Photos et lettres des Philippines, de France et d'ailleurs

Today is November 1st and I'm home alone because here aside Christmas and Good Friday, it is probably the most followed in the Philippines holidays.
That day and the next day, all souls day, all go to cemeteries to honor their dead though Christians but they are not as sad and a little creepy as are Westerners with their traditional pot of chrysanthemums. Here it is rather joyful family reunion with picnic and drinks, often heavy drinking for men without however forgetting a small bouquet of flowers and the lightening of a candle.
Here all speak loudly and gesticulate under the hot sun of the Philippines unlike the muffled silence and autumn mists of our French cemeteries.
If it were needed I could remind again my readers to note that if the Filipinos are 95% Christians and the most westernized Asian people, they nevertheless behave differently and in the Philippines still remain tribal customs of the country before the conquest by the Spaniards. I cite for example the circumcision of boys around age 12 years. This is not a religious practice as among the Jews and Muslims but rather reminiscent of a tribal rite of passage to manhood and woe to those who remain 'Pisot' (uncircumcised) because they will be mockery of all the other boys and later girls.
After seven weeks of uninterrupted presence in our Mag-abo house, so I start my fourth day of loneliness in this All Saints Day where Nora and Dodong have their day off. For now I just want to relax with only the sound of the wind and waves and in the background the music of Bach's Goldberg variations and I want to get back my blog abandoned for a few months. The saddest are my 2 dogs, Zarah and Gordon who used and abused the caresses of our guests from whom they were able to be loved despite their breed and size.

(Gordon and Zarah smelling the scent of a rodent, a lizard or why not a snake)

(It is always Zarah who does the killing)

(But sometimes the hunt doesn't go without any damage for the garden)


It is September 14 that Dhana and I took the Cathay Pacific night flight to Hong Kong and Manila in the company of 2 couples. Jean-Claude (aka Alex) with whom I worked over twenty years, his wife Sylvie also retired from AXA Insurance and Christine and Bernard friends and neighbors for 28 years and councilors of our village.
Due to the time difference it is only September 15 around 8 pm that we took possession of our rooms at the Best Western Corona in the tourist district of Ermita in Manila. This is where we dined before going to rest for the night.
The next day after the usual gargantuan breakfast buffet in the hotel, we went on some errands. First all changing money at some honest money changer and for me, then go to my bank to deposit it.

(Our first breakfast at the hotel)

Later we all had to have lunch together at Robinson mall where a great Dhana’s friend was to join us. This is while walking there that awkward as I am, I missed a Manila sidewalk and seriously aggravating my disability in my right ankle already affected by a double tendinitis. So I continued limping more and later we found ourselves all the excellent restaurant 'Mr. Choy kitchen’ where Bessie, our great friend, invited us for a memorable lunch. She had just arrived from the France Consulate to get a visa to go celebrate in Northern Brittany the graduation as a PhD ethologist of her niece Sabrina. Congratulations Dr. Sabrina!

(Lunch at Mr. Choy Kitchen with Bessie)

Later she gave us a ride to Mall of Asia (MOA) for the second part of the day.

(While waiting for the van at Mall of Asia)

It is indeed at 6 pm that we had dinner at Leng’s house, the sister of Dhana in Bacoor in the Manila suburbs.
It was a long awaited by Christine and Bernard who was to meet for the first time the boy they sponsored for years now.
So a van came to pick us up to take us to the family home where part of the relatives were waiting for us with Mikoy the sponsored student of Christine and Bernard. It was a moving moment for all despite the language barrier. Mikoy has a lot of chance to get a good education with the help of them who are not rich but simply average French with an old car, which needs badly to be changed. However, Mikoy shows his gratitude by getting excellent grades with a copy regularly forwarded to his sponsors in France.

(Mikoy, his mother and Christine and Bernard)

It was also a rare opportunity for our French tourists to participate in a Filipino family reunion with a traditional meal.
We were seated on the only table in the dining room and we were served first as it should be in the Philippines tradition of hospitality. The rest of the family was scattered around the house to sustain themselves in their turn.

(Our table)

(The rest of the family)

Later we returned to the hotel but Mikoy accompanied us to spend the next day in our company.
The next day we booked a van for half a day to tour a little Manila.

(Mikoy in his hotel bed)

We first went to visit the old city, or rather what is left after the destruction of World War II and Fort Santiago without forgetting the souvenir shop where the ladies spent quite a long time in my opinion. Then it was a quick stopover in Rizal Park and thereafter preferably to the American cemetery, the business district of Makati and the Mall of Asia where we had dinner in the evening we preferred to visit the Manila aquarium.

(The visit of Fort Santiago)

(Rizal Park)

This is where my tourists began their visit by having their feet cleaned feet by small fish. I abstained because I had trouble to take off my big shoes and especially to put them back.

(The feet cleansing by fishes)

(The visit of the Manila aquarium)

In the late afternoon, it's aboard two taxis that we arrived at the Mall of Asia, the 10th biggest mall in the world by size and its 200,000 daily visitors. There is also inside an ice rink in this city located between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer and where extreme wealth is next to extreme poverty.
It is in MOA that we had an appointment to give back Mikoy to his mother and his school but also where Dhana should meet several of her classmates and one of her teacher from whom she had lost sight over 35 years.

(The alumni table)

(The tourists table with water as drinks)

It was really an emotional moment for Dhana that they shared together at one table while we were seated at another table at another Chinese restaurant 'Super Bowl'. The food was good but to the great disappointment of the 2 Jean-Claude (aka Marcel and Alex), they were out of stock of beers and we had to drink water before catching up later at another place.
Finally we were back again to the hotel and the following day at noon we transferred to the airport for the 3 pm flight bound to Dumaguete where we arrived at 4:30. The van of my friend Patrick, owner of Thalatta Resort (4.5 / 5 stars on TripAdvisor), was to drive us at our destination, Mag-abo.

(Ready to leave Manila airport to Dumaguete)

(On board of the Cebu pacific flight bound to Dumaguete)

(The arrival at the Dumaguete airport)

Nora had prepared an excellent welcome meal and our guests began to take possession of the premises and to get acquainted with our two dogs.