Samar and Leyte Adventures!

I have been fortunate enough to have many travels during my two years here in the Philippines but there was one region that I had not yet visited. So with my time here quickly coming to an end I planned a trip with two other volunteers to visit Region 8 of the Philippines in the Eastern Visayas. This region is known for getting the worst of the storms as it lies on the Pacific Ocean. But with their rainy season ending and the rain still pouring where I live in the Western Visayas, it would be the perfect weather for our trip!

The Eastern Visayas is primarily made up of two large islands, Samar and Leyte. Samar Island is the third biggest island in the Philippines after Luzon and Mindinao. For a long time this island was off-limits to Peace Corps Volunteers due to the active presence of NPA or New People’s Army. The NPA is a communist organization in the Philippines whose aim is to overthrow the government but they usually hide out in mountainous areas. However in recent years the NPA has receded to the northern parts of the island and PC has deemed it safe to travel to and even has assigned volunteers in southern and eastern parts. Samar and Leyte islands are known for being more rural and beautiful, with many beaches, caves, rivers and blue waters.

It took me two flights to reach Tacloban, Leyte (which is unusual since you can usually get anywhere in the Philippines with only one flight!) The small city of Tacloban is located on the northern tip of Leyte island. Just north of the city is a 2 km bridge connecting Leyte to Samar, making Tacloban the perfect place for travelling to either island.

After meeting up with volunteer friends we made our way into Eastern Samar to the town of Guiuan, where some of our PC friends are assigned. They took us on a sightseeing trek around their site, walking along beautiful rocky coastlines and crystal blue waters and into some caverns along the beach. Just a few years ago there was a US base located in Eastern Samar. The coastline is very rocky and then drops off, allowing for lots of wave action along the shore that could be dangerous. So in the very hot Philippines weather the soldiers made make-shift “pools” that they could swim in by blowing up areas of the coast line and creating large tidal pools. As an environment volunteer I definitely do not condone this coastline destruction, but the soldiers are long gone by now and the large tidal pools have remained behind, offering a nice swim for us along our hike.

The beautiful coastline of Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

stepping inside one of the beach caverns

relaxing in one of the tidal pools left by the US soldiers

Our next stop in Samar was to the town of Lawaan. There was a PCV assigned to this site but he has since left. So the volunteers in Guiuan put us in contact with the old local counterpart in Lawaan who arranged for us a guide to hike to some waterfalls in the area. (Another example of how PCVs are the best source of information and contacts when traveling abroad!) When we arrived in Lawaan we met up with our guides and set off on the hike. It was a hot day but the hike was through beautiful thick Philippines forest and along the rivers. We came to about 4 different waterfalls, allowing us a nice refreshing swim along our hike in the ice-cold waters.

 refreshing!

Our final stop in Samar was to the Sohoton National Forest. We stopped in the town of Basey where their tourism office is surprisingly organized and efficient! We arranged for our tour to the caves of Sohoton. We rode a river boat inland to the caves, passing by many of the river villages along the way. When we got to the caves it almost looked like something out of a movie and made us feel like we were in the amazon! When we arrived to the caves we were greeted by our cave guides who gave us helmets and held lights as we walked around the three huge caverns of the cave. Along the way our guide pointed out rock formation, their names referring to what they resembled. I was very impressed with the state of the caves considering how many tourist come through their on a weekly basis. After the caves we hiked a bit farther to a swimming area where we could cool off from the heat of the day. The river and rock formations were truly breathtaking and I would urge anyone travelling to the Philippines to visit the Sohoton Caves of Samar if you are able.

arriving by boat to Sohoton National Park

LOVE the helmets!

Hello!

Sohoton was our last stop in Samar, so afterwards we made our way back to Tacloban and then continued south to Hinundayan, Southern Leyte, the site of one of my volunteer friends. We spent the next few days with her swimming and snorkeling at her site and meeting her coworkers. Its always fun to see where other volunteers live and work and explore their site with them. She took us on a short boat ride to some of the rocky coastline where there was a nice place to jump off into the ocean.

exploring Southern Leyte

beautiful coast!

jump away!

After our time in Southern Leyte it was time to return to Tacloban for my flight back. My flight to Iloilo via Manila was 6:10am in the morning… not a pleasant time to catch a flight…. Especially after spending a night out in Tacloban and only getting to bed at 2am… What made matters worse is that I forgot to set my alarm and did not wake up until 5:30am! I was so sure I would miss my flight but quickly gathered by belongings and hailed the first trike I could find to take me to the airport. The trike ride took around 20-30 min, the whole time I was preparing myself to miss my flight and have to pay to rebook. When we finally reached the airport I ran up to the counter and asked if my flight had left yet. I was a mess, breathing hard from running and slightly hungover. But the nice Filipina at the check-in counter simply smiled at me and told me that my flight was boarding and of course I would make it. I was so happy I almost started to cry! Only in the Philippines!

