More Creepies - Liz, please don't read this one

Most of my friends know that I love to explore and that I find nearly every new thing I see on this earth fascinating.  I have dragged poor Liz with me on my little adventures since we were 5 years old, and although she doesn't share most of my interests, she bears with me.  And, Mary Vane has told me that I will never be offered a position with the Philippine Tourist Bureau, (and hes even now dreamed up knee surgery so that she cannot visit me here.  But I see things totally differently - I find all the natural life here fascinating - perhaps I could work for the International Association of Entomologists?

So, fair warning to Liz and Mary - some pictures here will be creepy - but the good news is that you won't see them if you visit....probably.  Actually, when I moved to my RP new place (RP stands for Relatively Palatial), I was rather sad to leave my showers with the frogs, midnight toilet interactions with the tuko, and first sighting of two scorpions....rather sad.   It was slightly like being on safari - the fact that it was inside my house did become disconcerting, I must admit - I mean, all safaris end at some point and this seemed interminable.

So, moving to Bountiful Village disappointed me at first with its paucity of life - all of Puerto is "the city in the forest" and I felt deprived.  However, the last couple weeks, I've had a few visitors of note.



Nothing like the amazing centipede that crawled down my arm in the boat coming back from the Underground River.  I can't find a picture of the exact type, but did find this scolopendra gigantea online which is similar - mine was more hairy and brighter orange and yellow and only about 8"...these grow to over 14"...and are fast - I couldn't get my camera out in time after I brushed it off my arm (and I kept my feet up off the deck for the remainder of the trip!!)




I used to be such a freak at flying things like roaches...well, I still don't like them and would prefer to leave the room to them rather than do battle, but now, instead of running, I mutter to them, "Get out of my house - I live here."  At the last place on Alta Homes Road, I would threaten them with the Tokay Gecko (we call them Tuko here - and there is a crazy market now for them here in Asia - supposedly if you dry them into a powder and drink this elixir, you are cured of cancer - oh yes - the superstitions here are crazy.. the highest price I heard for one was $1M, although more common is in the hundreds...such a shame for such a cute and interesting creature - one which eats roaches and centipedes!!)

Back to my more current visitors.
Just before I left for the agricultural training at the Shell facility at WPU in Aborlan, my kitten found something to play with - at first I thought it was a roach, but then watched it move - it looked weird and head-heavy...so I moved in to get a closer look (after wrapping a towel around my exposed thorax, oops - throat area - for some reason that's my creepy spot - I mean it could be a jumping attack roach).  At first, I thought I was looking at a mutant - the weirdest and ugliest bug I'd ever seen...not a mean ugly - just a pathetically ugly - kind of like those 3 part picture flip charts where you can mix up pictures, putting a different body on legs and totally mismatched head.  This bug - maybe 3" long - had the body of a roach, the head of a lobster or crayfish and the front legs of a mole or turtle.  I did get a shot or two, but the cat kept playing with it - when I pushed him away...it was gone....and the cat swallowed.  oh.

My first look at the bug

My last look at the bug before he was eaten

The flip chart bug:

The Head of a Lobster or Crayfish

The front legs of a mole or platypus

The wings of the Wicked Monkeys of Oz

Putting it all Together

No one I talked to knew what it was (and, yes, I keep my camera with me at all times, and ask random folks if they know what things are - who cares, I'm just an old, white foreigner).  When I returned from the Shell Agricultural Training late at night, I was beat and tried to read a bit - when a big bug slowly flew through the house....but it didn't land anywhere, but just flew around.  So, yes, I regressed into the old Deb and retreated into my bedroom, closing the heavy wooden door, peeking out occasionally to see if it was grounded.  The bug was big enough that I knew it couldn't fit underneath.  I really don't like killing things, especially when I think of bug-karma - will they come back to get me? - so usually I just wait them out, willing them to leave the premises with my bug-ESP...which often doesn't work at all (for the last 3 days I've had a big, regular looking brown cricket in here, even though I've asked it nicely and repeatedly to leave).

