Postcards From The Philippines
By Mark Nelson
()
About this ebook
Sprawling across several sun-drenched latitudes lies the 7,100 islands of the Philippines whose personality bursts at every natural seam. This most westernized nation in Asia owes much of its character to its turbulent, multicultural, and multilingual history and the Filipinos have maintained their low-key naturally friendly approach to life. This collection of short essays, written over a 2 year period and ublished in various magazines, aims to provide information and opinions about the Philippines from a variety of angles, with no chirpy promises about how you'll travel around the islands for free, and no sugar-coated advice followed by lots of exclamation points. I believe that the Philippine is one of the best kept secrets in the world.After you read this book, I think you will agree.Topics include:
Yachtie’s Haven: Bonbonon Bay
Inampulugan Island
The Discovery of the USS Lanikai
The Cata-Al WWII Memorabilia Collection
Everything is Big in Davao
Davao Classic Car Club
A Visit to Corregidor Island
Seeing the Islands on a Banca Safari
The General's Jeep
Cats and Dogs: A Cultural Perspective
Davao: A New Nightlife Destination
The T’boli of Lake Sebu
The Hellships Memorial
In Search of the Golden Lily
The Pinoy X-Files
Memories of “The Rock”
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
Gensan's Tuna Festival
Fort San Felipe, Cavite
Exciting Davao Fashion
Soaring High!
A Taste of Europe in Davao
Bite the Wax Tadpole
“Sow the Wind”: The Massacre at Balangiga
Lettuce in Pain
The Valuable One Peso Coin
Mark Nelson
Dr. Mark Nelson is a founding director of the Institute of Ecotechnics and has worked for several decades in closed ecological system research, ecological engineering, the restoration of damaged ecosystems, desert agriculture and orchardry, and wastewater recycling. He is Chairman and CEO of the Institute of Ecotechnics, a U.K. and U.S. non-profit organization, which consults to several demonstration projects working in challenging biomes around the world as well as Vice Chairman of Global Ecotechnics Corp. and head of Wastewater Gardens International.
Read more from Mark Nelson
Branding Fundamentals: Framework of Branding Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Filipino Culture 101 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarketing Fundamentals: Roadmap For How To Develop, Implement, And Measure A Successful Marketing Plan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sales Management Fundamentals: Your Company's Revenue Strategy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Understanding Consumer Behavior: Cracking the Code of Consumer Psychology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Measure Salesforce Effectiveness: Successful Sales Strategy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing A Marketing Plan: A Solid Roadmap Makes Any Marketing Effort More Successful Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Growth Hacking Fundamentals: Real-world Uses Of Growth Hacking To Quickly Expand Your Customer Base Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Advanced Branding: Effective Ways To Elevate Your Brand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shamanism: Your Personal Journey to Healing and Self-Discovery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeading A Marketing Team: Strategy To Accomplish Your Organization's Marketing Objectives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOracle BPM Suite 11g: Advanced BPMN Topics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIdentify Sales Growth Opportunities: Primary ways to grow sales. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wastewater Gardener: Preserving the Planet One Flush at a Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fantasy World-Building: A Guide to Developing Mythic Worlds and Legendary Creatures Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life Under Glass Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBusiness innovation: Your Company's growing strategy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jackspeak of the Royal Canadian Navy: A Glossary of Naval Terminology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Top 10 Marketing Challenges: Solutions For Overcoming Them You Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImproving Your Judgment: Make Good Decisions And Exercise More Balanced, Sound Judgment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProjecting Intelligence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Postcards From The Philippines
Related ebooks
Crying Trees, Killer Fish and Rental Corpses: Only in the Philippines Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow To Drive Like An Idiot In Bacolod: An Expat's Experiences of Driving in the Philippines and How to Survive Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBargirls, Bini Boys & Blades Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Philippines 1905 - 1916 “My Dearest Junie” Letters of William E. Cobey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Virgin in the Philippines Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhilippine Dreams 2012 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Head Hunters of Northern Luzon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTelling His Story: Pow #1000: The Bataan Death March and Japanese Pow Camps Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStreetWise Cebu Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Visit to the Philippine Islands Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Heart Too Far Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHostile Money: Currencies in