After checking my bag I made my way on the plane, thanking my lucky starts I had made it!

My travels to Samar and Leyte were some of the best times I have had travelling here in the Philippines. Its not a popular tourist visit which makes it all the more appealing to me. It was an amazing week filled with hiking, swimming and exploring the islands of the Eastern Visayas. These island are perfect showcases of all the natural beauty that the Philippines has to offer and I highly recommend taking a visit if you get the chance!

P.S. Aug 21 marked my two years in the Philippines! How time has flown! With only two months remaining I am finishing up spending my grant monies with two additional trainings (one on management strategies for the new MPA management board, and a second on performing biophysical assessments for the fisherfolk associations). It seems like a lot to do but I know I can get it done!

Birthdays are good for you!

The time is quickly going by with less than 3 months left in the Philippines! Oh my! I have my official leave date to be October 31! Although I won't be flying direct to the States quite yet. It is tradition for PCVs to travel a bit before going home and with holding to this tradition I am planning a trip to Laos and Cambodia with a quick stop in Japan to visit a friend before heading home to the good 'ole USA in time for Christmas. But my big news is that my primary project that I have been working on is pretty much complete! The ordinance has passed in both the municipal and provincial offices declaring the new Balcon Marine Protected Area. And the guardhouse is finally complete!

Part of the project plan to make the reserve more sustainable is to establish a MPA (marine protected area) management board up of community members to effectively manage the MPA. So we had our first organizational meeting with those who will be part of the management board. The meeting was held, appropriately enough, in the new guardhouse. My counterpart explained what the boards duties would be  and they elected a Chairman among the members. They decided to meet bi-monthly with the first meeting to be early next month. During that first meeting I will hold an informal management strategies workshop to help instruct the board how to come up with a management plan and monitor and evaluate that plan in the future.

me at the new MPA guardhouse - this building overlooks the reserve enabling the community to watch over and enforce no fishing inside the MPA

the community members making up the new MPA management board at their organizational meeting held in the new guardhouse

This all means this project is pretty much complete! I ended up having excess funding left over from the grant so I am planning two trainings to use the remaining funds. The mayor and community have donated so much supplies for the guardhouse so we ended up saving a lot that can go towards expanding trainings and included more participants. I also have completed the final draft of a 5-year CRM plan for my supervisor and hope it will help them in planning for future management of coastal resources for Jordan. 

In other news I celebrated my 26th birthday and the last of which I will be in the Philippines for. So in proper Filipino custom I threw myself a party! (Instead of someone throwing you a party and giving presents, its more Filipino culture to pay for a party and food for your friends when its your birthday, so the birthday bill falls on the birthday girl, lucky me!) I rented out our favorite kareoke restaurant (they gave me a discount since I am "suki" - repeat customer) and invited my coworkers and friends. All of my coworkers made it as well as other Filipino friends, Peace Corps, and Japanese volunteer (JICA) friends!

As a surprise my coworkers and friends arranged to have a "program" for me complete with surprises! First they had me sit up infront of everyone. There was a prayer and then my coworkers sang "The Journey" by Lea Salonga for me. This was followed by every one of my friends and coworkers getting up and, one at a time, giving me a heart felt birthday speech which left me in tears. I feel so fortunate that I have made such amazing friends here!

But getting away from the sappy parts there was also a surprise....

yep... thats my face in the sun and my coworkers faces atop many slightly underdressed bodies... lol

It was an amazing birthday that I will surely never forget!

with my coworkers at my Bday party

getting a Bday message from my supervisor

singing kareoke

more Bday messages from my coworkers

drinking with coworkers!

party party!

kareoke time!

and no party is complete with cake! and lots of it!

Next week I am heading to the island of Samar for a week long vacation trip (trying to use of those vacay days). This will be my first time to the western visayas! Stay tuned :)

A Mystical Island Adventure

Siquijor Island is known as the magical and mystical island of the Philippines. Ask any Filipino not living in Siquijor and they will tell you the island is home to witchcraft and warn you not to go. But hearing about all the superstitions surrounding the island of Siquijor only make it more enticing to visit. So when Stacey proposed an impromptu trip to the island to meet up with some other volunteer friends, it didn’t take me long to request for a couple of vacation days and pack my bags!

