Rain, and more rain

We are marooned in Cebu due to the effects of a typhoon over Mindanao. Hoping to fly out in the morning to Cagayan de Oro – flight leaves at 5.30am so thank goodness my body clock is still really on Australian time. Apparently there is extensive flooding in CDO so not quite sure what we will find there. The last workshop is timed to start at 9am, then we fly back to Manila on Friday. (PS made it to a very soggy CdO)
While we were waiting at the airport we ran into a couple of AusAID people. They are here for 30 days working on a new initiative on disabilities. Not sure if I could do a 30 day trip.
Visiting the Philippines has been a great experience. The people here are so warm and friendly, and they seem to take everything in their stride. The queue for refunds at the airport was a classic example. Not a cross word to be heard. The traffic is another example. People routinely cut in on other drivers or wander across roads, but it never seems to cause an aggressive reaction. The other drivers just slow and let them through. There’s lots of horn blowing but it seems to be more of a “do you know I’m here” variety than a “get out of my way”. You never get the impression that other drivers are actively trying to run you down, although it is pretty hairy out there. Pedestrian crossings are everywhere but are mostly ignored; although one of our drivers explained you had a better chance of cars giving way to you if you were a young and pretty female.
Road rules appear to be quite flexible. The rule seems to be is ok to pass anything at anytime if it’s slower than you. You just give a beep on your horn and off you go.. In Los Banos the other day the two lanes each way were totally clogged in one direction so everyone in faster vehicles pulled into the opposite direction lane to form a three/one system. Who needs lights? The intersections are controlled by traffic police who frantically wave their arms in complex gestures that appear to mean something to the drivers but were totally incomprehensible to me.
Driving to Los Banos was interesting. It’s about two hours south of Manila, mostly on 8 lane dual carriageway which suddenly ends and you are on a narrow two lane road, with houses built right to its edge. While still on the toll way you get glimpses of modern housing estates with large, modern McMansions that would make most Australian housing estates look unimpressive by comparison. The contrast between these and the main streets of Los Banos is incredible. There is a warren of shacks seemingly propping each other up, each with a shop in front.
We had another good workshop today. People seemed to pick up the idea pretty quickly. It seems as though they just needed the confidence to get started using the website. It was encouraging to see that one group that we trained a few days ago is already back on and using the site. We had a good mix of senior and junior people today. This works well as leaders quickly cotton on to how the website can help them and the younger ones are the doers.
Driving back to the hotel last night there we passed the usual crowds of students finishing school for the evening. Schools here run two shifts morning until about 1pm and then evening to about 8pm. It’s very odd to see the groups of uniformed students lining up for their snacks and jeepneys home at that time of night.
Snacks in the Philippines are mini-meals. We have morning snacks at the workshops as well as lunch. They range from pasta with tomato and cheese sauce and garlic toast, to sticky rice parcels and fresh mango, and today’s offering of an empanada and a cassava flan. I prefer the snacks to the main meal at lunchtime which is usually something fried and rice. Today it was deep-fried chicken (think KFC) and rice. Vegetables don’t feature very often; and the drink is always coke. Even in the remoter places we’ve been to, there are huts selling “Coke at the right price” with the displayed bottles looking as though they are filled with weak tea. These often sit next to another hut advertising “Load na dito” which means “load up here”- mobile phones. It’s certainly true that the communication tool of choice is the mobile phone.