October 28, 2023, Manila- Although you didn’t ask, I will tell you anyway: With not much going on today, I busied myself in learning how to count by ones, then by tens and thousands,in Tagalog. Here is the chart for which you have all been waiting!
One Isa; Two Dalawa; Three Tatlo; Four Apat; Five Lihma;
Six Anim; Seven Pito; Eight Wahlo; Nine Seeyam; Ten Sampu
Hundred Isang Daan Thousand Isang Libo Ten Thousand Sampung Libo
Hundred Thousand Isang Daan Libo Million Isang Milyon Billion Isang Bilyon
Some other essentials: Hello is……Hello! Goodbye is Paalam. Please is Pakiusap. Thank you is Salamat po. Excuse me is Pasensya na po. Yes is Oo. No is Hindi. No thank you is Hindi salamat. How are you? is Kamusta? Pleased to meet you is Nagagalak ako na makilala kaed.
Of course, most Filipinos know at least a fair amount of English, but like people anywhere, they appreciate an effort by visitors to speak the language of their heart. It is unfortunate, in my view, that salamat is being replaced by Thank you, but that is the trend, here in Manila, at least.
To keep up a visual of the Baha’i National Center, here is the dignified Seat of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the Philippines.
Meeting Room of National Spiritual Assembly, Manila (Above and below)
October 27, 2023, Manila- A family of five came by, as we were resting from the previous task. Once it was determined that they needed about forty-minutes’ rest, before heading to a bus station to Rizal Province, northeast of here, a table was set and light refreshments were served. The great-grandparents, grandmother, mother and young daughter were just glad to get in out of the humidity.
I was determined to be more productive today, than yesterday. That wish was definitely fulfilled. I reminded Norlie that the National Spiritual Assembly member who was here until a few days ago had expressed a wish that the bookshelf be restocked, with more up-to-date publications. So, we set about removing the old books, many of them tattered, and thus in need of tender loving care-in the storage room.
Once the shelves were cleaned, it took about an hour to carefully restock them with study materials and more recent expository volumes. Thus was another goal of this visit achieved, and in short order.
BeforeAfter
The afternoon was broken up by the arrival of the family. After they had had a fairly good rest, it was time to escort them safely to a bus station on the other side of Makati. Thus came a short taxi ride, two jittney buses and a fair walk, with a few street crossings here and there. Philippine streets, as many of you know, are not always marked with crosswalks, let alone traffic signals. Stop signs are almost non-existent. Still and all, most drivers here know what they’re doing, as do most pedestrians. Honked horns are plentiful, but collisions are rare- at least from what I’ve seen and heard thus far.
My main tasks, as I understood them, were to carry the family’s food box and to make sure the grandfather was not left behind. His wife came to the back of the line, about 1/4 mile before we reached the bus terminal, and guided him past some dark areas, where slippery tree roots lurked. Evceryone made it to the outside waiting area, safe and sound. A vigilant station agent brought a portable bench and the family was able to sit comfortably, during the remaining fifteen minute wait for their van bus to Rizal Province.
With that, Norlie and I headed back towards the Center. After stopping for a split ear of corn, we crossed to catch a bus. In the full jittney back to Santa Ana district, there was room for me, in the aisle. I knelt, quite comfortably actually, for the fifteen- minute ride to Dian Street, from whence it was quite easy to walk back to our work station, which is also her residence. A couple of tasty muffins and a bottle of water intervened on our behalf, but she was safely escorted home and I was back in my hotel room, before 9 p.m.
October 25, 2023, Manila- The clerk smiled wanly, as he told my friend that the matter she is seeking to resolve can only be tended through making an appointment, and that appointment can only be made over the phone-on a Tuesday or on a Thursday. This is the legacy of the “State Department streamlining” that was in vogue, until a few years ago. While I can understand the reasoning behind it, there remain those, like my friend, whose anomalous issues merit rather urgent consideration, and thus are discomfited by what they can reasonably view as just another roadblock.
I will fortunately be around until Tuesday, so if she misses making the call tomorrow, there is always Hallowe’en morning, before I have to Alley-oop back to Airplane Village. This is one of the tasks that was before me, when I first arrived at the South Luzon Baha’i Center, so it is important to keep on top of it, at leas to the point that she feels encouraged and empowered. (It has nothing to do with immigration, just so we’re clear.)
