I admit it. This picture was taken a few years ago, but I think I still look vaguely like that. Depends on the day (and the time of day). And today, just before I uploaded this picture, an Indonesian English student told me how much she liked my nose. I heard that a lot in Indonesia. Apparently, a large nose like mine is a good …
Read the full story »Gunshot Wounds and a Breathing Tube
I met this man early in the morning in the streets of Cebu City. He was breathing through a plastic tube inserted in his throat. The only way he could speak to me was by putting his finger over the opening. When he removed his finger, his mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. In halting sentences, he explained that he had been …
Woman Selling Prayer Candles in Cebu City
All the women selling prayer candles outside the Basilica del Santo Nino in Cebu City had pretty much the same selection of candles to choose from. I don’t know where they get them from, but I assumed that they came from the same place. I also don’t know if these women were working for someone else and had to share the proceeds or if they …
Lighting Prayer Candles in Cebu City, Philippines
When I bought my prayer candles from this woman, I lit them myself. I wasn’t sure about the etiquette, but I lit them using the other candles already burning on the grill. I noticed that some people would never even touch their own candles. They passed by on their motorcycles or in their cars and simply handed the women money for the candles and trusted …
Selling Candles in Cebu City
This woman is one of many selling prayer candles on the street outside the Basilica del Santo Nino in Cebu City in the Philippines. Inside the basilica, it is possible to buy small red candles to light as you make your prayer. These women sell candles on the street to people who are passing by and don’t have the time to go inside the basilica. …
The Parade of Idiocy Continues
Saturday February 1, 2014
6:15 a.m. Cebu City, Philippines
Room 406 Hallmark Hotel
An account of yesterday will, unfortunately, sound much like the accounts of all my days in Cebu. I went to shopping malls and couldn’t find the things I was looking for. But there were variations, so here I go:
I was up quite early, and I went out into Cebu to get something to eat. Unfortunately, …
Nearly Defeated by One Rusty Bolt
Friday January 31, 2014
5:00 a.m. Cebu, Philippines
Just to pick up the story from yesterday: I was sitting in Bo’s coffee shop in Park Mall waiting for the friendly people at Cycle Logic to fix my bike. I had asked the clerk to let me know when they had the grip shifter open so that I could see the insides. I honestly didn’t expect that to …
The Nightmare that is Bicycle Shops in Cebu
Thursday January 30, 2014
7:55 a.m. Cebu City, Philippines
I’m not feeling full of zest and energy this morning. Cebu is draining me. While in Tacloban, I built up an image in my mind of Cebu as a city of ease and plenty where all my needs and wants could be satisfied with a simple stroll down the street to the next well-stocked store. Well, for a …
The Bloom Is Off the Rose
Wednesday January 29, 2014
6:15 a.m. Cebu City, Philippines
I’ve always been fascinated by dreams, particularly how my dreams tend to be almost fully realized movies with characters I’ve never met speaking languages I’ve never heard and saying things that, as far as I’m aware, I have no knowledge. These characters also say things that I would never say. Yesterday morning, I woke up just after one …