10 Things...

I'll bet you didn't know about the Philippines.

It's that time, ladies and gents, after over a month living here. As with every place I visit, here are just a few things I've come to learn about the 'pines.

1. Jeepneys! A leftover from America in World War II, the Filipinos have taken the old jeeps and extended them so that they have two long benches in back. They're an important part of daily life, running specific routes throughout cities and towns. Plus they have awesome paint jobs! Tricycles are also a common form of transportation, especially in smaller towns. Most are a motorcycle with a side car but you'll see a few that are actual bikes.

2. Similar to much of Asia, the Filipinos love their malls. Huge, multi-story complexes, these house the lastest fashions from Estee Lauder to Adidas, an absurd number of fast food restaurants and a movie theater (where tickets to the newest American films are less than $5). Saturday afternoons are often spent just roaming a mall. I've been told part of the reason is the A/C, but regardless this country loves to shop!

3. Don't ask a Filipino the time. For a week I couldn't figure out why I was always running late. Turns out we were going off of a friend's watch that was 10 minutes fast. I've even been at a train station where the clocks next to each other are 20 minutes apart (and both wrong). But given that most Filipino society, especially in the provinces, is unconcerned with time, I guess it's a bit irrelevent.

4. Be prepared to be treated with the utmost politeness. Walking down the street everyone will call out "good morning, ma'am" and "how are you today, ma'am?". There is a formal etiquette that dictates interactions and while Filipinos are very willing to help, they may say yes just out of politeness of the situation.

5. BYOTP

6. They love basketball the way the Ghanaians love their soccer. Kobe jerseys are abundant and the Filipino guys know more about Team USA than I do. The PBA is a league with about 12 teams but they're not regional. Rather they're owned by corporations so they have some great mascots - Rain or Shine, the Texters...Apparently it is similar high school ball (Filipinos are a bit vertically challenged for such a sport).

7. There is no extra tax on alcohol or cigarettes. The local rum, Tanduay, is $2 a bottle and it's damn good stuff. San Mig at the store is about 50 cents a bottle. Even their strong lager, Red Horse, is under a dollar and this ain't no Bud. 

8. Karaoke, or more specifically videoke, is a national favorite. Every night in Manila you'll walk past bar after bar boasting its top-of-the-line set up. It's not just for the teenagers either. This also means that you'll hear some pretty terrible singing being blasted.

9. Lady boys and prostitutes. I guess I knew, but man did I underestimate this one...be careful which massage parlor you choose.

10. You may forget how to use a knife while you're here. They eat with a fork and spoon (the former being used to cut the food and push it around the plate, while the latter you actually eat with). At times this can be a pain but most meat you get at a restaurant is already sliced. I shouldn't be complaining, at least they figured out a sensible way to consume rice.

Two guys, a girl and a horrifying place

Sunday morning I was back in action, this time heading to the central Visayas, to the island of Bohol. Arriving mid-morning I made my way to Alona Beach (on the nearby island of Panglao) where I had a surprisingly easy time finding Allan and Andrew. An afternoon of sunbathing ensued (and the boys' delicate Canadian skin frying...similarly to their bacon I'd imagine). Andrew will tell you the beach wasn't that nice (they just got back from Boracay), but I still insist it's one of the prettiest beach I've been to, you just can't swim. By no means horrifying. The boys had found some delicious BBQ on the island and we tried to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Amazingly we managed to get up in time to catch the tour van headed to Bohol. The island is historically known for being the site of the blood compact between Magellan and the natives. We stopped at a monument, an old Spanish church, a butterfly sanctuary, a small zoo with a python and a river before we finally came to what we were waiting for - the Tarsier Center and the Chocolate Hills. Tarsiers, with their saucer eyes and suction cup fingers, were the inspiration for ET (but a less creepy, more cuddly version). They're nocturnal but we saw a few with their eyes open. The Chocolate Hills are a compilation of over 1200 unusual mounds sculpted from limestone and coral in the middle of the island. It remains a mystery as to how they were actually formed. Pretty bizarre and when they're dry they resemble chocolate drops. I think I found my birth place!

