Final Farewell

I've lacked access to a proper computer moreso than I'd prefer, but maybe it's just as well, so that I'm not bogging down the facecrook lines of The Philippines, or my head, for that matter.

I'd been spending more time meeting other family members still.  Lola Nini is really proud to introduce relatives from overseas.  I think one day, I went to seven different relatives' homes within two hours.  This was after about 3 days of the same activity, with meeting new family members each time.

I spent a day touring Manila with Tita Marlen and Jonathan, who are here from the States for a few years while Tita Marlen finishes nursing school.  On this day, I learned the most about Filipino history while exploring Intramuros with them.

The past week, I've been getting to know cousins on my Lolo's side of the family.  Roxie (Tito Noel's fifth and last child) and I went to Puerto Galera for the day and night.  We hired a tricycle driver for the day, who brought us to Tamaraw Falls where we jumped off the cliffs of the waterfall and took photos with the Filipino boys who always, no matter where we went, insisted that they get a chance to take a photo with a foreigner.

Our trike driver, Medell, then took us to a cockfight, per my request.  We did not place any bets, but the experience of hearing the betting and hustling alone is more than enough.  It's deafening.  Roxie and I were two of three women there, with the first being an owner of one of the soon-to-be-defeated-or-stitched-up cocks.  We stayed for two fights, which had ensued very quickly, as Kuya Medell was fetching us soon to head to the bay for snorkeling.  This was, hands down, my favorite activity.  We were at times, probably four feet away from the coral reefs, swordfish, sea urchins, and starfish.  This proximity made it very easy for one who gets a little water-anxious to remember to JUST FLOAT, as I kicked some coral right in the nuts.  The wound is still healing.

I've already got a list of places I need to either return to, or just see, or hopefully recommend to my siblings if they get the chance to come here.  Eric (Tito Noels' fourth child, and only son) and I bussed to Tagatay this morning.  It requires more than a day trip.  It's two to three hours by bus from Manila to this mountain city.  Perhaps every point in this town has the awesome views that I had been looking for the entire trip.  Something as simple as sitting at an anonymous international coffee chain reading about the climate-induced genocide of the bangus becomes the most breath-taking activity, as you're surrounded by mountains, sky, and the volcano impregnated Lake Taal.  I want to own property here.

My flight departs in five hours, at the ripe time of 6 am, which means that I am not sleeping tonight.  I'll have the next 18 hours to do so until I reach Detroit.  This flight itinerary is ungodly, with only one layover in between Manila and Pittsburgh. 

I've grown quite fond of the family that I have here, and look forward to a return trip at some unknown point in the future.  I have surprised myself the most, throughout the entire past two weeks, in learning that I like both (1) cockfights and (2) using the tabo.  And I'm not ashamed to admit either.

Foods

Several nights ago, I made the mistake of asking about balut.  If you don't want to eat balut in the Philippines, then you should pretend you don't know it exists.  Tita Jane assured me she loves it, it's healthy (it's really not, and you have to remember what it is--a cholesterol factory for baby chickens), and that we'd get beer and balut on our trip to Subic Bay.  Well, Subic Bay happened, but balut didn't. 

I was at her house a few days later, and made mistake #2 of mentioning balut again.  Damn.  She said she had San Mig (I guess it's like their Bud Light here in that it seems to be more popular than the full-calorie version, except that it doesn't taste like complete crap).  I told her I'd need Red Horse.  The label tells you it's extra strong, but I couldn't tell the proof from the bottle.  There's some joke about when you drink it, you'll feel like the horse has kicked you.  I have already experienced that this trip.

Anyway, the next thing I know (there was no further mention of balut) while sitting at their dinner table, full of bangus, pork asago, green mango salad, and Sans Rival, Tito Edward arrives back to the house via scooter with a sack full of hot eggs.  I mean, they are hot to touch.  Like, extremely.  I don't know how high temperatures are able to keep here, but I've noticed that with several other hot foods.  They claim it's just the styrofoam, or "styro" packaging, but it must be like space material or something.  I have to watch Tita Jane slurp the egg/chicken juice from the egg first.  That in itself makes me gag.  I really can't handle the thought of eggs, period.  The inside of the shell is a windy interstate of blood vessels.  Kind of pretty, really, if you don't think of the function. 

EAT IT!!  EAT THE BALUT!!! is what I'm commanded.  Ugh.  Why did I have to wonder aloud about this "food"?  I really knew I would do it, but for some reason, decided I needed to look and poke at it and whine about it for about 15 minutes before shoving the delicious morsel of hot vinegar-soaked chicken embryo right in my trap.  Actually, it was the bottom half of the little chickee.  I saw the outline of the head and beak within the white of the egg, and I just couldn't do it.  In fact, Tita Jane couldn't do it either--her balls seemed to ascend as she retracted her statements that balut is delicious.  That juice she drank?  That was it for her.  She then looked at my fate, lying there helpless on the dish, and decided she couldn't go through with it. 

I continued without her.  The yoke shows up as a little yellow disc, also covered with blood vessels.  Ew.  That was my first bite, taking the whole thing as one bite, and I almost threw up.  I dawdled some more before eating the "stone," the round white bit that lies flush against the shell, so named for its hard consistency.  Really, it is tasteless.  More dawdling ensued before the camera was flipped to video mode and all eyes were on me to eat this half developed chicken.  San Mig in hand, I did it.  It was dipped in vinegar, and, surprisingly, not *quite* as detestable as I had anticipated.  Will I do it again??  Ayoko.

