One week down. Nine more to go.

It took me about seven days to get over my jet lag. I’ve seen something amazing here everyday since I got here. We went to go to Corregidor. That was my first daytrip. Too much war talk. They pretty much kept you on the prescribed tour. You couldn’t really wander around on your own unless you chose to stay overnight. It was a strange contrast: obsolete, defunct, dismantled war equipment (mainly big guns) and bombed out barracks and administrative buildings set in what many people would rightfully call a tropical paradise. The only thing good about the suffering that happened there in WWII is that it highlights the importance of the peacefulness that exists there now. I know there are still a lot of problems here and globally but if you visit any sight associated with war / violence it provokes thought of how to do things better. At the very least it should help us prevent its re-occurrence (sp?).

From there we went to Bicol. It was Dad, Mom, Tita Feli, Tita Claire, Russell and me. Russell wanted to see the Cagsawa ruins — the church that was buried in the eruption that occured circa 1800. Close to 1200 people died in that eruption. Many people fled to the Cagsawa church in hopes of finding shelter. There they perished. There’s about 40 meters of church structure / campus buried. What remains seems to be the upper portion of the bell tower.

Also that day (actually before we reached the ruins) we found the eco-village located in Pili, the capital of Bicol. Of note is the swimming pool. It’s a beautifully long amoeba-shaped swimming pool that costs only 100 pesos per swimmer per day. That amounts to less that $2 US. My plan is to use the pool during the weekday mornings when no one is using the resort facilities. I’ll take time off from swimming laps during the weekend when it’s crowded.

We dropped off Tita Feli, Tita Claire, and Russell this morning at the bus terminal. They’re going to go back to Malabon while we lay low in Libmanan deciding our next step. My dad wants to visit his friend in Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao. We’re trying to figure out exactly how we’re going to get there. My personal preference is to drive but my dad wants to take another form of transport because he doesn’t trust the car we have. It’s been a source of minor, minor friction between us. We’re going to take a break from the Mindanao talk until Saturday morning after breakfast. Then we’ll decide that the next step is.

I have to admit I feel a bit guilty. Part of me says I should be working not relaxing. There would be nothing wrong with a two week break but this is a two and a half month excursion into personally unchartered waters! It feels gluttoneous (sp?) For better or for worse I know this was the best choice for me. I couldn’t imagine my life without this time.

Next on my project list is how to find a way to upload pictures to the internet. It’s absolutely beautiful here.

To be continued…