First, apologies that I haven't written in so long. I think most people, with most projects they've undertaken, go through phases where they're very productive and phases where they aren't so productive. I've been doing things but just haven't had the motivation to sit down and write about them. So, without further delay:
Let me say that I am utterly wiped out. This morning I went on a cave tour. For more than three hours I climbed up cave formations, scurried across giant boulders, threaded myself through extremely narrow openings, climbed down cave formations, swam through underground rivers, slid around on my butt, crawled on all-fours, and bonked my head no more than two times during the whole ordeal. Despite the physical exhaustion that I'm feeling right now, the cave tour was definitely worth the time and money and I'd do it again in a heart beat (albeit with a few days' recovery). My companions on the tour were three nice Filipinos from Manila who took a vacation together up here in Sagada. The fifth member of our group was Igon-ay, a local man who served as cave guide and bearer of light (he carried a gas lantern for us to see). Fortunately for me, I wasn't quite too big for some areas of this cave, although one time I came very close to getting stuck. As the title of this blog alludes, there were several areas where the 6'7" American guy had to resort to moves that resembled a circus contortionist. However, other areas of the cave were cavernous and awe-inspiring. And water. Water was everywhere. From cascades that seemed to come out of the ceiling to swift streams slowly carving out patterns in the boulders to a large deep pool where one could take a dip and shock the system with a surprisingly low water temperature at the same time. I loved it. What I will not be loving, however, is tomorrow. I anticipate the onset of a medial condition known as "acute muscle soreness". I'll most likely be sitting down, reading my book, and drinking tea most of the day tomorrow.
Before Sagada I had the opportunity to meet up with Jema in Baguio after finding out via facebook that we'd just happen to be in the same place at the same time. We spent a couple of days hanging out together and spending time with some of Jema's friends (and my friends now, I guess) who live in the area. Highlights included a meal of rice and dog meat (dog meat is bland and quite greasy, though surprisingly tender), sampling a myriad of other Filipino dishes (stuff I was always scared to try because, quite frankly, it's difficult to tell what's actually in the dish), and driving 1 hour down to the coast to visit a resort/casino complex (no gambling for me). Jema and I will rendezvous again on the 23rd and spend Christmas in Baguio before flying to the Visayas, which is a huge island group in the middle of the country. I'm looking forward to some island fun in the sun.
Here's my gripe for the day: cockroaches. They are everywhere. Not everywhere as in "blanketing the floor like fresh-fallen snow". Rather more like "I see at least one-a-day crawl out from a hole in the wall". I know what you're thinking: Well, seeing one-per-day isn't exactly "everywhere". But for a guy from Wyoming who had never seen a cockroach until traveling outside the US at the age of 22, seeing cockroaches everyday counts as "everywhere" in my book. The kicker is this: the locals don't seem to mind. I was eating in a restaurant recently when I spied a rather large cockroach moving across the floor. A waitress happened to be passing the table so I pointed it out to her. She nodded her head and said "oh" and continued walking towards the kitchen. Only after she returned from the kitchen did she make a feeble attempt to look under some chairs. By that time, though, the bug had done a disappearing act back into its hidy-hole somewhere. I know I may sound like an affluent westerner by complaining about a common third-world annoyance, but I believe everyone here could do without the cockroaches.
Stray dogs are everywhere. As mentioned earlier, I had the opportunity to try dog meat (some of you may be questioning my use of the word "opportunity"). That experience, combined with seeing stray dogs all over the streets (Jema recounted a story to me when a local told her that "every dog you see will be eaten eventually"), can possibly change a person's overall thoughts about canines. While dogs are usually viewed solely as lovable pets, often known as "man's best friend", another description has been added to the list: lunch. I've always known that some cultures eat dogs, and that some Americans in the early history of our country did the same, but I've never seen it nor experienced it until coming to the Philippines. To my knowledge, dog meat was something eaten by primitive bush tribes, not city-dwellers with growling stomachs. The meat is served in most eateries here, although discretely, because technically its against the law to serve it. Let me be clear by saying that I only ate the dog meat as a cultural experience, and won't eat it again. It's greasy, the chunks of meat are tiny, and all the dogs I see on the street (that end up on the plate) are emaciated strays. Give me a chicken leg or T-bone and I'll dig in. However, this brings up a good question. Why have we westerners pegged the title of "edible" onto some animals and not others. How is a chicken more suitable to be eaten for dinner, shake-n-bake style, than so many other animals? For someone who grew up eating wild game, I can see how animals other than the big three (beef, chicken, and pork) could also make a delicious meal. I'm sure residents of the Bayou, whom I've hard regularly dine on alligator, would agree with me.
That's all for today. I hope everyone is doing well in other parts of the world. Take care!
Pat
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