Transportation

My brother, Wayne, mentioned to me yesterday that he is a little envious of my pending adventure, but that he'd rather be able to drive where he wants to go . . . and that the Philippines is a little out-of-the-way.  Yes, it's going to be a long trip . . . about 23 hours from the time I leave Albuquerque until we arrive in Cebu.  The longest leg of the flight will be from Dallas to Seoul, nearly 17 hours aboard a Korean Airlines Boeing 777 . . . I think I can handle it, as long as I have a place to recharge my Nook!

It's been a long time since I've had that long of a flight.  I think when I flew to Guam it was about 14 hours, including a short layover in Hawaii.  That was aboard a chartered DC stretch 8, crammed to the ceiling with GIs and their families . . . including screaming kids . . . oh what a miserable flight!  Well, I anticipate this flight to be much different.  I'm not sure what arrangements we will have from Seoul to Cebu, but it should be standard airline kinda stuff.

Upon arrival, we'll find our way to the docks where we'll board the fast cat from Cebu to Tagbilaran.  I'm looking forward to that, as my sea-going experience is rather limited.  I spent a week on a house boat on the Fens of East Anglia in England . . . that was fun, but hardly qualifies as "sea-going".  The fast cat, a catamaran-style boat, is the way to go for traveling between islands.   The interior is similar to an airplane or tour bus, with comfortable seats,  air conditioning (so I'm told), and a great view.  The only problem with the view will be that the trip across the Cebu Strait will happen around 1:00 in the morning . . . probably not much to see . . . oh well, should be a good time to get some sleep.

Travel from Tagbilaran to Sierra Bullones will be via a van, not much different than what one would find in the US.  My only concern is that, most Filipinos are smaller then most Americans.  That's not making a judgement . . . it's just a reality.  So, a van that is designed to comfortably seat 6 people who weigh maybe 130 pounds and are 5'4" will be a little cramped for  6 guys like me who weigh in at 215 pounds and stand 6'3"!  Again, much of this leg of the journey will be in the early hours, so hopefully it will be comfortable enough to get a few more hours of sleep before arriving at the work site.

One of the primary modes of travel in the Philippines is the Jeepney.  As the double-decker bus is to London, the Jeepney is to the Philippines.  This wonderful little work horse is the answer to much of public transportation throughout the islands.  After World War II, the US military left all sorts of equipment behind, including hundreds of Jeeps.  The Filipinos took those versatile vehicles and extended their frames and added a bus-like body (keeping the Jeep-style front end).  And of course, there is the unique and colorful artwork adorning each Jeepney that is an expression of  the culture of the Philippines.

I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to ride in a Jeepney, but I will have the opportunity to ride around in the other iconic Filipino mode of transportation . . . the tricycle.  Not to be confused with what little children ride before they learn to ride a "two-wheeler", the Filipino tricycle is a motorcycle with a semi-enclosed sidecar.  Pastor Jul from the church in Tubigon uses a tricycle for getting around the province.  And since I will be traveling with him between Tubigon and Sierra Bullones, I think I'm going to get several hours of tricycle time!

So visiting in the Philippines will include using an eclectic selection of transportation.   The photo below shows the typical street scene throughout the provinces.  It makes traveling in the US seem rather boring.  Maybe my brother would enjoy driving in Philippines . . . an adventure in itself!