Olongapo Carnival

Jumping back in time a bit here, between Christmas and New Year, I was on an errand in Olongapo City and became trapped in traffic that wasn't going anywhere.  So I parked up and went to see what was going on.  A parade!  These things don't seem to be advertised so I only stumble upon them by accident.

I was in no particular rush to go anywhere so I pulled out my camera and enjoyed the marching bands and all the other various participating floats and displays.

Then came the laddies pretending to be ladies

Although with some, it's not hard to tell

 

Chinese Snacks

Another trip to Taiwan and as usual, tremendous hospitality from my hosts.  Somewhat different this time, I was taken to a night market that had a huge variety of foods (and crowds) to chose from and a few stalls with fun-fare type games to play.

I was stuffed by the end of the night but the Chinese seem to have an endless capacity to keep on eating.  Whilst some of the food was unidentifiable, what I did eat was absolutely delicious.

See photos below of the fare on offer:

A mixed variety of items to chose from - it's only the sausages I recognise

Chicken?

Strawberries and other fruit

Chicken kebabs - delicious

Other parts of a chicken

Dumplings - one of my favourites!

 Always plenty of neon lights

Pork barbecued over charcoal - absolutely mouth-wateringly good

No idea

Barbecued squid on a stick

Noodles that looked less than appetising but were very tasty

Camp JEST Is Not A Joke

As mentioned in my previous post, the bird park came with a free Camp JEST introduction.  Being as cynical as I am, I reckoned this was going to be some sort of naff, badly done gimmick designed to extract even more money from me so when we'd finished out tour of the bird park I tried to side-step the guy who was clearly assigned to do the free demo.  However, not wanting to be rude or to steal the guy's thunder I reluctantly allowed myself to be roped into the demonstration area.

My cynicism was misplaced. The start of the demonstration was an introduction to the history and background of the training camp, which was apparently established by the Americans to give jungle survival training for its troops during the Vietnam war.

This was then followed by an introduction to the country's smallest bats.  The demonstrator picked up a short length of bamboo and smacked it on the ground that left me thinking that if there were any bats in there, they're going to be stunned, if not dead. He then proceeded to remove a leaf stuck in the slot of the bamboo and out crawled a tiny bat.  And yes, it looked stunned.  Perhaps this was his method of ensuring they didn't fly away?

With those teeth, it looks like a vampire

After the bat the demonstration we were shown us how to find a source of water in the jungle.  This struck me as somewhat odd bearing in mind all around us was a rain (key word 'rain') forest and water should be reasonably plentiful.  He picked up a vine that looked as dry as an Arab's flip-flop and hacked a length off with his machete.  From the cut end came a steady trickle of fluid that he held over my mouth.  It had a slightly milky but not unpleasant taste to it.  It supposedly has medicinal properties that helps alleviate asthma. I asked how to recognise it in a jungle full of vines (just in case I get lost in the jungle or end up kidnapped by Abu Sayaff) and he pointed out it's the one that's a double vine that grows together.  I'll keep it in mind.

Drinking from a vine

Next up was utensils.  Using just his machete he hacked and chopped at a piece of bamboo until he had made a single item of cutlery that was a spoon at one end and a single pointy, stabbing fork at the other.  The remainder of the bamboo was converted into a rice/meat steamer.

Making utensils

Finally, and probably the most important was the how to make fire.  Again, a piece of dry bamboo was used and he lit a fire the old boy scout way, by rubbing two pieces together.  However, the real skill was in how the pieces were formed and used to generate the fire with such ease it would have put Bear Grylls to shame.

Fire in no time at all

I think what impressed me most was the almost casual ease and dexterity these items and demonstrations were carried out using just a machete and some bits of bamboo.  They do extended courses and I for one am sold on the idea and I'm going to sign up at the next opportunity.

Bird Park Revisited

Around two years ago, one of the first things I did when relocating to Subic was to do a recce of the area to see what was what.  One place I stumbled upon was a bird park.  The big iron gates at the entrance were closed and the sign for the park was dilapidated and falling down but as there was no one around I went in through the missing fence and had a wander.

At the time I wasn't sure if it was permanently closed or I had just turned up at the wrong time but it was deserted and there seemed not to be any staff around, although it appeared that the birds were being fed - it was like a avian Marie Celeste.  

