Blogs from Cordillera, Philippines, Asia - page 2

Obwohl wir Batad besucht hatten und stundenlang mit Ausblicken auf Reisfelder gewandert waren, beschlossen wir, uns doch noch, bevor unser Jeepney nach Bontoc abfuhr, den Blick auf die Reisterrassen von Banaue vom Hauptaussichtspunkt zu gönnen. Dieser befindet einige Kilometer westlich des Ortes, und da wir nicht viel Zeit hatten, nahmen wir ein Tricycle. Um ehrlich zu sein hatte ich nicht mehr besonders viel von einem weiteren Blick auf Reisterrassen erwartet, deshalb verschlug es mir beinahe den Atem als ich auf die Plattform trat und das Panorama sah. Dies war der ultimative Reisterrassenblick, von perfekter Schönheit und Kolorierung, absolute unmissbar. Da wir frühmorgens hergekommen waren, lenkten einen weder Souvenirverkäufer, noch andere Touristen von diesem Wunder der Natur und Ingenieurstechnik ab. Die Jeepneyfahrt nach Bontoc (150 P) dauerte zwei Stunden und führte anfangs dur... read more

It has been bad days here. Not a bad day, but bad days. A member of the CPA, a man named James Balao, who has spent his whole adult life working for the indigenous peoples of the Cordillera, has been abducted. He left his house on September 17 at 7am and has not been seen or heard from since. Our office was informed of his disappearance on Friday, ironically just after we hosted a morning tribute to the human rights defenders of the Martial Law period. As the human rights group in the network we had to take the lead. Immediately we began our search for James, all other work forgotten, except for the other events planned for the weekend commemoration of Martial Law, which had to be muddled through with a bitter taste in everyone's ... read more

I was really lucky this month to be asked, almost entirely because everyone else was busy and there wasn't anyone to do it, to facilitate the exposure of another Canadian. I was really nervous about the time we were going to spend traveling alone together, since I have had so many weird interactions with other westerns here so far. But the time I got to spend with this country-mate was actually really wonderful, and I went a long way to stem the homesickness I have been feeling lately. My time with her started with a fabulous present from home: maple syrup candy and TWO boxes of kraft dinner. She emailed me in advance to see what I was missing the most, and since she didn't think cheddar cheese would make the plane ride those were the ... read more

Being in a new country I live daily with a heightened sense of perception that comes from having to think through all of my actions. In our home cultures so many of our decisions are made sub-consciously, without really thinking them over. The problem with this heightened sensitivity is that thinking through every decision, every interaction, every step gets mentally exhausting. However, the reality is, that like slow walking Filipinos and rice three times a day, a heightened sense of perception is just one of those things I have to get used to living in the Philippines. And when I am faced with something I find annoying in this country I try to find the silver lining, mostly because I have no choice, and because Filipinos really don't appreciate snippy white people, but also to make ... read more

After I exited the Visayas, I bused to Baguio for a day. The city is often praise by Filipinos for being a place to excape the heat. It's elevation and lower temperature made it feel like home, and it's dirty old buildings made it feel like Winnipeg. But many people also say thhe city is a victim of a bad city planning, and it too congested. As a pedestrian of the city, you don't really notice to much. You can just walk in between the cars anyway. Anyway, Filipinos here like country music and often dress like cowboys. My bus driver from Baguio to my next location, Banaue, was definitely trying to be a little Western. I met some guys at a store that only sold country music cassettes (seriously!) when asking for directions, who were ... read more