguese fusion

A typical day in Manila

“Ebany?”
“Yes?”
“Are you ok?”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing up there?”

Mom peers round the doorframe with a sleepy/perplexed look of concern on her face.  I do believe there are stranger things than finding your 25 year old daughter perched on a bathroom sink in the middle of the night, hunched over a laptop and manically typing away, curly ringlets galore. I quite literally have an afro right now, it’s that humid.

“Writing.”
“Ok, well don’t kill yourself with any electrical appliances.”
“Ok.”

And so starts the narration of my day.

I have been struggling to come up with a suitable topic to introduce the Philippines, which has proved to be more difficult than expected. Somehow, I’m finding it a challenge to gear myself up enough to write about shopping malls and bad traffic with enthusiasm. So I’m going to write about myself. And my day. And the most exciting thing that has happened since I ARRIVED HERE. Which is…drumroll please…the arrival of my little sister, Inti and thus the promise of countless hours of entertainment. Finally.

I’m telling you, it does not take that many visits to malls (supermarkets included) to fill up my shopping quota for the year.

So what does a typical day in Manila constitute?

9:00am – Wake up drenched in sweat. Fanny about for 15 minutes trying to disentangle self from bedding. Hair looks AWESOME. Drink water.

10am – Yoga followed by much needed hydration and shower.

11am – Make breakfast for self. Sweat lots. Half an hour later mom comes into kitchen asking “What’s for lunch?” Make lunch for parental unit.

12-2pm – Hottest hour of the day. Will hide in coolest, darkest room to do computer work, usually the tiled bathroom or the floor. Needy cat finds me and decides to make sure as much of its fur as possible sticks to the human. This is not very difficult for him and very annoying.

2:30pm – Mom rushes into deep dark cavern yelling something along the lines of “We’re late! We have to go!” Before I can say “Wh-”, I am rushed half-ready, already thirsty and hungry into an impatient car. Hair not so awesome.

2:40-3:40pm – Stuck in traffic.

3:50-5pm – The supermarket/mall experience.

5-6pm – Rush hour traffic.

6pm – Arrive home starving, needing immediate hydration. Unload car and run away to dark cavern before Mom looks at me and says “What’s for dinner?” Sometimes this is unsuccessful and I end up making dinner.

7pm – Dinner

8pm-10pm – Collapse on sofa exhausted after a day of nothingness. Computer time.

11pm – Shower, and bed.

11pm-1am - Lie in bed wide awake sweating, wondering why I can't fall asleep.

2am - Sleep.

Repeat this everyday for two weeks.  Such fun! Tomorrow we’re going to China to rediscover the family roots, so will keep you posted on any adventures.

Welcome to the Philippines

It's feels good to be back in Asia. In fact, it feels great to be back in Asia. I don't even know where to start. The heat, the colours, the flavours, the high contrasts, the people, the fruit. There's something about the combination of sticky tropical heat, muggy days, and tropical fruit that appeals to me greatly. Today for example, is a horribly humid day, completely overcast and muggy, and yes, I woke up completely cabin-feverish and sticky, but that feeling evaporated as soon as I stepped outside to be surrounded by green. There are so many plants, so many edible ones as well. Even though stepping outside does not necessarily mean stepping into fresher air, the green surroundings offer such a relief for your eyes, that everything just seems fresher. At least that's how it works for me, but I like green.

So yeah, I'm in Asia, more specifically in Manila, the Philippines. More to come.