The rest of the week passed alternating beach, reading, cable TV!, entertaining conversation and 40 peso ($1) rum & cokes... And nearly every meal we ended back at Alona Hidden Dream, despite our insistence that the food was just horrifying and it was definitely not the only restaurant in town. The boys, having spent 7+ months traveling SE Asia together, took a hiatus from bickering to crack some American jokes. Poor Toronto won't know what hit it when I come to visit...!

Thursday afternoon we finally made our way to Cebu by ferry. It turned out to be a smaller, dirtier Manila (just horrifying I tell you!) and we decided there was nothing useful here aside from a way to get home. So yesterday I headed back home, back in time for my class this morning. The boys head back up later this week and spend a few more nights in Manila before continuing their trip in Indonesia. It was a great week, but right now I'm wishing I was up at Donner right now to celebrate with Mom and Ryan! I'll be sticking around Manila this week, getting some real work done and getting excited for Chelsea to arrive!

Thanks for all the concern, but we actually didn't even feel the earthquake - I found out about it from Mom!

Tales from the Snail Trail

Once upon a time, in a province ten hours north of the mighty Manila, lived many hardworking Filipinos. This sprawling land, filled with rice terraces and cornfields, just off the Pacific Ocean, had recently fallen victim to the dreaded snail. This black snail, no larger than a grain of rice, was host to the a parasite. Dangerous to humans, the parasite seeps into the skin and causes schistosomiasis – a debilitating disease of the GI tract. In hopes for a master plan to halt the nasty buggers, our team of eight (including 4 Japanese, the oldest of which may or may not be Mr. Miyagi) trekked to Cagayan. We forged our way through the fields and down the valley to seven sites near villages where schisto is endemic. From there we spent hours scrutinizing the tall grass and marshland for these sneaky villans. Collecting over 700 snails from these sites, we hitched up our wagon, headed back to the great school of UPM and analyzed our data, developing program interventions as we went. And the people of Cagayan lived happily ever after…

Well, not entirely true. But it was a very successful trip! And the weather was on our side (I can only imagine doing the backbreaking work we did in the pouring rain). Not to be cocky, but I must say I have become quite the snail detector (my aching body will attest to this). After collecting all our samples, Dr. Leonardo presented our initial findings to the regional, provincial, and municipal health officers and provided suggestions to help prevent human contact with the snails. We spent all of today crushing snails to inspect how many were infected. The sad news was that far more were than we had hoped, including a site that had not been previously. I’m excited though to see how our research will develop into action!

This segment of the journey is completed, but tomorrow begins anew. I fly out to Bohol to meet the Canadian boys – for real this time – and enjoy a few days exploring breathtaking beaches, seeing Tarsiers and of course visiting the Chocolate Hills. So until next time…to infinity and BEYOND!

Lindsay? Like Lindsay Lohan?

It's been 12 days in the Philippines and I can say it has yet to be boring. Picking up from where I left off, last weekend combined foreign friends and local culture in an obscure blend that you only ever experience traveling. I met so many interesting people at the guesthouse I was staying at - Brits, Australians, Canadians and even a few Spanish ladies. Hands down the best part of traveling aside from the incredible sights is the thought-provoking conversation you have with fellow globe trotters. And when you put a group of 20-somethings (who've already enjoyed the free rum from the hostel) into the pumping scene that Malate nightlife offers, you know it can only end one way - noteworthy. From meetings the ever-present prostitutes and lady-boys to the late-night karaoke, I think it's safe to say we did Manila right.

