Guiuan and Caticolan Island

Last weekend three of us set out for South-East Samar for the town of Guiuan. It's on a peninsula, surrounded by the sea, so as most of you can imagine I was a very happy camper. The reason for our choice to visit this particular part of the Philippines is that according to Lonely Panet it's a "low-key beginner's surfing destination". I was excited at the prospect of trying out my Hawaii-built surfing skills on this side of the Pacific. I was also hoping for a few "low-key" surfing shops in which to pick up a few souvenirs.

We left on Friday afternoon and checked in to a lovely hotel called Tanghay Lodge that had a terrace overlooking the ocean.

On Saturday we set off for Caticolan Island on a hired tricycle. Upon our arrival to ABCD beach we quickly realized that our surfing plans were unrealistic: the wind was up and the waves were big and vicious looking, breaking over dark rocks! Still, we found a stretch of beach to wander on and I got to go for a quick swim in the waves! We also found a beach resort with an Italian chef and he made home-made vegetarian pasta and chocolate gelato for us... yummmy!

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any tourist infrastructure around. We did run into a few other foreigners but they were also volunteers, based out of Guiuan. An employee at one of the deserted resorts we visited said that this is the low season and that high season wasn't until May, which explains the lack of surfers to gawk at! :)

On Sunday we all felt a little tired and the weather didn't seem as promising so we decided to take it easy and relax at our hotel. I finished my third book since arriving in the Philippines, only one left! We did get out a bit and went up to the weather station to get an incredible view of the ocean. Our driver and his friend also hiked up the short but steep climb to the station and they both told us that this was their first visit up there!

Missionaries for Charity - Pictures

I haven't decided yet what I wanted to write about my volunteer project with Missionaries of Charity. However, today my follow volunteer A. and I got permission from the nuns to take pictures of the children and I decided to share some with you:

Biliran Island

Last weekend I went to Biliran Island with 5 other volunteers. We got up bright and early (read 5AM) on Saturday morning to get a head start on things. The early wake up was worth it though since we checked into our hotel, went into town, hired a driver, bought some lunch, and made it to Tinago Waterfalls by 11am!

After a swim in the rapids (and quite a few bruises amongst us -- I now realize why my parents never let me play in the rapids), we decided to go on a hike. After negotiating with our driver (who very much enjoyed himself in the waterfalls) and a few random Filipinos that were hanging around we found a guide to bring us to the top of a nearby volcano. Never mind that the temperature was well over thirty degrees Celsius, we gotta move! So up we went:

There was an overwhelming smell of sulphur coming out of the mountain, which I guess means it was an active volcano? (please share any info about this you might have!)

That was a tiring day! The next was spent sleeping in and enjoying showers (I only have a bucket shower at home). Then we headed to the north of Biliran Island in search of a nice beach. No luck yet... though J. and I had a fun time wandering the beach being followed by a dozen local girls helping us look for seashells. Then, to get back into town to catch our van back to Tacloban City we hired a motorcycle! It was a thrilling ride and I was very grateful to our driver for going slowly for our sakes.

Time is relative

Time is very important for me. I like to be efficient and practical in the use of my time. I like to get places on time, I like to know how long things will take, I like to know when things will start and end.

In Japan, EVERYTHING is on time, to the minute, to the second even! After taking a few shinkansen, I realized that my watch was one minute and about 50 seconds ahead of the shinkansen time. You know that if your train is scheduled to arrive somewhere at 11:47am you will be there at that time.

In the Philippines, time is very relative. All clocks seem to be ahead by some random number of minutes. For example, the clock in my homestay living room is 22 minutes ahead, the other one is 13 minutes ahead. The clock at VFV community center is about 7 minutes ahead. The clock at R.'s place in Manila was almost 30 minutes ahead... and yet everything starts late! (and to be fair some rare clocks are also late, like the clock in my homestay's car: 34 minutes late) People seem unconcerned about time, and it's rubbing off! I've been late two days in a row for my Waray Waray lesson (the dialect of this region of the Philippines).