Plus - I needed a picture!! So I had to outwait the bug... I have great photos of all my bugs - even kept the huge torong bumblebee on the counter, thinking of making a bug collection and that I'd pin it to something to show people - it's incredible - has a veritable beak for a mouth - it is hard as a rock and huge!  Here he is:
(he died a natural death after I left for work one day - quickly through the door around which he was buzzing)

At the top of the curtains - about 2" long
(the bee, not the curtains)

RIP with your enormous beak
(relax Liz - it is a sample bottle of rum)

Back to the Flip Chart Bug.....

Well, I did emerge from my room - ran to the kitchen and grabbed my can of Baygon and sprayed the bugjesus out of it - it still took it hours to die...but it wasn't flying again.   At this point, I had no idea that the bug was the same flip chart bug - because that bug had not flown....probably damaged from the cat play.  But it was!  I left it there in Baygon juice and slept soundly.  I next proceeded to photograph the fascinating thing and did an online search to find out what it was...didn't take long (I am constantly amazed at the web - wow).

It is called a mole cricket, and - amazingly - is also found in Florida and the southern USA!!!

Here's a short review by the Discovery Channel:

Mole Cricket, a large cricket that lives in shallow underground burrows. It is found in many parts of the world. The dark-brown body, 1 ½ to 2 inches (4 to 5 cm) long, is covered with short, silky hair. The insect's short forelegs have shovel-shaped claws adapted for rapid digging. The mole cricket has short, strong wings and can fly long distances. It usually flies at night and is attracted by strong lights. The common American mole cricket eats insect larvae and earthworms, and also damages the roots of grass, potatoes, turnips, and peanuts. A West Indian species, the changa, is particularly injurious to sugarcane. Mole crickets' eggs are laid in loose clusters in underground cells.

The American mole cricket is Neocurtilla hexadactyla; changa, Scapteriscus vicinus. Both belong to the mole cricket family, Gryllotalpidae.

I found the following video on Youtube and it cracked me up - by the end I was almost agreeing with one of the YouTube comments - "Where do you find these?  I want one as a pet!"     Well, for a couple seconds.

After the posthumous photo shoot, I left the mole cricket (which, by the way was bigger than the 2" cited in North America) -  put him just next to the bumblebee on the counter and truly think that I'll start a bug collection.....

until I awake the next day - it's gone!  The bee was still there - but the cricket - 3" of bulky body - is gone.  Hmmm...what was large enough to eat this - and came into my house last night?  Ewwww.  Okay - I'm paying for screens right now.

Apparently, these critters are not just a delicacy to animals of the 4 legged variety - humans in Asia consider them a delicacy and have specific exotic dishes and recipes such as:

Sinangag o adobong susuhong/camaro/ararawan (adobo or fried mole crickets)

Mole crickets are usually found in the rice fields before planting season. It is sautéed in garlic, onion, and olive oil or cooked by simply frying it.

   

and, as the Chiang Mei news (Thailand) reports:

Damn, someone hit this bug with the ugly stick, but that does not mean the Mole cricket misses out in a taste or popularity contest. Mole crickets are high in iron, calcium, potassium and phosphorous.



Crickets are one of the most common edible insect varieties in Asia. Fry them and serve with an ice-cold beer. Fry 'em, grill 'em, stir 'em, they are nice with chili sauce, but also tasty on their own. crickets are a good source of carbohydrates, calcium, potassium, vitamin B2, and niacin. Don't forget your toothpick for them tiny legs.

Well, I still have another year here, so won't say I won't eat one - maybe if it's fried....and I'm drunk.

Update on the Mango Growers Association - they are on a roll!!

The latest on the Mango Grower's successes in Manila!  My 'thing' in life is to help people find their voice - especially when the legal system or general situation isn't "fair".  Being here, I've realized that 'being fair" has no meaning in this culture...except within certain strata of society (and then it may not really be a sense of 'unfairness' but rather that they are being needlessly hampered by the law; I'm not sure).  The Mango growers that I've worked with, however, have been shut down without a market to sell to - for 24 years - and billions of pesos have been lost, as well as thousands of employment opportunities.   I'm just so happy that I was able to be involved in a tiny part of their efforts which will rejuvenate the entire economy of this island - for everyone.

