Arrival in the Philippines - Cebu to Dumaguete

So taking a 1am flight might not have been the best idea, but it was cheap so I took it. I arrived at the Cebu International Airport around 4am and headed outside to find a taxi after clearing customs. I was caught off guard by the heat and humidity as I exited the terminal, even at such an early hour, and I was then pummeled by cab drivers who were trying to offer me "cheap" fares into the city. I knew they were all trying to rip me off, so I bargained the trip down to what I thought was acceptable and got a ride to the ferry docks to catch my boat to Dumaguete. I ended up getting ripped off anyway because the guy "had no change" and I had no other option because the exchange booth only gave me large bills (they also ripped me off).

After I bought my ferry ticket and went through security at the dock, I sat down in the waiting area as far away from other people as I could. It was 4:30 at this point, and I hadn't slept, and I was starting to feel like the Filipinos were all out to get me, until a kid around my age approached me and told me that I had to go to a desk on the other side of the lobby to fill out some paperwork in order to board the ferry. He walked me through the process that I never would have been able to figure out on my own. I sat back down in my corner spot with my faith renewed in the Filipino people by his gesture of kindness. I had two hours to wait until my boat arrived, so I was planning on taking a nap -- until somebody turned on the TV over my head and a group of 7 blind musicians began playing the Filipino version of every American Christmas carol I have ever heard -- mariachi style...

While I normally would have embraced this mariachi exhibition as an opportunity to enjoy a true local experience, I would have appreciated a few hours of sleep far more. When one of the group leaders came over to me to offer me a "Christmas letter" (an appeal for donation for the Cebu school for the blind), I decided to switch my focus to the TV above me so it didn't look like I was enjoying the music too much, and therefore marking me for a big donation. (I would have felt too guilty.) The TV was pretty interesting anyway. It was my first substantial exposure to the Filipino language. I was completely blown away that I could actually understand about a quarter of everything they were talking about! Apparently during the various periods of colonial subjugation that the islands have undergone, the country's language has developed into a mixture of mostly native Tagalog roots with about 20% English vocabulary, 15% Spanish vocabulary, and random smatterings of Chinese, Javanese, Malay, and Arabic words. So you could easily overhear a conversation that has a phrase like this: "Anako mapu ng sa ciento setenta y cuatro pesos por the motorcycle he bought ang bohol." (I made up the Tagalog parts.. but that's what it sounds like when I listen to them.) Numbers are frequently said using Spanish or English, and English vocabulary pops up all the time, and is spoken with perfect American pronunciation. Very surreal...

The sun was rising as I boarded the ferry, and it illuminated the beautiful tropical scenery that would be the backdrop for the rest of the cruise down the coast of Cebu to my destination - Dumaguete - a college town on the east coast of Negros Island. After walking into the city from the pier through the scorching morning sun, I checked into a room and took a much needed nap. I did some exploring around the town, had some Filipino food, which it very simple but tasty (lots of barbecued, fried, and grilled meat with rice). I people watched from a seafront cafe as creepy old white guys paraded down the boulevard with their far-too-young Filipina girlfriends.

One thing I noticed about Filipino culture before I even got on the plane is how family and child oriented they seem to be compared to Europeans (especially the British). I noticed this in an almost-too-perfect display of the idea while I was waiting in the check-in line at the Hong Kong airport. In the ticket line to my right there were three British families with little kids. All of the kids were whining/crying/complaining/etc, and their parents were all scolding/yelling/complaining/etc back at them and with each other. On the other side of me was a line of Filipino families with kids. They were all joking, laughing, and playing with each other. Rather than frustratedly wait in line while their kids got bored and restless, the Filipino parents and an older siblings would take the young kids out of the line to distract them with games and attention. British kids -- all crying. Filipino kids -- all laughing. I found that really interesting...

Back to Dumaguete -- it's definitely similar to Southeast Asia with respect to dirtiness, smelliness, and chaos, but it has a pleasant tropical seaside charm. The poverty is pretty obvious, but the lively college campus at the north end of the city is an encouraging sign of better times to come.

(About the violence and semi-war going on between the military and various local militant factions...) No need to worry about that. They conveniently made a 21 day Christmas truce that encompasses my entire stay, so I'll be fine Mom.

Overall, I think I'm ready to veg on the beach for the next week. I'll tell you how that goes the next time I can muster up the motivation to find a computer.