Deforestation

Lots of natural gas, gasol, available here for reasonable price. Most people never have the money to invest in a gasol burner (from 1000 p) and the first gasol tube (1500 p). Fill-up now is 825 p. So they buy firewood every day, or charcoal for grilling.

Coal is plenty and mined in Negros and Mindanao. All this goes to power plants.

One bunch of firewood is 5-10 p. Charcoal is 5 p. Firewood is only sticks. You cannot see old, big trees here anymore 'cause cut for firewood or burned to charcoal. Or cut for animal feeds (goat, cow).

Deforestation is a serious issue. I cannot see how to solve this with todays family planning, that is lack of it.

Word of the day: kahui = firewood, oling = charcoal (also nick for nigger)

Sale

Big retail dealers like Gaisano, White Gold, travel round the province and set up a sale in major centers for two days. Their selection is quite limited, and their prices same like local shops. So why people go there shopping? Beats me.

Big fish, from outside that is, want to open a mall, or department store, in Moalboal. So many foreigners living here. But mayor says no, and wont give land to build. Mall ofcourse would kill most of the small shops, and they are mayors important voters. So no mall, not even ATM in Moalboal.

Word of the day: lungsod = urban area

Inom pa

Here You drink beer. Wine is imported and expensive. Or sweet. And booze is local rhum, or imported and expensive.

Beer is cheap and You get it everywhere. Maybe You know that originally San Miguel is Phils beer and not spanish. This brewery has major share of market. A bottle of SMG in bar is from 30 p. Red Horse stallion from 22 p, 500 ml from 28, litro from 55 p.

My fav is Red horse. SMG is too sweet and Light is just pee. Also Beer na Beer is ok. Red Horse is strong, cut with booze, hinay hinay. Usa pa!

from wiki: Red Horse Beer is the meaning of life. It is the alpha and the omega. In the words of a concerned Filipino lady "Red Horse make you crazy you all crazy". Once you discover Red Horse you realize that everything in your life up until this point is meaningless. Scholars have recorded that the beer is available in 365, 500 and 1000ml bottles and that it has mystical effects ranging from having no hangover to seeing the embodiment of Jesus turning water into Red Horse. Drink Red Horse. Every day. So sayeth 11 out of every 10 doctors.'"

Word of the day: inom pa = drink (more), usa pa = one more

Lechon

Roasted pig is best a pinoy can imagine. Every party worth name will offer lechon baboy. Go next to market where they deliver the pigs (and goats) late afternoon. Happens that pigs try to run away from last trip. How they treated is not for weak-hearted. Morning early, from 4 am, pigs are slaughtered. No need extra sound effects for Your holliday movie.

Actually lechon means roasted/grilled on skewer. Can be pig, chicken, goat.

Word of the day: baboy = pig, manok = chicken

Ants are social insects

...says wiki. Oh yes, but I would like to choose who to socialize with.
Big red fireants stay normally out in garden. Small red want to come in. Their stick makes a bubble in my skin, itching grazy. Only cure I found out is to scrape out, and let skin heal after. Small black ants I call sugar ants. They are first and fast at site where You spilled something edible. They bite too, but itching passes fast. Sometimes have to use Baycon.

Mosquito is problem only by sunset. I think I once catched a dengue mosquito, black-stripy thing. People here afraid of dengue 'cause if infected You die if no means to pay for hospital. Not all have.

Flies everywhere but not really a problem. If You have cuts, wounds, then tape over 'cause flies want to sit right there and plant their eggs in Your flesh. Heard of tropical ulcer? Tell You later.

We sleep inside mosquito net, have screened windows. We have two big gekkos, tuko, and plenty of small ones. They are good helpers to keep flying insects in control, aka house keepers. Pitty that cats want to catch and eat up the small gekkos. In pic tuko just took a big spider.

Word of the day: tuko = big gekko, tiki = small gekko

Tutti frutti

Typical fruit stand. Bananas Yoy get all year round. Same with yellow manga. Only trey trick with it, use calboro to make yellow but taste still little sour. When season, You get perfect yellow manga for 40 p, now 70-80 p. Often they have manga for 50 p, even 40 p when skinn get damaged and customers dont want to buy. Actually they are best. You have to learn what skinn damage is ok.

