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.

It has proven to be inexpensive. English is very useful with the locals who have jobs where they are expected to frequently deal with foreigners. Beyond that the knowledge of English and understanding of it spoken in a foreigner accent is limited. Severely limited. I do better in Mexico with my limited Spanish than I do here with their limited English.

And there are Filipinas, some of whom do want to go with a Foreigner. They range on a scale from Pure & Sweet to Impure & Bitter. I focused on the Sweet and Semi-Sweet portion of the scale. Dealing with the Semi-Sweets means being on guard for the ever present different ways by which she is attempting to take financial advantage. I know I can’t trust them. It’s emotionally draining.

Dealing with the Sweets is a frustrating mission in finding one who will talk. They will text their fingers off but in person they give short answers when spoken to. For example, if she went home to see her family for a week and I asked how was your trip, the answer is “Fine.” What did you do, I ask. “Saw my family.” is the response. Kinda hard to keep a conversation going. I did find two who talked, one who was conversational from the get go and one who needed months to open up. They had two things in common. They never asked me for a single thing and I wanted to protect them from men like me. I’m on that list, so I kept them as friends.

One of my acquaintances recently said ‘Everything here is stupid or shoddy’. Holding that viewpoint doesn’t do one any good, unless your aim is to increase your stress and blood pressure. Accepting the country for what it is allows one to peacefully coexist. And live in a country where much is stupid or shoddy. Or stupid and shoddy. I’m not sure which is the better choice. Living somewhere else may be the best choice. Is the Phils a game where the only way to win is to not play?

There is one aspect of living here that I’ve not had to deal with yet. The following story illustrates it.

One man I know fairly well told a story that I’d heard others tell about him. He’s been burglarized four times since he’s been in country. The first three times were in the same house in another town. He did all the right things – imported locks from his home country and beefed up other aspects of the physical security. He made sure that at least one person was in the house 24/7/365. The first three times someone was not in the house, it was burglarized. Being a foreigner here means means that a group of locals have accepted as their job to surveil your residence 24/7/365. After each of the first two break ins he strengthened the security. After the third time he left town.

Most living situations here for foreigners means having someone in the place all the time. I haven’t had to do that yet, as hotels, pension houses and apartelles have security and my apartment building always has someone there.

I’m an introvert who hasn’t lived with someone since 1979. The idea of having one of one’s employees ( helper, cook, driver/handyman) always in the house does not appeal to me.

There are many facets of being here that one can dislike or adapt to. Just because I can adapt doesn’t mean I want to or that it’s a good idea.

Despite my attempts to be realistic when researching this country, the positives are not as positive as I expected and the negatives are worse. I could live here but I think I can better make that decision by leaving. Evaluating another country will help put the Phils and my adaptations in perspective.

So what’s next? My original plan included specific towns in specific countries. It only took a few minutes to find out that the two most interesting in Latin America are known for their bad air. I have to start over researching towns.

Thailand is the only country on the list in this part of the world. It’s the obvious next place to go, but not soon. It’s peak tourist season for the next few months, something I’d rather avoid. Besides, I have to figure out the Thai retirement visa. One has to start the process before entering Thailand, which means most people do it in their home country. I don’t know if I can start it here.

In the meantime it’s the not so hot part of the year here, my arm has improved enough that I want to travel and there are places to see. I’ll keep the apartment as a home base.

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.

The Season Just Changed?

At first I thought it was just a few days of unusual wind speed and direction.   Seems like now every afternoon the wind is from the north-east, blowing strong enough to create whitecaps.  I think the regional seasonal weather pattern has just changed.

I saw this happen 5 years ago in Thailand.  A man who had been living for years in the beach town I was visiting said there was a weather pattern change that happened every year at about the same time.  I think it’s the end of the monsoon season, but wouldn’t bet on it.

Having been a sailor, mountaineer and pilot I’ve had to learn how to pay attention to the weather because if  I didn’t it could mean my ass.  The first time I experienced the end of monsoon I thought it was kinda cool, in a weather geek way.  I’d read about it but never experienced it.  This time it’s cool, literally, because it marks the beginning of the not so hot, not so wet season.  It’s raining less, the daytime highs are down a bit and it’s cool enough later at night that I can imagine voluntarily wearing long pants. (The only instances where I put on long pants are in self-defense against the AC in buses and movie theaters, and when I go to the Bureau of Immigration to get my 60 day visa extension.)

Impact? Not much.  There are more tourists in town. They’re not the usual solo male travelers and don’t look like SCUBA divers. In other words, real tourists.  It’s a bit of a startle to hear a female voice speaking English without a Filipina accent. I often take trikes for short distances just to prevent breaking a sweat, the distances I’m willing to walk are getting longer. I’ve been using the AC to sleep, mostly to drown out morning noises. Last two nights were without AC, the roosters didn’t wake me up.

There is a larger impact.  The climate change, the calendar and approaching Thanksgiving all remind me that I’ve been out of the states for one year.