The gatekeepers at the Embassy do have their work cut out for them, with many people who are looking to immigrate to the U.S., or at least obtain short-term work visas. The Filipinos who I have encountered in the U. S. are amazing workers and have a gentleness about how they go about their work. They keep their cool and try to work through any bureaucratic nonsense that arises, whether it is governmental or corporate. I noticed that the very people assigned to enforce bureaucratic rules-including the clerks at the Embassy gate, have a sense of humour about the scheduling and other small details. This does tend to set the visitors at ease.
She took her copy of the reminder to call, tomorrow, and we walked down the steps, past the vendors, touts and beggars, to the seaside park that was renovated and upgraded, during the last Presidential administration. That president, I recall, was all about the Philippines-and its people, being respected by the rest of the world. The current state of Manila Bay was one of his pet projects, and was done well.
View of Manila Bayside Park (Dolomite Beach) , from the overpass to U.S. EmbassySection of former sea wall, Dolomite Beach, Manila Bay
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A human, for scale, at sea wall section, Dolomite Beach
After returning from the seaside, we switched gears, and with a second friend, we headed towards the Scottsdale of the Philippines, aka Makati. Here, we met a third friend, for an afternoon and evening of pretend shopping and art appreciation.
It’s not just WalMart that is full on Christmas.
We met K, at Cash and Carry Mall (shown above), then went to Greenbelt, also known as Makati Glorietta Mall. Here, our first stop was Ayala Museum, where an exhibit of abstract art by young people from around the Philippines is on view.
Here is an example:
Vision from the eyes of the future.Avant garde art abounds at Glorietta.There are five Green Belts in Makati Glorietta. This is a scene from # 5.
We were all drawn to a loud presentation, which turned out to be an interpretive dance roll-up to the opening of a photography exhibition, also by young Manilenos, curated by Maria Ylona.
Interpretive Dancers leading up to a photography exhibit’s opening
This opening was a class act, with a dignified set of coccktails, softails and delectable hors my d’oeuvres. This was own first time eating caviar-not bad at all. Here is an example of the photographs which won awards from Ms. Ylona.
Team work, Filipino-styleCats earn their keep, at Makati’s malls. One does not see rats, anywhere.Is there any doubt, as to who’s boss?Green Belt #4’s “moat”Three fashionistas
As it was, after this last photograph, we looked upon the crowd that was queued up to head to the suburbs, and took it upon ourselves to sit in the garden’s twilight. An hour of nibbling on Starbucks flatbreads and enjoying the cooling air was a far more reasonable way to wait out the masses than standing on a curb and breathing fumes, though there was some of that, later.
There is ever something interesting, when one’s hosts are three amigas.
October 24, 2023, Manila- Today was a day of rest for my hosts. It began with another member of the community questioning my reasons for being here-indicating that I was limiting myself to an area where not all that much was going on. My response was to just sit tight and let the message process. After a while, I got further information from one of my hosts, that there was the initial expectation that I would be blazing about the country, with some days in one spot and some in another.
Now I could reply: . This is not my last visit to the Philippines. In fact, when honouring the end of World War II, (God willing, and provided WW III hasn’t started in the meantime), two years hence, it will make the most sense for me to go from Europe to east Asia, rather than returning to the U.S. and leaving again after only a month at Home Base. That will give more time for the provincial activities the community member wants to see.
My Korean friends were fond of saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, though their context was more along the lines of excusing an extended lack of effort. In my case, I would excuse being overextended, but there is no sense in making excuses. 2025 will be what it is, and I am just glad to be here to listen to my hosts and offer assistance where I can, in terms of encouraging healing where it is needed, and connecting friends who live in the same part of the country, but who did not know one another, until a day or two ago. Networking has always been important in my life, and is as much a reason why I have traveled almost incessantly, since I was seven years old. (Going to different areas of Saugus was as big a deal then, as going to different parts of North America, and beyond, is now). It is all about connections.
I am happy to report that the community member has come to understand my mindset and has adjusted expectations. I hope and trust that others will do the same, as this decade plays out-and if immediate family needs arise,those will always take precedence.
October 22, 2023, Paranaque- Traffic in Manila, on Sunday, is about what one would expect: Vehicles can actually move at more than 23 kmh. I got to the Baha’i National Center, in the Santa Ana section of Manila, in less than an hour. I was the first visitor to arrive, and was again warmly greeted by the residents. After a fashion, nearly fifteen other people showed for the devotional, we shared prayers, news from around the Philippines and refreshments. A feisty child alternated between boisterousness and reverence. Several of the Regional Council members were in and out of their own meeting, to dovetail with participating in the devotional.