But, you can tell by the title that things are different here - in America, it would be "Persistence of Mango Growers of Palawan pays off" with a subheading: "Petition acknowledged and forward action taken by DA head" at the least.  I guess media in every country has a "spin".  Here, "fairness" doesn't matter and people at different levels have different abilities and rewards- and power at the top is acclaimed - thus the "DA Rescues".  My life here may be frustrating, but it is an incredible learning experience on the topic of humanity and truth - fascinating.

Pouring rain for the last 2 days - they've even closed the PC offices in Manila due to the typhoon...if it doesn't let up soon, the mango orchards will have a different problem to deal with!!!

DA Rescues Palawan's Mango Industry 
September 25, 2011

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala (5th from left) assures the mango growers association of Palawan and other industry stakeholders that the government is ready to extend aid to the province's keyplayers to address the 24-year old problem caused by Mango Pulp Weevil (MPW) which prevents local farmers to trade their mangoes outside Palawan. During a recent meeting at the Department of Agriculture (DA) Central Office, the group requested Alcala to re-align the P100-million budget from the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) of DA for treatment facilities such as x-ray machine, hot water treatment equipment (inset) and processing plant rather than the eradication of MPW which has been futile through the years. Alcala suggested that the group, together with concerned DA officials, draft a roadmap to come up with steps that will be advantageous not only to mango farmers in Palawan but for the entire mango industry as well. With Alcala are: (R-L) Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) Director Clarito Barron, DA-High Value Crops Development National Coordinator Jennifer Remoquillo, BPI Assistant Director Dante Delima, and mango stakeholders. (Photo by: Kathrino Resurreccion, DA-Information Service)

Equal Time for Dolphins

Although I swam with the Whale Sharks, still fondly in my heart, and more identified with (perhaps I was longest in the dolphin stage on my evolutionary path - or just had the most fun there?) is the dolphin.  Another of my top 10 was my 40th birthday when we were in the Florida Keys and Dave scrambled to give me a birthday present (which I assumed when reading of the sites in the Keys that he was going to surprise me with on my birthday...wrong...but he did pull it off, as usual) - one of my best presents:  swimming with dolphins at a private facility in the ocean.  Gave me such an appreciation for these beautiful and intelligent creatures.  Ashley was about 3 years old then, and started crying onshore - one of the female dolphins came over to me and gave me a shove with her (incredibly muscular and strong) body, as if to say, "Get out of the pool and take care of your baby!" (which everyone did on orders of the instructor).  What an experience!!

Since then, I've swum with spinner dolphin at Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii, and wanted more interaction - but those awful tourist pools with dolphins trapped in them - "Swim With the Dolphins for only $200 if your lottery ticket is picked"  really disturb me.

So, when Rich White-Smith - here with the Peace Corps for 6 months as a PCResponse volunteer - said that he had arranged for 7 of us to go on a Dolphin Watching Tour - did I jump (even before he said that it was his treat!!).

Matthew and Krystal Klebes - my kids here in Puerto

Petra - my daughter in Aborlan

Petra came from Aborlan and slept over - we were up at 5:30am and on a trike to the Baybay at 6am, arriving finally at the  dolphin boats and meeting Matt and Krystal there.  Rich, thoughtful as usual, had brought coffee and doughnuts for us and we departed promptly - going way out in the ocean.  Supposedly, the dolphins come in to shore and feed early in the morning.
We were going to meet them after breakfast and before lunch to watch them play.





     We motored out again past the decrepit WWII  
      vintage Philippine navy ships - now you know
      why the US offered to help with the Spratley
       Islands.







Some of the best fun happened on the way out - watching the amazing flying fish take off and glide for such long distances.  Here's a short video I found that shows up close what they look like - pretty incredible - they really do fly!

We got farther and farther out and all of a sudden, an enormous pod (40-60) dolphins raced by - guess that's why "swimming with dolphin" trips aren't offered - rather disappointing to the tourists to have them vanish within a minute or two - incredibly fast.

