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hey there,
as many of you know I recently finished a 4 week backpacking stint in the Philippines with Adrian, I wanted to share some of my experiences, highlights,
reflections and photos. read on if you wish (much much longer than anticipated, so really, no pressure).
we landed in manila just 60 minutes before the start of tisha bav (a major fast day), and so we had to quickly eat our very makeshift margarine and honey
sandwiches (dont ask) in the airport lobby surrounded by our luggage and quizzical looks from the philippino airport staff. the city was not what we were
expecting, impressive skyline, roads jam packed with cars while there were almost no motor bikes or bicycles. there were colossal malls (bigger than i had
ever seen anywhere in the states times 10 - we frequented them more than we might have otherwise bec it was the only place to get veggie food in manila).
probably the strangest thing we saw in the city was what we dubbed the spanish propaganda museum. set up in an old fort and church complex built by the
spanish in the 16th century; the museum was dedicated to all the wonderful gifts that the spanish were kind enough to share with the savage natives when they
first arrived on the shores of luzon island in the 1560's, saving them from imminent destruction due to their godless, primitive ways (i am only exaggerating a
little bit here folks, i promise). there were displays and charts and graphs that described the tools, culture and gospel that the spanish brought to the islands.
needless to say, the actual history is much more complicated and bloody than that.
that first shabbat we had an interesting experience: in a tiny town on the beach a bit north of manila - where we arrived on thurs to visit the 100 islands
national park (pretty much what it sounds like folks); anyway, on a little post we-have-eaten-too-much-rice-today-lunch walk we found ourselves in a small
shanty-neighborhood, right off the main road. homes made of aluminum siding, people cooking outside, political flyers for the next mayoral elections (in
English!) posted on street signs, but most notably there were throngs of kids that immediately became our entourage. ranging age 3-8, they were shouting
hello, grinning ecstatically, and reaching out to touch our hands or clothes. after about 5 minutes, with more kids joining the fray, one brave boy ventured to
ask adrian his name. eventually we made our way out of the neighborhood - interestingly, the kids knew where they were 'supposed' to stop; the moment we
approached the main road, the kids about-faced and returned to their street games. funny enough, the next day, when getting a ride to the main bus station,
our tricycle driver looked at adrian and said, "i know you, my son told me your name was Albin".
after that we headed up further north to the mountains - where the culture, climate and energy were radically different. many of the local towns in the area still
identify with their native tribes - which means that each village has its own language, history and rivalry with the surrounding villages. even today, when
headhunting has mostly been stopped (although the occasional modern day disagreement over water or land boundaries has been known to revive the ancient
tradition) we could still sense the tension between villages; our tour guides from each town spoke disparagingly about the quality of the guiding, the allure of
the sights and the temperament of the locals of the rival village. the most amazing thing about the area were the rice terraces: built about 2,000 yrs ago into the
mountain side - they seem to go on forever, steps recreating the horizon line. they are this strange amalgam of manmade and natural beauty. in addition we
learned about different kinds of rice, the sophisticated irrigation system required to keep the terraces active and how the locals divvy up and share the labor of
planting and harvesting.
the other interesting thing that we learnt from the locals was their unique version of religious syncretism - the area has been missionized (not by the catholics -
they didnt want to climb that high, mostly later on by american Episcopalians and Baptists) and most of the locals adopted many christian beliefs and holidays,
but still kept their own local customs (such as cave burial for the town elders, placing the dead in a chair for a period of days or weeks for the villagers to
come and 'visit' with him/her, and their belief in animism). cool - huh?
next up was volcano climbing - taal volcano, considered one of the worlds smallest active volcanoes sits in the middle of a large freshwater lake about 1.5 hrs
south of manila. this was the first place we went where we could really feel the tourist industry, it was the first time that we were among other western tourists.