Below seasons indian manga, green but inside yellow, lovely snack, now 4 for 20 p.

Word of the day: kulang = lacking, kapin = extra, excess

We survived pasko

Raining all night, not heavy but constantly. Pinoy like saba, bang-bang, no money for real fireworks, only to small china bombs, firecrackers. They keep on all night, still can hear this morning. When raining, our animals stay inside veranda, stick together to keep warm. It is a cold morning, only +26 C.

Check-point in Panagsama is very different at 6am.

Word of the day: ulan = rain(ing), saba = noisy

Survival plan

It is pasko. Lock the gate or...
Signs to make You smile or cry. Many times related to bible stories. In pic bread trike in Badian. Well. in Krung Thep I saw a women underwear shop with sign: Hot Pussy Underwear.

Always something to do in garden. Here trimming mango tree.

Word of the day: pan = bread

Pasko

Christmas big in here. Folks believe in stories very firmly, maybe even in Santa. This is family reunion. All want to travel home, even overseas workers. Means dont go travelling. All booked, sold-out. Other no-travel times are Chinese new year and Holy week.

So we stay home. Beach front options are jump into sea or into own pool. House reef is every time different and just fantastic. In the market I can see that now they catch big tunas.

Word of the day: pasko = Christmas, dagat = sea

Get wheels

Say after me:  Bike is freedom. The best way to get around, do shopping, travel around - is motorbike. Cars get stuck in traffic 'cause roads not so wide. With bike You are fast.

Traffic seems grazy. I give You only one advice; if You afraid, dont do it. I say traffic in many countries more chaotic, like in Thailand where all and sister have bike. Here people dont have the means to buy, so less traffic. You must adopt to local style, its jungle out there. I feel comfortable. Maybe because I always been a dirty driver ;-)

Bikes come in all flavors, from small automatic scooters to roadracers to off-road in any cubic. Stick to main brands so You slip many problems. Chinese bikes coming with wide selection and good price but quality not yet in my flavor. Many ride Chinese and very happy.

Bikes here are made in Thailand, Indonesia (and China) so very low or no tax means low price. My Yamaha and Honda come from Thailand, my Rouser from India.

In pic my first but not last flat tyre with Yamaha. Punctures common cause minor roads rocky and so much thorns, nails, wire etc all over. In other pic boys mount a pack-rack to my roadrunner. Now I can travel distances and carry my things with no sweat.

Word of the day: soroy = go around

Whale sharks

Whale sharks circulate round You, biggest is 5 meters, says the boss, I would say taller. They are all around You and so close. Must be the easiest place to swim with the biggest fish. Just out of Tan-awan, first barangay in Oslob after Santander. Get out early so You slip the crowds. Quite a few kaano in water, plus all the bancas, butanding surrounded, but no panic, they want out, they navigate very smoothly, check around, and swim slowly, no rush. Many times the novice swimmers didnt even know how close to sharks they were, no problem. No rules here, but no need. Maybe later when folks plenty and more.

We ride through the night, started 3 am from Panagsama, arrived at site 4.30 am, relaxed to drive at night. 6 am we swim out to meet the whale sharks some 30 meters out. First one and then they all come, boss said they have 5 as resident. They see a banca and come directly up. Why? ´cause they feed them with small shrimps, they lift their head up and ask for food. Like babies. Cheating? Oh yes but they still wild animals. Respect.

If You dont feel for jumping in You can stay in banca and have a nice view anyway. Ali took some fantastic shots from banca and close-up of head, mouth. My shots underwater good ofcourse but I was amazed of her shots. They come right next to banca and You, stick mouth up over surface and ask for food. Ali afraid it might swallow the cam when she stick it underwater just front of mouth. As You know they swallow water and filter for food. Banca is small, butanding is big.

Our first close encounter with tiki-tiki, and we got overdose; so many and so close. We´ll be back. Ali says next time she want to jump in. Vids come soon on my channel. http://youtu.be/gaVH1F2DraY

Entrance 100 peso, banca 200, cottage 300. Couple of places to choose from. No food inside yet, bring Your own. For contact number, ask me.

