Part I: Even More Dadaps!
After much anticipation, Nathan's family came to visit the Philippines during August. It was his sister, Sofie's, first time, and his dad's first trip back since he left nearly 30 years ago. You can read more about their visit in Nathan's blog!
Nathan holds the music for Uncle Jemay (professional violinist),with piano accompaniment by cousin Jascha! Photo by Jenny Qi |
As always, it was great to spend time with Nathan's family. Since we came to Manila 8ish months ago, I've been able to get to know many of his relatives that live in the area. I've said it before and I'll say it again- I can't imagine how difficult the transition to living here would have been without the Dadap network! And quite a network it is- Nathan's grandfather is one of fourteen siblings, so there is a seemingly endless list of aunts, uncles and cousins (plus all of the great-, half-, second-, once-removed- level relatives!). When Nathan's immediate family visited, even more relatives came out of the woodwork. Over the course of a handful of family reunions and smaller gatherings, one thing really stands out about this family: Music. Whenever the threshold level of Dadaps is reached, music starts playing- singing, piano, violin, guitar, and contagious laughter. It's truly incredible how pervasive musical talent is throughout their family. Famous musicians from the Dadap clan reside in Manila, Los Angeles, New York and throughout the Philippines. As someone with no musical abilities to speak of, I can now happily attribute this to a lack of genetic predisposition! Though I'm hoping that all of this singing and performing will eventually rub off on me and I'll be able to join in.
Fishermen returning at sunrise on the shores of Hinunangan |
The coconut forest of Hinunangan at sunrise |
Dadaps: The Musical started out with performances in and around Manila, mostly at family gatherings over food, and then began a national tour with a trip to Hinunangan, Southern Leyte. This is the place where the family of 14 siblings arose, and there are still many relatives living in the small, beachfront town. The closeness of the small community was evidenced by Nathan's dad being able to approach strangers and ask "Do you know where I can find my cousin Long-Long?", and get directions to his relative's house (along with a suggestion that he might be at the bar)!
This was my second trip to Hinunangan, the first having been in June after a work trip to Tacloban. Since the last visit was only 2 days long and mostly spent recovering from an exhausting project, it was great to be able to relax and take in the beauty of the area over a few days. The highlight was a short boat trip to the San Pablo & San Pedro islands, located just off the coast. We spent a beautiful day on a white-coral beach, snacking and snorkeling until it was time to go home. A small resort type area had been established, but it was by no means a popular tourist destination, and I suspect it is largely undiscovered by anyone outside of Hinunangan. All the better, and I hope it stays as pristine and untouched for years to come! The tropical fish were incredibly beautiful, and I vow not to return to the Philippines without an underwater camera. Being the wimp that I am, I am usually pretty skittish about ocean swimming due to a mostly-irrational fear of sea snakes and sharks. Snorkeling has proven to be the perfect solution, and allowed me to spend hours at a time in the salty Pacific without the eerie feeling that something is lurking beneath my feet. Except when there was something lurking beneath my feet! On the sea floor, but not more than 20 feet away, I saw a 3-5 foot long, limbless, striped creature.
This is how I remember the sea creature I saw |
I immediately darted to the shore, and only returned to the water when Nathan's 16 year old sister went in, since clearly she would be the perfect person to protect me from sea snakes. Together we returned to the spot where I'd seen the animal and took a closer look, only to discover that instead of a serpentine face it had a mass of short, waving tentacles. I still don't know what exactly it was, and I can't find anything that looks quite like it on Google, so I'm going to have to assume we discovered a new species of hybrid anemone/sea snake. Luckily it took on the docile nature of it's anemone ancestors, and we escaped unscathed :)
The epic spread at the Dadap despidida (complete with 3 vegan options- score!) Photo by Jenny Qi |
The 3-week-long visit culminated with a great family gathering at Nathan's uncle's house in Manila, with an incredible assortment of food, world-class musical performances, and lots of joyful family time. This was also the same day that my friend Jenny from California came, and one awesome Philippine experience blended seamlessly into the next!
Part II: Me, Jenny and Luzon- a whirlwind tour!
As it turns out, I'm wildly popular, so much so that in August I had a second visitor from across the world! Jenny, a friend from UCSF, wisely decided to take advantage of having a friend in the Philippines when planning her summer vacation, and we had an awesome time exploring the island of Luzon for the 8 days she was here. Travelling during rainy season has it's plusses and minuses, and the journey started out with a rude awakening to the realities of mother nature in Manila: urban flooding!
Sink or Swim (or Pedicab)
An empty jeepney trying to escape the rising flood |
Rice, Glorious Rice!
The view from our Batad guesthouse |
Harvest time in Batad |
The owner of our Batad guesthouse with her niece Photo by Jenny Qi |
Sagada, Mountain Province
Hanging coffins in Sagada |
Hiking in rainy season, without a guide, is not the most advisable course, and we quickly learned the error of our ways when we lost track of our trail after crossing a river. Panicking and facing a steep hill with houses above in the distance, we made the decision to just hike as directly upward as we could, trail be damned. Unfortunately, this was a particularly thorn-ridden patch of land and a week later my legs still show evidence of this poor decision making! Luckily, before any tears over our ensuing death were shed, we found the trail and realized we were actually quite close to the main road! Still, lesson learned: hire a guide. All the fear was quickly erased when we emerged onto the main road in front of a store with a sign reading "Hedgehogs for sale". Still filled with adrenaline our harrowing experience, I asked the storeowner if he would mind showing us a hedgehog even if we weren't ever going to buy one. He obliged, and ten minutes of cute-animal-therapy set the tone for a relaxing evening in Sagada. We ate a delicious dinner in a Bob Marley themed restaurant, drank berry wine with some fellow visitors, and rose the next morning ready for a long day of bus rides back to Manila.
Baby cow taking a nap in Sagada |
Back to Manila
6 month old hegdegog in Sagada Photo by Jenny Qi |
All in all, August was an incredible month full of family, friends and new experiences. Still, I'm happy to be back to work at SIBAT, and greatly appreciate having a job that I don't dread returning to after a vacation!