September 15, 2024, Manila- There was an insistent parade of kids, in and out of the small conference room, as our study group continued on its course-looking into the Baha’i concept of Huquq’u’llah, or Right of God. This fund, which I have described before, is a voluntary obligation. Simply put, if a Baha’i accumulates a certain amount of money, above and beyond what is needed for expenses, it behooves the person to check into the current price of gold, and if s(he) has accumulated wealth equal to, or above, the value of 2.2246 ounces (69 grams), then 19 % of that amount may be paid to Huquq’u’llah. That satisfies the obligation, until another amount that meets that criterion is accumulated. One’s primary residence, primary vehicle and necessary household effects are exempt from this obligation. The bottom line is that such giving is between the individual and the Divine. Even those managing the fund have no business overseeing the frequency of giving.
My friend, Kathy, led the group study and discussion, setting a tone of gentleness and grace towards the children, who mostly just wanted to be sure their parents had not forgotten them, in the course of the meeting. The kids were in the capable hands of a separate instructor, but there is just nobody who can replace Mom and Dad. So, the in and out parade went on, as did our study, the two weaving around one another. It all served to increase my feelings of love and respect for her, and for Filipino culture.
We all dispersed, around 3 p.m., with the group members all going on with their family activities, and me going on, to do my laundry and post the photos from yesterday’s outing. The evening was quiet, at Ola! Hostel and the nearby Sasa Cafe, until it wasn’t. Around 10 p.m., the skies opened up, and the loud thunder that had been rumbling for over an hour, was accompanied by mildly flooded streets. This is nothing new to Manilenos, of course, and being up three floors from the ground level, I found nothing alarming, either. It just added an exclamation point to a mildly declarative day.
September 14, 2024, Manila- Taal Volcano was once a destination for boaters and horseback riders. Not that long ago, another Baha’i who is fairly prominent, and who I met once or twice at gatherings,, came to Manila. Kathy took him to see Taal and there was at the time a horseback ride to the crater. The mountain has, since last year, been consistently in eruption mode, and so the horses and boat landings are in abeyance.
Our little group of six headed towards the city of Tagaytay, 59.3 kilometers (36.8 miles) southwest of Manila, early this morning. We found our first stop Lake Hotel, enveloped in fog and low cloud cover. Kathy told me that this establishment was the scene of a triple homicide, a few weeks after she and her sons came here for a mini-holiday. Jack Torrance, Lloyd the Barkeep and the crazy Englishman, from “The Shining” were nowhere in sight, so we had nothing to worry about. (The actual killer is in custody, and faces trial soon).
What is often a prime spot for viewing Taal Volcano was barely a good vantage point for seeing the surrounding lake. Nonetheless, the intervening forest was itself a worthy subject for photography. So, as always, were K and her friends.
View of rainforest between Lake Hotel, Tagaytay and Lake Taal. (above and below)Lake Taal and its boat wharves, from Lake Hotel.Presenting Taal Volcano, (in the background)
Our next venue was closer to the mountain: Island Dreams Resort, which offers a lovely, spacious courtyard, boat rides around the lake (but no island stopover, or horseback ride to the caldera, as were formerly on the bill of fare) and grace for those who add to their purchased meals with food of their own. That was us, as we had planned on a picnic-at Picnic Grove Park, above the Lake, but were guided to this venue, by a cordial tout who was drumming up business, at Picnic Grove’s gate. We walked through a cloudburst, with umbrellas lent us by the hopeful Island Dreams boat concessionaires. The ladies turned down the ride, though, and I stood by them-as who wants to ride in an open boat in a downpour? We did enjoy the beef shank soup and a plate of fried bancus fish. Bancus are only found in Lake Taal, though they resemble smelts, which are a delicacy from the North Atlantic, and a few other species of unscaled fish.
Taal Volcano, from the boat dock at Island Dreams ResortIsland Dreams Resort, lower Tagaytay.
Our delectable hybrid meal finished, we the sextet headed off on a few more of K’s places of interest. Fantasy World, a would-be replica of Disneyland’s Fantasy Land, was built and never opened, we discovered. The family of roadside vendors who manned the gated entrance told us it was to finally open to the public in December. We bought snacks from them and posed for photos-a staple of the day, and of any trip involving K and her lady friends. As you can guess, I never tire of that practice.