 Reminded me of the first race I saw Ashley row in college on the Schuylkill in Philly - I was so excited and had gotten up really early to bus down with parents to watch their kids race in an Easter race in the freezing cold weather (I can only imagine Ashley's butt on the board of the boat).  I got my camera out and the parents said, "Quick -come here - here they come!"....but I couldn't even identify her in the skull because they zipped by so fast!  
At least I didn't need to identify any particular dolphin in this case, so I wasn't upset, and my camera was out.

We saw so many dolphins that day!!  They came right up to the bow of the boat and swam alongside; the water so clear that you could see them dive down 40 feet before they disappeared from view.

We watched them play in groups of 2 or 3; or 20!

My favorite picture - frolicking!

A totally tuckered Rich and Alina heading home - Salamat po!

One of my Top 10: Swimming with Whale Sharks - the Biggest Fish in the Sea

I have wanted to swim with whale sharks for decades - since I found them in Australia years ago (but they were on the West coast, and we were on the East - and Australia is as enormous as these fish....so I never met up with them there, and only became more enamored of them).

I was amazed and excited when I read that these were in the Philippines when I did my due diligence before accepting the Peace Corps offer.  Little did I know that my assignment would put me in close proximity to these creatures.  Donsol, in Bicol - about a 12 hour bus ride from Manila (which is a 1hour, 4000 peso flight from here) is the renowned tourist spot for swimming with these sharks - and friends who have swum with them there - and here - say that Palawan is far better - primarily due to the crystal clear waters and the fact that currently, only one boat tour even does this.  In Donsol it is similar to being on safari in Kenya, where 7 jeeps full of tourists huddle round a poor cheetah, panting over his kill, bothered by humans snapping photos - somehow not exactly a National Geographic moment.  In Palawan, The Last Frontier, only 12 people fit in the boat, which leaves at 7am from Puerto's "Baybay" (the promenade along the bay), skippered by Toto, owner of the boat. 

I had found Toto somehow, and texted him that I would like to go sometime and asked if he might call me to give me some information on how it worked.  One day later, Friday, as I was in a multicab on my way to work, he called and said they would go out the following morning - that butanding (Tagalog for whale shark) had been spotted by fishermen - Did I want to go?  OMG OMG  OMG!!  I texted Rich, Matt and Krystal, Will and Petra explaining things.  Cost was steep for us:  1,500 for 6 hours, including lunch (my daughters howled when I told them this - that equates to about $35 US)...but for us on our  $200/month, it is a big chunk of change.  I've talked to volunteers who live in the middle of nowhere, who save their money simply because there is nothing to do - not even a place to eat out.  Here on Palawan, there are many adventures to eat up your pesos - and I am SOOOO thankful that I am here!!!

Rich and his girlfriend Alina responded quickly, and Matt and Krystal soon thereafter...Will and Petra were both busy (kawawa at sayang!).  So, the 5 of us prepared our masks and snorkels - you don't scuba dive with the sharks as they are afraid of the bubbles - and they swim slowly enough that you can swim alongside them....although not as slowly as I assumed.

I awoke about 2am to huge thunder and lightning and torrential rains....so sad.  Matt texted about 5:30 figuring the trip was canceled, but around 6am I reached Toto, who said the clouds were lifting and we were a go!!  We all convened at the boat at 7am, and then waited for 3 guys from Pakistan who had returned here to finish off their vacation - divers all, they were young and enthused.

The trip began leisurely enough, making our way out of the harbor, through the colorful fishing ships....

seeing the maritime vessels of the Philippine Navy - WWII vintage ships that looked like our small boat could outrun them

    

...past the squatters, of the ethnic tribe "Badjao", sometimes called the Gypsy of the Sea here.  This group originated in Mindanao, but due to the political unrest there, were forced away.  Oddly, because they are primarily sea dwellers, they are not covered under the laws for indigenous peoples - the definition of which requires land possession.  So, these displaced and poor - I mean POOR - people drift and land wherever they can, seeking a way to live near the sea as the only livelihood they know.  As we motored deeper into the sea, we could see the airstrip at the edge of the bayan, and we headed north, toward Honda Bay, but far offshore - perhaps an hour out.

