Blogs from Negros, Philippines, Asia - page 5

We landed outside Manila at the former Clark Air Base which turns out to be a 2.5 hour bus ride into the city. As we approach the city through the rice fields into the city itself you get a feel for how poor it is here. The shacks turn into the shanty towns as we approach the city. About 200,000 people live in an area 1.5 sq km. It’s estimated 1.5 million people live in slums of Manila. I have seen a lot of poverty on this trip but I think Manila is the worst. We stay in Malate, in an area called “the tourist belt”. There really aren’t many tourists in the area. There are the usual hostess bars and ladyboy clubs geared to the older single traveler, with a few touts selling Viagra and ... read more

It was ten o’clock on the evening before the final day of the Pintaflores festival. If it is possible for a city to buzz, then that is what San Carlos on the island of Negros was doing, alive with the tense expectation of tens of thousands of people who had no work the next day and were excitedly awaiting a party of truly gargantuan proportions that constituted the very embodiment of their homeland’s culture and history. On some level the city’s soul buzzed, vibrating back and forth, up and down, barely containing the tension, ready to explode, that could be felt everywhere: in the behaviour of the citizens, barely able to contain their excitement, laughing, shouting, dancing and drinking at every corner; in the constant questions, “Hey Joe, you coming to the street parade tomorrow?”; in ... read more

A trip to Asia wouldn't be complete without at least one cock fight. I almost saw one in Indonesia, but the legality of it there seemed to be a bit of a grey area. The predominitly Muslim country isn't opposed to the cock fighting per se, but rather the gambling that accompanies it. Bali, which is mostly Hindu, seems to be more accomodating, but I'm still not sure if it is legal there. At any rate, cock fighting is more underground in Indonesia, but it is legal and very popular in the Philippines. After we had arrived in Thelma's village, I began asking around about when and where a local fight could be found. Sunday is the big day for cockfighting, just like football is around the world. The fights take place in a small stadium-like ... read more

Greetings from the Philippines! We are in an internet cafe in a mall. Malling is a huge Filipino pastime, it's pretty funny. img=http://images.maricelsuarez.multiply.com/image/17/photos/30/500x500/12/Fear%20Factor.jpg?et=0d%2BwqbQD7%2BKXXbppMBA1qw&nmid=100476234 Recently, Noah, Tito Tin, and I spent 3 days on this small island of Lacawon. It was really beautiful and isolated from most everything else. Half the time, we were the only guests to the islands. We walked around it quite a bit and talked to some native children of the island. At night we went crab catching on the beaches, digging crabs out of their holes and chasing them along the shore. During the day we found what we thought were clear jellyfish, and they were EVERYWHERE!! We soon found out that they were called "ice-ice", but later the native children told us they were "mata-mata" (in Alongo) or in English "eyes-eyes ... read more

I went to Sipalay with my family last April and I must say that it was a wonderful experience. The almost white sand and pristine waters made sugar beach perfect for swimming. If only we had more time, we'd have braved a visit to the shipwrecks near the beack...Maybe next time. ... read more