An Englishman's Filipino Adventure

It’s hot here, very hot but I’m gradually adopting Filipino habits which is get up early, and I mean early 4 to 5am go for a swim (except I can’t swim} come indoors, have breakfast, sit around for a couple of hours whilst your Filipino partner does all the work (joke), have a snack, go back to bed because you feel totally worn out, get up, have dinner then collapse again because the heat is unbearable. That gets you to around 6pm when the temperature is just about right and the parties begin. We have gone out quite a bit with the morning being the best time to travel because its cooler then, the roads are choc-a-block with motorbikes, tricycles, jeepneys and vans none of which adhere to any kind of road craft, law or commonsense, overtaking on bends, straight over zebra crossings and crossing continuous lines. The worse are the vans which you are lucky if they have any tread on their tyres, they cram them full of people like sardines and appear to be the owners of the road as everyone else gives them a wide birth. Luckily because I’m tall, about one foot taller than your average Filipino they usually give me the front seat next to the driver which is a double edged sword as it may save me riding along with my knees up under my chin but it’s a white knuckle ride along coastal roads with a sheer drop on one if not both sides. Most times, as most journeys are short, we ride pillion on motorcycles and as I’ve persuaded my partner to always wear a crash helmet I wear one too (not common practice here unless a policemans about, well sometimes). We’ve been to all sorts of places, too numerus to mention. I love it here, the people, customs, culture and joy of being alive which we seem to have lost in the west where the lust for material gain takes preference over anything of real value.