Gathering at Baha’i National Center of the Philippines, Santa Ana, Manila
It all felt like a gathering at Home Base. It felt like home, and so it will be for the week ahead, especially once I transfer to University College Residences, the redundantly-named, but compact and ecologically-state of the art accommodations, a stone’s-throw from the Center. The ladies who live at the Center, serving as hosts and caretakers, are like younger sisters. The young man who is serving in the Philippine Navy is a mirror of my Navy-veteran son. The parents of the rambunctious little boy could be one of my nephews and nieces-in-law, whose son has gone from unruliness to morphing into a sensitive little man, compassionate about animal welfare and the well-being of his grandfather. The universality of the Baha’i Faith is always borne out by its members, as ordinary, and as flawed, as we sometimes are. It is borne out, as well, by our adherence to the principle: The Oneness of Mankind.
There is something of that, too, in how I have come to see the little community of Airplane Village, the collection of shops, restaurants, small hotels and a bar, that sit opposite the huge operation that is Terminal One, the primary International Terminal of Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The terminal itself has the feel of a family operation. In going back and forth between hotel and the terminal’s ATM (the Philippines is largely, mostly, a cash economy) I have come to be a familiar face to the gate guards and security people-in a good way. They have shown me the shortcuts to and from AV, and are not concerned about checking my passport each and every time I enter the facility.
Going back and forth between Airplane Village and Santa Ana’s Barangay 176, the past few days, is also a mirror of my larger life-somehow managing to fit in at Home Base, with my biological family and with people who make up extended family-across North America and now, in a real sense, across the ocean.
October 21, 2023, Paranaque- The driver seemed near the end of his rope: “How can you be staying someplace, and not know the address?” The equally flustered passenger was asking self the same question, but all the e-mails from the hotel gave a phone number and e-mail address, but no physical location. The gate guard at the airport knew the answer-“Sir, the rider cannot know the street address, because there is only a general location. Kindly drive around the edge of the terminal and turn left. You will both see a familiar face: Colonel Sanders. There is where the hotel is.” Driver followed the directions, the passenger sighed to self, paid the driver and went off to enjoy an evening of professional karaoke singers, playing all the hits they knew. It was a fine Saturday night, after all.
I spent the better part of the day with three or four Filipino Baha’is, at the National Center/South Luzon Regional Office. We also scouted my residence for the coming week, which is close to the office and will allow me to establish the bonds that are as much my goal for this journey, as the visit, three days ago, with my sponsored youth was. I will thus have put a toe in the water, figuratively speaking. By the end of my time here, the Philippines will seem as much like home as Arizona, California, New Mexico, Colorado,Carson City, Texas, Pennsylvania, New England, Atlantic Canada, the Pacific Northwest, Brittany and South Korea. Home is definitely expanding.
I was not always certain that I would take to the tropics, the same way that my temperate mindset has reveled in lands with four seasons. It is, however, more a sense of the heart being touched by the gentleness, overall, of people here-much as the First Nations peoples and the farm folk around North America, and the Celts of Brittany, have won that heart. Truth be known, I barely feel the intense heat. Sunscreen and a good hat take care of the physical aspect. I am, otherwise, mainly attending to conversations, some of them fairly deep, with both the Baha’i friends and people I have met here and in Bicol.
What this means for the years immediately ahead remains to be seen. Family will always be my primary responsibility, after service to Baha’u’llah. Being told, though, that I am always welcome here, means a lot.
Philippine Baha’i National Center-Main LibraryEntrance to Baha’i National Center of the Philippines, Santa Ana District, near Manila
October 18, 2023, Daet– Today was the first of two up and out days: I needed to get to the office of Children International, in a city somewhat south of here, by noon at the latest. So, onto the Naga-bound van it was. Thankfully, I only had my small bag, with journal and prayer book, so I took up little space.
