Water and Mangoes

“you made some comments earlier about water issues - what's going on with that in your city - do you have to buy bottled water? Eat at least three mangoes for me please, preferably green with lime juice and salt. Barbara”

Barbara recently left a comment with a question about water – what is happening in this city and do we have to buy bottled water. The short and sweet answer is “yes”. Here’s what the hotel says about it in the directory of services:

“It is highly recommended to boil tap water prior to drinking. Bottled water is available. Please contact Housekeeping for assistance.”

The Canadian government post report says that

“The city water is purified, but by the time it reaches one’s house, this may no longer be the case.”

In our present circumstances, in an excellent hotel in an excellent part of town, I’m still taking water very seriously. After a couple of days of schlepping bottles of water from the grocery store I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore and went to the front desk and asked for some options. We are now renting a water cooler dispenser and get 5 gallon water jugs delivered every 5 days or so. We use bottled water for drinking, ice cubes, coffee making, teeth brushing, contact lense cleaning – and I’m still looking suspiciously at that tap when I clean the dishes. I was walking through the appliance section of the department store the other day and saw an appliance I’d never seen before. I forget what it was called but essentially it is for disinfecting dishes. Not a dishwasher, those are rare, but presumably to disinfect them after they are washed by hand in tap water. Now why would one need to do that…?

On the subject of dishwashers, when we were looking for condominium apartments to rent we found that there are only a few buildings in the city that come with dishwashers. Why? Because it is expected that you hire a human dishwasher (the maid), so why would you need it? Well I do, for hygienic reasons mentioned, because I can’t stand the sight of dirty dishes in a sink for even 5 minutes and for other reasons to do with that “human dishwasher” (perhaps more on that another time) - and so a kitchen with no dishwasher was a deal breaker in our search.

Back to fresh drinking water… we’re spending about 1500 pesos a month for this water cooler and bottled water in our hotel suite. Say about $33 dollars a month. That is the monthly income of MILLIONS of people in this country. Most people in the rural areas, as well as in the urban barrios, share communal water taps of questionable quality. This is a picture of a Manila small piped water network from the ADB Review. One estimate, quoted in the Review says that less that 70% of urban dwellers have access to “safe” water and in rural communities the number is far less. The lack of safe drinking water is a major cause of illnesses which affect 2 out of 3 people in the rural areas. Plus the whole process of filling jugs and buckets – this is in both rural and many urban areas, carrying them home significant distances, is all a part of the poverty drudgery. I’ve been paying particular attention to those background shots in television news items or in Filipino movies, showing the lives of people in those areas.

I’ve been following a blog of a young man who is chronicling his travels in the Philippines. His experiences are the exact opposite of mine in every conceivable way – other than the fact that he is living, observing and writing. He is 20 years old, a Filipino-American, raised in the U.S. his whole life till now, who has decided to travel around the Philippines for an extended period of time, on very little money – his goal is about 50-100 pesos a day. He is living in the rural areas, very very simply, with much hardship, taking lots of pictures and posting his blog through internet cafes. It’s pretty raw stuff. He talks about a village not far from Olongepo, which is not far from Manila, where the 50 or so villagers share 1 toilet and a communal water spout.


Enough already. Lighten up! On to mangoes.





Barbara is suggesting green mangoes with lime and salt. Haven’t tried it – will do ASAP, thank you for the tip. I’ve been eating ripe mangoes almost daily – the best, most wonderful mangoes I’ve ever had. Mango shakes are fantastic and served everywhere.

I now know better than to hesitate to delay trying Barbara’s suggestion. Here’s a sad story. Many years ago, when we first went to Jamaica, in the very first few days we were there, I ate some “mango”. It was horrible, VILE, I thought, and for the next year and a half I avoided it completely. Then, towards the end of our time there, I realized that it was not MANGO that I had eaten that day, it was PAPAYA! All that time I had missed out big time! To this day I still loathe even the smell of papaya – I call it vomit fruit – but sure do adore that mango!

