Philippine Chronicles Part 2
A week had passed and it was still difficult for me to completely take in the beauty of this exceptional country. In that time we had visited some of the remotest villages in Rizal Del Norte, I had drunk from a coconut fruit. The strange thing is that my imagination had greatly prepared me for coconut juice. I had seen on Television how people would take a long swig from the coconut fruit, close their eyes while a bit of the liquid dribbled down the chin. That could only be delicious. My expectations were not only realised but exceeded by far. By the time we were leaving the coconut drinking place my tummy was aching from the sheer weight on the liquid that I had more than done justice to. What I did not know though was that one had to be careful when walking beneath coconut trees. There had been reports of people who had died after being crushed by a falling coconut fruit. My fear of making an entry into "a thousand ways to die" had me walking with my eyes fixed on the coconuts just in case one decided to dislodge itself and land on my head.
It was quite an experience seeing up-close the simple life of Filipinos in the rural areas. The houses are made of planks, raised on a platform that can be as high as two metres. If you look around the surroundings you may spot one chicken or two running about while you will definitely see more than one cock tied to a post. While you may be forgiven for thinking dinner would be composed of roasted cock, or grilled chicken, whatever you call it, nothing could be further from the truth. You see Filipinos are passionate about cock fighting and almost every household will be breeding its own fighting cocks. In fact I was told that some places had cock fighting leagues and that a lot of money would be spent in this blood spot. I once spent a night at a lodge whose owner kept hundreds of fighting cocks tethered to short coconut trees. Lets just say if you want to over-sleep this may not be the place for you. When they start crowing at around four AM wringing, their necks is just one of the many ideas that will cross your mind on how to make them stop. You are also likely to see a water buffalo, the main source of drawn power in the rural areas, peacefully grazing while tethered to a tree.
We then flew to Cebu, which I refreshingly found cleaner than Manila. Cebu is a thriving city, with its Jeepneys and historical monuments. A Jeepney is a very curious vehicle. Legend has it that in the immediate aftermath of the second world war, the Americans having no further use of the military Jeeps began selling them to the locals who transformed them into public service vehicles. The result was a thriving public transportation system built around these vehicles that have now come to be called Jeepneys (no prizes for guessing how the name came about). With the increased demand for cheap transport in many of the Philippine bustling cities, the Jeepney soon occupied a commanding position in public transportation so much that now there are companies in the Philippines devoted to turning ordinary vehicles into Jeepneys. As is often the case with cheap public transport, the demand far outstrips the supply so much that its a common sight to see Jeepneys packed to the rafters with barely any room for anyone to move their legs. being someone who is interested in reading adverts, I had a field day reading some of things written on the Jeepneys. They ranged from stern warnings against free rides to invocations of divine power over the business.
The legend of the Jeepney
The driver would be keeping a close eye on his customers using his mirrors with whatever room he is able to conjure up as his cabin is not spared from passengers. All the time he will be paying rapt attention to the rap of a coin on the roof indicating that someone has reached their destination. An open wooden box in front of him would have differently denominated coins. With one hand he gets money from the passengers, makes out the change by digging into his stock of coins and hands it back while keeping an eye on the road at the same time.
I am however disappointed that I took long to learn that this is the best form of transportation for a tourist. The fares are more than affordable and it gives you a real feel of life on the ground in this place. During the first week travel between places was usually completed using a taxi. Which was convenient less dramatic and handy considering that the average Filipino taxi driver can speak English really well. What I could not stand though were the high fares meted out to tourists. It would seem being a tourist makes people automatically conclude that you are rich and have wads of notes to give away. My Filipino friend was shocked when I told them the amounts I paid for a taxi from the airport to the hotel.
There are many places of historical significance in Cebu. As I mentioned earlier Magellan's cross is one them. This is the place were the renowned Portuguese sailor and explorer Ferdinand Magellan planted a cross in honour of the Catholic church establishment in 1522. The original cross survives in an encasing but the most you will see are drawings and a number of older women with scented candles asking if they could pray for you. Of course I politely declined. The Villa Indepedencia is also another place laden with historical significance. Constructed for the celebration of independence from Spanish colonial rule it houses a large square with a museum. The museum has a number of interesting artifacts including specimens of uniforms worn by the warriors, drawings of the legendary Lapu Lapu in battle against Magellan and a number of letters attesting to different pacts made in those days. The castle-like roof of the building has canons around it located at different vantage guard points.
Who goes there?!