The ride to Naga was easy enough. Van drivers tend to drive fast, are able to tail-gate, without seeming obnoxious about it-(Try that in North America, and see what happens.)-and get to their destinations more quickly than the clean, but hamstrung, buses. I was dealing with runny sunblock, and it would be a while before I could flush my left eye out properly. I made do with closing my eyes and got a cup of coffee, once at Bicol Central Station, in Naga. Right after that, a man came up to me and said I was to follow him to the bus that was headed to the town where CI is located. I don’t know how he knew I was headed there, but no matter-I followed and boarded the correct bus. It took 3 1/2 hours, and I was in communication with CI reps, the entire time. (They did not know I was on the bus, so the theory that I may have been under their surveillance does not jibe.)
At any rate, I met the Children International representative at the bus station, was taken to their offices and met several of the staff, before meeting up with my sponsored youth and his mother. We then went to a Biggs Diner (a Filipino chain), in the city’s gleaming, modern shopping mall, and enjoyed a fine lunch. Then, we went to a department store, and he picked out his gift from me-a colourful pair of basketball shoes. This fulfills a long-time dream of his, as he loves basketball and is in a youth league.
The group of us then got back in the van, and drove to Cagsawa Historical Site. Here, there are the ruins of a church that was destroyed by lava, from Mount Mayon, in 1872. It seems the 1870s and ’80s were an especially active period for Pacific Rim volcanic activity: Krakatao’s seismic eruption took place in 1883.
Mount Mayon, eastern BicolThe bell tower of Cagsawa’s church. It is the sole structure left standing, from the 1872 lava flow.
After this, I bid farewell to my sponsored youth and to the CI staff. The long bus ride back to Naga went past Mount Asog, nearly an hour due north of Mount Mayon. It, too, was an active volcano in the 19th Century.
Mount Asog (Mount Iriga), Camarines Sur Province
We kept on riding, into the late afternoon, and past the departure of the last bus to Daet. As I would have been the sole passenger, it was just as well. I found a taxi driver who was willing to make the trip-for a reasonable out-and-back fare. By 9:30, I was safely back in Daet and walked the 1 km distance from the Catholic hospital to Mirasol Residences, mostly to stretch, after being seated for 7 1/2 hours.
‘To whom much is given, much is expected’. I will rest well tonight.
October 16, 2023, Daet, Camarines Norte- Burger chef has not had many older American tourists stop at his stall, near Daet’s central high school. In fact, I was the first one, in his memory. I was willing to take the chance, as the quality of food offered to children and teens matters greatly-at least as much as that offered to adults, if not more. I took the two chili cheeseburgers to go-with a mineral water, but no fries.
From the time I first walked around Daet’s “uptown”, this morning, I became a curiosity to some-especially to very young children. For the most part, though, and thankfully, my picking up on the rhythm and flow of pedestrians dovetailing with motor traffic was most appreciated. There are no traffic signals in this part of town, and no stop signs anywhere. Instead, cars, trucks, motorcycles and tuk-tuks exercise a delicate dance with one another. Pedestrians have their own dance, along the at times narrow sidewalks, or along the edge of the street, when the sidewalks run out-as is the case near a Catholic cemetery, not far from Camarines Norte Provincial University. Crossing the street is a matter of quick judgement, three to five seconds is all that is needed, and everyone is expected to pay full attention, move quickly but gracefully and the flow goes on.
I am grateful to be in the shape where I can still take part in this feature of community life. It is noteworthy that, despite the huge volume of vehicular traffic, there are few accidents and almost no traffic jams. I have not seen anyone hit, as yet. It is as if the collective will has told itself: “This is the hand that we have dealt ourselves-big families, lots of small vehicles and roads that are mostly designed to serve motorcycles and tuk-tuks (tricycles, with side cars attached). Let’s make this work!”
Part of my choosing to be here, in a few sections of one country, for three weeks, rather than a “blow-across the region” tour of several nations, is to prove to self that I can pick up readily on social cues and follow along with the rhythm and flow of several aspects of life in a nation where some things are just done differently. The best thing anyone can say about me would be “He is one of us. He understands and is on our side.” Filipinos are guarded, when it comes to Americans-and probably when it comes to Europeans, as well. The more visitors show respect for the way the locals have adapted to their environment-both natural and social, the more room we give the people to advance, at their own pace and in their own way.
After a healthful fish and tofu dinner, at Rustic Cafe, I took in the early evening scene around the Provincial Capitol, and stopped for a few minutes’ reflection, overlooking the Daet River.
The Daet flows brown, but limpid, from north to south.
I look forward to a robust walk to the sea, after taking care of a few necessaries, tomorrow. The pictures will be included in the next post.
