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

After two and a half months in France enjoying a summer remarkably warm when I was almost always wearing my favorite outfit, i.e. shorts and a T-shirt, it was time to go back to the Philippines to prepare the house for the arrival of my wife and other friends of France.
I always take my plane tickets in small travel agency "Eliza Les Ailes du Voyage" located rue Bois le Vent in the 16th arrondissement of Paris and near the Philippine Embassy. They offer good prices on Manila and Cebu with serious companies such as Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. Because of the Economic crisis prices fell sharply in one year and you can find for one month vacations roundtrip tickets for Paris-Manila or Cebu around 600 €. In my case, I always take tickets valid six months evidently more expensive at around 800-850 €. This time I had booked on Singapore Airlines because of an interesting promotion and actually I was going to do my first flight on the giant of the skies, the Airbus A380.
On September 7, my son drove me to Charles de Gaulle airport when we arrived three hours in advance. I was worried about the check-in procedures but all went very fast, much faster even than all my previous flights. Before parting, we went for coffee. I still had two hours before departure when I walked towards immigration. What a surprise to see a long queue of passengers waiting to pass the police control. It was a typical weekday, summer vacations were over and I did not understand. In fact there was nothing to understand, there were 4 windows for holders of European and Swiss passports and 4 additional windows for other nationalities but only one police officer was present. What a shame for our country because it took me 1:20 hour to go through this control and during that time the airport staff was gathering people together who otherwise would have missed their flight to let them pass the immigration in priority.
Once arrived in the departure lounge I could not see much of the A380, I didn't wait long before boarding. Here was another good surprise because everything went very quickly. Passengers had boarding passes with a patch of different color depending on the location of their seat in the aircraft and then used the exit door and corridor accordingly.
Once inside, everything was evidently new and doubtless intended by the company, the cabin was divided into sections of about 80 passengers separated by curtains. Thus we never get a sense of gigantism and except for a lower noise you could imagine to be in any other long haul airliner. The flight lasted twelve hours and thirty minutes with a service aboard of high quality in my opinion unmatched by competitors. We left Paris at 12.25 pm and we landed at Changi airport in Singapore at 6:55 am local time.

(The Airbus A380 in Singapore. Pics taken through the window)

I waited two hours for my correspondence to Cebu but the Changi airport is always so beautiful with so many stores that we do not see the time passing.

(Changi airport)

I arrived in Cebu at 12:40 pm and after the immigration formalities and baggage claim, all in thirty minutes (Shame on Paris airport!), I took a taxi to my hotel and then went to a money changer to exchange my currencies and deposit the money on my bank account. I was in a hurry as almost all the banks here close at 3 pm, too early I think.
Around 7 pm I was getting ready to go out for dinner but when I put my shoes on I had a funny feeling underfoot. In looking more closely I saw that my two shoes were completely open on the sides and therefore had become unwearable.
What to do without a spare pair in my luggage? I had no choice but to go out in indoor slippers.
The next morning I was already in SM mall before the opening of doors. Then I rushed to the shoes department with little hope of finding my size 45-46 (11-12 in USA) in a country of such little feet. A saleslady approached me and asked if I was looking for something formal or casual, I replied casual but I told her of my doubts regarding my size that she had already estimated at 11or 12. She went to the stockroom and returned with footwear of the brand Hush Puppies and the size 12 fitted me like a glove. I immediately wore them instead of my slippers. Although it cost me 63 € I was too happy to have found a suitable match.
The next Thursday, September 10, at 3:15 pm, I took the fast craft bound for Dumaguete which should have arrived at 7:15 pm. Unfortunately at halfway the passengers were informed that due to a technical failure the vessel would not go further than Tagbilaran in Bohol. So I had to disembark with all my bags and stay overnight here. I had been here already and I knew where to find a room. I went to Chriscent Ville hotel with a couple of Canadians from the province of Alberta and I had to leave them the last vacant room.

http://www.chriscentville.com/cville/

I finally found a place to stay, simple and not expensive at the Taver's hotel for 800 pesos (12 €) with air conditioning and TV.

http://taverspensionhouse.tripod.com/
Friday at 8 am I embarked another fast craft toward Dumaguete where I arrived two hours later. My good friend Charly was waiting for me with his van at the pier and we had a coffee before driving the 25 km that separated us from my house.  Dodong my house keeper and his wife Nora were waiting for me with a big smile. My Doberman dog, Brousse, was at first a little shy then made a frenzy fuss of me. I think that even my 3 female cats looked happy.
We lunched at Thalatta Beach Resort and I finally found myself alone at home while awaiting the arrival of my wife who twenty days later would spend his four weeks holiday with me.
The next morning I had to resupply the house in groceries etc. and at 6 pm I was invited for a dinner offered by Michel to his friends at the restaurant La Caviteña. The meal was washed down with a lot of wines.