in addition, we realized how touristified the area was the moment we noticed locals run to meet our boat as it reached the foot of the volcano, peddling
anything from umbrellas, towels and coconut juice (which we drank, in abundance; in general - never have been a fan in the past, i must say that the novelty of
drinking the juice right out of a the coconut must have done it for me). definitely the coolest part of climbing the volcano, besides for the great view, was the
steam coming out of the ground, actual, "i am an angry volacano that could erupt at any moment steam" (not really, it was actually quite safe, no major
eruptions since '91). but seeing the steam come out of a clearly idintifiable crater felt ever so slightly surreal.
over the course of the trip, there were several things that we took note of, one of which was the all-too common phenomenon of older white men with young
philippino women at their side. the interaction between the couples varied, sometimes it seemed quite comfortable, even intimate, but often the inevitable
imbalanced power dynamic that existed between the pair was painfully palpable; women would bring their 'boyfriends' beer, would wait timidly at the
doorway of shops while the men shopped, needless to say it was often discomforting. apparently this is quite common throughout SE Asia.
anyway, from there it was island hopping in the central philippines, the area is called the visayas - our first major stop was bantayan island - when the
guidebook said that there was nothing to do but sit on the beach and avoid the occasional falling coconut, they werent exaggerating too much. beautiful blue
beaches, palm trees galore, and a really cheap rented motor bike (3 bucks a day, not including gas - which was bought in liter-sized pepsi bottles from
bamboo huts on the side of the road) were all we needed for island fun. we drove through coconut groves and by open-stall market places, little bars and
hordes of barefoot children playing in the road. unfortunately our delightfully peaceful beach days were capped off with a bit of food poisoning - i guess it is
just a right of passage you have to face when traveling in the 3rd world for the first time.
our last big stop was to the island of bohol, known for its chocolate hills and tarsiers (the world's smallest primates - they kinda look like a cross between a
rat and a monkey if it had shockingly huge eyes - in a cute way). we stayed in a hostel that consisted of bamboo huts lined along a bright green river, our hut
came including at no extra charge: a mosquito net, balcony with great view and a turquoise and purple 9 inch lizard (an accessory in the bathroom). again, we
rented a motorbike to get around the island; the tarsier visitor's center was a refuge to protect the palm sized animals and a place where visitors could observe
them clinging tenuously to tree branches, sleeping away their busy nights of butterfly eating. next stop, the chocolate hills (still not explained with confidence by
geologists) look like someone was blowing bubbles in their giant cup of chocolate milk, the hills (about 600+ of them) are these rounded mounds that dont
grow the same green vegetation as the land surrounding them - so they look like chocolate drops (or bubbles) that just float on the ground's surface.
we spent our last relaxing shabbat in cebu, the second largest city in the country, with the greatest supermarket ever! after a month of a rather limited diet
(cooking our own meals on a portable gas cooker, mainly consisting of rice and stir fry and finding nearly impossible to find veggie food anywhere - they are
meat fiends, those catholics!); at metromarket we stumbled upon such treasures as pepridge farm cookies, kedem blush sparkling grape juice, quaker granola
bars, gourmet pink pasta sauce and the like. this was a great coup and greatly increased our oneg (enjoyment of) shabbat. to be fair, i should not be
completely critical of the food in the philippines - i did sample for the first time many an exotic delicious fruit: mangosteens, longans, lonzones, rambutans, and
some very strange fruit that looked like a combination of a peach, apple and an orange all in one.
all in all, the visiting the philippines was fascinating; interesting unique culture/religion/history, a plethora of very different sounding languages (often differing
between adjacent villages or islands), an unlimited supply of karaoke - everywhere including at ferry terminals and bus stations - handy for those karaoke
emergencies, a somewhat reserved and guarded people, and lovely natural beauty. i would definitely recommend a jaunt over there. well, that's all folks.
if you have actually made it this far in the letter, then email me the password: tarsier, and i will send you a t-shirt- free shipping and handling.
wishing you all the best and a happy and healthy new year!