The crew told us that the butanding are plankton- and krill-feeders and the way they are often found is that they come to the surface, especially on sunny days, to feed.  Spotters look for birds flocking and diving for fish, as well as the churning of water with fish. 

 I'd never seen anything like it - the waters actually churn with flapping tuna, and krill and plankton accompany those larger fish.  Our spotter climbed to the top of the mast and balanced there...we went from churning water to birds to fish jumping out of the water - remember, we are way, way offshore....not as though we are in the shallows - the amount of fish and the splashing about was incredible.  The spotter sighted a butanding and told us to get ready, explaining that we were to wait until they told us to go - they would get the boat as close as possible - we were then to dive in and swim as hard as we could to catch up to the shark.  I am a decent swimmer and thought it would be a breeze compared to other people.

Hah!!  They told us to get ready....wait....wait...GO! GO! GO!   I launched into the ocean and swam as hard as I could toward the shark....good grief it was a long way off....good grief, I'm pooped and need to catch my breath!   I did see the tail as it left me in the dust...um, krill.  Whew!  So much for that.....I wondered if I would ever get close enough to really see it.  I thought swimming would be easier than this.

We had only seen one shark (well, someone had seen it - not me!) and we had been out nearly 2 hours....I hoped we would see another - but there are certainly no guarantees.  We trolled for another 40 minutes - and Toto communicated with the fisherman using a short wave radio - had they seen any?  where?  etc etc.  Then, there was another!  We followed it - again, our spotter up on the mast, telling the captain which way to turn...you could almost do it yourself - just follow the flapping fish....somewhere underneath was the shark, feeding.  You can see from the picture, how we waited on the pontoons of the boat - sailing through the water.  Actually, one of the Pakistani dudes didn't hold on well and was brushed over the pontoon by the force of the water - he would have bruises tomorrow, but at least he didn't get knocked out or lost.  Again, it was "wait.....wait.....wait"   then GO! GO! GO!   I got closer this time, but still not very close...but how exhilarating it was!!!  And, how exhausting!  Not only did you swim as fast as you could - you had to return to the boat, and then climb up back onto the pontoon, and then on up into the boat.  This lovely shot shows you how you had to leverage yourself to clamber up the pontoon.

.

The third time was a great swim and I finally saw the beautiful fish - a beautiful animal - with a strange rounded mouth - no teeth, but still, a fish 20-30 feet long coming toward you with an open mouth....gives you a scare.  The body is a bluish gray and the markings are like starbursts, which become more distinct as you approach the head, where the starbursts become more of a purple color - really beautiful.  And in the clear waters of Palawan - Grabe!!

At this point, most of us were really tired and we had an early lunch - but the lunch was like no other - the freshest fish you've ever eaten - Toto radioed one of the fishermen close by and he put-puttered over alongside of us and sent up two huge tunafish!!!        Our cook made us delicious sashimi with kalamansi and soy and then cooked the rest.  We had mangoes and bananas, rice, talong and this amazing fish.  It would have been nice to sit on the pontoons longer and float for a while.....but they spotted another shark!!!  

And this one was the most amazing dive of the day - I dived right on top of it, and although I didn't have a camera, this is what I saw - only closer, swimming alongside its right eye.  Absolutely incredible

Be sure to play this full screen (press the arrow thing in the lower right).  He swims very close to the surface, and although he swims slowly, with one flick of his tail, he's gone.

A Typical Saturday Shopping Trip in Puerto Princesa

The day after my fiasco hunting down the dermatologist, I actually got to meet her - in the typical way of the Philippines:  the previous afternoon, they told me to come in at 9:30am for the clinic.  I arrived at 10:30am to no doctors - the staff told me they were in Manila!!  I explained that I had been told to come in at 9:30am ... someone called on their cellphone and said if I wanted to wait awhile, the doctors would come in.  Fine - I sat down, and within 5 minutes, in walked two doctors.  As in Oz, "My people come and go so quickly here!"

