Saturday, January 25, 2014

No Wi-fi again today.

All our bags are to be packed and ready to go in lobby of Bogo Lodge by 9 AM.

Donna, Liz, and I visited Julie's bakery--bread and Jolli bee's--fried egg and hot chocolate. 

Then we explored the 3 floors of the market there.   We explored down the street from Bogo Lodge and discovered a beach area with about 5 street venders (not open until 4 PM) and lots of outdoor seating.    I chatted with some first year college students who were out sweeping up trash from along the street.

Speaking of trash:  I usually had to hunt to find something to throw trash in.   Children would open snacks we brought and simply let the paper covering drop.      It seems that a household's trash was gathered into empty rice bags and set out--apparently a truck would come by for it periodically??  Does it go to a landfill?

Didn't observe recycling opportunities (as in containers to put such things) except I think in the SM mall in Cebu City.      Most businesses or squatters (selling something) along sidewalks seemed to sweep daily and perhaps wet down the area in front.   Deep concrete trenches for water run off usually ended up with some garbage in them as well. Also with occasional outside sink, the dirty water simply would run into the trenches along the street.     Not sure where water in trenches went off to.    

 In the country I'd see trash about by the road and around houses.  As mentioned in a previous post, chickens and goats seemed to roam as they wanted; well, goats might be tethered. 

But I hated to think about the mess of mud and feces during heavy rain times.....all around the houses.    In the towns, there generally seemed to be plumbing for the CR's to take waste water away somewhere.  Also in the towns where there was also indoor sinks and CR's, there was plumbing for waste water to go away, as well as the plumbing for 'clean' water to come in.    We never  trusted the 'clean' water from indoor faucets for drinking.

We rode tricycles to the bus depot and got tickets on a non- air-conditioned bus to Cebu--12- pesos per person.  I got a seat by the window so enjoyed (?) air in my face which was fine except in towns or areas of traffic because then I had to cover my nose with a kerchief due to the extreme exhaust smells.

speaking of air pollution:    Naturally in Cebu City there was more air pollution simply because of the congestion and larger number of vehicles.   I did note emission testing places--but they never had anyone there with a vehicle being tested!    Traffic in Cebu City  (at least where we were staying) was pretty much around the clock:  motorcycles, tricycles, jeepneys, trucks of varying sizes, personal vehicles of varying makes/models/sizes (usually smaller) and of course large buses (both inner city and between city buses).       And smoking:   lots of smoking just about everywhere.   My lungs did not like that at all.  My eyes and nose and throat did not like the car exhaust pollution.  (and factory pollution?)  There is manufacturing in the Philippines--at least I imagine in the largest cities--both foreign companies building plants here as well as local companies.    The Philippines exports semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruits.   I did see a coca-cola plant and a purina plant!              Specifically I found out:    " that the anti-lock braking systems used in Mercedes-Benz, BMS. and Volvo are made in the Philippines!     Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Nissan are the most prominent automakers manufacturing cars in the country.     Intel has been in the country for 28 years.   Texas Instruments has a plant in Baguio producing all the chips used in Nokia cell phones.   Lexmark printer manufacturer has a factory in Mactan in the  Cebu region.        The call center industry is up and coming in the Philippines.     Medical transcription is outsourced from the US to the Philippines."

From the  Cebu bus depot we went on to SM to meet up with Brent and Chris and Hannah.   SM is a huge shopping mall. 

I did appreciate that at outside entrances to the mall there is police/security person and one's bag (s) are checked and one walked through a scanner.   Perhaps our malls would be somewhat safer if all entering also went through such security checks!     At many individual stores within the mall, there would be an additional security person just for those stores.     

 

 

 We women went with Chris a short distance away to  street vendors specializing in beads/shells.  Then back to the mall where we met Mark and Darlene just recently arrived from New Hampshire for 7 weeks to assist  Brent with the focus on micro-financing.  

After lunch at the food court, Chris took Marj and Sarah to shop more before Marj was to be at the airport at 10 PM and Sarah at the airport at 5 AM!       Miss those sisters!

      

The rest of the team spent the night at Lylie Hotel again--near intersection of two major streets in  Mindaue City part of Cebu City.