Phils: Stay or Go Part 2

Oh fuck me:  I have another case of bronchitis.  It’s a mild one, so far.  Should I be relieved about that?  Or should I get on the next plane out of here after I’m healthy again?

At my most pessimistic I wonder if there is any town I can afford to live in that has air clean enough for me to not keep getting sick.  I’m sure there is, but would I want to live in a place that far out in the boonies.

I’ve been  researching other destinations to see how polluted the air is.  That info is not easy to find in countries that don’t measure it.  There are two places in Latin America on my list that have decent air but I didn’t expect to have to use my Spanish so soon.  If at all.

Aargh.

I’m a new patient at the doc I saw today.  His receptionist ascertained that I’m retired, living here and single.  Another medical center employee came in, collecting money for something.  Not exactly unusual in an officer at Christmas time.  I visited with her while the receptionist was on the phone.  Before the other girl left there was a giggling exchange between them and then she gave the receptionist a piece of paper who gave it to me without comment.

I’ve been invited to the second floor secretaries’ Christmas party. Change that aargh to semi-aargh.

Ant Chalk

Several people told me that Lee’s sold Ant Chalk but I couldn’t find it. None of the employees knew anything about it. I didn’t give up, I kept checking and looking about once a week as out of stock is a normal condition here. One day some small chalk stick shaped packets caught my eye.

I see my problem. I asked for And Chalk, not Miraculous Cockroach Killing Chalk. No matter, had I asked for it by the proper name, odds are the employee would not know.

OH – the stuff works. No ants in the kitchen since I laid down the line(s) along their favorite routes in.

Phils: Stay or Go Part 1

I could live here. Now I have to decide if I want to.

My original plan was to evaluate the countries I’d selected until I found one I liked. Beyond that there was no set plan as I’ve never done this before and didn’t know enough to plan.

I started in the Phils because it was an easy place to start. I’d researched it the most. They like Americans, have adopted some aspects of American and western cultures, most speak at least a few words of English and there are quite a few Filipinas here.

The most common criticism of living in the Philippines by those who have chosen not to is that there are only three reasons for a foreigner to do so: It’s easy (language, culture and visas), inexpensive and Filipinas. Some critics are more blunt and say the only reason to live here is if you can’t afford somewhere else.

Health Update

My shoulder keeps getting better. I’ve gained so much range that my PT substituted two new exercises for the two that were no longer effective.

I can put my left hand in my back left pocket with only a bit of a pain. Putting on button front shirts is back to normal but taking them off is still tricky. I can put on T-shirts, finally, but I’ll bet it’s funny to watch me do so.

Photo Album Links

Here are my uncategorized shots that didn’t make it into blog. The albums also contain those photos that were linked.

Misc. October Photos

Misc. November Photos

Random Stuff, with Photos

Geckos are a common sight on interior and exterior walls and ceilings.

Above is a typical size indoor gecko. That door hinge is 90 mm (about 3 1/2″) long. Silly me, I thought their ability to stick to walls had something to do with their weight.

I put the post-it there so as to be able to estimate the size of this gecko. That paper is a 75mm (2.95 inches) square. I’m glad he was outside my apartment, not inside.

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Riding a motorbike makes my arm hurt, so I don’t do it very often. Having one makes exploring the surrounding barangays easier, something most pleasantly done early in the morning when it’s cool and the light is dramatic.

I stopped at a bridge over a stream. What I saw summarized well what it’s like outside the towns and cities, or what everyone calls ‘in the provinces’.

The rural areas are filled with tropical scenery marred by trash.

I wondered if these people were washing in the stream because they had to or simply because it was the best option. I rode by in the middle afternoon and saw 8-10 people doing laundry in the same place.

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When I select a trike I look for a 4-stroke motor because they’re quieter and pollute less, a working muffler and some indication that the shocks in the trike cab work because the 15 minute ride home has some bumpy roads. But when trikes are in demand I take what I can get, including this one with broken shocks.

Burnables, Food Scraps and Other

All residents of the apartment building put their burnables in one metal barrel. It is burned daily. Plastic, cans and glass go in another. Every couple of days some men separate the contents into two sacks and then they haul them away.

Every morning one of the helpers empties the food scraps from the plastic buckets in our dirty kitchens. I had no idea where the food went after that, today I found out. They take it up to the second floor and toss it over the fence into a vacant field. Dogs, cats, chickens, wild birds, rats and insects take care of it.

Ants and the Cutting Board

I thought I was getting good at keeping the kitchen clean so that the ants would not return. The cutting board is a problem. Cleaning with dish soap using the scrubbing side of a sponge is not enough. They still mill around trying to find what they smell. I’ve tried pouring boiling water over the board after it’s been washed. That works, but is a pain in the butt. One evening I forgot and found this in the morning.

My solution is to treat the cutting board the same way I do fresh bread: hang it from the clothes line in my dirty kitchen.

I hope they don’t learn how to walk a tightrope.

Fancy Food

I once saw a T-shirt with the logo that said ‘Life is too Short to Eat Fast Food’. I do eat things that take more time and care in preparation, such as:

Fast Food

Food places selling previously prepared food are everywhere.  I almost never eat at them because of fears that the once cooked food that has cooled and is being held at a little over room temperature is too much of a bacteria factory for my GI tract.  There is real cook to order fast food.  For around 70 P ($ 1.50) one can get a lukewarm burger, fries and soft drink at McDonald’s or Jollibee.  Or one can go to Qyosoko in Dumaguete.

They cook to order in addition to already prepared foods.  The menu is extensive:

 

One of the foreigner’s favorites is the Tropical Tuna burger.

 

A big, fresh slice of tuna that is deep fried. One side of the bun has cole slaw and the fish is topped with a slice of mango. The town of General Santos on the nearby island of Mindanao is the tuna fishing capital of asia so there is no problem getting it fresh.