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 10, 2024, Hong Kong– What’s today’s date? That was not a “senior moment” question for me. Rather, it was one that was brought into my consciousness by the International Date Line. Longitude is our arbitrary tool for measuring time on Earth, as it helps track the “westward movement” of the Sun. So, we left Los Angeles at 1:15 a.m., PDT and crossed into September 11, a scant five hours into the day. Thus today “lasted” only until 6 a.m., PDT, or 3 a.m., Hawaii Standard Time.
One of my favourite ladies messaged me, with some ideas about at least the first few days of my visit across the waters. My first favourite lady would have turned 96 today. Both took up a goodly amount of my thought and heart energy today. The first favourite was fond of the second, though they never met. Mom just liked what she knew of K’s heart. For that matter, another favourite lady, my late wife, has sent only positive inklings about my newest friendship.
I handled the long flight (13 hours) by getting up and stretching, especially when the knees felt stiff after sitting for a stretch. Five hours of sleep at a time also kept me functional, when the short learning curve of navigating Hong Kong International Airport’s transfer system presented itself. It’s actually not that hard: Just go through security inspection again..This is a great crossroad of the world, and a city that is worthy of a visit, in and of itself-at a later date.
This has been one of the rare occasions when I have become closer to people from mainland China, and it was a pleasant revelation. Chinese people take care of themselves first, by and large, but are not ruthless or crass about it. They are not always intuitive, but I am not sure I would be either, if there were 1.1 billion compatriots underfoot.
Cathay Pacific Airlines has efficient counter and flight staff. The food is varied, and fresh-and in just the right portion size, for a sizable crowd that is mostly sitting for 13 hours. It was not a hard flight; at least not for me.
So a lot was packed into this short day-as it ever will be, as long as I have all my facuties.
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 2, 2024- My friend across the waters affirmed that I would be cheerfully greeted, when I arrive next week. There is much with which she hopes I can assist, and with that I’ll have no hesitation. As with anything else, it’ll be a day by day process, each day bringing its joys, some plateaus, and a few periods of stop and weigh the best course of action.
Today saw my last time helping with the Soup Kitchen, until I get back. Some of the clients and the chief of volunteers told me I’d be missed, and there will be times that I will be thinking of them all and hoping things are going smoothly. I will take what I’ve learned here and do what I can to apply the skills to tasks that find me, whilst in the Philippines.
My friend and I talked of our departed spouses, and that though they are missed, they send energy to us, that we may continue in labours of love, designed to help the suffering and the destitute. We both trust that the departed are ever with us, unseen yet seeing; intermittently heard, yet always listening; somewhat felt, and ever deeply feeling. After all, it was not that long ago that Penny let me know that “we” (the spirits) had brought my friend and I together.
The remaining tasks here at Home Base I include two short substituting jobs, getting Sportage serviced-even though it will sit idly, in a safe place, for 5-7 weeks, and tending to details relative to the administrative duties I acquired last week. Each is a labour of love and each, properly carried out, will both keep my mind at lease, as to this homefront, whilst I am abroad and make things easier to resume upon my return.
Some, on both sides of the ocean, have expressed their views as to how events should transpire during the next month or so. To them, I say “Live your own life. Friend and I know what our primary tasks are, and those will take precedence. Anything else will happen naturally, or not at all.”
August 31, 2024- After running into a couple of Prescott’s elite, this evening, and being greeted with a nod and a sneer, I used Next Door.com to speak to those who would promote Progressive values, many of which are laudable. The progressive elite in this community tend to speak from their heads, not their hearts. After absorbing this, and “sucking it up”, for thirteen years, I finally had enough and let them know. Anyone who wants to foster the community has to first love the people. Having intellectual knowledge of what would be useful does nothing to help, unless the heart is in sync. We have seen the effects of a purely intellectual approach to social discourse and common issues, time and again: Soviet Communism, Kampuchea (Cambodia), North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela-none a bit better than Hitler’s Germany, apartheid-era South Africa, or the enslavement culture of the Antebellum United States, in my book. The heart and head have to be in synchronicity, or the best ideas will die on the vine.
I will shortly be headed to the Philippines, and will spend 5-7 weeks in heart-focused work, all the while keeping a clear head. Some days, I will be in modern accommodations; other days, in small huts, or maybe sometimes in a lean-to. At all times, though, my heart is looking to my mind for direction-and vice versa. In a time of rapid change,which will only accelerate in the final months of this year, such centeredness is the only guarantee of real sanity. One of my well-wishers here in Prescott told me, this afternoon, that there is nothing I have done, in the past three or four years, that is “ordinary or uninteresting”. That may be an overstatement, but it is comforting. It also underscores my need for staying centered.
So does a long month come to an end, and my preparation for a time of lightning-fast change begin. May all be in harmony.
August 29, 2024- “What of us, who are also your friends?”, the voice from 7,500 miles away came, through the medium of the printed Message. This was in reply to my statement that I surely must consult with my dear friend and with Faith community sponsors, before setting an itinerary for service work and other visits, a scant fourteen days from now.
That, however, does not inherently leave anyone out of my life. The Universe has a way of bringing people together when they are supposed to connect. My activities, both here at Home Base I and across North America, especially this year, have fallen into place at precisely the right time for all concerned. I have no reason to believe it will be any different during the upcoming sojourn in the Philippines. The only thing for certain is that, as always anymore, I am determined to not be a burden to anyone. Consultation will help obviate such a state of affairs.
The bottom line is, no one need feel consigned to the scrap heap. We need one another, more than ever, in this time of rapid change, which is likely to only accelerate over the next sixteen months, or longer. Lack of consultation and dearth of appreciation, breed conjecture, false narratives, conspiracy theories and outright mistrust. I will most likely have time to visit with the querulous friend. The visit will fall into the place that it is meant to occupy.
A Sagittarian Seeker 