Jeez...I've been so good about keeping up with the blog this past week! Motivation is twofold....1) I know there are several of you travelling vicariously with us and and 2) I know that if I miss a day I will miss sooooo much good stuff! Tomorrow is planned for a day of R & R and then it's a day of travel to Baguio so this might be the last post for a couple of days.
So today will begin with a quick look back toward last night when Lynda and I strolled across the street, through the park and into the plaza where the dancing fountain show was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. What a great show! It lasts 1/2 hour and takes place every night of the week with 2 shows on Friday and Saturday evenings. There are hundreds of people in attendance for the event and I can see why....it was kind of magical. Each of the songs were a very different style from the others and the lights and the water "danced" in time to the music. One of the songs was the theme from the movie Frozen and honestly it kind of felt like we were in a winter wonderland in spite of the fact that the temps were still in the high 20's. While seated and waiting for the show to begin, George (seated near us) struck up conversation and in short order got around to the question that has become very routine since our arrival here. "Where are your husbands?" asked George. Now before you go getting all giggly on us....George was not coming on to us. That question is a serious one here and when I say "divorced" it doesn't go over well in this part of the world. Lynda is fine as being widowed seems to be okay. I just do my best to divert the topic and move on which in this case worked and our focus was back on the show that was about to begin. For those of you who've been to Vegas...the Bellagio has nothing on Vigan! In fact this pool and the number/size of the fountains may even be a little larger. Very impressive!!!
Today was another great one with Bert (our trike driver) leading the charge. He was here to pick us up as promised at 9:00 a.m., to report that he'd gone home and told his wife "he'd made dinner and brought home the bacon" to which she replied, "that's great so let's get ready to rumble"...which in the Philippines means to just dig in with your hands and get eating. It was fun to learn more about this culture and it's lovely people and then we were off.
We're loving this little trike now....it's like we've been riding on/in one forever. Can you even believe I just said that?! Ever since I've been riding on the back I feel like a new woman and the fact that there are no helmets here is kind of a bonus cuz I do love the wind. :). Here's what it looks like...I toss my purse onto the seat Lynda will be sitting on by reaching through the sidecar opening by the bike. Then I get my head out from under the canopy, lean back a little, hold on to the roof of the trike, psych myself up just enough so I believe I'll be able to get my leg up and over the back of the bike, hold my breath, close my eyes, and go for it! Amazingly...it works every time and when I open my eyes my leg is up and over the bike and I'm able to duck back under the canopy, hoist one cheek up onto the bike seat, find a foot peg for both my feet so I can adjust my seat then reach my right arm up and under the opening into the sidecar so I can slide back and make room for Bert in front of me. My final move is to take my right foot off the peg and get it up onto the padded shelf that is at the bottom of the opening into the sidecar. By then Lynda has wiggled her way into the car and Bert is ready to hop on, start the engine, and we're off....wahoo!
First stop today was a river cruise. What a treat and the bonus was that Lynda qualified for the senior discount so our entrance fee was a total of 170 pesos instead of the 200 we though it was going to be. (seniors are 60 here so I am just months away from paying $2 instead of $3 for this 45 minute river cruise too!). The cruise was really interesting. First they took us to see an endless number of square "fish farms" lining the shore (in the water). Fish farmers put about 2000 fish fry into their "farm" to begin the process. When the fish grow to about 1/2 size they reduce the number in their farm to about 500 and put the other 1500 into 3 other "farms". When they reach about 3/4 size the number in each farm is reduced again to about 200 and that is how it stays till they are full size and ready for harvest. These farms typically produce tilapia or milk fish (two very popular fish here). As we cruised we also saw people's homes, fish farmers mending their nets and tending their stock in the water, goats, and chickens running along the river banks. As well, the main attraction for the river cruise was the signs and statues that described and explained event from the time of colonization by the Spanish as the river we were on played a significant role at that time.
As we shared our appreciation for the cruise and he saw how much we'd enjoyed it Bert asked if we'd like to "go on a sea plane too". Excitedly we asked him how far away it was and how far it went. He replied with "not far away and that it didn't go too far"...sort of "from here to there" as he pointed a ways away. That just didn't seem to make sense to either of us and so we asked him again..."how long is the ride"? He replied, "not too long". We asked "what water it landed in"? He responded that "it just kind of goes over the water" and I think that is when we both realized that something was being lost in translation so we went back to the beginning for clarification. That is when we learned that "sea plane" said with a Philippine accent translates to "zip line". All three of us had a great laugh and we decided that no...we probably should skip that one as we didn't want to do anything that would replicate our experience with the calisa (horse and buggy). We had visions that this time we'd be underwater for most of the "zip" as my hunch is that the line is made for Filipino size people.