The trip came at a perfect time. I was just finishing up the Bantay Dagat (local coastguard) training that Rob and I coordinated on. We had great attendance from our two municipalities and were able to make it an overnight training, which not only ensured attendance for the second day, but also gave an opportunity for community bonding and sharing of experiences as the participants talked about starting a new reserve in their respective villages. Coordinating with the different agencies involved in the training gave us a rough planning start, but everything came together in the end (as it always does) and the fisherfolk and police men participants seemed to really enjoy the training and get a lot out of it.

working with the Jordan participants

The newly trained Bantay Dagat fish wardens for the new marine reserves in Jordan and Buenavista

After the training I immediately prepared for the trip starting that following weekend. Since its rainy season the Philippines has been battling many storms and at the time there was a typhoon to the northeast and a monsoon coming from the southwest. I was hoping that since Siquijor is a small island (even smaller than Guimaras) located in the central islands that it would be protected from most of the stormy weather.

And it was J

It was a long trip involving an hour ferry boat, a 5 hour bus ride and another hour ferry boat but we finally made it to Siquijor! As usual we had heard of where to stay from previous volunteers. (The wealth of travel knowledge of PCVs should never be underestimated!) The place is called JJ’s and is located in San Juan, Siquijor. They are known for their beachside café but have recently expanded to have two small dorm rooms to rent. However we were there for camping! JJ’s had very recently added the option to sleep in tents on the beach for a very low price. They set up a huge 6 person tent and provided foam pads and other beddings to make out stay comfortable. The beach scene was beautiful!

the beach at JJ's

the tents we stayed in - we had to put the tents under cover for nightly rains

Kris relaxing in our huge tent

The best thing to do in Siquijor is to explore the island (which, since it’s so small, can be done in a day or less) and to find some native healers! Since locals are the best source of information we talked to the owner of JJ’s to find out where we should go to find a natural healer. She told us where we could find a bulo-bulo healer. On our way to see the bulo-bulo we ran across a small stand selling natural remedies. We couldn’t help but to check it out! She was selling many different mixtures of herbs and tree barks that were mixed with coconut oil. Some of the other volunteers bought an honest to god “love potion”… only time will tell if it’s effective!

the local remedy stand we ran across

love potion!

all of the herbal remedies being sold at this local stand

I wanted to bring back some gifts for my co-workers since none of them had been to Siquijor (they are too scared to go!) The woman was also selling panagang or defense bracelets. Inside each bracelet is herbs and coconut oil, said to ward off evil spirits. If you are wearing a bracelet and come into contact with a witch or aswang (Filipino version of vampire) the bracelet is said to burst, spraying the evil one with the herbs and oil and casting them away.

So I bought 20.

herbal bracelets

My co-workers LOVE them! I had no idea that this was something common place, but many people put these bracelets on young children to protect them from harm. And the fact that the bracelets I brought were from Siquijor I guess made them that much more powerful! I was so happy to see my 10 peso gift bring so much happiness and wished I had bought more!

After we bought our herbal remedies, we headed off again in the direction of the bulo-bulo healer. Bulo-bulo is a native healing method, where the healer uses a small glass, a black stone and a bamboo straw. When we finally found the healer she was just as you might expect her to be! We learned she is 87 years old and one of few people left practicing the old healing method.

First you have to tell her where your problem is. I told her my back (true story). So I sat down and she began by blessing me with a coconut oil mixture and praying in a dialect I don’t understand. Then she poured water into the glass with the black stone. Using the bamboo straw, she blew bubbles into the glass as she rubbed the glass along my back. After a short time, the water became discolored and had floating particles in it. She examined the glass and expelled the dark water. After refilling the glass with clean water, she repeated the process. The second time also resulted in dark water. But the third time the water remained clear. Dun Dun DUN! I was healed!

the bulo-bulo healing mu back

Sooo my back still hurts.... but many of the locals really believe in what the bulo-bulo healer does and will go to see her if modern medicine fails them or if they can’t afford to be seen by a doctor. In fact after we were “healed” by the bulo-bulo, there was a mother with her small child waiting to be seen after us. The Bulo-bulo doesn’t charge but only accepts donations. Even though she didn’t cure my back, we all made sure to give appropriate donations J

Siquijor is really a magical island. We had an amazing time there talking with the locals, experiencing the culture, exploring the island and finding beautiful and remote beaches. Siquijor is not a main tourist stop; there are no big attractions aside from some diving, snorkeling and the superstitions surrounding the culture. But this means the island still has its charm without being overdeveloped. Mainly other backpackers visit there, wanting only to enjoy its natural beauty. One of the things I love most about the Philippines is that you can think you know its people and culture, but only travel to the next island over and you will be surprised again! The diversity of the Philippines is more than just the marine life. The people and culture are amazing and I will sorely miss it when I am gone.

