Road Trip

We ventured outside Metro-Manila for the very first time!

We drove 10 hours to one of the northern missions –

Cauayan – mostly in the province of Isabela,

But we passed through Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac,

Pampanga and others. 

All on this big island of Luzon.

We saw a lot of different terrain. 

 We went from flat plains to hills and what we non-Colorado/Utah residents called mountains. 

(Interesting thing about that smoke.  People burn their trash anytime, anywhere they like -

would make California environmentalists crazy)

Everything was very green.  There were lots of rice fields –

in different stages – some being harvested. 

 

Lots of banana trees, coconut palms and other tropical greenery.

But there were also big trees like those that grew in front of

Grandma’s house in Brighton, when I was growing up.

It is simply gorgeous in the provinces

And life seems a lot quieter and simpler there.

 (Everything is so clean.  You see people everywhere using these brooms all the time)

There was poverty, but it’s hard to recognize

 because the people are so cheerful. 

And no matter how poor people are, you can always find one of these.

The roads are alot like country roads in the US,

except the vehicles are different

and the people live closer to the road. 

In Metro-Manila, the major forms of transportation are the

Jeepney(stretch-limo jeep) and the Tricycle (motorcycle with a side-car). 

The same is true out in the provinces, but the ratio is different.

Metro has a majority of jeepneys. 

 Provinces – mostly tricycles.

Jeepneys carry lots more people and so there is a greater need for

them in MM – over 18,000,000 people live here. 

Provinces – people live in little communities here and there. 

There are cities and barangays and I don’t know how you differentiate them.

I was the navigator, so the way I could tell a city from a barangay –

Cities were on the map.  Barangays were not. 

But there aren’t as many big concentrations of people,

so no need for the jeepney when a tricycle will do. 

 

We were told a tricycle can carry 6 people – 5 and a driver. 

But these youngsters were piled all over the thing. 

We also saw tricycles used for carrying all sorts of different things –

Produce, pipe, pigs. 

 Wish we had pictures, but we seemed always to be flying down the road.

We weren't very far into our trip when we committed our

First Act of Disobedience.

Franco Advincula, the Area PEF Coordinator, told us to

be speedily on our way so we could travel in daylight.

He said, "eat in fast-food restaurants."

(Don't know if the expectation was to use the drive-thru).

But we were led astray by our traveling companion,

office-mate, and friend

Jib Esquejo.

It was Jib who picked us up from the airport

the day we arrived in the Philippines and whisked us off to a sacrament

meeting when all we wanted to do was sleep.  (old – remember?)

So it was Jib who knew of a restaurant

(introduced to him by Franco, I believe)

named Palaisdaan, meaning "fishery".  And so it was.

Waterways flowed all through this beautiful restaurant, filled with koi.

We sat in separate, private eating areas

and were able to feed the fish while we waited for our breakfast to arrive. 

Also had time for silliness while we waited. 

Jib and Franco are responsible for introducing us to all the Filipino dishes we’ve tried so far.

Jib had an especially enjoyable time ordering for us at Palaisdaan.

First of all, no meal is complete(for me) without some form of mango. 

Here you see a mango shake. 

We had Pancit Canton (one of several different kinds of pancit) –

stir-fried noodles mixed with vegetables and chicken.   Sooo good. 

 Two kinds of BudBud – rice with wonderful meat

toppings , maybe two kinds of pork – can’t remember. 

 Just know they were to die for. 

 And everything was served on a banana leaf.   

And then the crowning piece de resistance

 (can’t speak Tagalog and now trying French – duh)

  Halo Halo.   

 A combination of gelatin, jackfruit, coconut,

 kidney beans, carbanzo beans (stay with me here), 

condensed milk, leche flan, shaved ice and topped with macapuno ice cream. 

 Can't begin to tell you what a kick it is to eat this concoction. 

It is so darned good! 

And all these heavenly dishes were accompanied by a couple of

serenading cowboys

who sang in English and Spanish. 

 Wonderful morning break.

Back on the road, kicking it up to 140 hair raising kilometers per hour. 

Not often. 

Just enough to make the back seat passenger squirm. 

There were lots of sights along the way. 

Lots of markets and roadside stands.  Always right on the road.

There were always people right beside the road. 

That was the scary part of flying down the  road the way we did. 

And then there is always the Pinoy way of driving. 

 Remember the rules of the road here?

Well, this is part of rule #1 – go with the flow. 

Everything just seems to fit. 

Yes, we are on the left side of the road. 

Yes, those vehicles are headed directly at us. 

But there always seems to be time to get back where we belong. 

 And if not, there’s always the middle of the road. 

 No one’s using that space. 

We love it here. 

So why were we making this trip in the first place?

Remember, we're called on a

Perpetual Education Fund mission.

PEF - the means by which

worthy, ambition young men and women obtain loans

that help them gain an education,

provide for their families, learn self-reliance and become

the future leaders of the rapidly growing Church in the Philippines.

So we went to the Cauayan (rhymes with Hawaiian) Mission

to give a presentation to the Priesthood leaders of the

Stakes and Districts in that Mission.

It was called a "Cluster Meeting", and they're held in each mission semi-annually.

There are 17 missions in the Philippines - as of July 1.

Until that time, 16.

The Stake/District Presidents are responsible for administering PEF in their units,

but they delegate the mechanics of it to their Executive Secretaries.

So we did training for the Executive Secretaries.

I wouldn't use the term "well versed", but we certainly enjoyed ourselves.

And Jib was there to keep us in line.

You remember those good old Gospel Doctrine days when

Elder (not so elder then - mostly older) Bell used to love

getting his teeth into a topic?
Well, it was like that.

He's in his element when he's teaching.

Whether it's ball valves or the Gospel or some program he knows nothing about,

he delivers with gusto!

We had a very good time.

Franco told me I'd be allowed to speak if I promised not to cry.

Really.

Crying has been a problem for me here.

Bear my testimony - cry.

Try to tell someone why I love it here so much - cry.

Relate an experience - cry.

Listen to music - cry.

So maybe a little tear, but nothing like I've been doing.

Franco would have been proud of me.

And here's the greatest discovery we've made so far -

no matter where you go in the world, the Church is the same.

Exactly the same.

Same music. Same Priesthood. Same prayers. Same doctrine. Same programs.

Same buildings.

Same Relief Society.

Same caring. Same decorations. Same chair covers.

Really!!!

Look carefully - just like our chair covers!

Oh, and the return trip. Main focus - Buco Pie.

FIND BUCO PIE!

was our mantra.

The specialty of the region.
We were told not to return home without it, so we persevered.

And found it.

And all lived happily ever after.