timmyusher

On Wednesday I took a tour to the Subterranean River, Sabang. I was picked up early at around 7 and then had a two hour van journey to Sabang. To get there we had to travel to the other side of the island through the forested mountains which make up a large part of central Palawan. The main road is fairly slow with many ups and downs, twists and turns but the scenery kept my mind off the buffeting inside the van. Sabang has an amazing beach and is lovely with coconut trees overhanging the sand. We weren't to stay there long though because we boarded a Bangka (pump-boat) which took us around the head to a smaller beach (again lovely) and the entrance to the Subterranean River Park. After we had queued to buy entrance ... read more

I've been involved in some rather challenging case conferences this week that have given me lots to think about. One of them started at 8AM and lasted for 6 hours which was particularly draining but we were all given half time entertainment when an ex-Mayor of Manila turned up to give a rousing (I imagine it was rousing because there was clapping... alternatively the applause could have been induced by the fear of dirty politics) speech about how he was moving child protection work forward and that when he was in office he had built many sports venues (I was left wondering about the link too but people seemed to like it). Just as we were recovering from the Mayor's speech, another man came striding into the room with an entourage of about 10 people. Everyone ... read more

The start of last week gave me an insight into the Filipino court system. We travelled to Cavite which is about 30km south of Manila, however, it took about 90 minutes to get there because of the traffic (motorcycling here truly is dangerous and you need to be as skilled as Valentino Rossi (world champion motorcyclist) not to crash or be hit). The court from the outside looked like any other but as we walked towards it there was a flag raising ceremony with many court officials and police stood ready to raise the flag. The people I was with ran to the shade when they saw this and I didn't realise why until the national anthem started to play and everyone had to stand still as a sign of respect. I was left in the ... read more

I'm feeling pretty tired now after the last two days of 'getting my bearings'. On Friday night I was invited out for a meal by my new boss and the team. When I was asked I didn't feel like it because I was so tired but I'm so glad I went. It was a great chance to meet most of the people I would be working with and to eat some Filipino food. Everyone was really nice and they were all welcoming which has put some of my fears to rest. Although they said they wouldn't bully me too much, which I found concerning. Luckily we didn't talk 'shop' for too long as my brain was in no fit state after 36 hours without sleep. I just hope I can remember all their names for my ... read more

Well, I'm currently sat in my hotel room, tired, sweaty and happy. I've just arrived and almost everything went to plan. I must say that Cathay Pacific is probably the best airline I've flown with. Check in was easy at Heathrow, and the space you get in economy class was surprisingly good. There were loads of films and TV shows to watch - enough to keep anyone entertained and yes, Claire, I held back from watching Dexter 5. Straight off one plane at Hong Kong and onto the next where I was stopped at passport control. I handed over my boarding pass and the woman scanned it only to look up and say "I'm afraid we're going to move your seat... to Business Class". You can only imagine my delight after a 12 hour ride in ... read more