Dr. Maria Isabel Ferrer-Divinagracia was as beautiful as her name - and full of the divine grace acclaimed.  Her laugh tinkled when I told her what I thought I had - "We don't have that on Palawan; no, these are just nik-nik bites - and you will get them every time you go to this place.  They bite through clothing, through suntan lotion and Off ointment...and they are water lovers." (well, this did explain all the bites on my scalp, which is why I thought I had some dreaded disease - who would think that sand fleas were amphibious?).  She gave me 4 different pills and salves and charged me the enormous fee of Php 1,300 ($30).  I told her that  I had a party to attend that night (my friend and fellow oldster - a PCV who first served in 1964, was returning home after his 6 month stint here) -- and that I didn't want people to shrink away from me...so I was going to the ukay-ukay (2nd hand) shops to find a muslin kind of thin, long sleeved blouse to hide the now-scabbing blisters.  And, off I set.

Mabel's (pronounced Ma-Bell) is my favorite ukay-ukay - and there are several of them around town - my favorite one is close to the post office, just after Mr. Donut.  I found some great blouses and jackets in a pile for Php 10 each, but one was extravagant (Php 35).  So for about $1.50, I got 4 blouses.  I happily trekked to the new department store (remember, the one with the only escalator on Palawan?), Unitop....checked my ukay-ukay purchases at the door and rode the escalator to the 2nd floor:

In Pesos (PhP)

 19.50 (9.75 x 2)  My clothespins keep breaking (can't find the wooden kind) and I had to replace them

They buy huge quantities and then laborers
clip 12 onto small pieces of cardboard       

 10.00  I always spill water filling up bottles for the fridge and needed a funnel

 25.00  6 colored plastic scrubbers for dishes, laundry, etc.

 15.00 Brush to launder things like towels - people in America use it to scrub floors

                  

 18.00  3 Air fresheners - between the cat and the toilet which sometimes regurgitate well, the "fresh apple"smell beats the alternatives

135.00  A 250v/1000w electrical extension cord - don't understand the differences here - all of the extension

cords - big cable or small wire - are 250volt/1000watt...oh well, I got the big  one.

                         

There is a 12% VAT here, so all this cost me Php 222.50 ($5.50)

I stood in line and purchased all of those goodies, and then went down to the first floor, where I checked this new bag with a different clerk, so that I could do my grocery shopping, which is on the first floor.Will Shields was coming on Saturday to go to the party and spend the night, so I bought some treats in addition to the staples:

Presto Creams - Vanilla                                                                             10.75

Cream-Os vanilla                                                                                       17.75

10 Nestle coffee sticks (just in case someone drops by)                              23.75

700 g Alaska Powdered Milk                                                                   190.75

300 g Milo Chocolate malted                                                                     67.75

2 cans Century Tuna in Water  @ 36.5 ea                                                  73.00

1 can carnation condensed milk                                                                  37.50

1 can Jolly garbanzos  (hummus on lumpia wrappers)                                  29.00

1 jar Guava Jelly                                                                                         55.50

1 bottle HOT sauce   what a deal - couldn't believe how cheap!                  10.00

2-100g California raisins @25.25 - shipped from CA and repacked

    into tiny boxes - crazy                                                                            50.50

1 Schick shaver for sensitive skin (I hadn't shaved in days because of the

    nik-niks, but really needed to before the party!!)                                     18.25

 Nestle Iced Tea Mix (mainly sugar, so think I'll just brew my own)             54.50

Wings Laundry Powder                                                                              45.45

and something: 1 Co......Frsh Confi Gr... 50ML - their

receipts here are very impermanent and it has faded or washed away           38.50

And, again the 12% VAT had the total to Php 753.50!!!  ($18.69)

Paid this bill, retrieved the bag inside the store (#86 check ticket) and then passed through the guard, who checked off my receipt without looking at it, and waited at the outside checkpoint (#53) to retrieve my ukay-ukay purchases.