Moreover, my cellphone time is different than the time on my laptop (there's at least a 5 minute discrepancy), so I really have no idea what time it actually is since those two times usually coincide! Tomorrow I'm going north to Biliran Island for the weekend. When I went to inquire about departure times of the vanvans, they said: the first is at five, then every hour or when they get full... we're planning on getting one at six, we'll see how that goes!

Tacloban City - first impressions

I've been in Tacloban City on the island of Leyte for 3 days now and I really like it! (which is a relief since I'm going to be here for the next 2 months!)

I am now entering the volunteering part of my trip, working for Volunteer for the Visayas. I will work for the first month in a local orphanage and the second month will be spent helping out in a rural health clinic. I am staying with a local Filipino family, an older couple who's children have already left home. My homestay mother, Nanay in Tagalog, and homestay father, Tatay in Tagalog, live in a nice house, with lots of ceiling fans which is very important here since it's over 30 degrees everyday! My room is very small, my bed just fits in it with a wardrobe, but this will encourage me to be neater... I hope!

I arrived here last Saturday morning at 5:30AM!! (Just imagine, my flight left Manila at 4:20am...) I was in luck though: it was the first really sunny day in two weeks and there was an excursion planned that day to a beach resort on the next island which is called Samar. So on my first day I got to meet a bunch of other volunteers and go to the beach! I was a very happy camper. After all that excitement and such a early morning my first night's sleep was an incredible one: 12 hours!

Yesterday (Sunday) I went to Robinson's, a nearby mall, with a few of the other volunteers to get a few essentials which included toilet paper, a towel, and a cellphone. (for 25 cdn$ I got a phone, a Filipino simcard that can be changed when I go to another country, and a bunch of free text messages!) Then I ventured downtown with another volunteer from Quebec and wandered around a bit looking for an outdoors shop, which happened to be closed. Next time!

Today is my orientation day, lots to learn, lots to experience, lots of fun!

Manila

After the squeaky-clean, organized-chaos, well-behaved crowds of Japan, Manila came as a shock! For one, I'm no longer feeling a little bit chilly all the time. For another, I'm no longer feeling like I might break something at any moment or that I'm too big and messy.

Crowds are one thing I've found in common in both countries. However, the organized, almost too clean Japan has been replaced by an amazingly diverse and interesting loud chaos that seems to function nonetheless! I also have to retract my statement from a few posts ago, when I claimed to have used all forms of ground transportation to get to Kyoto... wrong! I didn't know that a bunch of other types of transportation existed: jeepeneys, motorized tricycles, shuttle cabs... all of which I experienced yesterday when I toured part of Manila with P., the niece of the couple I'm staying with.

Another big similarity is great hospitality. The form of this hospitality is amazingly different though. Here I am being hosted by the L. family. After picking me up at the airport, I arrived at their house to see a sign on the wall saying "Aki Avis Welcome!!! Feel at Home". This sign pretty much sums up the Filipino-style of hosting. I've met all members of the L. family, eaten home-cooked meals with them, been brought out to see Manila with them, and today a bunch of us went to Tagaytay. This is a volcano within a prehistoric volcano crater, surrounded by a lake whose water source has still not yet been discovered. A beautiful site! I will post a picture later, once I get my laptop online.

Meanwhile, off to shower to cool off and to bed with me! Oh and one last mention: Halo Halo, a wonderful Filipino desert... I've had two already, just one of the yummy Filipino dishes I've tried so far.

Mangoes!

I'm in Kansai airport, waiting to board my plane to Manila! Exciting exciting business.

Last night, I was reading my Philippines guidebook -- the food section. The last sentence is worthy of a quote:

"Lastly, the Philippines really, truly does have the best mangoes in the world. Period."

As most of you know, mangoes are my most favorite thing to eat! Can't wait!

Japan day trips - Part 2

TOKYO

Wow! This was a long, exhausting, interesting day. I started out by demolishing all confidence that had built during my Himeji/Okayama trip: Tokyo station is simply huge. My first lesson: just picking a random exit and going outside to get my bearings -- baaad plan. My second lesson: play attention to the signs! You can't get distracted for a second, because you WILL miss a sign. My third lesson, really look at the signs and do so with a frontal view, otherwise the arrows will lead you down a wrong corridor!