Anything else I tell you about adventurous foods will be unimpressive.  But I'll say that every time I manage to keep a morsel of shrimp, prawns, squid, or octopus down without it coming out the wrong orifice, I give myself a hearty pat on the back.

Venn Diagram

The other night on the beach, one of the staff members of the hotel asked what were the differences between here and Nepal.  I hadn't considered it yet.  Seems like kind of a silly comparison to make, as these countries are vastly different, but I would like to point out some of the more head-hitting nuances that I have noticed during the first few days.

The Philippines
less lizards
ease of breathing
porkivores
ants are a way of life
roads are drivable
security EVERYWHERE
if someone is clearly speaking about you in Tagalog, they are probably saying that you're beautiful

Nepal
less humidity
crazier drivers
vegetarians
far more mangy dogs
strikes are a way of life
police force is useless
if someone is clearly speaking about you in Nepalese, they are probably asking if you are married

Similarities
hazy mountains
rainy season (typhoon & monsoon)
overall fear of drinking tap water
tuk tuks and jeepneys feel the same
scooters/motorcycles
rice, rice, rice everywhere
instant coffee & tea
intensity of religious devotion
apparent infatuation with whitefolk (maybe that is a bit presumptuous, but it's a finding I've gathered)

Of course, this list is ongoing.

The Journey So Far

I'll never be the travelogue keeper I want to be.  Deal with it. 

I arrived in The PH real late Sunday evening.  Tito Elmer and his family fetched me at the airport.  It was kind of a mess trying to find each other.  I was told to meet at Bay 5.  Simple enough, as everything is labeled as it should be.  It took me about 15 minutes, however, to realize that his car wouldn't be parked there, as he was standing amidst the hordes of Filipinos across the parkway.  Oy!!  We eventually spotted each other.  Don't ask me how. We happened to make eye contact despite the literal hundreds of people standing around him.

The 1.5 hour ride through Manila to Pulilan, Bulacan was easy enough, as his kids are outspoken, intelligent, and humorous.  I mentioned elsewhere that the first Tagalog word I was taught in The PH was "mabaho," or "stinky."  I've had plenty of opportunities to practice this word so far. 

In the morning, Lola Nini brought me around her community to meet, oh, I don't know, probably 20 different relatives I didn't know that a) I was meeting and b) I was related to.  It doesn't matter if they're your fourth cousin or first; they are all family and all excited to meet  a new relative. 

We had lunch with a few other relatives (Titas, Lolas, I'm not sure, and am still in the process of learning the ropes of Pilipino kinship ties) and after some subjection to squid pancit and being told that I would be converted from atheism to Catholicism by the time lunch was over, Tito Edward, Tita Jane, and their adorable daughter Sam retrieved me for a trip to the mall. 

Now, if you know me even the slightest bit, you might realize that malls generally make me want to fake a seizure just so I don't have to endure the experience.  NOT SO IN THE PHILIPPINES.  Oh my word.  I mean, OH MY WORD.  I will never again take mall foods for granted.  The bibingka: stupendous.  There are a ton of built-in restaurants, not only the food courts like we have in the states.  I had my first legit Pilipino halo halo.  I'd like to say that my family knows where the best ice cream in the world is, but the second best is definitely here.  Maybe it really depends on the brand, but I've had two flavors since arriving here, and it's sooooo creamy, it'd give Kate Winslet's thighs a run for their money.

At night, Tita Elsie and Tito Jowell treated me to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants in town.  Pork and other fried fare were involved.  Now, there was evidence that Elsie and I are related when, before this trip, via email, she clued me into the fact that she'll eat anything so long as it's covered in cheese.  This relationship was verified when she and Jowell told the server that it was my birthday so I could get free dessert.  Really, I feel at home here.

The next day, Tita Jane and Tito Edward picked Lola Nini and me up for a getaway to Subic Bay.  We saw a dolphin show, a sea lion show, and went through a tiger safari.  As far as the dolphins and sea lions are concerned, I can imagine that they are treated well here.  The message at the end of each show was for the kids: treat our animals nicely and do not pollute our oceans.  I mean, it was really more than just fine print at the bottom of a pamphlet.  I felt like less of a jerk being wowed by the agility of these animals.

This morning, after a breakfast buffet of bangus (heh) fish, Four Seasons, and garlic rice, I found myself sunbathing at 8 am with Jennifer Toth's The Mole People against the backdrop of mountains and hazy skies.  I am gonna come back home more nut-brown than anyone can ever believe.  I almost feel like no one bothers wearing sunscreen here because it's so damn hot that sunscreen melts right off the skin. No point in putting the lotion on its skin.

It's a 2 hour leg from Subic Bay to Pulilan.  I read more under the nipa hut Lola Nini and Lolo Carling have in their front (side) yard before Lola Nini and I hopped in a hired tricycle (a rickety type of sidecar, very common form of transportation) to meet more relatives and meet Tita Elsie at the grocery store.  But wait--THERE'S MORE!  How could I have ever expected that this trip would be complete without a visit to church?  I'm no poono (fool, or tree, depending on inflection) and I didn't actually think I'd get away without it.