much love, Rachel
hey there,
as many of you know I recently finished a 4 week backpacking stint in the Philippines with Adrian, I wanted to share some of my experiences, highlights,
reflections and photos. read on if you wish (much much longer than anticipated, so really, no pressure).
we landed in manila just 60 minutes before the start of tisha bav (a major fast day), and so we had to quickly eat our very makeshift margarine and honey
sandwiches (dont ask) in the airport lobby surrounded by our luggage and quizzical looks from the philippino airport staff. the city was not what we were
expecting, impressive skyline, roads jam packed with cars while there were almost no motor bikes or bicycles. there were colossal malls (bigger than i had
ever seen anywhere in the states times 10 - we frequented them more than we might have otherwise bec it was the only place to get veggie food in manila).
probably the strangest thing we saw in the city was what we dubbed the spanish propaganda museum. set up in an old fort and church complex built by the
spanish in the 16th century; the museum was dedicated to all the wonderful gifts that the spanish were kind enough to share with the savage natives when they
first arrived on the shores of luzon island in the 1560's, saving them from imminent destruction due to their godless, primitive ways (i am only exaggerating a
little bit here folks, i promise). there were displays and charts and graphs that described the tools, culture and gospel that the spanish brought to the islands.
needless to say, the actual history is much more complicated and bloody than that.
that first shabbat we had an interesting experience: in a tiny town on the beach a bit north of manila - where we arrived on thurs to visit the 100 islands
national park (pretty much what it sounds like folks); anyway, on a little post we-have-eaten-too-much-rice-today-lunch walk we found ourselves in a small
shanty-neighborhood, right off the main road. homes made of aluminum siding, people cooking outside, political flyers for the next mayoral elections (in
English!) posted on street signs, but most notably there were throngs of kids that immediately became our entourage. ranging age 3-8, they were shouting
hello, grinning ecstatically, and reaching out to touch our hands or clothes. after about 5 minutes, with more kids joining the fray, one brave boy ventured to
ask adrian his name. eventually we made our way out of the neighborhood - interestingly, the kids knew where they were 'supposed' to stop; the moment we
approached the main road, the kids about-faced and returned to their street games. funny enough, the next day, when getting a ride to the main bus station,
our tricycle driver looked at adrian and said, "i know you, my son told me your name was Albin".
after that we headed up further north to the mountains - where the culture, climate and energy were radically different. many of the local towns in the area still
identify with their native tribes - which means that each village has its own language, history and rivalry with the surrounding villages. even today, when
headhunting has mostly been stopped (although the occasional modern day disagreement over water or land boundaries has been known to revive the ancient
tradition) we could still sense the tension between villages; our tour guides from each town spoke disparagingly about the quality of the guiding, the allure of
the sights and the temperament of the locals of the rival village. the most amazing thing about the area were the rice terraces: built about 2,000 yrs ago into the
mountain side - they seem to go on forever, steps recreating the horizon line. they are this strange amalgam of manmade and natural beauty. in addition we
learned about different kinds of rice, the sophisticated irrigation system required to keep the terraces active and how the locals divvy up and share the labor of
planting and harvesting.
the other interesting thing that we learnt from the locals was their unique version of religious syncretism - the area has been missionized (not by the catholics -
they didnt want to climb that high, mostly later on by american Episcopalians and Baptists) and most of the locals adopted many christian beliefs and holidays,
but still kept their own local customs (such as cave burial for the town elders, placing the dead in a chair for a period of days or weeks for the villagers to
come and 'visit' with him/her, and their belief in animism). cool - huh?
next up was volcano climbing - taal volcano, considered one of the worlds smallest active volcanoes sits in the middle of a large freshwater lake about 1.5 hrs
south of manila. this was the first place we went where we could really feel the tourist industry, it was the first time that we were among other western tourists.