Ok, all that being said, I had a great day. At first I felt like an alien, everyone around me wore black business suits and looked very serious and business-like. Meanwhile, I was wearing my orange raincoat, a plaid flannel shirt, green skirt, leggings, wool socks and hiking boots. Hum. By the end of the day though, I was in Shibuya and I was the less conspicuous dresser around!

I spent most of the day lost, but still got to see my main goals for the day:

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Shibuya independent shops shopping street

Shibuya crossing

Onomichi

After my crazy day in Tokyo, it was really nice to have some quiet time with Rie in Hiroshima. On the second day of my visit with her, she brought me to a village called Onomichi, which is where some of my great-grandparents are from. It was an interesting experience to walk streets that my ancestors may have walked, to see views that they might have seen... and the views were amazing:

View of Japan Inland Sea

To get to this vintage point, we walked up the Philosopher's path, which was beautiful in itself. Lots of nooks and crannies, a few temples, a pagoda, a cemetery, and lots of beautiful stone

steps. To fuel ourselves for this climb, Rie and I went to one of her favorite restaurants and had a "catch of the day" lunch. The fish was incredible, fresh, and just so tender. Thanks to Rie for a great day!

Kurama Onsen

A really good days' rest after all those hours spent in the shinkansen! My dad and I hiked up to a nearby onsen. The walk took about 2h30mins, and took us through Kyoto, farmland, valleys, a small village, and up and down two mountains. Gorgeous!

Japan day trips - Part 1

Nara

Nara was once the capital of Japan and is the home of Todai-ji:

A. in front of Todai-ji

My interest in going to Nara and seeing Todai-ji arose from a project that my brother had to do in High School. He had to build a replica of one of UNESCO's World Heritage buildings and he chose to build a miniature Todai-ji. I remember that the whole family worked on this project; I also remember being impressed with the end result. I realize now how good the replica was; when I arrived at the temple, it looked familiar. I recognized many of the details, and was impressed anew with my brother's effort.

Todai-ji is the home of a giant Buddha, about 50 feet tall and weighing 500 tons I think!

Nara also boasts of another beautiful Buddhist temple, Kofuku-ji:

Himeji & Okayama

This was my first day trip on my own in Japan. Before leaving Vancouver I bought a Japan Rail pass, which means that for 7 days I can take any JR train, including the shinkansen! My first

venture was Himeji, which is the home of another UNESCO World Heritage site: Himeji-jo. This castle is my dad's favorite. Unfortunately, we found out that the main part of the castle is undergoing major renovations. A. and dad still thought that the trip would be worth while so I headed out. To the right is a picture of the castle without all the scaffolding that I saw. I happy to report that the visit was still very beautiful, much of the interior of the castle was open and I enjoyed myself greatly exploring all the nooks and crannies of the castle!

After my visit to the castle, I decided to use my pass again to go a little further, to Okayama, to see a black castle. This castle was much smaller, but still gorgeous, and surrounded by a famous garden.

All this was a practice for Tokyo the next day! All went so well that I was confident in my ability to get around Japan and communicate in broken Japanese and English... However, Tokyo was another beast all together!

A note on bicycles....

I have just rediscovered (yet again) that bicycles are AMAZING!

My dad and A. had the foresight to ask their friend S. for his bicycle while he was away... and I've been riding it all over Shugakuin (that's my dad's neighborhood, it's like a little village inside of Kyoto)! Getting to and from the subway station on a bike is a breeze, making my day trips a lot easier (more on those to come soon, I'm currently exhausted from a day trip to Tokyo).

My first day here, A. and I went to the local mall by bike, and I spent the whole ride over just marveling at the fact that I was biking through the streets of Kyoto. There's nothing quite like riding a bike in a city to get its feel.

