Philippine Travel Notes

"Oh what a cute big fish", "oh poor fish"! Those were some of the reactions in the restaurant when that fish was shown on GMAs local TV news last night. It was a bit noisy in the restaurant and the news language was a fast and pure bisaya so I could not understand every word. But one thing was clear... it was a big big dying fish. Reporter said it was estimated to be about 100 kilos and that it was already very weak with some kind of head injury. Also estimated to be so many years old. Oh poor fish! It was not actually caught on purpose or by accident. Its said to have just floated at the Mactan Channel under the bridge and local folks took it out of curiosity. What happened? Was it just really time for that sunfish to die? Did something cause it to do what it did - like float into people's lives? Was it lost - probably due to a head injury? Those were just some of the many questions that floated around as we ate dinner - mainly fish hehe! And what an apt news t...

Others reading this might raise their eyebrows to the high clouds. But believe me, many a Filipino airline passenger confuse the names of these two things. Most of the time these are interchanged. Not that it causes anything untoward, but sometimes it does become a source of misunderstandings. And this is not between the rich and the poor, nor this is between the educated and the not so educated. Believe me, am writing personal experiences hehehe! Chagrin chagrin chagrin to some friends reading this. Guys, there is nothing to be ashamed about. It is just that we don’t often do the same things in our lives – like some would be frequently flying while others would be diving. And, what do I know about 5-doors or 3-doors or AUVs and SUVs – for me they’re all just vehicles I want to ride on as opposed to sedans. I think that analogy would make everyone be at ease. To those who think they know everything about these two important things on flying by air, just read on and smile. Or betterstil...

Yeah it’s a town, but I coined that title when I accidentally bumped into their municipal hall hehe! Nothing much to do on a still hot 3rd Sunday of June, except for a little errand that found me in Talisay Tabunok area two hours after lunch. “Hey Minglanilla is just a few corners away” so I told myself. And I rode on a not too cramped multicab to see the place. Target, that imposing church that I have always been passing by on my southern sojourns in this island. What a nice looking pink church, that is the parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary. It reminds me of the Baguio Cathedral in that it sits on an elevated portion of the town, its colored pink or pinkish and two bell towers flanking the sides. This is one of the few churches I have seen where most of the decorative glass windows near the ceiling are perfect circles. The architect must have had a penchant for that shape as even the altar area is donned with four big panels with circles at the top. Am not sure if there is some kind ...

I did not really put much attention into this new thingy until a friend who also frequently travels was dumbfounded when I pointed to him a woman dispensing water from the "ATM"! Yes, ATM... the new ones that is! I thought these ATMs are all over the country but sensing that my friend did not immediately recognize it, that probably means, its not(yet) that ubiquitous! Well, I have seen many of them, there are a lot of these water dispensers in the Visayas and Mindanao. What is the new ATM? Its an A=automatic T=tubig(water) M=Machine. It no different from the most common water dispenser where you plant an inverted 5-gallon blue plastic container of water. However, some ingenuous Filipinos thought of improvising the set-up to earn from it. And earn a lot they do. Let's talk about that later. The dispenser and bottle are still the same. The addition is a wooden or aluminum box where said dispenser and bottle are encased. It is locked. Then there is some kind of ga...