The once and future Fantasy World, Lemery, Batangas.The Easy-to-Please Six were not bothered by the venue being closed.The view of Lake Taal, from the south, was as stunning as that from Island Dreams. The ladies each identified their “dream house”. Some things are universal.
Our last successful stop of the day was at Sonya’s Secret Garden. I sensed this was especially important to K, and so kept an eye out for the sign, getting the driver to do a u-turn, shortly after he overshot the access road. This lovely series of mini-gardens and wellness-related shops kept us enthralled for an hour. Kathy engaged a tour guide, who explained the workings of each garden and the different wellness operations, which include an acupuncture clinic. None of us needed to be pincushions today, but one never knows. Here are a few flower and leaf photos:
Red-leafed bushes make fragrant ground cover.Morning glories are everywhere, and lend their name to Sonya’s restaurant.Hera is holding up the world-quite a switch from Atlas-but she had plenty of fortitude, also.New Guinea Creepers are among Sonya Garcia’s favourite flowers.Even the archways are floral.The cabana is cozy place.This steed is taking no one anywhere!
It was a masterwork of planning by a loving and talented lady, along with what must have been an exhausting day of driving for our friend, Jerry. We missed out on only one venue: The People’s Park in the Sky. We reached the entrance at nightfall, and learned that there were no lights on the premises. Flashlight tag was not among our plans, so back to Manila we went.
I am in awe at the commitment and fortitude of my Filipino friends. The next 4.5 weeks will be equally energizing, I’m certain.
September 13, 2024, Manila- There are two schools of thought about Friday the 13th. One holds that both Friday and the number 13 augur badly. The other counters with the cultural artifact that the day is named for Freya, Norse goddess of love, war and fertility. It also is deemed unlucky, in Norse mythology, as Loki the Trickster was the thirteenth Norse god.
The Vikings may have given themselves reason to be conflicted about Friday the 13th, but I personally have never had any hard luck associated with the day. This day was no different. I was able to extend my time at Ola! Hostel, my dear friend arranged a nice group outing for tomorrow, as well as help me get a bus ticket for a visit to central Luzon, late next week. and I was able to join a study group from Arizona online.
Most of the day was quotidian, otherwise, but that has never been a bad thing. I helped with shopping, at an open air market and house sat, while the Baha;i Cnter’s caretaker went to tend to another matter.
September 12, 2024, Manila- It seemed to take forever, for one reason or another, mostly due to traffic, but another friend and I made it to The World on a Plate, a pop-up dining experience, in Ayala Mall. My friend, K, was already there, as she lives closer, so we chatted about a few things and perused the menu. It was about 50 pages, on a Tablet, but I saw what interested me, right away: Thai red curry with beef and jasmine rice, as well as a two-piece salmon and cheese roll. Along with fresh mango juice, that filled the bill. The ladies stuck with fried chicken-Korean and Thai varieties. We watched a rapid-fire set of images, from different countries. I was able to identify all but one or two.
Question of the evening was: “Why is Golden Gate Bridge red?” The answer is that San Francisco Bay was the gateway to gold seeking. Red is simply easy for ships coming in to see the suspension bridge.
Afterwards, we strolled around the patio of Ayala Place and spotted the different restaurants which contributed to The World on a Plate. In the early evening, my friends stood happily in the bright light.
There is an elegant mix of subtleties in Filipino culture, as there is many societies around the world. Being here is good for my soul, as I am being shown again that keen awareness of what surrounds us is ever important, if one is to live life to the fullest. It starts, as I reminded the caretaker of the Baha’i Center, earlier today,with being at peace with self. From that point, one can then be truly valuable to those with whom one is in regular contact.
September 11, 2024, Manila- The young couple must have been amused, watching me go through the same pockets of my well-worn pack, several times, before finding what was needed for a small task, whilst waiting for the final leg of my flight: Hong Kong-here.
Such things happen, after five hours of sleep on a trans-oceanic journey. I chose to do this, so will take full responsibility. It was still a lovely day. The flight was 2/3 full, and the ambiance was casually business-like. We even had a light lunch served-unusual, on a short hop.