Another stop we made today was at a factory that makes chichacorn and chichapop. Both of these are the Philippine version of popcorn. We picked up a bag of garlic chichacorn and a bag of chichapop which is made by a different method. Both are made from the dried kernels off cobs of bright yellow corn that has lay in the heat of the sun on the ground for two weeks. From that dried state the kernels are rubbed/twisted off the cobs and then those kernels are soaked in water, fried and flavoured. I'd say the chichacorn is kind of like corn nuts only not nearly as hard. Both are yummy - but then I like corn. :)
At one point today as we were buzzing along on our trike...there was a calisa right in front of us so I had a really good view of that little horse's hooves under the carriage. I don't know if I can even describe just how tiny they are! The horses ankles are sooooo thin and fragile looking but there they are hauling around those great big buggies! The hooves (which are shod) can't be more than 2 1/2 inches at their widest point.....it is like they are the hooves of a newborn baby horse!
Lunch was at Grandpa's today and was once again AMAZING! We had a selection of dishes to share. Most items on the menu here are for 2-3 people so it is typical to share at every meal. We had tilapia (fish), BBQ pork skewers (my new favourite), green papaya salad, pasta carbonara, and the obligatory rice to top it all off. There was also a side of something Bert called spinach with the tilapia and that is absolutely my favourite thing from today! It is a type of green that grows in the water. It is actually kind of like a reed with a hollow centre. It is then lightly pickled to become the perfect blend of healthy vegetable with a sweet and sour overtone....I absolutely loved it!
This afternoon we visited another local artisan. This time it was a weaving co-op. We learned about the process and sadly...this like many other craftsmen around the world is a dying art. None of the young people really want to learn the craft and so.....as the artisans die the craft dies with them. That was the same with the potter we visited yesterday....he is the only potter at that factory and when he is gone there is no one to replace him. At the weaving co-op I found a couple of little purchases and then decided I'd like to mail them to myself rather than carry them with me for the rest of our time here. The post office trip was an adventure in itself. Initially we ended up at the courier service and that was going to cost me more than 3000 PHP (about $100) which was more than I wanted to pay and seemed a little like overkill for what I was mailing. Next stop was the post office and this time it was going to be just under 2000 PHP so still a little expensive but much better than the courier service! In the end...the story was worth every penny of the postage. Initially the girl at the weaving co-op had wrapped the package up for me with plastic bags and about a roll of packing tape. When I got to the courier service they had to open the package so all the packing the girl had done was for naught. The courier put the stuff I was sending home into one of their bags and then when it was decided that I wouldn't courier it the parcel had to be wrapped all over again! The post office required that it be repackaged and taped so you couldn't see the courier envelope. Bert ran to a store where he was given a couple of plastic bags for free. Then he ran to another store to purchase a roll of packing tape. Then I sat in the post office and wrapped and taped till almost the entire parcel was covered. I borrowed a felt pen from the postal worker and wrote my name and address on the parcel for delivery in approximately 3 weeks. I handed the parcel over to the worker and she asked for my packing tape as there were a few bits of the plastic bag showing through and she wanted the whole thing covered entirely with tape! I wish now that I would have taken a photo of the parcel before I mailed it - it was hilarious! I am certain it will give some postal workers along the way a chuckle or two. :). Hopefully it will make it home about the same I do!
Both Lynda and I have decided to move here....so much so that we actually took out memberships at the spa this afternoon. Membership included a complimentary relaxation massage (1 hr) and also gets us 1/2 off on all other services which we plan to avail ourselves of tomorrow. The relaxation massage was brilliant and I'm certain we'll both sleep like babies tonight. Tomorrow evening we've both booked ourselves in for a 2 1/2 hour special so when Bert picks us up tomorrow at 8 p.m. my hunch is that he may have to roll us out the spa door and onto the trike to get us back to the hotel!
Enough for today....till next time,
L & L
Another great day. But sorry you can't move there as you have other destinations lined up over the next couple of months!!!! LOL
ReplyDelete