Cleanliness...

With the heat and humidity, even though we have been here during the 'cool' time, I am amazed at how clean the people seem to be.

I've seen laundry done all by hand with cold water out of a pipe sticking up out of the ground--one bowl for sudsy water and one for rinsing.   Everything is hung where ever they can hang clothing to dry--which can take time in the humidity and what about during the 'rainy' season??

There seems to be plumbing in most areas.    We avoided drinking any water from faucets.  In fact, most Filipinos have bottled water.     Well, they drink a lot of soda pop.

As a team, we did get to drop off our dirty (and muddy) laundry the 21st at a "laundry mat" and it was picked up late the next day.  We had fun opening the plastic bags and sorting through to find our own pile of now clean clothes!

I've seen very small washing machines/dryers  in the mall--wouldn't know the percentage of people who can afford or have one in their home.

In many areas the 'shower' is simply using buckets of water to get wet, suds up, then buckets or rather dippers of water to rinse off.       The hotels our team stayed in did have showers, but water pressure low and in  Bogo we only had cold water!       Some homes may have an electric pot to heat water to mix in bucket with cold so the dipperfuls to rinse with are warm water.

But I do wonder about those who drink the water from the pipe coming out of the ground; and swish the plates under that water to air dry or use still wet to eat off of.        I am sure as an American, my body is much more susceptible to getting a bacterial 'bug' than a Filipino growing up here and perhaps their body building a resistance to 'bugs'.

I don't know how often generally people 'shower', but in the real heat I would think once or twice a day.   Perhaps those near the ocean swim--but then would need to wash off the salty water.  

I must mention the tiny ants..they are everywhere and can manage to get inside just about everything.  Chris kept a lot of things (even wrapped or in containers) in the refrigerator because the ants couldn't live in there.     But what about all the many families with no refrigeration??

And flies.    Like in Iran ( a long time ago I was there), things come in early and fresh to the market.  A person must shop early while things are fresh and shop daily and use up

what one buys that day--unless you do have refrigeration to keep something a couple of days.     And our team was here during the 'cool' season; I can't begin to imagine the flies and mosquitoes and bugs in general during the rainy and very warm season!!