Less than 4 months left! Where did the time go?

SEAS and rain

As I mentioned in previous post, the five of us volunteers on Guimaras Island took on the big project of putting on an environmental camp. Denise and Jensen worked on writing and submitting a grant (which was approved) and then found us a venue for the camp. The small village of Tando in Guimaras is quite far from the main part of town and takes a couple hours to get to while driving over mostly unpaved road. But this small and far community is a gem of Guimaras and made for the perfect place for our camps!

A few years back Guimaras was the victim of an oil spill which greatly affected the marine area surrounding Tando. But the people of Tando care a lot about their resources and have since been working to restore them. They started a mangrove nursery and assist in mangrove plantings not just in Tando but all of Guimaras. Tando is also the site of a new marine protected area that Jensen helped to establish. The coastal resources there are now recovering and the people are very supportive of such projects. They were more than happy to host us and our camp. Over the week of the camps we really got to know the community as they housed us and assisted us with the camp. The Tando Community is full of amazing people who live humbly and take care of their environment. 

The environmental camp, named SEAS – Stewards of the Environment and Advocates of the Seas, consisted of two 3-day camps over the course of a week. The first camp was attended by over 70 students from the 16 high schools on the island; all were members of the environment club at their school. The second camp was focused on youth from villages with reserves, specifically the communities that Rob, Jensen and I work with to establish our new marine protected areas. Community counterparts were integral in planning the activities, leading discussions during the camp, and ensuring the facilitates were equipped to accommodate the influx of people, from setting up a makeshift electrical system (since the school did not have electricity) to hauling over 800 jugs of well water for bathing and cooking (…or running water).

The purpose of the camp was to teach the participants what they could do to protect their environment, with a focus on the newly-established MPAs.  The first day gave participants the foundations in coastal ecosystems (me), MPAs (Rob), communication skills (Stacey), and leadership (Denise).  The day was topped off with a coastal clean-up and the viewing of a BBC Blue Planet episode, which was meticulously dubbed in Tagalog.  

Getting to know each other.

team building games

 On the second day, in addition to learning about solid waste management through bottle bricks and magazine bead-making, participants went snorkeling inside the Tan-Luc MPA.  For most campers, it was their first experience using snorkel gear and seeing what lies beneath the surface of the ocean.  In the afternoon, participants and facilitators braved high tides and deep mud to plant 1,000 mangrove propagules nearby.  On the final day of the camp, participants conducted community perception interviews to gauge the community's knowledge of the MPA and also to practice sharing with others what they had learned about the environment.  Before the closing program, we held small group discussions to prepare participants on how they can take what they’ve learned at the camp and apply it to where they live.  Each participant made a bracelet to remind themselves of their commitment to the seas.

making bottle bricks!

going snorkeling in the MPA!

making more bottle bricks

ready to take out the next group for some snorkeling fun!

planting mangrove propugules

performing community interviews - learning what the community knows and sharing what they have learned

team bonding

discussing how they can take what they have learned and apply it to where they live

the kids leaving camp, so sad!

We plan on following up with the high schools and coastal communities to monitor progress and to offer any advice or assistance for future projects.  We hope to help the youth apply and share their knowledge and excitement about the MPAs with the rest of their communities.  

SEAS Camp #1 with high school youth

SEAS Camp#2 with coastal youth

us volunteers with some SEAS campers after their community pageant (we stayed an extra day to show support for  the youth in the pageant and they won!)

As for the MPA  (marine protected area) that I am working on with my community, we are making progress with the construction of the guardhouse! I also recently bought (with the grant funds) supplies to make marker buoys. As with a lot of this project, I depend on the knowledge of the fisherfolk and other community members. I am not sure the best way to make a buoy (and apparently there are many ways), so I left that decision up to the community. They just told me what supplies to get and this is what they came up with…

our marker buoys for the new marine protected area

 Unfortunately rainy season has started early again.. we had planned on putting the buoys out today but when we got there the wind was strong and the waves too big. Hopefully the weather will clear in the next couple days so we can put out the marker buoys soon. But the rain and wind are not stopping the construction work for the guardhouse so progress continues!

working on the guardhouse!

rainy season has begun and the waves and wind were too strong to deploy the buoys that day..