(Michel uncorking a bottle of wine)

(The dinner at La Caviteña)

We finished late in the evening in a bar owned by a young French couple, the Black pearl.

( A former Air Force chief warrant officer)

(A former paratrooper warrant officer)

(Our Italian friend)

Whew! I had Sunday to rest. Unfortunately in the morning after opening a mail from Norman, an American friend, I read some news that saddened me greatly. Dr. Bill Jacobson called Doc Bill, a long-time another American friend had died of heart failure. Bill the doctor had not seen his own end coming. He was cremated last September 23, 2009.
By 2003, I met them for the Sunday morning breakfast buffets at the Why Not restaurant and I was the only foreigner to have a seat at the table reserved for Americans. Besides the buffet, our opposition to the war in Iraq and our antipathy to President Bush drew us closer. Sad to say but along the weeks and conversations I discovered with surprise that, fortunately among a few rednecks, racism in regard to my black friend Norman and anti-Semitism against Doc Bill were still well widespread in the Uncle Sam land.

(Norman and my wife at our house blessing party, September 21, 2005)

Doc Bill, son of Danish Jews, was a native of Colorado. Retired doctor he gave free courses of emergency medicine in several hospitals of Dumaguete. Humanist and democrat, he taught us once a lesson in civility and tolerance. After the second election of George W. Bush, Phil another American, Republican and former military in a US base in France, asked me what I thought as a French of that new nomination. Though embarrassed with a dozen of U.S. citizens around me, I replied that I was very satisfied. Phil, surprised asked me why and I retorted that 49% of U.S. citizens did not vote for him and I found it comforting. There then followed an uproar which Doc Bill ended by tapping the table and saying that the people of the United States had voted, it should be behind the President and wait for new elections to discuss it again. Bravo! For someone I knew to be staunchly set against the Bush policy. A charismatic figure left us and we will not see him anymore riding his motorcycle through the streets of Dumaguete or attend these high places of American cuisine such as the McDonald's or Dunkin 'Donuts. Nevertheless what he has taught at local hospitals will undoubtedly save lives.
On September 18, the air conditioning of my Pajero having been repaired, I had the urge to take pictures thus I took the southern direction of Bayawan only distant of 75 kilometers from my house. That day the weather was foggy and not favorable for the practice of my hobby so instead of entering Bayawan I drove 21 km toward the North City of Kalumboyan. The mountain road was new and I arrived quickly at my destination. Not much to see in this city which is the last frontier before sinking more into the heart of Negros.

(The strange church of Kalumboyan)

There was a celebration at the elementary school and I went there to do some photos under the curious gaze of people who should not see often white foreigners.

(The school celebration)

I was about to leave when a young woman spoke to me. She told me that she was from Siquijor and she thought to have seen me there. I said that within eight years it was really possible. I asked her what she was doing here and she told me her story. She graduated with a degree in education but has had several jobs, the latter being running a lotto outlet. Finally she was fed up and found a teaching position in a mountain village in Negros Oriental. I thought it was here but she said no but she was invited as a colleague and because she also gave some lessons in this school. Otherwise she was stationed about thirty kilometers away in the heart of the mountains. It could be reached only with a motorcycle because after a while the road was too narrow for a 4 wheels vehicle and the last part of the trip could be done only on foot. I expressed the wish to go there for a few pictures but she dissuaded me. Was there another reason that the arduous journey? Perhaps it was the presence of NPA rebels (National People's Army) which is far from unlikely in these remote places. I asked her if she was not bored alone in this god forsaken hole as she had also mentioned that there was electricity from 9 pm to 6 am. She smiled and said she was living with a boyfriend. Yes! Love can lead to the end of the earth.

(Roedlyn, the teacher)