Wednesday…. a Leyte full day....

Was another almost surreal day here in Leyte. Anna’s relatives arrived after Anna and I spent the morning sunning by the pool. Before that I awoke and went for a stroll with Cynthia down along the beach with her taking pictures of me everywhere (most of which are not going to appear here), which was a bit unusual but was nice to give her something to do besides walk with me since she doesn’t speak English very well, and I of course don’t know Tagalog or the Visayan dialect of some sort that she speaks.



Ate a lot, was urged to taste pig skin and did not like it, so spit it out. Did like this unripened banana and coconut mash that was the texture of roasted chestnuts mushed into a chunky paste.

Went to a place called “Rafael’s Farm” with the fairy godmothers which was a garden, Spanish style but resembling a zen manicured tea house garden, with cute winding pathways and ponds and fountains and such and with a restaurant (open aired) in the middle, designed and decorated beautifully with great lemonade, pansit and garlic bread served. The driver Edgar followed Anna and I around to take pictures of us with our cameras, so we have many of this place now. It is still a bit surreal, but starting to make sense and feel quite normal.


Then at night, a dinner party with music and food was planned, and the women invited a friend, Bobot, to dance (a cute gay guy who teaches dance and workouts) and a local "starving" model-actor who they know from back in the day, I guess, (a not-so-wealthy but very cute and pretty guy), to come for dancing and our enjoyment and to help us drink tuba, a local rusty red Philippine liquor-wine made of coconut and mixed with a little coca-cola. It was fun.

I am tired and we are headed to Manila tomorrow. There are so many little flying bugs that look and act like sow bugs but with wings. They all seem to show up at night, maybe for the light. There are cows and big oxen looking things called carabao and pigs walking at the side of the road, and roosters. It is pretty here, I wish I had time to wander the downtown and visit the little shack-like shops. It was also fun riding to the farm in the back of a small pickup truck, sitting on lawn chairs with the wind whipping our hair as Edgar drove and as we learned it was a presidential escort vehicle, hence the funny horn noises.



We also saw the large San Juanico s-curved bridge connecting Leyte and Samar. We stopped a few times right in the middle of it (going across both directions), even though signs said no stopping, and took pictures. (two islands), which is something that Imelda Marcos had built as one of her largest social projects (she is from Tacloban and still has property there, a large rural/country club like retreat).



OK... enuf for now.... out for drinks in Manila...