News 18. Translated by Michel Aronssohn.
Trip to the Philippine Août Septembre 2006.
I met Marilyn during a previous trip to the Philippine, she is merely a friend,
nothing more. We exchanged SMS from time to time. Since Avy is not giving any
news for one year I contacted her family, the reply is clear : I’ll not go back
neither to the ship nor to France. Therefore Captain started alone his trips to
Laos and Burma.
Marilyn is living with her family on LEYTE island, more precisely at Villa Cornejo, a small village located on the northern coast of Biliran island, attached to Leyte. She is the mother of a small 5 months old girl.
I see in advance my good friends making computations : 5+9=14 months. Where was the Captain in June 2005 ? Needless to start queries on this site. In June July I was sailing with the yacht "Valhalla" and Chenda (Avy’s sister), and Tchee Ween on board of Equinoxe between Singapore and Tiomann. So I am not the father. What a pity since the baby is so pretty and lovely.
Upon arrival at Tacloban airport on LEYTE island on August 29th at 4.30 pm the family is already waiting. We take immediately the direction of the house since we have to travel three hours on a road looking more exactly like a dirt track. We make a short stopover in a large village : NAVAL to refuel and buy food and drinks, it could be necessary.
The house is well built, the walls are coated outside and inside, this is not frequent here, to the exception of the wealthy people. However the color was left gray cement colour. The bathroom is composed of a simple pan and a water bucket.
The family owns three houses grouped along the shingle beach. One sister is living in the States and helps the family. With this help and their personal income they built these houses. One is assigned (temporarily!?) to Marilyn’s family.
The evening is pleasant each others discovering . The kids are rather astonished to see me, there are few tourists here, I am actually a foreigner, this part pleases me. The family is welcoming and Marilyn is happy to see me again.
The next day the neighbors, informed about the “farang” arrival are hanging about the house. There are few special events in the village, so my presence is the main subject of the discussions for days.
Villa Cornejo is stretching along a shingle beach one kilometer long stuck between the sea and the road. Three hundred houses or shanties are sheltering somewhat 1200 inhabitants. The village is a bit sad, shops are few, even the bare essential is difficult to find. There are only two phone lines in the village. Evidently the sister, sponsored by the USA owns one. Few satellite dishes fixed to the walls are giving a touch of modernism. Frequently the people connects to a richer neighbor. While listening a program with the family I was surprised to have difficulties to follow the thread of the images the programs being in tagalog with English or visayan subtitles. Explaining that to Marilyn everybody burst out laughing : when the antenna owner switches from one channel to another everybody is also switching. This one was zapping full speed !
I was not at the end of the world but at the eastern end of the Philippine.
The next day I use the washroom, more precisely the water outlet.
I am familiar with the bucket and the can to wash my head, previously treated with a grade 2 hair clipper, however I ask Marilyn to come with me to Naval, the main town to buy some plumber equipment.
On August 31st, two days after my arrival, the bathroom is equipped with a washbasin, a tap to flush the loo, and a shower. Luxury is coming at the “Quidol”, house number 2. The neighbors are gossiping : “This happens when a girl knows a farang !”.
I choose the Saturday following August 31st, why ?, to invite the whole family and friends, roughly sixty persons to a giant evening barbecue party.
The day before, rental of a small van to carry meat, vegetables, beer boxes, wine, coca cola and so on.
Back from the town on 12 pm. A cousin is coming suddenly at 12.30 to invite the whole family and the Captain to her engagement party. We must go now. Invitations are sent at the last moment. Marilyn is doing the same for the barbecue party.
We are on the footpath climbing to the cousin’ house, Marilyn does not leave me alone and try to explain something I don’t understand. She calls her sister for help. Finally they let me understand to accept only the food given by themselves and to refuse the drinks offered. During these meals, unidentified people may add something in the drinks. What a story ! The advice is also valid for the barbecue party organized by ourselves. I have not argued but I took the decision to come back on this interesting subject to know all the whereabouts concerning this dangerous habit.
A lot of people is assisting to the engagement ceremony. The table is rather small. Eight people are sitting, the immediate parents.
The prayer, before the meal, reminds me that we
are in a very observing Christian country. Three shifts meal are served on the
small table. I note that one prayer only for the first shift is enough. In the
room near friends are eating with the plate on the knees. Others are in the
garden planted with banana, mango and papaya trees, the house is perched on the
summit of a hill with a magnificent view on the sea and the islands north of
Leyte. The meal is traditional : rice or small pasta with pork and chicken
variously cooked. I ask some chili to Marilyn (preferably not macerated in some
potion), I waited quite a long time for it since the Filipinos are not eating
spicy foods.
I came also for Marilyn’s passport since she wishes to come back with me. At 6 am we take the bus in the village to reach, after one hour on a track, Naval. Another bus to Tacloban, the island capital, is immediately leaving.
We rush and after 3 hours on a correct road we are in
Tacloban, the town where
MacArthur landed duringWWII.
So, from the village to the capital eight hours bus are necessary to achieve a return trip. The departure time being 3 pm we have 4 ½ hours left to achieve the job. Taking into account the distance from the bus station the queues and the time for the breakfast we should not loose a second. There is also a direct bus to Villa Cornejo however it leaves at 3 am to arrive at 7 am.
Finally Marilyn shows her passport. Uh !!! “Your birth certificate is expired”. This document is only valid for one month. No problem we make a new one and come back. Impossible there is one month delay. Marilyn will not go back with me.
