Side Trips
Before training started I left site a couple days early to do a little site seeing. I left Iloilo City on an over night boat to Cebu City. The next morning while arriving to port I went on deck to check out the view of the city. The scene that followed was difficult to watch, yet it forces you to put things into more of a perspective. As our ship came into port families would bring there boats along side the ship and were begging for money. Whole families; babys, kids, teenagers, parents, and grandparents. They had construced "nets" to catch the money people would throw. I sat watching this thinking a lot of differant things. I wondered if the money the collected was even enough to cover the gas they used to get to, and keep up next to the ship. I don't know why, but the scene affeced me more than seeing a begger on the street, where in all essance they are one in the same, just a differant venue. I still havn't figured out why....It could have been it was my first time seeing it in this form. I remember one thing in particular making me quite upset. Some people, as opposed to thorowing money in or towards the nets, would throw the money intentional in the ocean and make the children, parents, and sometimes grandparents dive and swim for it, like it was their small payment for entertainment. I had an urge to throw those people in after their money.
On to happier topics. Cebu City was fun, but after two days I had to get out. In the cities here is just Malls, Malls, Malls. I hate malls. At nights we got some good meals and enjoyed the scene of actual bars and clubs. I found an amazing sushi place in Cebu City and spent a 1/4 of my monthly stipen on sushi and saki....it was worth every peso. Regardless after two days I was onto the island of Bohol. Famous for the Chocolate Hills and the Tarsier. In the two days I was there I went and saw both, and I ordered a handmade, jackfruit wood, tuba stained, mother of peral inlay, martin style acustic gutiar. I will be picking that up in November and pictures will surely follow. The first night on Bohol I went ot see the Chocolate Hills, a interesting act of mother nature and geology. They are the reslut of ancient coral beds. However the local myth is that they are the result of over active bowls of a giant carabao (water buffalo used by farmers). Whatever you believe the were interesting to see.
The next day I went to see the Tarsier, an endangered animal native only to 3 islands in the philippines. It is unfortanite but you can see these little guys all over bohol in road side cages. The problem with Tarsiers is that they can't live in cages, they go insane and basically commit suicide, specially if they are touched by a human. Which many of these roadside venues allow. I went to the Tarsier Sanctuary, a foundation founded to preserve them in a gaurded area. A couple volunteers were assigned there 3-4 years ago as well. Many of the Tarsiers in the santuary are used to people now, and you can get quite close. As I am doing below, but don't worry, I didn't touch him.
After seeing the Tarsier up close I was convinced they were the real life form of Mogwai's from The Gremlins. Besides the real life rule of not touching them I was compelled to not get it wet, not feed it after midnight, and have it avoid all bright lights.
After Bohol it was onto training. While at training I saw two of the most naturally amazing, stunning, and georgeous places I have ever encountered in my life. One I have no pics of because it was all underwater. I went to Apo island for a day of praticums and got to sneek away for 2 hours and snorkal the coral reef there. The Shed in Chicago has an exhibit on Apo. It is one of the most amazing coarl reefs in the Philippines and it is a visual bananza to witness. The other amazing place I did get pictures of, but they don't come near to doing the place justice, the place being Casaroro falls. They are tucked away at the end of a river, with walls of rainforest going up one to two hundred feet on all sides. The best way for me to describe the place would be spritual. I did shoot some video on my camera that turned out well and gives a better "feeling'' of the falls, but unfortanitly I can't, or better don't know how, to post that on the internet.
Hope everyone is doing well! Take care of yourselfs and I look forward to hearing from you!
posted by Lloyd at 11:00 AM
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