Rob and I also are planning a training workshop for new Bantay Dagat (type of coast guard) for our new MPAs. The new Bantay Dagat members will be deputized and put in charge of enforcing the management of the MPA (i.e. keeping illegal fishers out). Later this month we will have the training at a local resort in Rob’s site.

These last 5 months are going fast and are staying very busy!

Until next time, halong!

Random moments of culture

"Bonding-Bonding"

Filipinos are known as the friendliest and most hospitable people in the world. Part of where this notion comes from is their openness of talking and getting to know strangers. This is often referred to as "bonding-bonding." The other day, I was heading into the city to purchase some supplies for our upcoming environment youth camp. As I was waiting for the boat to fill up (it’s a 15-20 minute boat ride from my island to Iloilo City), an elderly couple sat down next to me. Like many times before, part from curiosity about what I am doing here and part wanting to practice her English, the woman started asking me questions: where are you from? How long have you been here? What are you doing here?....  Like many conversations I have with people here, there is no such thing as “personal information”. I learned about her husband’s illnesses and her daughter’s failing marriage. Then she asked me the usually questions, how old am I, am I married, why am I not married, and what religion I am (which is always a tricky one to answer). In the course of our 15 minute boat ride we got to know each other quite well! Then as we arrived to the city, she said the typical parting phrase halong which means “take care” and we went our separate ways….

“I guess that wasn’t an important part”

It is a Monday morning and, as I do every Monday, I leave for work early to be there by eight for the flag ceremony. I am waiting by the road for a salakian or "ride". A trike pulls up with two women in the front seat of the sidecar. I take my place in the back seat. We drive a little further and pick up another woman who hops on behind the driver. We drive a bit further when suddenly there is an awful sound like the scrapping and moving of metal. I think we have run over some object in the road. We slow to a stop and the driver pokes around the motorcycle. Finally he pulls a large metal piece that resembles a brake pad (though I can’t be sure since I know nothing about motorcycle parts). He then places the dirty part on the floor in the front of the sidecar. The two women sitting in front look at each other, and then at me. I say “I hope that part isn’t important.” They smile and chuckle, and the driver cranks up the bike, and we continue on our way.

"The coconut nut is not a nut"

Once or twice a week, my Filipina friends, Cindy or Yet-Yet, will text me to hang out. A typical evening starts out at RJ’s, a local restobar where they serve arrozcaldo and batchoy daily. Arrozcaldo is a Spanish influenced rice soup containing boiled egg or chicken. Batchoy is a very Ilonggo (the region where I live) dish. It is basically ramen-type noodles in a broth with pork. Usually I will have a big bowl of arrozcaldo and Cindy will have batchoy. After eating we head to another restobar where we can sing videoke. It's 5 pesos a song and sometimes we rack up quite a bill! I never used to sing in the States. I explained to Cindy that in the States you usually don’t sing karaoke unless you are a really good singer or just very entertaining. Since I consider myself neither I usually refrain… but in the U.S. we love to dance! At clubs and concerts everyone is dancing! In the Philippines it’s the opposite. Filipino people love music and often have bands performing during town fiestas, but everyone stands around the stage watching the band play. Some might be dancing but you can assume only after they have had a lot of drinks (about the same time Americans might start singing karaoke). But videoke bars are everywhere in the Philippines and EVERYONE sings. Love ballads and classic rock is usually the genre of choice. Older men can be heard singing Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”, Air Supply or Whitney Houston’s “ I will always love you”. But my favorite is when Cindy sings the coconut song, or “Da Coconut Song” as it is titled. It’s a fun song singing about all the different ways a coconut tree can be used J

“The Chicken’s Last Ride”

It’s a Tuesday evening and I am returning from work. They always want me to sit in the front of the tricycle sidecar so I get in first. A couple gets in the back and two young girls hop on the back of the motorbike. An elderly lady has just purchased what is probably her dinner for the evening: a bag of vegetables and herbs, and a very live chicken tied only at the feet. I am handed her bag of greens to hold and she sits next to me. But where to put the chicken? The driver nonchalantly takes the chicken by its tied up feet and places it at the bottom of the sidecar, at my feet. So I ride home with greens in my lap and a chicken at my feet. The chicken lets me know she’s still alive at every big bump in the road as she clucks and moves around..

One of the many times squeezing my giant American-self into a tricycle sidecar.

Using my cellphone flashlight to find my next videoke song!

The pumpboats going from the city to Guimaras. You can see my island home in the background!

I love it in the Philippines!