The place was pretty run down and in a bad state of disrepair, which was a shame because it was apparent that it has been quite grand in its day and there were quite some exotic species of birds remaining.

Since then I had really bothered going back, assuming it had either completely fallen apart or closed, but recently decided to show someone around to see what had become of the place. The big iron gates were still there and closed but there were some staff milling around who pointed us to the ticket office (accessed through the same missing fence.  The entrance fee was a modest Php50 (£0.77) and included a free demonstration of jungle survival skills as the bird park was located next to a place called J.E.S.T (Jungle Environment Jungle Training) Camp. 

The bird park had already undergone some renovation and in the process of being renovated and was a vast improvement of what it was and the variety of birds was very good.  Whilst not of the same calibre of the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore or the one in KL it was nonetheless one of the better attractions I've been to in Subic, if not the Philippines.

The End of Another Year

So that's Christmas and New Year over with again.  I did nothing exciting.  It's not a time of the year I relish and prefer to sit it out whenever possible but it's not always possible as others tend to think that some sort of magic spell will descend on the world, making everyone have a fabulous time.  I really don't know why Christmas and New Year should be any different to any other time of the year.

Christmas day was spent at a friend's house, Barry Towers, where copious amounts of beer was consumed, pool was vigorously played and Jagermeister shots followed.  Hat's off to Barry for an excellent Christmas dinner and some rather splendid roast potatoes.  So nice to have when you live in a rice-with-everything society.

As Christmasy as it gets

Camera Museum

I nearly forgot about this.  Last June I went back to the camera museum (it was closed last time I passed by), which is located in Taal, around 150 miles south of Subic.

Taal is a small town with plenty of old Spanish colonial era buildings and a rather impressive church.  Located in one of these buildings is Galleria Taal, which is a museum of cameras and photography.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Now, whilst I tend to be somewhat cynical of the quality of attractions in the Philippines I have to say that this is very well done.  The house itself is rather grand, with gleaming hardwood floors and high ceilings, but if you're interested in cameras then there is an interesting and varied display to see.

Here are a few snapshots taken from my visit.

A (Very) Large Format Portrait Camera

...with a drawer containing the apertures.

A Captivating Portrait

Historical Photographs

An Overview to Catch Up.

I've fallen somewhat behind with blogging lately, partly because of pressures of work and partly because I lose momentum and catching up becomes a bit of chore.

I now have a new project in the Philippines to look after and two more on the books to commence the middle of next year.  Added to this, I have also taken responsibility for at least one, if not two projects in Taiwan, which has necessitated my frequent travelling back and forth to that country.

I probably would have preferred to shift my centre of operations to Taiwan, being as it is a favourite location of mine and considerably more civilised than the Philippines, but the thought of all that upheaval to relocate for the sake of a two year project is just too much to contemplate at this stage.  I'm of the opinion that where ever I go next will be my final place of permanent residence so there needs to be enough work prospects to keep me going.

Since the boat trip and the Mt. Pinatubu hike last April my time has been spent with the following (illustrated with photos rather than words, where appropriate):

May

A fleeting visit to the UK (sorry to those I didn't get round to see) to organise various building maintenance work on the house and a short trip to North Yorkshire to visit some friends.

North York Moors in May

. . . . and when the weather improves.

Roseberry Topping

Whitby Bay Beach Huts

Staithes lobster Pots

June

A trip to kidnap central to close out the project in Mindanao. The good news is I should never have to go back there again.

The Finished Product
(it's straight, it's the photo that's crooked)

In late June it was a trip to Bangkok for a friend's 40th birthday party.  I'm not going back to Bangkok until they sort out the traffic there.  It's horrendous.

Birthday boy 2nd from left
He doesn't look a day over 50

July

A business trip, mixed with some R&R in Singapore.

Kev babysitting when he'd rather be quaffing champagne

At the end of the month a trip to Taiwan as part of my inaugural introduction to the new project I'll be taking care of there.

Taipei rush hour traffic

Taipei City from 101

August 

A long weekend in Hong Kong.

September 

Another trip to Taiwan, with mix of business and pleasure.  My sister and her boyfriend were visiting.

Kaohsiung Harbour

Early Tattooist

You on the Left: Lose the Face.

Moon Cake Everywhere

October

Singapore for business and to see my good friend Kev who is leaving Singapore to start a new job in Perth.