Conflict Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurviving the Great Outdoors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sexual Life of Our Time in Its Relations to Modern Civilization Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Body Snatcher and Other Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Charles Babbage from the Beginning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Novel of Justice: Selected Essays (1968-1994) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGeorge Ade – The Major Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree-Cornered Sun Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Vessel of Our Writing Dreams: Where Do Our Ideas Come from Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeaven and Hell in the Philippines: Journal of a Peace Corps Volunteer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Weird Orient Nine Mystic Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSalud!: The Rise Of Santa Barbara's Wine Industry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Will Survive Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaint X: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lake Nipigon: Where the Great Lakes Begin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lost in Newfoundland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe New England Magazine Volume 1, No. 3, March, 1886 Bay State Monthly Volume 4, No. 3, March, 1886 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAround the World on the Laconia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Travel For You
The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kon-Tiki Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spotting Danger Before It Spots You: Build Situational Awareness To Stay Safe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lonely Planet The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5RV Hacks: 400+ Ways to Make Life on the Road Easier, Safer, and More Fun! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNotes from a Small Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Everything Travel Guide to Ireland: From Dublin to Galway and Cork to Donegal - a complete guide to the Emerald Isle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's New Orleans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Spanish Verbs - Conjugations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disney Declassified Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Camp Cooking: 100 Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor’s Alaska Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's Bucket List Europe: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Puerto Rico Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Northeast Treasure Hunter's Gem & Mineral Guide (5th Edition): Where and How to Dig, Pan and Mine Your Own Gems and Minerals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouth: Shackleton's Endurance Expedition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Mexico Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for Postcards From The Philippines
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Postcards From The Philippines - Mark Nelson
Postcards from the Philippines
by
Mark Nelson
Copyright 2016 by Mark Nelson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means — whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Yachtie’s Haven: Bonbonon Bay
Inampulugan Island
The Discovery of the USS Lanikai
The Cata-Al WWII Memorabilia Collection
Everything is Big in Davao
Davao Classic Car Club
A Visit to Corregidor Island
Seeing the Islands on a Banca Safari
The General's Jeep
Cats and Dogs: A Cultural Perspective
Davao: A New Nightlife Destination
The T’boli of Lake Sebu
The Hellships Memorial
In Search of the Golden Lily
The Pinoy X-Files
Memories of The Rock
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
Gensan's Tuna Festival
Fort San Felipe, Cavite
Exciting Davao Fashion
Soaring High!
A Taste of Europe in Davao
Bite the Wax Tadpole
Sow the Wind
: The Massacre at Balangiga
Lettuce in Pain
The Valuable One Peso Coin
For Jennylyn
Introduction
These twenty-seven short essays were written over a 2-year period and were published in various travel magazines. They are my take on travel and culture.
YACHTIE’S HAVEN - BONBONON BAY, NEGROS ORIENTAL
I swallowed the anchor three years ago and never looked back,
said Australian Nigel Roberts over a cup of morning coffee. Seeing the surprised look on my face, Nigel explained with a smile that swallow the anchor
is a term used by yachties – those adventurous souls who live for months or years aboard yachts – and means to leave the sea life and settle down on shore.
Nigel is the owner of the Tamboo Sail Inn, nestled on what he calls his hectare of paradise
at the entrance to Bonbonon Bay, a wind-sheltered basin on the southern tip of Negros Oriental. Australian photographer Kevin Hamdorf and I had arrived that morning, riding down from Dumagette on rented motorbikes. We settled into two of the Inn’s cozy native-style open-air cottages, agreeing to meet later at the bar.
The Inn’s small, inviting bar is a typical yachtie pub fueled by beer and full of sailors spinning tales of ships, storms, pirates and ports, but it’s also an interesting and comfortable place for those land lubbers
among us.
The yachtie community here is vibrant, friendly, and colorful with a constantly changing membership,
said Nigel who spent 40 of his 55 years of life at sea, I’ve seen as many as 35 yachts anchored in Bonbonon Bay but usually there are 15 to 25 in at any one time. With a lot of the yachties coming by here you can really hear some great sailing stories, some of which are even true!