The Body Count

Well it seems there is a war going on in this country. No, not in Manila, thank goodness, but in the south, in parts of Mindanao. A few weeks ago, just after we got here, some marines on patrol down there were ambushed, killed and had their heads cut off. A big offensive has been launched to shut down these bad guys. (Although a spokesman from one of the separatist organizations suggested that the marines cut the heads off their own compadres to provoke the retaliation. Jeez!) So every morning we pick up the newspaper from outside our door and read the latest body count. "57 dead in Basilan clash", "Air Force helicopter crashes", "More troops rushed to Sulu", "25 soldiers, 27 rebels dead in Sulu fighting".

I can't begin to pretend that I understand what is going on, but apparently this is a long-standing dispute and involves a group called Abu Sayyaf (means "bearer of the sword" in Arabic) , which is a militant organization located in parts of what is predominantly Muslim Mindanao. Apparently it is a splinter group of the Moro National Liberation Front, one of the two major Muslim separatist movements in the southern Philippines which have been negotiating on and off with the Philippine government. The White House says, if you can believe anything they say, that Abu Sayyaf is a terrorist group with links to al-Qaeda. In any event, in addition to the police and the Philippine army, there are also foreign "advisors" on the ground, including the CIA. A commentator in yesterday's paper asked a very good question - what would happen if an American GI, or other foreign military personnel (there are also Australians and Brits there) were to be killed in this very volatile situation. What indeed?

Over the years there have been some high profile incidents involving kidnapping, and in some cases murder, of foreigners by this group in the south, including Americans, often missionaries but also some tourists. Last month an Italian priest was kidnapped (he has since been released and the Vatican is not sending any more priests to the region). Many more Filipinos, including children, have been kidnapped and extortion of local businessmen is common. A couple of weeks ago a bus station was bombed after an attempt to extort money from the bus company was unsuccessful.


This all seems remote from our lives in Makati and I hope it stays that way. Yesterday the rain had stopped (there is actually blue sky and sunshine today for a change) and we went for a long walk. Sunday morning seems a good time to do that as the traffic was light and the air seemed better. Walking along Ayala Avenue, Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas reminded me of University Avenue in Toronto, save for the palm trees on the boulevard. Very calm and orderly, not the more common traffic chaos of elsewhere. This is a big financial district and there are some very interesting signs on some of the bank windows!









We also discovered a park in the middle of this district and could see fountains, different kinds of palm trees, cannas and other tropical plants in the distance. However - it was closed! Locked up behind an iron fence. Perhaps the security guards had the day off. So what do you call a park with no people? Forbidden fruit. I was VERY tempted to crawl under this fence but alas, cooler heads prevailed.

Expanding the Perimeter

We have an expression – “expanding the perimeter” – which refers to our daily exploration of something new. Finding a new shop, trying a new dish, going further out into the neighbourhood, getting lost in a new place… Last night we realized that it was four weeks ago since we arrived in Asia and just couldn’t believe it. Our days have been so full of so much that is new, it seems much longer indeed.

Most of the time in the evenings or on weekends we walk wherever we’re going – usually through this downtown network of malls or on the streets surrounding them. The mall network reminds me of downtown Montreal or parts of Toronto where you can get from here to there without going outside – very convenient in those cold winters. Here, it is also convenient for avoiding the heavy rains, the heat, or for the intense pollution (more about that another time). This past weekend we found ourselves doing something else.

On Friday afternoon I took a cab over to the office where I had to get my picture taken for the staff ID, the diplomatic card and who knows what else they wanted it for. We then went over to the mall in search of some DVD’s we were looking for and then to have an early dinner. Friday night is HUGE in downtown Makati and Ortegas. The malls are packed and the streets are jammed with cars. I keep talking about “the malls”. It seems that this is where the social life takes place – it’s not really all about the shopping, although that is part of it. It is also where there are children’s playgrounds, live entertainment, coffee shops, restaurants, movies, fashion shows – it’s where entire families and friends hang out. No doubt the fact that it is air conditioned is one huge attraction. I’ve noticed in restaurants that is very rare to see only two people sitting at a table – rather big tables of people is far more common, passing around platters of food family-style, lots of laughter and conversation (of which of course I understand nothing).