My dear friend was occupied with matters of domestic drudgery, so I didn’t get to see her, but we communicated happily back and forth. There will be much time for get-togethers, in the days ahead. I did visit with one of our friends, after settling in at Ola! Hostel, which will be my Home Base for several days, while I am in Manila. I was able to help said friend with setting up an appointment, next week, to handle a long-standing concern. It took a little bit of memory jogging, to locate the Baha’i Center, after a year’s absence, and being a bit “on fumes”. I finally also was able to sort out the Philippine peso coins from random Euros that somehow got mixed in the Peso jar.
It’s humid here, but not as stiflingly hot as in the height of summer. I will do more walking as, despite the entreaties of a car rental tout, I have absolutely no plans to drive anywhere in the Philippines. The bus, jeepney and taxi drivers have my full confidence-they grew up here and can handle what seems to me to occasionally be chaos.
On this otherwise solemn, and fatigue-filled, day, I felt joy at being back in another happy place.
September 9, 2024, Los Angeles- Yesterday brought good news-a friend who had been momentarily displaced was back home. This morning, the young man of whom I wrote, a few days ago, is at his home, resting and determined to start on the long road to recovery.
I joined the Monday coffee klatsch, this morning, getting a solid message of good will for my trans-Pacific journey. Every little detail of the trip was checked twice, like Santa’s list, and at 12:30, my two bags and I were headed to Hassayampa Inn-my shuttle pick-up point. Getting there early, I was treated to some Big Band tunes from the 1930s and’40s, one of which was a jaunty account of the story of Rip Van Winkle, of all things. Being wide awake myself, I was pleased when the shuttle came right on time.
My seat mates on the bus were visitors from Fresno and from St. Andrews, Scotland, respectively. Both were quire impressed with our fair city, the Scotsman in particular. He was a bit envious of all the sunshine we get, though Saturday’s two cloudbursts made him a bit homesick-just in time for his return to the U.K.
The flight here from Phoenix left on time and arrived a bit early. My seatmates on the plane were newlyweds- a self-taught aeronautics expert and a historical fantasy afficionado, whose day jobs are with a small start-up that produces niche electric vehicles. They are planning to move to Arizona soon, from the Midwest. First, though, us their honeymoon, in a far-off tropical resort. I wished them all the best.
LAX was far easier to navigate this evening, than it was five years ago. Maybe the fact that American Airlines is in the same part of the airport as the Tom Bradley International Terminal had something to do with it. I also have a longer layover, which is rather enjoyable, actually. TBIT has a wealth of restaurants,intermingled with boutiques. I chose Ink.Sack’s mini-kitchen, which offered a small number of the chain’s sandwich offerings. The cordon bleu was just the right size, consistency and blend of ingredients.
I will leave here, for Hong Kong, right after midnight, and have a reasonable layover there, before a three-hour finale to Manila. I may well emulate old Rip, just not for twenty years.
September 8, 2024- I had a full morning and early afternoon, with an excellent breakfast at Post 6, then ninety minutes or so of conversation with some line mates waiting for Empty Bowls to open their “gate”. The fund raiser for Prescott area Food Banks and Pantries has taken place every year since 1997. I have volunteered in the past, but today, I was one of the multitude who purchased a bowl, and two servings of soup. There were fourteen types of soup, from seafood gumbo to charred peach. I took a helping of gumbo, then an old favourite- garden minestrone. Local Girl Scouts were present in force-minding the recycling area and washing/drying our bowls-loudly advertising their services, for about two minutes, until they were gently advised to let the signage do the work.
I chose carefully, from a wide selection of beautiful bowls. The basin reflects life itself-half polished and half rough.
The outside evokes basket weaving, both First Nations and indigenous Filipino. It is, though, very much glazed ceramic.
Afterwards, I had a small meal with Hiking Buddy, introducing her to Lazy G, before heading back to Home Base to continue packing for tomorrow’s Prescott-Phoenix-Los Angeles leg, which will of course be followed on Tuesday/Wednesday, to Hong Kong and Manila.
Prescott in the Fall offers an almost continuous array of festivals, so local readers and would-be visitors, consider:
Hope Fest- September 14, at Courthouse Square. This day-long event features a variety of community services, from Legal Aid to haircuts, family entertainment and inspirational music. It’s free.
