So this is just going to be a blog of random happenings of my travels. Like usual, it's been a long time since my last post and I really can't type up everything that's happened here...Palawan: This was a trip I went on with my fellow interns. Palawan is a long island in the Philippines which is not very touristy and is still very in tact nature-wise. It was absolutely stunning and beautiful. El Nido, was by far the nicest part. We actually ended up going there by chance and I'm really glad we did when a random van driver asked us if we wanted to rent a van up there. We said we did and tried to bargain him down, but to no avail. We actually found out later that he was giving us an awesome deal!
This is El Nido. We got there late in the evening and ended up staying at a resort outside the town by a few kilometers. We were pretty upset with that and were afraid we would be too far from the beaches and everything. But, we woke up early in the morning walked outside and this was the view from where we were staying! Very nice, indeed.
Here were my companions for the journey. We are all interning here in Davao City together. Well, we were. Only two of us are still here and eventually it will only be me since I'm here for such a long time...OK, so while in El Nido I almost died. Perhaps a sensationalist statement, but I'm sure I just caught your attention. Yes, you may have heard - the Philippines is notorious for sinking ferries due to low maintenance. Well this wasn't a ferry, but still... Anyways, we went kayaking near our resort and we had to take a little canoe-like boat also since they didn't have enough kayaks. Well the boat was really difficult to steer on the way there, so the three biggest guys (me included) decide that it's a good idea for us to paddle it back. Sure enough we did really well. We managed to paddle it really well. Well enough, in fact, that we decided to stop for a beer in the middle of the ocean to enjoy the fruits of our hard labour. Sure enough we look down and see that there's water in the boat. Not a little, but about half! So I start half-ass scooping with a beer in my hand, but when I realize that the water level isn't going down I drop the beer and keep scooping harder. Nothing. So Mark gets out of the boat and swims beside and I was able to scoop the water out. So we all joke about how funny it would be if the boat had sank... We have another beer and rejoice... Scene 2: the water level is back up. this time we decide to try to paddle to shore instead of scooping the water. The water level rises. We keep padelling and Byeonseong tries to scoop some water. Scene 3: we sink. Yup, it's true. Our little boat sank. And this is not some shallow water, no no. This was in the middle of the ocean, a good 2 miles from the closest shore with a strong current. Well, we think that it's possible for us to actually swim the sunken ship back to shore (it sank but stuck near the surface since it happens to made of wood). Well we swam for a good 30 minutes and didn't move an inch. We didn't have life jackets and we were in the middle of the ocean. Did I say that already? Well anyways, luckily we screamed help a few times and a small fishing boat came by, picked us up, helped us scoop the water out, and towed us back to shore... All the while this incident was going on I was laughing. Maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed after all.... At least I have a damn good story to tell!
Some random incidents:
Mark, an intern from Holland, has had an injured foot since he's been to the Philippines for 1.5 months. He was told back home he had a torn muscle but it hasn't been getting better. So we went to a GK site in a jail yesterday and sure enough, one of the inmates is a physio therapist. She specializes in electrolysis and does some to his foot (in the jail) and proceeds to discover that his ankle has been dislocated this entire time. She puts it back in place and all is well.. Pretty odd.. he had his foot fixed in prison.
Let's see... we were supposed to be going for a helicopter ride yesterday also (for free!!), but they needed it to fight guerillas in the mountains.
I've slept in a GK site for the third time. It's an interesting experience. The people actually have very little (but usually have a TV...) and they are very accommodating. It's quite awkward though considering that the house is probably the size of my living room back home and there are maybe 7 people living there. What's more uncomfortable is that they give one of the two rooms to you alone, so half the house is yours and the other half is for the entire family... They also cook you food and won't take your money in return. Hmm, they're very hospitable. It's interesting to note that the poorer people are, the more they give. Or so it seems at least...
Also, I've been volunteering with another organization here. This one has an orphanage for children from the mountain regions. This is the only orphanage that does this because there is actually a lot of animosity and racism or something towards the indigenous peoples of the region... Near the village is a site of former squatters who were given their land by the generous Dr. Robillo. Unfortunately, these people are the poorest I've encountered here. A family of 9, for example, lives off of 1,000 pesos per month. That's the equivalent to about $37 CDN. 9 people!! The family sometimes goes days without eating and they have a 1 year old daughter with malnutrition and who cannot yet stand because of it. Oh, they also live in a house that is no word of a lie, the size of my bed back home. How messed up is that? This is a rampant problem across the entire Philippines though. There's a lot of unemployment here, which is starting to sound like back home from what I've heard (which isn't much). I haven't been keeping up to date with current events lately...
I have been to 3 buddhist temples here. Very interesting and nice experiences. The people there have all been very nice. I went with other interns, and Yingxin, from China, is especially very interested in the temples, as she is buddhist. She really enjoys answering my questions about it, which as been good.
Let's see... the Mayor. So Davao City used to be a lawless city in the Philippines. Then Mayor Duterte came to power and has made it his misison to bring about law and order to the city. He has since been extremely successful and Davao has to be one of the safest cities in the Philippines. How did he achieve this? Ruthlessness. He's been under heavy scrutiny by organizations like amnesty international, but the people of Davao both love and fear him. He does not tolerate crime and doing drugs can land you life in prison here. He also has a private army that apparently kills drug pushers and junkies. He fights guerillas from his personal helicopter. He also sneaks away from his security guards to ride his harly davidson around Davao... An interesting character for sure. It always brings up the question as to the cost of things like law and order. Undoubtedly, he has done his job and the people love him for that. How he did it has created fear. But... who can judge? The man also contributes a lot to GK and is really one of the most important sponsors for helping the poor people of Davao. He is also very concerned with the women and children in prisons, hence the GK site in the jail... You wouldn't find a politician like this back home, that's for sure!
This is at crocodile park... I actually tried crocodile meat, also... tastes like a very tough beef... with a tinge of reptile.Well, I'm done with my randomness and my post. Things in the Philippines are going quite well. In a week I will be climbing the highest mountain in the Philippines, which is an active volcanoe. Also, I will be going to Siargao, which is one of the best surfing places in the world to learn to surf! Very excited...
