Geejay and I arrived in Davao City Tuesday afternoon and took a cab from the airport to a mall in which there is a grocery store. Armed security guards looked in my backpack and briefcase and in her purse before they let us into the mall. Before entering the grocery store I had to check my backpack into a place where they put it into a cubby hole and give you a card with the number of the cubby hole. Upon returning, you hand the person the card and he gives you your item. Again armed security guards looked in Geejay’s purse and frisked me before they allowed us into the store. Such tight security doesn’t bother me. It actually reassures me that things are safe.

Ah, we finally arrive at Geejay’s house. Such a nice cozy place it is. I really felt at home there. As for Geejay, I felt at ease with her from the moment we met. I think it is something deeper than the fact that we have been communicating for 18 months. Meeting her almost felt like being reunited with someone I have not seen in a long time. She and I had an instant rapport and felt very comfortable in each other’s company.

Wednesday morning we took a tricycle to a place where we can catch a cab. From Geejay’s house you only have to walk a very short distance to the street corner and it seems there are always tricycles and motorcycles waiting to pick up a passenger. The cab driver took us to the gym where Geejay takes her yoga class. While she was taking her class I had a good workout in the gym, then she and I went into the small shop in the gym and had smoothies. It was very much like the gyms that I have seen here in America. Any differences between it and an American gym are superficial.

After the gym we went grocery shopping to buy things for our trip to Talikud Island. Next we headed for the Entree restaurant at Apo View Hotel, where we were to meet with her parents, her brother, and her sister-in-law. We got there early and sat and talked for a long time. I was quite favorably impressed with her family. They seem like very nice people. Her brother Tonex is a very nice man, and his wife Maricon is just as sweet as she can be. They told me that they take in stray cats and dogs and have 65 dogs and 16 cats. They won my heart when they told me that. Anyone who cares that much about animals has my deep respect. By the way, Maricon is expecting a baby.

Thursday we went to meet Geejay’s office mates. They seem like very nice people. In fact everyone I met in the Philippines was polite and friendly. I don’t just mean Geejay’s friends, I mean everyone. The personnel at the gym, the waiters at restaurants, people I met at airports, etc. I did not encounter one rude person the whole time I was there.

After leaving her office, Geejay took me to a massage parlor Thursday. The girls doing the massages looked so young. They could pass for 16 but they are probably much older than they look. It was unlike any massage I ever had back home. Geejay and I had massages at the same time, next to each other. First you sit on a chair and they wash your feet. Then you go into a sort of booth, but it is a very large booth. You take your clothes off and put on loose clothing. You lie on a mattress on the floor. The girl walks in and puts her hands together as if in prayer and bows toward you and then she sits down and begins massaging one foot. They do a very thorough massage of the feet and legs before moving on to the hands and arms, then the shoulders and back. She would hold my foot in her arm and push my leg with her foot to stretch it. She stretched my body various ways. It was totally relaxing.

We then went to the place where Geejay’s band Mebuyan, rehearses. I was thoroughly enjoying the rehearsal, but was very tired. I fell asleep on a chair during the rehearsal. I regret falling asleep while they were rehearsing, but I just couldn’t help it. I was exhausted.

Friday we had a nice relaxing day together. Geejay took me to a beach that morning, a place called Paraiso Beach Resort. The water was very calm. I had a nice swim. A good swim always makes me feel better. The view from that beach was magnificent, palm trees on the shore, majestic mountains in the distance on both sides, crystal-clear water.

That evening we went to the venue in which Geejay’s band, Mebuyan performs. We sat at a table up front by the bandstand and talked with her friends while we ate. Geejay has some very good people for friends. I was favorably impressed by all of them. In particular, I would like to say that her friend Idang is very cheerful and congenial, with such a sparkling personality.

After eating a meal, I tried some sort of exotic desert called halo-halo, which means mix-mix.. It was rather unusual, but tasted good. I drank only one beer that night, something called Cerveza Negra (black Beer).

Finally the time of the performance was drawing near. Geejay had to get up from the table and get up onstage and got out my camera to take some pictures and videos. Mebuyan’s music is a sparkling blend of Western pop styles and indigenous sounds. They perform an eclectic mix of songs, most of which they wrote themselves. The band members are Gauss Obenza, who sings and plays guitar, Maia Tampoy, who is blind, plays the keyboard and sings, Geejay Arriola, who plays the kulintang and various other percussion instruments, and sings, Maan Chua, who plays percussion and guitar, and sings, Maree Contaoi, who plays percussion and sings. They are backed up by two male members, Paolo Sisi on bass and Chico Zambrano on drums.

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance! I was long overdue for such an experience. I enjoy a very large variety of musical styles, and I must say, this was unique. Those women sing beautifully and put their hearts into the performance. It was obvious that they were enjoying themselves onstage. The joy in their hearts was palpable and contagious. How could I not feel happiness while taking in this beautiful performance? It was surely a night to remember!