Another good bike encounter was in Himeji yesterday. I went to the tourism office to get a map (my awesome Explore Japan (free!) magazine didn't have one -- more on that magazine later too) and was told that I could rent a bike... for free! I accepted the wonderful offer immediately, all I had to do was write down my name and phone number and voilà! I was the proud temporary owner of a bike! The only instruction I received was to return it at 5:30pm, or... what exactly? I wasn't asked for I.D. or a deposit, the honor system is all-persuasive here it seems. Anyways, I had a great time riding around Himeji and did in fact return the bike safe and sound before 5:30pm.

Tonight on my way home from the subway station (by bike of course) I thought about trying to buy or rent a bike once I settle in Tacloban City, Philippines in about a week's time.

Plus bikes can be really pretty:

Wandering around Kyoto

Daimaru: Kyoto department store

A. and I went to Daimaru to do our New Year's food shopping. This task was made a little more difficult due to an incredible snowfall:

Arashiyama: Destination of P.'s surprise tour

Famous Moon-crossing bridge, and a very beautiful tree!

Arashiyama is the North-Western side of Kyoto and is home to the famous Tenyu-ji temple which has an incredible bamboo forest and a beautiful Sogen garden. While touring the garden, we realized that we were in danger! The snow was melting quickly off the rooftops of the

temples, and coming down in large chunks. P. and I were quite entertained watching people, young and old, jumping back in surprise when snow came crashing down! We then approached the spectacle because P. wanted to try out the quick-snapping feature of her camera, and I nearly got attacked myself! Ah... the joys of snow! (and I was nervous that I wouldn't get a real winter...)

Uji: Just outside Kyoto

Byodin is the temple illustrated on the Japanese 10円 coin. Dad and I went to Uji by train, using one of the many private train lines that service Kyoto and the surrounding area. I had my first education in this system: there are local, semi-express, express, limited express, rapid express, and limited rapid express trains. All these trains use the same track and so you have to be well versed in reading and understanding the information board. These boards show which train is arriving, and which train will arrive after that, times of departure and destinations... To make things even more complicated, not all trains go to the same place! Luckily my dad knows the system well and we got to Uji without any problems. We went to see Byodin and go inside the temple to see a large bronze Buddha statue. We then went for a walk down Uji river, as my dad wanted to cross the river at a dam that he had heard about... when we finally arrived at the dam we realized that crossing it wasn't going to be an option:

luckily, there was a little bridge for us to use instead!

Uji river

明けましておめでとうございます

Happy New Year! Kyoto style!

There are a lot of traditions in this old city and I like them a lot: they involve a lot of eating!! There are many things that need to be eaten and many of them seem to depend on where you are.

The basic schedule of the day was: Eat, go to the shrines and temples, eat some more, lie around a bit and relax, then go to the public bath, eat some more, drink some sake, and then go to bed. My kind of day!

Eating: The general idea is to prepare box-food on the 31st, and then eat from the boxes again and again throughout the New Year celebrations. A. and I went to a department store to buy some of the contents of our New Year's box. It was very busy, and the food all looked amazing!

A.'s box looked like:

Our New Year's supper:

Shrines and temples: I was too sick on the 31st to stay up until midnight, so I didn't get to go see the biggest bell in Japan be struck 108 times for the new year. However, by morning I was feeling a lot better and I accompanied my dad and A. to a bunch of local shrines and temples to give donations and pray. The shrines are of the Shinto religion and the temples are Buddhist. The snow we got on the 31st made everything really beautiful!

We walk up a lot of stairs:

and we arrive at...

Note: Snow is rare in Kyoto, and this much snow in particular is very rare. According to my landlady Y. this is the most snow that Kyoto has seen in 30 years!

Public bath (sento): Basically a really really hot time... You wash off first at little showers and then go into the actual baths. We went to a local sento, so it wasn't too big or crowded. There were three hot baths (I wasn't even able to get into the hottest one), one cold one, one with a large jet massage thing, and one with electric current going through it (yes you read that correctly, it's very very odd and quite painful. I only managed to stand in it for a few seconds). After soaking in the baths, you get out again to wash your hair and A. introduced me to a Korean massage... and I became obsessed with it (you use this glove to remove dead skin, it's disgustingly fascinating!). Then it's off to the sauna (in which I lasted about 2 mins) in alternation with the cold bath. Yikes!