My First Time to PI... or is it RP?

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So I've finally made it to the Philippines, or Republic of the Philippines, as it is supposed to be called. When I first heard I would be going to PI, I was both excited and nervous. I've had the fortunate privilege to serve with a good many Filipinos who I respect and would bend over backwards. With the tight knit family groups, rich culture and of course another interesting language I wanted to learn a bit of... I had been prepared for a while. On the other hand, I know that Trafficking in Persons, political corruption and scams are prevalent here. It is even more noticeable in a place that used to be the largest overseas base for the Navy. That is, until the corrupt government got so greedy that the U.S. decided to pull out and move to Yokosuka, Japan.


At any rate, Subic Bay is a place whispered about in many "Sailor" stories. It's cheap, there are girls everywhere, the beach is lovely, and the beer flows. I was happy to see the land with little development, I imagined I would find hiking and other outdoor activities. Jeremy came for a week to visit too. Each time out of the pier gate, we are accosted my a multitude of peddlers, taxi drivers and general scam artists. I get quite peeved after a while. Philippines has a dominant patriarchal society, I'm generally ignored when with men. "Sir, boss, you want taxi? DVD? We have necklace for you to buy your lady." If I'm by myself, I'm whistled at, rudely spoken to... whatever, I can deal with misogynists. Jerks.



There are strict rules for the military when visiting Subic Bay, from the Trafficking in Persons required training to the curfew to be back on the old base (SBMA) by 1830, not to mention the rule to not ride trikes (motorcycle taxis). They are there for a reason and the restrictions were lighter for me and my Sailors than previous ships. We are required to return to SBMA to avoid Sailors getting into trouble in the Barrio. Short for Barrio Barreto, this is the old sailortown bars and brothels where many illegitimate children were conceived and STDs attained. I like to think of it as Heathentown, considering even me and Brittany were being asked to pay the bar fines of two lesbian prostitutes. Bar fines are the costs paid to the Mamasan or bar to take the girl home with you for a night of shenanigans. Sketchy, right? It was a little disconcerting, I've never been around "women of the night" before, but I guess if I were in their situation, I'd probably prefer women to men too. Less chance of beatings, babies and STDs... at any rate, I digress. It was a place I went to only once and had no desire to go back to.



One of my first trips is to the Zoo, called Zoobic (after Subic). Quite a cute name, it was an interesting place, though sad in its own way. I had made friends with two brothers, taxi drivers who didn't try to rip us off every time we wanted to go somewhere. They were respectful to me and I didn't get any type of creepy feeling from them. It was refreshing. Arnold drove us to Zoobic and waited for us as we took our first adventure. Upon walking in, there are tigers everywhere! They're less than 6 inches from me, this is nothing like the safeguards in the U.S. Oh goodness, we are going to die here. They offer us a chance to feed and take pictures with a baby tiger. What would you expect, some little thing, right? Oh no, they give us a 16 month old tiger that could easily take our heads off. I know it was kind of stupid, but I didn't care. I was so excited to touch him. He was the most beautiful creature I've seen that close up.



We go on a guided tour of the zoo, the weather here is quite severe, it negatively affects the animals. The lion was very old, seemingly on his last legs. We, again, were very close to him, about 2 feet away. Of course, the attraction is the tigers. They take you in a jeepney (a run down long jeep) through the tiger pen, where you have the opportunity to feed raw chicken to the tigers. It's a little creepy, but no one on our jeepney bought any chicken. Thank goodness. The zoo was built on the old artillery side of the base, so the bunkers are now animal shelters and shops. They did a good job using the existing infrastructure and a little old fashioned ingenuity. Then we walked through the tiger pens. Large, adult tigers right next to you. As a matter of fact, they often turn around and spray the visitors. Luckily, I avoided that. It was a neat day, just sad to see that the animals aren't taken care of as well.

Tiger in my lap was definitely the coolest experience ever... now I just need to get some diving in.

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Photos

My Sunset
Subic Bay Harbor

Gorgeous
Then he growled at me.

YIKES!!!
Look at our faces... priceless.

16 Months?
Yeah, more like 2 years old.

Old Lion King
Poor guy is almost done.

When he was a Kitten
Ferocious!

Comments

[Capt Ray]

OH MY GOD
Krysten, are you out of your mind!! You know these guys or gals or whatever "go Off" sometimes here in the states!! Well, at least you made it alive to write the piece!! Its so nice to see you and Jeremy together, about time!! (I bet you two agree)! We miss you and love you, take care so far from home. Capt Ray