Prescott Powwow- September 20-22, at Watson Lake, has a theme of “Elders Embracing the Youth”. I have attended twice in the past, and found it a strong expression of First Nations values. There is a $5 parking fee, and food trucks are onsite.
Prescott Valley Harvest Festival- October 5, at Prescott Valley Civic Center, one of many Harvest Festivals in the area, in early October. This is the one that is presently being advertised. It, too, is free.
Prescott Plein Air Festival- This series of art exhibitions takes place from September 17-October 13, in locations from Yavapai College to Highlands Nature Center. No mention of any admission fee.
Prescott Highland Games and Celtic Faire- September 28-29, at Watson Lake. Tickets are $15 for an adult day pass and $30 for an adult weekend pass, at the gate. Discounts for on-line booking and for seniors/students/military. https://www.prescottareacelticsociety.com/ticket-prices/
Besides these, there are several concerts featuring Country Music, Christian Music and several other genres. Home Base is never dull.
September 7, 2024- It was only a matter of time before September Swelter gave way to the beginnings of autumn. This afternoon was that time, and a good soaking rain came to us. The phenomenon of late summer heat, known in the East and Midwest as “Indian Summer” is about as welcome as a Spring snowfall, but year after year, the Earth releases pent -up heat into the atmosphere, which is drying out after the monsoon- and so it stays, sometimes into October, which then may be called Aug-tober. The heat, of course, generates its own moisture, so here we are.
Elsewhere, rain comes late (Texas and Oklahoma experience September thunder showers) or comes early and hangs on (The Philippines and the mainland of southeast Asia are getting this weather now, much of it caused by typhoons). The Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico are also prone to heavy rains, about now, though this year’s hurricane season has seen fewer, but more powerful, storms.
Today’s rain came in two stages: Very early this morning and around early afternoon, just as we were finishing breakdown at the Farmer’s Market. I will be away from this service, for six weeks, so am hoping that at least one person returns from his hiatus. More is anticipated tomorrow, and I am hoping for a fortuitous “scheduling” of the wetness, to spare Empty Bowls, between 11-2, about which more in the next post.
September 6, 2024- There are few details about how the young man ended up in hospital, other than “he was assaulted”. I remember him as a small boy of 8, the youngest of four children. The family, all three generations, is exemplary, and have only done good to their communities.
I am incensed by today’s news, yet am limited to prayer and a small contribution to help offset the cost of his care. His family is large and united, and so is their community. The young man has a lot of group energy going into his recovery. That is more than many have going for them, yet there is irony here. His father has worked, tirelessly, for thirty years to foster healing in communities across the country. Now, in this time of close to home, those of us who love and cherish what the family has represented will stand by them, in the best way each of us can.
The hurt of one shakes the world of all. It goes without saying-cherish those closest to you. Life and safety are never guaranteed.
Grace be unto the angels who watch over me. Mom and Dad, Penny, Brian, Bunny and Norm, my grandparents, friends Marcia, Gordon, Margaret, Sallie, John H. They bring blessings to this small spiritual center.
Grace and benevolence to those who seek to oppress, that they may make a turn from their pursuit of power, vengeance, retribution, hegemony. May they see the value of unconditional love.
Grace, protection and guidance be to the children and youth, that they may realize their dreams, and bring about a convergence like those which have been tried, so often in the past.
Grace and beneficence to the dour, the tired and the disconsolate, that they may see the beauty and joy that they have overlooked, in the course of their viewing work as drudgery, as a necessary evil.
Grace be unto all the Universe, that every element, every creature be mindful, heartfelt of the Source that brought us all into being.
It was a good day today. The kids and I struggled a bit, with some features of the technological program, but all worked together and we accomplished the tasks. That was the morning, followed by a hearty curried chicken lunch. An evening meeting, of one of the organizations whose leadership I had found a bit oppressive, proved quite welcoming and joyful-with more people in attendance, who had previously avoided “the club”. The leaders themselves were far more cordial than in the recent past. Maybe they are feeling more optimistic, and therefore more expansive.
A Sagittarian Seeker 