October 13, 2023, T’aipei- Today was “short”, on the ground, due to having crossed the International Date Line, while flying here from San Francisco. In reality, the energy of Friday the 13th, to me always proactive, feminine- and never unlucky, played out in full-even as the clock, here in Taiwan’s capital, said it was 5:30 a.m., Japan-Taiwan Time, on October 14.
Most of it was spent in the air, above the Pacific Ocean, between the westernmost part of Alaska, (or which the International Date Line is significantly bent to the southwest, to accommodate the Aleutian Islands, and the easternmost part of Russian Siberia), and this resilient city that maintains its Mandarin Chinese character, while keeping developmental pace with its larger sibling to the west.
I’m tired, so this will be relatively brief. It is important to note that the quality of time spent in the air is just as important to character, as time spent in active pursuits on the ground. I chose three movies to view, each of which had life lessons to impart.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” was a sillier film than the first four, but does have a caution to impart about the consequences of unbridled ego-with the fate of a neo-Nazi “Second Fuhrer” inextricably linked, to his overaching desire to play God. Indy himself is questioned by his reconciled wife, as to whether he is “back”, emotionally and physically.
“Close”, a Belgian film about the innocent, ill-fated friendship between two adolescent boys, examines sexually-charged bullying, living one’s life through others, and the sometimes feckless behaviour of adults who befriend children and try to treat them as equals. It deals with the consequences of suicide for a community, head-on, and pulls no punches.
“The Little Things”, a recent Denzel Washington crime-solving vehicle, deals with remorse, insecurity in marriage and parenthood-especially of fathers relating to daughters, and of one or more unbridled egos,leading to the undoing of one miscreant-and maybe those of both of his nemeses.
This was the first half of my eighth trans-Pacific round trip. I spent it seated next to an intrepid, very large, woman, who is headed even further than me. As always has happened up to now, we looked out for one another-and for the flight attendants, who were always rushing about and, it seems, running into tired passengers who had to get up and move aside for one another. Oh, the joys of conflicting legitimate pursuits.
There were no bad guys on this plane-except on screen.
October 11, 2023, San Diego- Medaglia D’Oro instant coffee is a hit with the workers at Samesun Hostel. For that alone, it is one of the best investments I have made, for $4.05. In the days of widespread labour dissatisfaction, befriending and encouraging workers, even in small ways, is a most important endeavour.
After a hearty walkabout along the southern end of Ocean Beach, and the subsequent cat nap, I sat with a few of the staff members and some other hostelers, and made key chains-tutored by the crafts and yoga lady-Lexi. My chain’s decoration is two-sided, with the all-important eye on each side. It will likely cause the lot attendant a double-take, when I lodge Sportage with him, for the duration of my visit to the Philippines. He may wonder which of my grandchildren made this. ( I have none, at present.) The truth of the matter can stay with me, and the readers of this post. I made two new friends here at Samesun (Lexi and her friend, Alicia), and that’s the most important thing.
The day started with a brisk walk to the pier. The surf was a good deal calmer than it was, when I was last here, in December. Noting a sign that said “Throw kelp back into the ocean”, I spent several minutes doing just that, though I know that the message was directed primarily at the ubiquitous fisherfolk along the pier.
Morning surf, Ocean Beach (above and below)
The skies were almost June Gloom-like (“October Opaque”?), and true to form, they would break into sunshine, later in the day. Meanwhile, there was plenty of colour on the ground, in Ocean Beach.
Another sweet OB muralTwo ladies, two pelicans and a lone octopus
It was a pleasure to share my rather large portion of Cashew Chicken and Pork Dumplings with a trio of sidewalk campers, who are accepted neighbours of the hostel. Likewise,the street people here are respectful of their business neighbours and do not harass anyone walking about. There is a neatness and order here, that is not always present in impromptu communities elsewhere.
Once lunch was a wrap, it was time for the walkabout that I mentioned earlier. In December, I focused on the pier and on the north of OB. The south side, also called Sunset Cliffs, is equally a delight, though the area above the beach is considered unstable, and is fenced off.
Sign at Ocean Front Drive, OBUnstable above; fascinating belowSunset Cliffs trail, Ocean BeachCove, along Sunset Cliffs trail, Ocean BeachSurf gets feisty, Sunset Cliffs trailA sandstone sculptor has left several messages, along the south side of Ocean Beach. I am certainly trying my best.
A Sagittarian Seeker 