Blogs from Metro Manila, Luzon, Philippines, Asia - page 3

I have spent a long time in the road in the Philippines. 3 hours a day, back and forth to the office. I have read so many Filipino billboards and signs that I am starting to learn Tagalog words and am even starting to get jokes that make reference to local advertising campaigns. There are only a few highways here, and the rest of the time you are driving through little villages, and farmland, and would-be suburbia. So, it can be slow.going, and yet it is pretty entertaining. The first 45 minute is highway driving out of Manila, and then it's small towns in Cavite, always crossing bridges across huge gaps with tiny rivers at the bottom. There is a constant scene going on outside. Little kids playing hide and go seek, girls walking home from ... read more

A very long day Phill made eggs with mackerel over rice for breakfast. I'm getting tired of "things on rice" for every meal. We all got ready to go to the temple. Phill looked so good in his suit. We went over to Chona's and she was still getting ready so she scurried upstairs. The man we hired with the van was late but we got to the temple alright. They all went in and I waited. I walked around a bit but didn't really feel well. I think the food finally caught up to me. I waited in the temple annex. It is a building next to the temple with a large waiting room, offices, bathrooms, and an eating area. I was still tired so I took a bitty nap. When they were done ... read more

With Christmas getting closer traffic is getting worse I forgot = Last night when we were watching TV a random chubby little girl without a shirt on appeared out of no where. She saw that they had visitors and was suddenly embarrassed about being half naked and covered her little chest with her hands. When one of the little boys came down she flashed them and laughed. She was really cute and funny and didn't listen to a word anyone said. She had to have been four or five years old. This morning we had pancakes and bananas for breakfast. Phill bought the bananas from a street vendor. Phill speaks a language called Illongo but is pretty good at picking up Tagolog. The bananas here have a much more complex flavor and are more yellow. It ... read more

Day Two "Change yourself, change your fortune." I woke up to my noisy father sighing and making wierd old man noises. He is a strange man. Chona and her mother brought over breakfast. It was fried eggs, fried rice and a sort of hot dog thing. We also had bread. It ws really great. I think it is like camping, anything tastes better when you are hungry. The shower felt so good. It took some configuring to make sure didin't get my clothes wet but it was fine. Chona got us a taxi to get to church which is pretty normal here. Not a lot of people have cars, but we've noticed the ones who do usually have pretty nice ones. Chona's sister has one but there wasn't enough room for all of us in ... read more

Finally in the Philippines It is so beautiful here in a National Geographic way. I love soaking it all in. Reading travel books seems so hollow now. There are so many people everywhere. People drive like they line up. If you aren't cheating you aren't trying hard enough is like their national motto. It is hard to express in words what it is like. In the states you would say Phill lives in the Ghetto. It is pretty normal here though. All the apartments are stacked together. There are always people everywhere, cars everywhere. It was dark when we got to Phill's apartment so we couldn't see much. My little brother Phillip served a mission for our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, for two years in the Philippines. Right before he ... read more