Day 9: Back to Argao, then night boat to Leyte Island

Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016

Debrah and I made a last-minute decision to go to the island of Leyte to visit the family of one of the girls from Cebu Hope Center. Her mom has a new baby boy, and the girl wanted to see photos of her little brother.

Since I've spent so much time in Cebu City -- not my favorite place -- we decided to do the two-hour bus ride out to Argao again and visit our friends there. Most tourists skip Argao on their way to swimming with whale sharks in Oslob, but the old historic center is nice, as well as the quiet beach, and quaint downtown. Of course, I'm a fan of BJ's and always stop for a meal when I can. Joy can prepare quiche, curries, Thai soups, dynamite poppers, salads, anything you want.

We just had to leave by 6:00 to get back in time for our night ferry to Leyte. Seems like we slept overnight on boats half of the time I spent in the Philippines this time.

St. Michael's Parish Church in historic Argao

The old baluarte (fort) has been converted into a hotel, where Joy's daughter got married in April.


The roof is damaged on the historic city hall and will be costly to repair.

A carnival was in town in anticipation of the big St. Michael's Festival beginning Sept. 28

Joy's niece Den-Den joined us to walk down to the carnival. Filipinos don't usually walk because of the heat, but my friends know I prefer to walk everywhere.

The local marching band from St. Michael's High School.

Of course, Debrah and Den-Den have to join the band. The kids don't seem excited about the idea.

Bingo is a popular game in Argao.

Filipinos make many sweet desserts with bananas.

During the holidays happy kids enjoy the beach at Argao.

BJ's by-the-Sea is the white building next to the squatters' huts.

It's fun to dive off the pier near BJs.

Butch the used clothing vender sings all the same American songs I know from the 1960s and 70s.

These motorcycles with side cars for passengers are called tricycles and serve as taxis and private family cars too.

Debrah at the Nature Park

Two hour bus ride back to Cebu City and back to the port. Debrah and I are getting good at this.

Another night ferry, this time to the island of Leyte, which was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Day 10: Island of Leyte, still recovering from Typhoon Yolanda

Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), considered the most powerful storm to make landfall in recorded history, struck the Philippines. Yolanda affected 1,473,251 families, with a casualty count of 6,300.

I first visited the island of Leyte in early 2015, a year and a half after the deadly typhoon struck. In the town of Tacloban, there was still tons of debris and destruction. My friends showed me how high the waters had been. Their mother was killed by a falling tree.

Now, nearly 3 years after the natural disaster, there are still signs of destruction, but also a lot of rebuilding. The U.S. government donated nearly $100 million in relief aid. One of the most visible contribution is the USAID-constructed sari-sari shops, small mom-and-pop variety stores, which are the backbone of the local economy. In fact, my friend owns one, but it wasn't built by USAID.

Debrah and I went first to the auntie's house. She now has a small refrigerator to sell cold drinks, which she bought with a monthly allowance I send her. Then we went together to visit her little sister who has the new baby with her new boyfriend. They live with her father in a shack he built from the tin roof of his house that was destroyed in the typhoon. His wife also died.

We got the bus back to Ormoc to take a fast boat, just three hours, back to Cebu City, so I could fly the next day to Manila.

The boat arrived at 4 a.m., but they let us rest on the boat until 6 a.m. Then we went to a nice hotel, ate breakfast and used the wifi before catching the bus to Tacloban, 3 hours away.

Destruction from Typhoon Yolanda is still evident along the way.

These guys definitely don't have to go to the gym to work out and get in shape.

One of thousands of Sari-Sari shops funded by USAID, in addition to business training.

Korea helped build this school after the typhoon.

I asked if the Pope was funding this housing project, but they said no. They just honored him by naming it after Pope Francis. He visited Tacloban 6 months after the typhoon.

Another USAID sari-sari shop.

Josephine's oldest daughter and granddaughter.

Josephine and her grandson.

Jona, one of Josephine's daughters

Canned goods for sale in Josephine's sari-sari shop.

The grandson peeks out of their house.

The whole family minus one camera-shy son.

I look like an Amazon next to my Filipino friends.

Debrah met a friend from Mindanao who is volunteering in Tacloban as a sports coach for kids affected by the typhoon.

Taking a jeepney to Alang-Alang to visit Josephine's younger sister.

Josephine's father lives in a shack on this hilltop. We had to walk beside rice fields to get there.

The baby was one day shy of a month old. He looks very handsome and healthy.

The baby's father was hanging clothes when we arrived. Of course, I was impressed.

"Still Perfect After All These Years." Josephine and Fe's father is now 79 years old. 

The proud family. Surprisingly, Fe is about 6 years older than her boyfriend, although she looks much younger than 30.

Happy to hold a baby again.

Six on a habal-habal (baby in arms of the woman in back).

Day 11: Last Day in Cebu City, Philippines

Monday, September 26, 2016

I've actually gone overland from Manila to Cebu City before, including a train and a ferry from Samar to Cebu. I've done the 30-hour boat ride all the way, and I've flown numerous times, a quick hour.

One last day in Cebu City before my flight to Manila in preparation for my trip to China for the first time. In my mind, this is when the adventure really begins since I've spent months in the Philippines before, nearly everyone speaks English, and I'm very familiar and at home there. But China will be another story.

Debrah and I had an uneventful day in Cebu City, not my favorite place in the Philippines. And I've been to a lot. I've spent time on Palawan Island, on the southernmost island of Mindanao, known for Muslim rebels, in the cities of General Santos, Davao, Surigao, and Butuan. I've explored the wonderful islands of Siquijor, Bohol, and Siargao. I've gone up north to the world heritage rice terraces, cool mountain villages of Baguio and Sagada, and the historic village of Vigan. I've checked out the former U.S. Navy bases of Subic Bay and nearby Olongapo. And I've enjoyed Old Manila. But the big cities of Cebu and Manila are not my favorites. Traffic, noise, trash, homeless, no trees, very little nice architecture, few parks...not my favorites.

We hung out mostly around the port and old Colon area of Cebu until it was time to head to the airport for my flight to Manila. I'll definitely miss Debrah and all my Filipino friends, but I know I'll be back.

The Colon District of Cebu City has lots of bargains, but known for thieves.

A common sight in Cebu City is older foreigners with young Filipinas.

Many children live on the streets or wander around unattended.

Enjoying some coconut juice and eating the coconut meat too.

Street side coffin and funeral.

This is a building from 1930 near the port in Cebu City.

One of many homeless people in Cebu City. I especially worry about the women.

Ads for historic sites in Cebu City above, a squatter's camp inside.

Squatters with makeshift shelter from the rain.

Debrah has lived 3 years in Cebu City but had never been to Plaza Independencia before.

A war memorial donated by the Japanese people, hoping for peace in the future. Japan invaded the Philippines during WWII, until united forces of the Philippines and U.S. forced them out. Remember General Douglas MacArthur's famous words: "I shall return."

Posing in front of Fort San Pedro with all the baggage I travel with around the world. Mostly clothes in the red suitcase, my laptop and cameras in the backpack.

Fortunately, with the warm weather, sleeping outside is not as unhealthy as in some cities in the world.

Many families rent out rooms to supplement their meager income.