Anyway, after dinner it was still pretty early, about 7:30 or so, but the streets were still completely packed. We tried, but could not find a cab. So, we decided to take public transportation and walked half a block over and climbed twelve thousand stairs to reach the Manila Metro (photo: Pat Roque, AP) – a sky train similar to that of Bangkok. Sort of. Where the Bangkok sky train is clean and modern and uncrowded, with good signage, Manila’s is…not. However, knowing it would get us home quickly we paid our 11 pesos (about 20 cents I think) and climbed aboard. Or, perhaps, elbowed aboard is a better way to describe it. It was totally packed! A sardine has more room in its tin. You don’t really have to hold on to anything, as you can just be propped up by all the bodies around you. It was Hot. However, it was also fast, and before too long we were back home and no doubt we would still have been looking for a cab in the time it took us. My comment when we finally walked in and shut the door behind us - At least we are fortunate to be walking in to a home with air conditioning, which is probably more than many of our fellow travelers can say. Expanding the perimeter.

On Saturday we decided to explore what will be our new neighbourhood once we move into our new home next month, so took a cab over. It’s a new development with lots of wide-open space (for now). The air is noticeably better. Half a dozen or so high rise condos and more on the way, as well as low rise buildings and brand new shops and restaurants. (This was quite inadvertent, but if you look closely at the reflection in this restaurant's window, behind the bonsai, you will see our soon-to-be new home in the sky).
These shops are outdoors, built around courtyards of fountains and greenery. There are a couple of great bookstores, one with a Starbucks inside (sound familiar?) There is also, by another more established mall area, an outside market where we were delighted to find local, organic produce (including some things I actually recognized – asparagus and basil and such), as well as potted plants and a fantastic flower market. The pièce de resistance for me was when I found a nail salon that does acrylics – not common here I’ve found, and believe me I’ve been looking. Jackpot! I’m home.

Now in Week Three of living in Manila, after quite blissfully puttering around on my own, I’ve finally had to dust off my calendar book and acquiring a cell phone will probably be next. The social thing has begun and there are lots of invitations over the coming weeks. Monday night we went to a cocktail party at the Ambassador’s house – a farewell party as his term is up and he is leaving very soon. I met a few people, Canadians, who had arrived here on a three year contract and were still happily here – 15, 19, 20 years later. By contrast, I also met a couple of people who are now in year 2 and 3 and were looking forward to the end of their term, to put it delicately. Meeting new people was hugely fun and very fruitful. We got a lead on a driver whose former employer has just left – we are interviewing him on Saturday. Of course we don’t have a car, or a home, yet…details!

We take possession of the new place in mid-September. If our shipment isn’t here by then, perhaps we should move in anyway when we get back from Australia the following week. Just get a mattress, big screen TV, 2 plates, 2 knives, 2 forks, 2 spoons, 2 wine glasses, a flower vase and a bunch of hangars. What more do we need?

And then the rains came

We are living in a one bedroom apartment in a hotel in downtown Makati. Makati City is one of about 17 (I think) municipalities that make up Greater Manila and is where many of the embassies, businesses, malls and hotels are. Convenient location for sure. This is week two and I expect it won't be until late September when our shipment arrives and we are able to move in to our new home. This will no doubt be very old by then. Patience. Been here, done this, including one memorable three-month stint at the Delta Chelsea Inn with two kids under the age of 2.

The more I look around me, the less I understand. When I say that people here speak English, which is helpful, that is not quite the whole story. They may speak English to me when I address them but they don't speak it to each other, so all around me all these people are having no doubt fascinating conversations and I can't understand a word of it. Also, because of all the smiling and nodding there is a tendency to think that people understand you when you are speaking English to them. Best to test that assumption, I've found.

I spend a lot of time reading local newspapers, books and magazines (great bookstores), watching Filipine DVD's and local TV. The newspapers are mostly full of politics, ads and bad news - so what else is new. When I need a break from being dazed and confused I switch to BBC World or CNN Asia - everything is Asia-focused which is totally new and really interesting. Very little about North America or Europe except for bridge collapses, foot and mouth disease, trapped miners and English floods. The Beijing Olympic preparations are big news, including what they intend to do about the pollution (you can barely make out the new bird's nest stadium right behind the reporter because of the smog) between now and next year. Last weekend we had a very welcome hit of home, listening to Randy Bachman's Saturday night show on CBC through the internet - on Sunday morning!