A few metres outside the complex, life goes on as people hurry to and from the pier. Getting on boats to Bohol, Palawa and scores of other places. The sweltering heat doing nothing to stop them in their tracks. The taxi driver sitting on top of their cars idly, chatting, occasionally spurred into activity by the arrival of a potential customer. They talk loudly, laugh loudly. I pass by, they stare at me, I smile, they smile back, I wave they wave back enthusiastically. A tri-cycle, heavily laden chortles by. People are just the same regardless of colour or creed. We are all the same. Just trying to get by!
It was quite an experience seeing up-close the simple life of Filipinos in the rural areas. The houses are made of planks, raised on a platform that can be as high as two metres. If you look around the surroundings you may spot one chicken or two running about while you will definitely see more than one cock tied to a post. While you may be forgiven for thinking dinner would be composed of roasted cock, or grilled chicken, whatever you call it, nothing could be further from the truth. You see Filipinos are passionate about cock fighting and almost every household will be breeding its own fighting cocks. In fact I was told that some places had cock fighting leagues and that a lot of money would be spent in this blood spot. I once spent a night at a lodge whose owner kept hundreds of fighting cocks tethered to short coconut trees. Lets just say if you want to over-sleep this may not be the place for you. When they start crowing at around four AM wringing, their necks is just one of the many ideas that will cross your mind on how to make them stop. You are also likely to see a water buffalo, the main source of drawn power in the rural areas, peacefully grazing while tethered to a tree.
We then flew to Cebu, which I refreshingly found cleaner than Manila. Cebu is a thriving city, with its Jeepneys and historical monuments. A Jeepney is a very curious vehicle. Legend has it that in the immediate aftermath of the second world war, the Americans having no further use of the military Jeeps began selling them to the locals who transformed them into public service vehicles. The result was a thriving public transportation system built around these vehicles that have now come to be called Jeepneys (no prizes for guessing how the name came about). With the increased demand for cheap transport in many of the Philippine bustling cities, the Jeepney soon occupied a commanding position in public transportation so much that now there are companies in the Philippines devoted to turning ordinary vehicles into Jeepneys. As is often the case with cheap public transport, the demand far outstrips the supply so much that its a common sight to see Jeepneys packed to the rafters with barely any room for anyone to move their legs. being someone who is interested in reading adverts, I had a field day reading some of things written on the Jeepneys. They ranged from stern warnings against free rides to invocations of divine power over the business.
The legend of the Jeepney
The driver would be keeping a close eye on his customers using his mirrors with whatever room he is able to conjure up as his cabin is not spared from passengers. All the time he will be paying rapt attention to the rap of a coin on the roof indicating that someone has reached their destination. An open wooden box in front of him would have differently denominated coins. With one hand he gets money from the passengers, makes out the change by digging into his stock of coins and hands it back while keeping an eye on the road at the same time.
I am however disappointed that I took long to learn that this is the best form of transportation for a tourist. The fares are more than affordable and it gives you a real feel of life on the ground in this place. During the first week travel between places was usually completed using a taxi. Which was convenient less dramatic and handy considering that the average Filipino taxi driver can speak English really well. What I could not stand though were the high fares meted out to tourists. It would seem being a tourist makes people automatically conclude that you are rich and have wads of notes to give away. My Filipino friend was shocked when I told them the amounts I paid for a taxi from the airport to the hotel.
There are many places of historical significance in Cebu. As I mentioned earlier Magellan's cross is one them. This is the place were the renowned Portuguese sailor and explorer Ferdinand Magellan planted a cross in honour of the Catholic church establishment in 1522. The original cross survives in an encasing but the most you will see are drawings and a number of older women with scented candles asking if they could pray for you. Of course I politely declined. The Villa Indepedencia is also another place laden with historical significance. Constructed for the celebration of independence from Spanish colonial rule it houses a large square with a museum. The museum has a number of interesting artifacts including specimens of uniforms worn by the warriors, drawings of the legendary Lapu Lapu in battle against Magellan and a number of letters attesting to different pacts made in those days. The castle-like roof of the building has canons around it located at different vantage guard points.
Who goes there?!
A few metres outside the complex, life goes on as people hurry to and from the pier. Getting on boats to Bohol, Palawa and scores of other places. The sweltering heat doing nothing to stop them in their tracks. The taxi driver sitting on top of their cars idly, chatting, occasionally spurred into activity by the arrival of a potential customer. They talk loudly, laugh loudly. I pass by, they stare at me, I smile, they smile back, I wave they wave back enthusiastically. A tri-cycle, heavily laden chortles by. People are just the same regardless of colour or creed. We are all the same. Just trying to get by!
Comments
Post a Comment