The way other people live

As many of you know we had a holiday over Easter in the Philippines, in a place called Cebu. We flew in on Wednesday night (Thurs - Ching Ming holiday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, all being public holidays in HK.... god I love this place!!) and after negotiating the frantic airport exit road proceeded towards our accommodation in air conditioned comfort. We were confronted at the entrance of the resort by sniffer dogs and security with mirrors searching under the bus. A little perturbed, we continued up the luscious driveway, unloaded and got asked to have the backpack searched...... Welcome to the Philippines!! The War on Terror is alive and real here, even if the searches are conducted half-heartedly, the Filipinos take terrorism seriously. We were searched every time we/our bus arrived at the hotel, the airport (x-rayed 3 times), popular churches and tourist spots. But this had to be the worst inconvenience we suffered!!

The resort - had everything you'd expect from an expensive western style resort, lovely clear pools, palm trees, white sandy beaches, fish life, 'yes Sir' 'yes Ma'am', lots of smiles from lots of staff, big bed, and a crap load of obnoxious spoilt brats.... welcome to Easter holidays!! Cebu itself is something very different. The Philippines is a developing nation that's just never really made any in-roads into the corruption, while also no longer really appealing to foreign investment the way it did in the 90's. But the Filipino people are delightful! They're all smiles, no where near as in your face as the Chinese (very welcome relief), and seem to accept this is what life has dished up. Have lots of children, enjoy yourself, and you'll be OK!! Maybe being Catholic has helped - the big fella must being looking after things.....

We did a couple of tours to get out (its scary just how well off we really were in comparison to the locals) - the resort was actually quite a distance from local areas so it wasn't easy on our own (we were also there to relax, sleep, swim, and generally unwind from the frenetic pace that HK sets). Our tour guide, Jowell, was lovely, a wealth of knowledge and took time to explain why or how things had happened. We got our first real taste of what poverty looks like - TV doesn't really do it justice, but then I don't think you ever believe or react with the same emotion as you do when you see it for yourself. The other thing that surprised me was how proud they are of their heritage. Jowell spoke about Chief Lapu Lapu with real passion (for those of you who don't know, he was the dude who killed Magellan after he tried to assert his authority over the Chief - don't mess with man!!). Proud of Catholicism which Magellan bought with him; proud of the Spanish influence; the US influence and now their multiple 'export zones' where foreign companies can get major tax breaks in return for employing local people.... I'm not sure what else is in it for the Philippines, but it's been popular with the Japanese. Their biggest tourism dollars roll in from South Korea and Japan, with Australia's major mention being we helped after WWII.

Ironically, it was the poverty that we captured the most in photos, the resort seemed sterile in comparison. We were sitting at a set of traffic lights when a guy selling mats for cars starting jumping up and down yelling at our bus. In the split second it happened I thought he was angry about the camera I had in my hands, until I looked again. He wanted his photo taken! I lined up, shot it, looked at the screen, and gave him the thumbs up. He ran off hands in the air to celebrate his victory as his friends sat grinning on the road side. From there on, I watch the crowds of people we passed, they smiled, waved and seemed happily satisfied with a wave back. Sometimes it's the simply things.

The other thing they seemed to take exceptional pride in where their vehicles.... Check out the assortment of accessories, paint jobs, and general effort in their decoration of their transport!