in addition, we realized how touristified the area was the moment we noticed locals run to meet our boat as it reached the foot of the volcano, peddling
anything from umbrellas, towels and coconut juice (which we drank, in abundance; in general - never have been a fan in the past, i must say that the novelty of
drinking the juice right out of a the coconut must have done it for me). definitely the coolest part of climbing the volcano, besides for the great view, was the
steam coming out of the ground, actual, "i am an angry volacano that could erupt at any moment steam" (not really, it was actually quite safe, no major
eruptions since '91). but seeing the steam come out of a clearly idintifiable crater felt ever so slightly surreal.
over the course of the trip, there were several things that we took note of, one of which was the all-too common phenomenon of older white men with young
philippino women at their side. the interaction between the couples varied, sometimes it seemed quite comfortable, even intimate, but often the inevitable
imbalanced power dynamic that existed between the pair was painfully palpable; women would bring their 'boyfriends' beer, would wait timidly at the
doorway of shops while the men shopped, needless to say it was often discomforting. apparently this is quite common throughout SE Asia.
anyway, from there it was island hopping in the central philippines, the area is called the visayas - our first major stop was bantayan island - when the
guidebook said that there was nothing to do but sit on the beach and avoid the occasional falling coconut, they werent exaggerating too much. beautiful blue
beaches, palm trees galore, and a really cheap rented motor bike (3 bucks a day, not including gas - which was bought in liter-sized pepsi bottles from
bamboo huts on the side of the road) were all we needed for island fun. we drove through coconut groves and by open-stall market places, little bars and
hordes of barefoot children playing in the road. unfortunately our delightfully peaceful beach days were capped off with a bit of food poisoning - i guess it is
just a right of passage you have to face when traveling in the 3rd world for the first time.
our last big stop was to the island of bohol, known for its chocolate hills and tarsiers (the world's smallest primates - they kinda look like a cross between a
rat and a monkey if it had shockingly huge eyes - in a cute way). we stayed in a hostel that consisted of bamboo huts lined along a bright green river, our hut
came including at no extra charge: a mosquito net, balcony with great view and a turquoise and purple 9 inch lizard (an accessory in the bathroom). again, we
rented a motorbike to get around the island; the tarsier visitor's center was a refuge to protect the palm sized animals and a place where visitors could observe
them clinging tenuously to tree branches, sleeping away their busy nights of butterfly eating. next stop, the chocolate hills (still not explained with confidence by
geologists) look like someone was blowing bubbles in their giant cup of chocolate milk, the hills (about 600+ of them) are these rounded mounds that dont
grow the same green vegetation as the land surrounding them - so they look like chocolate drops (or bubbles) that just float on the ground's surface.
we spent our last relaxing shabbat in cebu, the second largest city in the country, with the greatest supermarket ever! after a month of a rather limited diet
(cooking our own meals on a portable gas cooker, mainly consisting of rice and stir fry and finding nearly impossible to find veggie food anywhere - they are
meat fiends, those catholics!); at metromarket we stumbled upon such treasures as pepridge farm cookies, kedem blush sparkling grape juice, quaker granola
bars, gourmet pink pasta sauce and the like. this was a great coup and greatly increased our oneg (enjoyment of) shabbat. to be fair, i should not be
completely critical of the food in the philippines - i did sample for the first time many an exotic delicious fruit: mangosteens, longans, lonzones, rambutans, and
some very strange fruit that looked like a combination of a peach, apple and an orange all in one.
all in all, the visiting the philippines was fascinating; interesting unique culture/religion/history, a plethora of very different sounding languages (often differing
between adjacent villages or islands), an unlimited supply of karaoke - everywhere including at ferry terminals and bus stations - handy for those karaoke
emergencies, a somewhat reserved and guarded people, and lovely natural beauty. i would definitely recommend a jaunt over there. well, that's all folks.
if you have actually made it this far in the letter, then email me the password: tarsier, and i will send you a t-shirt- free shipping and handling.
wishing you all the best and a happy and healthy new year!
much love, Rachel
PHILIPPINES
AUGUST
2007
RACHEL
ADRIAN
AUGUST
2007
RACHEL
ADRIAN