Bacolod - Philippines
19th JuneI was awoken by the sound of cockerels at 5 am, but still managed to doze until about 10am. We truly are spoilt here, they are always cleaning up after us and there is food and fresh juices constantly being made. I wasn't even allowed to clear the table after dinner, it really is a different way of life. We all boarded the Jeepney and took Joshua to school, the kids were amazed by the two white girls in the play ground, then Fatima took us shopping. We went to a mall and then 'down town' to the markets, we were hassled a lot, but everyone seemed friendly and I felt safe being with a local. Jenna and I both found ourselves another pair of shorts (for about 6 pounds) and we all enjoyed lasagna for lunch. It rained heavily all day, but I know that I need to get used to this as we are going to be travelling through the rainy season for the next two months! We all went out that evening for a few drinks. We spent most of the evening in a bar called 'chicken Alley' that looked like a castle, where we could enjoy some live bands and watch the teams of 15 year old prostitutes strutting about outside. We also found a Mexican bar to have another drink before heading home. It was a good night and the company was great too.
20th June
We got an early wake-up from Jenna's cousin, Brian as he pounded on our door. He had just got back from England, laden-ed with gifts for a very excited Joshua. It was nice to meet the man of the house. We went with him to take Joshua to school, Don't got me wrong we still got starred at , but it was nice to be walking with a big white male. No men seemed to hassle us, and he seemed to get more attention than us, which was nice! It again rained all afternoon - so much for that tan that I have been dreaming of!
We went back to their house and went along with him while he visited a few friends, giving them their much appreciated gifts from England. We then went back and all relaxed with a couple of beers while he told us about what had been happening in England over the pat ten months. It is so strange to think that I am missing it all.
21st June - Negros Museum
We were up with the cockerels this morning at 4.30 in order to join Fatima at her aerobics class. We had to catch too Jeepneys to get there and when we arrived at the park there were loads of people there, men, women, old and young. Everyone began by jogging a few times around the large square pond and then we all gathered in a huge area of the park. Music boomed from the trees and we all watched 3 men on stage and tried to copy their dancing and aerobic moves. It was really fun and pretty easy to follow and I really enjoyed the music. At about 70 be grabbed our self a "Buko juice" (water-nut) and headed home. It was roasting hot by the time we arrived home, now I can understand why they have to star off so early. We had some breakfast and then as the sun was shining, decided to make the most of it and clamber on to the roof for some rays. By about 9.30 it was simply too unbearable. I can't believe how hot I got, so we opted to going into the air conditioned house to read our books.
That afternoon after dropping Joshua at school, as the rain pored, we found our way to 'Negros Museum' The place was built in 1987 and was all about the Negrenese. A lovely girl showed us round and recounted stories, artifacts, artwork and crafts. She told us all about their rich history and the science behind their thriving sugar cane industry. There were many paintings all by a man from Bacolod and we were told all about the influences that other countries such as China. America, Spain, Japan and even Britain had had on their island. The best story I heard was about the revolution in 1898, whereby they were planning war against the Spanish, but didn't have the money for the weapons they needed. Therefor they made replica cannons and guns out of bamboo and leaves and pained them black. When the Spanish say them they retreated. So in the end the Negrenese won, with out having to battle, using their very cleaver idea. Pretty funny really.
After that Jenna and I spend a couple of hours in the pc room and then headed home for a traditional English meal of pork chops, potatoes, vegetables and real gravy. It was much appreciated. I then made a phone call to my Mum and Brian (who I miss terribly) and headed to bed for a nice early night :)
- Posted by emily1183 on 22/06/2007.
- emily1183's site
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