Must say, I did stop at Divine Sweets on Valencia Street just across from Mendoza Park to buy bread - bread as I know it - omg is it good.  Got 4 mango tarts, a loaf of carrot walnut bread (incredible with the guava jelly), 4 panini rolls and 4 amazing cookies - the peanut butter were so good!!!  I climbed into a pretty full multicab with all my plastic bags and could hardly position them.  At least it was a short trip to the Shell station in San Pedro, where I hopped (hah, rather stumbled) out and went to my trike stand.  They watch me coming and say, "Here's Bountiful."  Crammed into a trike with 4 others after putting my bags in the back and holding onto them with a tie.  Bounced into my lane (wish there was a name - Block 11, Lot 1 is so weird - and so unidentifiable) and cheerfully gave the driver a 2 peso tip.

Was going to make rice pudding, but forgot that my rice cooker had pooped out.  Still haven't got gas for the cooker top, but think that's moving up in priority!  Had a tuna sandwich for dinner tonight, so, maybe not!!

Arrived home, checked email, put stuff away and started the laundry..  It was a gorgeous day and the clothes dried in the sun.

Will arrived, we had dinner at Beans and Pages and moseyed to Rich's goodbye party.  Lovely, lovely...I'll miss him.  Leaving at 12:30, we heard a crash!  3 motorcycles had crashed out in front - motorcycles and bodies strewn on the street...one woman had not been wearing a helmet and we think was the cause of the crash...reaffirmed the Peace Corps policy of not allowing us to drive here - craziness here.  We helped pick up the folks and once the police arrived, we exited, finally getting to bed after 2am, after philosophizing about 9/11 - which, at 2am, it was.

The Rest of the (Nik Nik) Story aka Prequel to Vent to Manager

Let me start by stating the final incident in this short chapter - today I located the dermatologist (about 10 minutes away from me) and she confirmed that these were simply nik nik bites.
Thankfully, nothing like cutaneous leishmaniasis.  She had moved her office over 2 years ago, something I did note to the Peace Corps!  But she was as divine as her name - a wonderful woman, Dr. Maria Isabel Ferrer-Divinagracia!!  Salamat po!


Now to the Prequel:

I had worked intensely, but for a short time on a development project here - The Kitchen Incubator Project of Palawan, and consider it the best development theory/practice I've yet seen.  When the National Chamber of Commerce (primary funder) visited in June, I accompanied them to the first operational kitchen site - in the barangay of Simpokan (spelled Simpocan, Simpucan, etc).  They were extremely impressed, promised further funding, and invited the managers to Manila for the big September food convention.

On that trip (a 2 hour drive over non paved roads), I was besotted with the pristine beach, which is the last land before the Spratly Islands (although we say municipality Kalayaan) and of course, escaped to gather a few shells.  I knew I had to return to snorkel there at some point.    Nearly three months later, I was invited to stay at the now kitchen site manager's home to work on making them an association or collective.  I jumped at the opportunity, although I had no idea where she livThe next tanghali (here in the Philippines there are four time definitions:  umaga-morning, hapon-afternoon, gabi-evening, and tanghali-between 12-1pm), I met Zhara (exotic name and beautiful, fun woman) at the San Jose bus terminal and boarded the jeepney with 25 other people (it seats 20), 2 infants in mothers' arms, a Doberman puppy (in a crate on the roof), 12-50 lb sacks of concrete (affixed to the front bumper) and 10-100 pound bags of rice, along with my kitten in a catbox with holes in it.  The trip in the jeepney was to be 3 hours (Simpokan is 35km away - you do the math), so I ran and bought C2 Apple drink and oranges.  Zhara and I chatted and chatted, and amazingly, the jeepney was much more comfortable to ride in than the previous hired van - probably because it was so weighted down with cargo.

Along the way, the helper of the driver got off to throw down the 100 pound rice sacks from the roof to residents that paid him for purchasing and delivering it.  Sari sari stores in tiny villages were restocked with sodas and cookies, again paying for those to be dropped off.  We were doing well, and had delivered rice and the Doberman to their destination, and began the uphill climb up the mountain.  All of a sudden we glided to a stop - the engine simply stopped running halfway up.  I was sure they would restart it, but no - out came all the mechanic tools.  There were many obscene jokes (you don't needis to understand a language to get the jokes) as the driver pumped oil into the engine...but it still didn't start...and it began to rain.  So, the humans were offloaded and stood at the side of the road while the jeepney's brakes (the rocks at the back of the tires) were released, and the huge jeepney took off down the hill, backwards, at an increasing rate of speed.  Suddenly, a pop, cloud of black exhaust, and the engine roared to life - although the jeepney was still barrelling down the mountain.  The humans began to walk up the mountain about .5km to a level spot - the jeepney roared up, picked us up and we were on our way bouncing over rocks and carooming around bends towards Simpokan.
There was only one other stop - the engine again died, but this time was restarted within minutes.