Two of these friends, the Canadian boys Allan and Andrew, are traveling the Philippines for a month. We all decided to head down to Palawan together, though since I had a meeting Tuesday the plan was for them to head south Monday evening and I would meet them in Puerto Princesa Tuesday night. Which sounds like a great idea, except that they don't have a phone (seriously, I have no idea how people functioned prior to 2000). I arrived in Puerto Tuesday evening around 9PM and asked the tricycle driver (think of a motorcycle with a sidecar - Wallace and Gromit style) to take me to the internet cafe. But ah-ha silly me, it's too late. There are none open. Finally finding a nice woman to let me use her internet, I get a message from Allan that they never even made it off Luzon. Shit. I end up spending an exuberant amount on a hotel (1200 pesos...or just shy of 30 whole dollars) and the following morning make my way on a bus to Sabang. And what is in Sabang you might ask? Well nothing more than one of the New 7 Natural Wonders of the World (no but really).

The underground river in Sabang is a 8.2 km river within a cave. The most incredible part is The Cathedral, a huge opening with rock formations that disturbingly look like the 3 wise men, Jesus, the Last Supper, etc.  One of the girls joked she almost had a religious awakening. Spending a few days on the beach, meeting more travelers from all over and playing in the water - all and all not a bad week. But I was pretty happy to get back to Manila and my apartment (where I've discovered INTERNET). And back to my favorite Filipinos. Because it wouldn't be a normal day in Manila if a taxi driver or security guard weren't asking me in all seriousness if my parents named me after the great singer, Lindsay Lohan. But such comforts of home must be short-lived as Monday I leave for a 5 day trip to northern Luzon to study snails and schistosomiasis...!

Welcomed by a flood of kindness

Here we go again...another adventure! For those of you who haven't heard, I moved to Manila earlier this week for 5 months. I'm studying at the University of the Philippines, Manila (UPM) to finish my Masters in Public Health (MPH). I'll do a quarter of school, a 10-day tour of health finance in Northern Luzon and a 6-week internship (hopefully at the WHO). 

When I landed in Manila Tuesday night, I didn't realize quite how dire the situation was. It had rained for 10 days straight, at one point not stopping for 18 consecutive hours. After 20-some hours of travel and a stopover in Tokyo I finally made it to the Philippines, only to have a hell of a time finding my ride (no thanks to you, Verizon). Once we connected, the drive from the airport to my hostel was filled with flooded roads, some entirely impassable. The school had suspended classes and offices indefinitely. Where I am the flooding is gone, though other parts of the city are still covered in water. As I write, the rain is coming down hard again. Relief efforts are still going on several days later for those displaced. Everyone joked that I was getting a true Filipino experience (not so much the flooding, but the general chaos and issues of the third world, which they speak frankly about with a smile).

On Thursday the rain subsided and my advisor Dr. Leonardo sent her son, Alvin, to help me look at a potential apartment in a nearby highrise. After a quick inspection, I decided the tiny place, which has enough room for a fold-out couch/bed, kitchen, bathroom and small balcony (19th floor) was worth the $333/month I'd be paying. I only found out today that that price also includes access to the gym! Only issue is that there is no closet or drawers, meaning I'll be living out of my suitcase (and wishing I had brought less clothes). The rest of the day we spent walking around the city, trying local foods and of course enjoying some local beer, San Miguel. The nightlife is just as hectic as the daytime. 

Today started early - being accepted into the school (phew), signing up for classes, trying to get my student permit (and being turned away), taking out 5 months worth of rent in cash (eeeek!), checking out the place again, getting a background check and certificate, walking around the old Spanish town within the city, Intramuros. Poor Dr. Leonardo's assistant, Dharyl, escorted me through the entire 8 hour process...!

If there is anything I have learned so far, it is that Filipinos are extremely willing to help, going above and beyond anything I could have expected. Dr. Leonardo, Alvin, Dharyl, the hostel guys who keep giving me a place to stay since my apartment isn't ready yet, even my realtor Hector have all done everything in their power to get me settled. It is more than I could ever ask and they don't think twice. 

I have to be at school on Monday to get my permit and ID but then I don't have class until Saturday (I'm taking two classes, one of which is a field project so I only have one real class a week). Meaning I'm looking to do some great traveling this week! Thoughts on the underground river in Palawan? Or maybe visit the Chocolate Hills? And of course explore Manila further - full description to come.