Ron, an Irish yachtie who lives part of the year in the Philippines and the rest in a 400-year old stone cottage in northwest Ireland told me, Bonbonon is a most surprising hideaway; the entrance is narrow and not visible until you’re within a mile. It’s a well-protected anchorage and pretty much safe from typhoons. There are 18 foreign yachts anchored here right now.
Not all the visitors to Bonbonon Bay are yachties. Alex, a Cebu-based French jewelry designer and exporter, and his Taiwanese wife Justine brought their SUV from Cebu on the ferry to Dumagette. They were exploring Negros with no particular plans when they stumbled onto Bonbonon and decided to stay for a few days.
This place has a kind of Michener quality about it, what we call in French, romantique,
Alex said.
What I like about it is the informality. It’s very comfortable here and you feel close to nature,
Justine added.
As the golden sunlight changed to pale purple twilight, I joined Alex, Justine, and several others around a long stone table overlooking the beach. The tide was out and the jagged reef across the mouth of the bay was exposed.
In the fast fading light, a young boy and his dog explored small pools of seawater left in the reef by the falling tide, the dog barking excitedly at small crabs scurrying across the rocks. The gleaming white hull of a large boat anchored in the bay picked up tints of tangerine and fuchsia from the setting sun.
Soon we were bathed in the light of a full moon as we recounted the day’s events, made plans for the following day, or sat in the silence of our own private thoughts.
Early the next morning, we awoke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Nigel’s wife, Pilar, prepared a huge breakfast of eggs, sausages, bacon, potatoes, rice and toast. Pilar loves to do most of the cooking at the Inn and her specialties include thick toasted sandwiches, spicy curries, her famous Aussie BBQs, and a full range of tasty Filipino dishes.
We left the motorbikes behind to explore the surrounding area on foot. Less than a kilometer down the road was a small fishing village where men were busy patching nets, repairing engines, and preparing their boats for long fishing voyages. Derelict boats beached on the sand told of the hard times facing these fishing families. Several men crouched in the shade of one of the abandoned boats as they ate a breakfast of rice, fish, and tuba, a mild bubbling wine made from coconut sap.
A fisherman, his face weathered and brown from years in the sun, paddled by in a small banca with his young daughter. Sailing silently except for the rush of water over the outriggers, they were on their way to the open sea, hoping to catch enough fish for their family and maybe a few left over to sell.
In the morning low tide, old women were wading in the shallow water, talking and laughing, slowly nudging through the mud with their toes, then reaching down to pluck up shellfish and drop them into their baskets. Amid barking dogs, crowing roosters, and giggling children trudging off to school, we left the village as the road wound up the side of a mountain, the exposed rocks revealing the volcanic origins of this area.
Hugging the ridge of the mountain is the village of Bonbonon, clustered loosely around a Catholic Church. A plaque in the churchyard proclaimed that the Spanish colonists held the first Mass in Bonbonon in 1580. The townsfolk proudly showed us the stone columns of a monastery built around 1700, their tangible connection to a centuries-old history.
Life in Bonbonon is unhurried and colorful in its own down-to-earth way. Old men sat around small tables playing dama while sipping sweet morning tuba, dogs sleeping peacefully at their feet. Across the road, near a lush tree with flaming red flowers, a young mother in a faded flower-print dress hung out her daily wash on bamboo poles, her children noisily playing around her. Shirtless auburn-skinned boys played basketball on a makeshift court scratched out on the concrete road. The only businesses in the village -- a tire repair shop and two small sari-sari stores selling the usual assortment of soap, snacks, cold drinks, and cigarettes.
Just past the village, we stood on a rocky vantage point overlooking the sea approach to Bonbonon Bay. We could imagine that over the centuries, villagers, Spaniards, Americans, Filipinos and Japanese had all scanned the horizon from this very spot, searching for approaching enemy ships. No doubt, many anxious wives had also