The Road Home: Day 2 in Bagio

Hello all! Time for my 3 am posting again. This seems to be the only time I can get a reliable dial-up here, and for some reason I wake up at this time on my own. At least I can't blame the roosters this time.

My step-mom found the adapter I needed, so I'm not tied to the battery anymore. Whew! I've used up most of the 5 hours of online time now though, so it means a trip to the market again tomorrow.

My dad tells me there are now 5 million people in and around Baguio. The urban sprawl has created more chaos, if that is at all possible.



We went to Burnham Park today for a picnic and most of the grassy areas are now gone because of the number of people trampling back and forth. The 'lake' itself is now so dirty it cannot support any fish like it once did. The jewel that once existed in the middle of the city is now gone and a tarnished cheap bauble is what is there now.



It's painful to watch, no matter where you live. Here in the Philippines, life is lived so close to the edge that it's almost impossible to move people to consider environmental impact.

Much of the natural beauty that existed here is now gone.



I am glad to see my cousins, my aunts and uncles, but even they tell me they are glad my dad was able to get us to 'America' where there is more opportunity. We are sad that the family cannot be together, but it is a reality that life here is hard - and beautiful things are few and far between.

The disappearance of natural beauty is everyplace here. The outer islands have been tourist destinations for years and they're going through the same deterioration because divers have been taking chunks of coral and tropical fish home with them as souvenirs. The reefs are breaking down and the beaches are being destroyed.



One of these days I'd like to find someone in NA who would be willing to put one of these together for me.

The Philippines is known as the Crossroads of the Pacific for good reason. (Though there are other places that vie for the title too.) Owing to our geography and history, you will meet Filipinos who look Latino, Chinese, Malay, or even Polynesian. And many that are half-American ;-) Consequently there are many ways to say or spell that we are Pilipino, Filipino, or Pinoy.

I've been asked more than once, 'Pinoy ka?'. I don't know what to answer sometimes. Both my parents are Filipino, and I was born here, but I was raised in Canada.