Friday, 3rd September .....

Marilyn had promised to teach Rex the Australian National Anthem but warned him that he needed to finish his homework first. When he came home, he quickly lined up his four exercise books on the table. Apart from some basic language and number, he also had some Science – to identify Vertebrate and Invertebrate animals. Not bad for a 3-year old.

I had found a version of the Australian national anthem on You-tube so Rex settled down to watch it. He was interested in the photographs of the Opera House, Uluru, koalas and kangaroos. An aussie-lover in the making.

This afternoon, we decided to drive to Lumban, a small town famous for embroidery. Because of the number of formal functions we will be attending, I needed to get another barong tagalog, the traditional Filipino costume, and Lumban is the place to go to get the best quality. In 2004, one of the most recognized embroiderers from the town had come to the Craft Fair and we had become quite friendly with her so it was a good chance to see her again and give her a little business.

Kit said it was about an hour away so it seemed a reasonable idea. The alternative was to buy one ready-made in a shop but that was not in Kit’s thinking so Lumban it was. On the way we picked up two of Kit’s Rotary friends so it was quite a party.

Lumban is a typical little town – narrow, crowded streets and busy people. Alida’s house was down a narrow alleyway and jammed in between other similar houses. On the ground floor, there were a number of women doing hand embroidery but we were taken through into the house where she had laid out a snack for us – a noodle dish, and some soft white cheese. This was a local delicacy made from caribau (buffalo) milk. It was really quite good.

The best barongs are made from pina cloth which is woven from the fibre of a pineapple plant. It is very fine like silk and the natural colour is beige. The front of the shirt has an embroidered pattern, usually in a natural colour too, and the rest of the material has small embroidered patches regularly set out. The patterns can be quite simple or very ornate. The process is that you choose the piece of cloth you like, and the barong is made from that.

Alida showed us some barongs she is making for the Filipino president so she is clearly highly regarded in the field. I liked the pattern but it is his exclusive design so forbidden for me to wear it. She also had other types of material, some with hand-embroidered patterns and some machine-embroidered. The prices range from $40 to $160. The cloth I chose was the most expensive. Typically, I had gone in expecting to spend about $50 but I had chosen the most expensive piece of cloth with the best hand embroidery. Oh, well!

The next step was to be measured so the tailor was sent for. He took one look at me and began a long tirade in Tagalog, clearly quizzing Alida about what deal she had offered me. Alida went into little-girl mode, pleading and explaining, all in Tagalog, of course. I heard the words Australia and foreigner, which hinted that she wanted to give me special consideration because of the good time she had spent in Australia in 2004. The tailor must have said No fifty times but he still came over and took my measurements.

I found out later that he wasn’t happy to have it ready in 4 days. He was going to Manila on Sunday and out of the area from Monday, so he would have to work hard all day Saturday and into the evening. Also, I was so big, there wasn’t enough material in the piece to get right around me. It would need another metre of cloth which would increase the price, though by $30.

I ended up ordering the formal barong and 2 casual cotton barongs for a total price of P10600, which is about $A265.

After that, we decided to visit another craftsman who had been to the Craft Fair, who lived in the village of Paete, not very far away. Paete is the noted village in the Philippines for wood carving. Luis Ac-Ac is regarded as the best craftsman in the village and probably the only one with a university degree. He has an exhibition this weekend in Manila and has had a number of articles written about him in various magazines. He was delighted to see us again and insisted on giving us a beautiful hand-carved figurine, the second one in our collection.

The trip home took almost two hours so it was a relief to find our dinner set out on the table waiting for us.

The tradition in Kit’s home is that the cook prepares the meals for certain times and serves them. If you are here, you will enjoy hot food; if you are late, it will be cold. We don’t find it a problem.

Dinner tonight was chicken soup, crispy skin ham hock, prawns cooked in garlic and soy sauce, salad with quail eggs and rice (always rice!). It was all hot, and delicious.

Early bed again because it’s off to Manila tomorrow to take Rex to see his mother. She misses him dreadfully, of course, but has to concentrate on her studies if she hopes to pass her final exams. Rachel comes home once a month but Kit often takes Rex to meet her half-way.