Saturday, February 13

It's only been two days and already I'm falling behind. My excuse is that yesterday was a busy day and we didn't get home until late.  I did find time to pick some blackberries but that was the extent of my day's labour.

Back to the Philippines. Jamie and Nera also have a car in Balatan. A couple of family members can drive so the car is used by the family but is also available for locals to hire for trips to the nearby big towns.  It's a small Toyota people mover which can take 8 passengers so every time we went out we had a couple of family members for company - quite different to our usual solitary existence.  There are a couple of buses which do the trip regularly but the cheaper option is a jeepney.  Supposedly, they are limited to 22 passengers but it is not unusual to see a dozen on the roof and two or three others hanging on the back.  The unofficial rule seems to be that no potential passenger will be left behind.  Certainly having a car avoids taking chances on public transport.

The drive from the airport into Balatan is quite spectacular - down a winding mountain road with fabulous views.  The typhoon brought down some debris from the slopes but it was cleared away within 24 hours.

We used the car often, mainly for shopping but took one longer trip down to Legazpi in the next province to meet up with the Rotary District Governor.  The main attraction of this city is the Mayon Volcano, famous for its almost perfect shape.  It last erupted in 2009 so it could blow its top again at any time.  At a couple of spots on the side of the mountain, they have drilled in to the core for power generation - not a great job to have if the volcano starts to rumble.