Furthermore if you wish to leave with a foreigner you must go to Cebu or Manila to get an ability certificate, released after a psychological style interview. Better to laugh about that, as it is worst than Myanmar dictatorship since, here, people is deemed civilized. So back to the starting point. Marilyn will have to shuttle between the village, Tacloban, Cebu. I tried to pay an agency as in Cambodia or Laos to no avail.
Here life is calm and quiet, too quiet. Up on 5 am, sleep on 8 pm except for the TV frantic. During the day, numerous are snoozing or stuck in front of the TV.
Meals are composed mainly of rice, sometime, for the poorer, corn flour with one fried fish a person. I played the “Chef” to let the family discovering different cooking, and also to chase some boredom. So I bought at Naval market all the necessary, at unbeatable prices, and I begun cooking (the sweet only has not been tinkered by the Captain).
Menu : Shrimp fritter
Stuffed cuttlefish
Pastries
Crystallized ginger
With Marilyn amused agreement I prepared a farce : The dishes were already filled and served when everybody was seated , what a surprise not to see the giant customary plate of rice reigning in the middle of the table. They were amazed to find in each plate 5 shrimps, two cuttlefish and a little rice molded in a coffee cup only.
The menu was appreciated to the exception of one sister and one brother in law who found the rice pot and devoured the white water boiled rice. The others scoured thoroughly their plates. Obviously the ginger sweetened with a little sugar cane syrup was a little bit strong in mouth. I explained that this sweet is served in Palaces, his main virtue being to enhance certain intimate functions, however this explanation has not boosted their aphrodisiac consumption !
The next day I warn “tomorrow evening no rice, only pasta !”. So I cooked spaghetti with meat, discovering that the usual rice pot was already boiled, I swept it round the kitchen. Marilyn told me : “ok no rice however we eat bread”. So I bought bread. I yelled laughing when they ate the spaghettis “sandwiched” between two slices of bread, staring to me having a good laugh.
Living in a village allows to feel an immersion in an atmosphere and way of living dating back to 80 years in France (to the exception of the TV and evidently the mobile phone !). The lack of means is the main cause of this situation typical of Leyte island, especially the Bilirian peninsula. The inhabitants are giving the impression not only to be lethargic and apathetic but also to give up. Nothing seems touching them. They stare at advertising clips and cheap romance movies shot in sumptuous dwellings without imagining means to improve their living conditions. I installed a shower, they agree that it is a progress, however with the bucket and the can they managed the same !!! By themselves they never would have installed such universal system. In town, however, certain realized that life may be easier, with more fun. They created businesses and became employer.
Here and there today is not more difficult than yesterday. The human being is such and will stay as such. His evolution positive or negative, according to each point of view, will keep going on. There are always the exploiter and the exploited.
We should not endure the liar and obnoxious political, dependant to his election, trusting that, when elected, it will be metamorphosed into a lesson giver. Too many in France are devouring themselves from Villepin to Fabius through Aliot and Sarko, stamping and fidgeting all the time, they show the decay of this standstill uncreative and without prospective France, staying towed by Europe.
Bosses, decision makers are grounding their decisions according to the profit, not taking into consideration the conditions of life and not having in mind the word humanism.
Period, I come back to Villa Cornejo.
Taking into account the difficulties and, above all, the one or two months delay to obtain the precious documents allowing the passport delivery, I decided to go back to Manila alone and, after two or three days, find back Equinoxe.
I managed to explain the story of the potion/poison. Long time ago this practice was commonly used, it permitted to solve conflicts between individuals and families ! Ahead with digestive, intestinal complications, and, for the naughtiest a direct trip between four wooden planks. Nowadays it is merely a superstition.
My departure decision didn’t please neither Marilyn, nor the family. End of the blowouts, the barbecue parties and other advantages. However it was time to tell it, animal friends hold on !
I slept quite a large number of nights in this village and, very often, I was waked up by long, noisy, barking concerts. At night, on the beach, groups of dogs were fighting and ran here and there. Being always a trained observer when I am traveling, I noticed quit a noise slowdown. Consequently, I observed the beach, taking benefit of the evening coolness : two dogs only, in poor state (devoured by scabies) and annoying themselves. Where the hell is the rest of the tribe ? I didn’t look anymore after the reply until I got it on my departure vigil.
The family was feeding a bitch with two weaned puppies. Logically the bitch was keeping on eating but not producing (as many people in the village), so they slaughtered her for food, saving some kilos of pork or chicken. Not negligible in a place where misery is ruling.
So, at dinner, I ate only fish ! A hundred time worse, the fish was quite oldish, the next day I got rash. Time to take a leave. Perhaps they imagine that I ran away for the dog !
Before to quit Marilyn I told her :”There are many kids in your village, the days you’ll have no more dogs… This occurred in the past, (and perhaps today in some other islands !) I am really obnoxious, they’ll, beforehand devour rats. By the way, I never saw any cat !
For us it is difficult to admit it. We consider differently pets and other animals.
I just took a bath of happiness in a lost place of the world : Villa Cornejo. Today, back on board of my ship, I am ashamed to have felt a little annoyed. There doctors have never cured any nervous breakdown. In this desolated point where we walk with difficulty on grey shingle where kids are playing with a old tire or a piece of wood, laughing and dancing.
They are not favored by the nature, however nature is pretty. The rice fields are green with somewhere coconut trees growing as high as possible, catching on the mountain, capped with clouds, keeping an eye on its small world.
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