Day 3: Cebu City, the Philippines

Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016

The 13-hour non-stop flight to Manila from San Francisco went very smoothly. I even slept part of the way. They fed us so much dinner and snacks, I had to refuse the breakfast, which is unusual for me. I’m kind of a penny-pincher who enjoys “free” food. My seat partner Yama is originally from Afghanistan, but came to the US with his family as refugees, following the Russian invasion in 1979. I watched two movies while Yama slept, then chatted once he woke up. He will be meeting Afghan friends in Bangkok, some VIPs, so hotel and meals will be paid for. We promised to get together in Santa Cruz in 2017.

Somehow I managed to cut down my big bag from 22 kilos to 20.5, and my carry-on from 12 kilos to 8. I put on more clothes, transferred some small heavy items to my back pack (which they don’t weigh because it has a laptop in it), swapped my tennies for some bigger heavier ones that I’m bringing for the ball boys in Argao, Cebu where I stayed June-August. And threw out the boxes from granola bars and goldfish crackers. It’s a miracle, but it worked.

Waiting at the Manila Airport for connecting flight to Cebu. It's common in Asia to wear dust masks to prevent spreading illness and to protect against bad air.

After a quick hour and 15 minute flight from Manila to Cebu City, I was happy to see my Filipino friend Debrah waiting just outside baggage claim. Usually I travel light, except when I’m bringing gifts. My 20-kilo bag was full of used tennis rackets and tennis shoes for the ball boys in Argao, and snacks and gifts for the girls at Cebu Hope Center, and other friends I’ll be visiting during 10 days in the Philippines.

Cebu Hope Center, run by Franciscan nuns, provides a home for girls who have been abandoned or abused.

So far this year I’ve spent 7 months in the Philippines, mostly in Cebu, so I know my way around the city by jeepney -- colorful converted American jeeps, leftover from WWII. For 7 pesos (15 cents US) I get to duck and hunch over as I find my spot on the side benches. Sometimes the driver collects the fare, or he has a helper who hangs onto the open back of the jeepney and yells out the destination. The passengers help pass the coins and small bills forward and the change back. When you want off you can tap the metal roof with a coin, make a smooching noise, or yell out, “lugar lang.”

Colorful jeepneys, originally converted from WWII surplus, are the main form of public transportation in Cebu City.

Debrah and I went straight from the airport to Cebu Hope Center, a live-in rehabilitation home for girls age 8-18 who have been abandoned and/or abused by their families, run by Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart. It’s Sunday so the girls and nuns were watching a movie together. We shared my gifts of cashews, granola bars, goldfish crackers, dried California apricots, almonds, and cappucino drink mix, along with other individual gifts. I told some stories and put on a puppet show with the hand puppets I brought. 

Although I’m generally lucky to avoid the jet lag monster, he got me this time. I felt myself getting sleepy around 5 p.m., so I headed to my hotel and was fast asleep by 6:00 p.m. I had hoped to sleep a full 8 hours after the long flight, but no, I woke up ready to take on the world at 11:30 p.m. Thank goodness I was in my favorite cheap pension, Jacinth near the Capitol building, so I had decent wifi and could catch up on emails, Facebook, and start this blog. I never left the room until Debrah showed up at 10 a.m.