Word of the day: butanding, tiki-tiki = whale shark

Bananas

You have to learn when to cut the flower so the first big bunch will ripe, and not produce endlessly small ones. Then You wait till the first on top turn a bit yellow, cut the bunch and hang it up. You can start eating when they turn yellow from top down. I say taste is so good, fresh.

Many different bananas, ours is yellow sweet lakatan. We soon plant yellow soft tundan, best for kid stomach, green little sour bolongan, red mountain flowerly. Cooking banana gardaba is a favorite snack fried with sugar coating. I put it in my fruit curry indian type together with lot of manga - lami. Manga soon barrato.

In pic a bunch of some 25 kg lakatan.

Word of the day: sagin = banana, lami = tasty

Service at Your door

In pic men walk many a mile to sell furniture, madrass, cupboard, younameit... Hard work carry heavy things in tropical heat. Also we have umbrella-repair man riding bicycle, key-man on motorbike, knife-sharpening etc. These bookself/dividers they asked 5000 peso, real price round 2000 peso.

Service is good here: they come to Your gate to sell fish, fruit, vegetables, cakes, lechon, broadband. They shouting: ayoo, which means hello. If You want, You must bargain on price. As kano (foreigner) You always pay too much. If You dont want, say "dili" = no, or "na a" = we have (already)

Word of the day: mahal = expensive, barrato = cheap

Bagyo

Tropical storm Sendong blew over us last night. It is very late in season for bagyo. This was nr 27. Northern Luzon is right in the taifun highway, we only get its tail with stronger winds and heavier rain. Very seldom taifun hit Cebu. Latest strong one was 1986.

News report 231 dead, mostly in mud slides caused by heavy rain. Northen Mindanao was hit hard.

Only casualty here was internet broken, came back now 5 pm.

We can see Mt Kanlaon in neighboring Negros. This is an active volcano. Maybe one lucky day I experience some lava flow, or pyroclastic flows, and survive. Fire is one of wu xing.

In pic Mt Kanlaon, an active stratovolcano at 2.435 m in Negros Occidental, shot from Panagsama.

Word of the day: bagyo = taifun

Five elements?

In pic grasshopper eating my basil. After, my white cat eat up the hopper.

Here Your fight with elements is tough. Or maybe I have not learnt the tropics yet. Like trying to grow plants I know and like. Parsley comes up very slow and grows thin. Dill a little better but still bad. Basil grows tall and tasty, as do ginger, ginseng, lemon balm, lemon grass etc. We also have manga (mango),banana, guava, tampis (rose apple), kalamansi (lime), ponkan (mandarin), lemonsito, chili (red hot, green long medium hot), more to come.

Insects I take another day. And weather. And traffic. And food. And ...

How many elements? Wu Xing? What element is it when dog eat cat pooh, or house wall?

Word of the day: iro = dog, ering = cat

Pera padala

Hi Joe. How old are You? How much money You have? Have wife? - Dont get upset, this is normal questionary down here. Important issues, and money comes first.

Pic is from covered court when folks line-up for government money for poor people. Second payment this year. President is popular. Waiting is the word in all government offices. Bring a book or two.

Covered court, as they say, is a multi-purpose arena. Used for meetings, ball games, sales, fiesta, You name it.

Word of the day: qwarta = money, dili qwarta = no money

This is my new home

They say its cold season now. Well, 30 C plus every day is not cold for me. Some mornings only +26 C. Its called high summer in many countries.

Getting light round 5.30AM, in veranda see two dolphins jumping out of house reef direction Pescador. Tanon strait is 550 meters deep and known for whale and dolphin watching. Tuna in pic is 26 kg and taken out of Pescador. He took it to market on back of bike. When I came it was already cut in three pieces.

Philippines is in coral triangle, the global centre of marine biodiversity. Biggest threath to marine life and coral reefs is human exploitation. In this country with no family planning, they literally eat up their future. I am just a visitor. I like it here. Feel like close to paradise.

some vids from paradise:
http://www.youtube.com/user/megalopunter
http://www.youtube.com/user/klemensgann

Word of the day: ka-on = eat; ka-on ba = lets eat