I would like to take a moment to describe my general impression of the Philippines, the culture, the people, the landscape, etc.

First I would like to describe my impression of the physical aspects of the islands of the Philippines. I’ve not been to a lot of places, so admittedly, I have very little in my experience to compare it to. That being said, I would like to express my opinion that the Philippines is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. From the gentle rolling hills to the mountains, the lush vegetation, the streams and rivers, make for the most beautiful scenery I have ever laid my eyes upon.

I found it interesting that security is so tight in Davao. Every time we entered a mall, security guards (maybe they were policemen) would look in Geejay’s purse, look in my backpack, and frisk me. Before entering grocery stores I had to hand my backpack over to someone who put it in a cubby-hole. They would give me a card with the cubby-hole number so I could retrieve it after leaving the store. They would look in Geejay’s purse and frisk me as we entered the grocery  store. I noticed several armed security guards (policemen?) patrolling the aisles of the stores.

I was not bothered by such tight security. Actually it made me feel safer. I assume that the tight security measures are a reaction to threats of terrorism. The security personnel who checked our bags and frisked me were never rude or impolite. They did their job in a perfunctory manner and were never disrespectful or discourteous.

The culture there did not seem to me to be very different from the culture back at home, but of course I only experienced the Filipino culture on a rather superficial level, as any tourist would. I know from what I’ve read that there are many cultural differences between them and us, but none of these differences became apparent to me during my stay.

I found the people to be polite and friendly. I’m sure there are bad people there. Anywhere you go in the world there are both good and bad people. But during my stay in the Philippines I did not meet anyone whom I would describe as a bad person. Quite the opposite.

One thing you will not have to worry about if you go there is a language barrier. Filipinos are required to learn English in school. I was told that they begin learning it in preschool.

Probably the most salient point of departure from my experience back home was the transportation. We Americans are rather spoiled. If we feel like going somewhere we take it for granted that all we have to is walk out to our driveway and put the key in the ignition lock of our vehicles and go. I noticed very few privately-owned vehicles on the road in both Manila and Davao. For a small fee, a tricycle or motorcycle will take you from a back-road to a main road from which you can hail a taxi. You can also ride a jeepney. I saw a lot of jeepneys, but did not ride in one.

I would not want to drive any vehicle in either Davao or Manila. So you think they drive like maniacs in America huh? You ain’t seen nothing until you go to the Philippines. The lack of traffic lights or traffic signs makes for some interesting driving tactics. When a driver comes to an intersection they just ease on out, knowing that the oncoming traffic will stop or slow down for them. It is hard to describe the seemingly chaotic jumble that is traffic over there. Especially in Manila I was amazed at the way they drive. But it seems to work for them. I didn’t see any accidents in the city. And I didn’t perceive any road-rage, as we call it here in America. People expect you to pull right out in front of them or cut them off in traffic. The flow of traffic was amazing to me. You have to see it to believe it.

Having always been interested in astronomy, and knowing the night sky very well, I was eager to look at the stars while I was in the Philippines. Davao City is between 7 and 8 degrees above the equator, so the night sky is quite different than what I see back home in Jacksonville, which is 30 degrees north latitude. The first couple of nights that I was there, Geejay and I were home before dark, but were so exhausted by nightfall that we went to bed early and didn’t even go outside. The next few nights were cloudy. One morning we went out onto the street in front of her house while it was still dark. The sky was relatively clear, but much of the view is blocked by trees at that location. I did, however see Scorpio and Sagittarius toward the southeast.  They were much higher in the sky than they ever are from my hometown. The lights of the city completely washed out the Milky Way. I couldn’t make out a hint of Milky Way, even in that thick region towards the center of our galaxy, which lies in between Scorpio and Sagittarius. Venus and Jupiter were visible to the east. If you draw an imaginary line from Jupiter to Venus and continue it to the eastern horizon, that line would be at a quite noticeable slant as view from back at home, but is close to being vertical from where I stood, only 7 degrees above the equator.

Our two-day excursion on Mount Apo subjected me to the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery that I have ever beheld. There was never a single moment on Apo that we were not surrounded by the most exquisitely beautiful scenery. I was hoping that the clouds would go away by nightfall and reveal a sky studded with stars. My wish was partially granted. There was a window of time in which the sky was relatively cloudless and the stars filled the sky. It was not too long after nightfall when I emerged from the tent and stepped out the look at the sky.

The first thing I always do when I go out at night is get my bearings straight. I need to know my directions. Of course I did not expect to see the North Star at such a southerly location, but I was hoping to see either the Big Dipper or Cassiopeia low to the horizon. No such luck. Soon the movement of the stars allowed me to discern the cardinal points of the compass. Things rise in the east, you know. I checked some star maps before I left and was aware that at the present time of year, the Southern Cross would rise a few hours after the onset of darkness, preceded by Centaurus. I was interested in seeing such things as Alpha and Beta Centauri, the Coal-Sack Nebula, and of course, the Southern Cross. I looked for Canis Major and Orion or any other familiar constellation. My eyes were dazzled by so many stars and my state of mind was a strange mixture of awe and bewilderment. I could identify no stars and no constellations. Soon the clouds returned and the sky was blotted out. I was disappointed that I did not get the see the astronomical objects that I had so desired to see. I was amazed that I was unable to identify anything in the sky during the twenty or so minutes I had spent observing.

In conclusion I want to say that my stay in the Philippines was very exciting and pleasant. It was by far the best vacation I ever had.