The last bit of the "road" is lovely - you crest the mountain and far below is the ocean, lined with palms - truly.  Descending rather wildly, you arrive at City Beach totally without people - gorgeous.
Then through the tiny puroks, over rivers (the highest seemed maybe 2 feet deep and we made it through with cheers), and into the town proper (basketball court, church, barangay hall, sari sari and the kitchen).  Lots of people had exited by this time, but Zhara stayed on and we turned down a lane while I held my breath - did they actually live at the beach?  Yowsers! Yes they did - In a spot that I've seen in my dreams, and a house that even my dreams didn't see.  I had trouble remembering that I was here to work.

Thankfully, it was now 6:30pm (5.5 hours, not 3) and dark - otherwise I would have been rude and run off to the beach.  I didn't mention that there is no electricity here, or phone service, or internet - and luckily they had piped in water from a mountain spring - but most people did not have water either.  So, if you want gorgeous seclusion - it's Simpokan.....

except for the nik-niks.  Rather spoils paradise - and I'm very fortunate to not have a man - anyone would run for the hills looking at me.  Somewhere between smallpox and chicken pox, sigh.   But, I digress...

On Monday, we met with the kitchen women who are starting their livelihoods with this kitchen.  Simpokan has tons (literally) of coconuts and cashews and their first major product is called Coco Jam.  It's not a jam at all, but more the consistency of honey (honey in the U.S. - here, honey is almost as viscous as water!).  Spread it on pandesal and it's pretty wonderful.  I was at a Tagalog loss with all the women going back and forth, so waited until Zhara translated for me - cursorily then, and more exacting when we got back home.  It seems that each contributed 300 pesos for starting up and want it back - not right away, but they don't want to lose it - what a riot.  Business and legal issues are non-existent in their minds and it is hard to find any foundation for them to start addressing even the basics.

Then, we returned to the lovely home:  two storeys with a huge veranda overlooking the South China Sea (aka the West Philippine Sea).  About 100 coconut palms and 4 enormous cashews on 2 hectares of grassy lawn that flowed down to the white sand beach and outlying reef.  
And, I went immediately, with snorkel gear to explore.  Too much turbulence from the storm and I saw nothing...but freaked myself out since I was all alone...and quickly returned to shore.  Found a few shells on the beach, but nothing phenomenal.  Returned to the veranda and watched the sunset.  Grabe!


The next day I worked with Zhara on legal details and found that there is a lot of work - and groundwork - to do to make things happen.  So, we stopped - and I went to the beach!  The tide was low and I watched two harvest octopuses play with each other amongst the rocks - wow - they let me snorkel by them!  I explored the great tidepools and even swam in one of them - beautiful.  Found a lovely cowrie shell and returned with a smile on my face - only to be stopped when watching a bird coming toward me....oops, not a bird.


The most enormous butterfly fluttered around and landed on the beach right at my feet - and stayed there for 5 minutes.



 Sigh, no camera, but I found it online:  The Philippine Birdwing.  Wow!  Made my day.  Zhara and David both skunked me at Scrabble which was amazing, considering that it is Zhara's 3rd language!  She is quite remarkable.  Things grow large here and I let this wasp have the bathroom to itself!



We got up at 5am to catch the jeepney back, this time hauling copra back to the city - sacks upon sacks of it.



  My kitten did not enjoy the time - Zhara's two year old, Myron, tormented it, but it slept in my lap the entire way home.
               


 Until the nik nik blisters appeared, it was pretty impressive and I planned to take them up on their invitation to return, with friends....now, well....we'll see how long it takes to form scars and the itching to stop.


                   





                    But, it was a memorable trip.