The most intimidating place for me is the supermarket. It is so overwhelming the only things I buy are mangoes, bananas, mango yogurt, Chinese noodles, beer, dark rum and diet Pepsi (Pepsi Light). Life's staples. Not only are the sights and smells so different I'm further handicapped by ongoing eye problems, so half the time I can't even read the signs and labels so I have no idea what these fruits and vegetables and canned goods are. Even the small, very modern bakery downstairs is full of things that are strange to this stranger in a strange land so I stick to raisin bread and croissants. It's all an adventure and I feel like I'm taking baby steps. But at least in the right direction!

Having said all that, it's a very good thing that I haven't the slightest inclination to cook, even though there is a small, equipped kitchen. As I said, we are in the heart of Makati, where there are tons of restaurants so we go out every night. So far it's been Cuban, Japanese, Korean (several times), Mediterranean, an American chain I won't publicize, designer pizza, and...Filipino, finally. That experience was a hoot. The menu was totally in Filipino and even with all the pictures we were completely clueless (unfortunately that book on Filipine food I bought is packed up in our shipment and no doubt sitting on a dock somewhere in Montreal or wherever). We looked at each other completely befuddled in the middle of this amazing party atmosphere. The place was full of twenty-somethings sitting around large tables, laughing, talking, texting, passing platters of food around, having a great old time and even my peaking over to try to see what they were eating didn't help. Finally, when the waitress came over, I said "This is my first Filipine meal in your country - what would you recommend?", whereupon she smiled widely and rattled off three or four different things. STILL couldn't understand what she was saying or connect the words to the menu. So, I said "What's YOUR favourite?" Another huge smile and at last an order was placed. We ended up with some outstanding grilled squid, garlicky greens and some kind of soup with huge prawns. Great meal. The only trouble is...I still don't know what everything was called for next time. Oh well.

The big news since we got here has been the lack of rain. Apparently the rainy season is supposed to start in July but didn't and the level of water in reservoirs and dams had become very dangerously low. Bad bad news for the farmers and predictions for water shortages and power outages and the need to import rice were widely talked about. We were getting late afternoon tropical showers here in Manila many days, the kind that pours for about half an hour and then disappears but not enough to have any kind of an impact on the drought. Commentators and politicians were saying that we need a couple of well placed typhoons to raise the water levels in the dams. Prayers for rain were held in churches on the weekend.

Yes, and be careful what you wish for. Tropical storm Chedeng (Pabuk) reached us a couple of days ago on its way to intensifying to typhoon status for a direct hit on Taiwan and the news is now quite different. I was quite surprised this morning watching the local 24/7 news station to hear that schools were closed in Manila (our equivalent of snow days I guess). Also, with the welcome rains comes human tragedy, as in the country people have lost their homes and lives (children among the dead) in mudslides. More storms are following.

This picture is of a construction site across the street (another mall!) that I have been following with great interest. Tonight it is becoming a muddy lake but those guys, bless 'em, are still out there.

Cabbages and Condoms

In the early '70's a man called Mechai Viravaidya decided that something needed to be done about Thailand's very rapidly expanding population, otherwise development of the country would be severely limited. He started an organization called the Population and Community Development Association to establish community-based contraception distribution, with volunteers from local villages. Mechai's belief was that in order for a program to be successful, birth control needed to to be as accessible as vegetables in a market, hence the name Cabbages and Condoms.

And so the odd name for a great restaurant in downtown Thailand, which helps to fund the organization. Since it was established Thailand's population growth has declined from over 3% annually to less than 1%. (I heard yesterday that Philippine population growth rate is still over 3%). Over the past 30-odd years, the organization has expanded beyond population to control to AIDS education and prevention as well as other types of rural development work including water, sanitation, school lunch programs, educational support and environmental conservations. Mechai has also opened a resort on what was family land, all proceeds go to this work. They just received a million dollars from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and just before we left to travel to Bangkok I saw a documentary on Mechai and his organization on BBC World. He's a very impressive guy.

We had dinner there one night (great meal) and the decor is amazing. We sat up on the second floor overlooking a courtyard strung with thousands of white lights. A musician from the local music college played traditional Thai music. At the end of the dinner, instead of after-dinner mints, they pass out condoms. All kinds of decor items make for a double take. Lampshades are made of brightly coloured condoms and there are manikins dressed up in all the latest fashions (well, sort of - when was the last time you saw something like this in Vogue?) made of guess what. The gift shop is a hoot.

Great food, great atmosphere and in support of a great cause. All in all a great recipe.