TRAVELS

In 1975 I left my job in Berkeley, Ca., got my act together, and decided to travel around the world for a year. I bought an "around the world ticket" from Pan Am which allowed the use of any associated airline and unlimited detours as long as one was continuing in the same direction. In my case I left SFO going east and my eventual return would be from Asia and the Pacific. Keep in mind that this is 35 years ago and the world situation was different then. Since I had no job or salary, I was doing this with meager savings and rental income from some property in San Francisco. For this reason I tended to spend more time in 3rd world countries where the dollar was strong. I was writing letters to my family when I had the time and I still have some of them (saved by my Mother). I will copy one of them and post it now. If a few are interested, I'll try to post another one from time to time. This is 7 months into my trip as it it the first one I picked from the file.

AT SEA, PHILIPPINES, 30 JUNE 1975

For 31 days now I have enjoyed hospitality Philippine style. To say the people are hospitable is an understatement. They are downright aggressive about it sometimes. Most of the populace instinctively like Americans (legacy from WWII) and English is one of the official languages.
Only a very churlish and rude recluse could avoid friendships here. If there is one out standing problem here, it is finding some solitude when you need it. It seems an insult to the national pride if any visitor is left alone. In this sense they are like the Thais, but at least there is usually a language barrier in Thailand which can be handy at times. Here one is engaged in conversation at street corners, restaurants, mens rooms, and even in the movies. By the second sentence they want to know your home, marital status, jobs, etc. More often than not the questioning will turn to politics- "What do you think of our country?, our martial law?. Do you like our women?, and from there to very personal prying which in rural Kansas you could accept from family or very long time friends. I've learned to expect it and I have my answers prepared. Some of them evasive and some outright falsehoods, but not malicious I hope.
I've also learned that when asked where I am staying it is best to lie unless I want unwanted telephone calls, or worse yet, people knocking unexpectedly at the door. I've had casual acquaintances wait for hours in the hotel lobby to catch me as I come in.
Much of this lavish and ego flattering attention no doubts stems from the urgent desire of more than half of the people-especially the young ones-to get to the U.S.A. Generally speaking they are very poor-really-and there is very little hope of a decent job for them here. As a result they want friends or sponsors in the States to help them enter. Lots of them are worthy and would be the lowliest type of menial servant for a ticket to USA, room, board and a some pocket money. Most of them know someone who has "made it" as a houseboy, nanny, or maid usually on a one o two year contract basis after which they are supposed to return home.
The Spanish era here has left a legacy of Catholicism with the exception of of the large Muslim minority mostly in the South, Mindanao and the Sula archipelago. The brown skinned, smiling people with their Christian heritage remind me a lot of Mexico. Of course in climate and physiognomy it is more like Thailand but Thailand is Buddhist with a Muslim minority.
My time here has been in Manila primarily, but I have made two side trips. The first was a bus trip of 7 hours to Baguio City in the mountains to the north of Luzon. The temperature is about 10 degrees cooler there and that was a VERY welcome change. The road up to the city is hairaising with switchbacks and sheer drops. It is an area of active mining, mostly copper. Also in the area are the famous rice terraces on the mountainsides-considered to be the 8th Wonder of the World. I had a decent but spartan room for 10 pesos ($1.40). Unfortunately I also had indigestion.
The wonder is not that I had the upset, but that I haven't had it sooner and more often. I have eaten so many so many new things in questionable places for the last 7months that I consider myself lucky for having had very little trouble. The upset moderated to simple diarrhea after 18 hours and with tetracycline and kaopectate finally disappeared after 4 days. I will say that the bus trip back to Manila was one I'd like to forget.
Other daytrips out of Manila were to Antipolo, a shrine and hill resort one hour from Manila, and to Pompanos State. I went to Pampanga at the invitation of two youngsters who had befriended me. Naturally they are are on the list of hopeful houseboys. I was very interested to visit their homes, one of which was little more than a Nipa hut (on stilts). I was served a lunch of fried rice and especially for the occasion they opened a can of pork and beans. The respective families were quite thrilled to host a foreigner, but I was embarrassed to accept their hospitality as they live at absolute poverty level. To serve iced Coke is a big thing for them but they did it. I was invited to spend the night, but instead caught the bus back to the city.
Not far from the hotel in Manila is a shop selling custom made shoes. I bought a pair and the shop manager (a fifty something widower with four sons)has adopted me. I must stop and visit there everyday at least once. I also was invited and accepted an invite to his birthday party in Marikina (a suburb). He has a tiny house of two rooms where five family members and two boarders stay. There were at least 50 guests at on time or another in the tiny place and I was the honored one. Everyone made sure I was served first, had the best chair, etc etc. Again I was embarrassed but couldn't change it. As there is a nationwide curfew of 1 A.M. it became too late for me to return to the city so I spent the night there. Two sons were relegated to the floor so I could have their bed. The bed was a plywood platform and that's it-no mattress only a mosquito net. I got very little sleep because of the heat and my hip bones were sore for days afterward from the hard slab. Such softies we westerners are!! I was invited repeatedly to move in there and save my hotel money. I'd love saving the money, but with those accommodations I might not survive long. I would judge them typical for lower middle class families.
Speaking of accommodations: Hotel prices in Manila have skyrocketed. The guide book I carry lists 1972 prices and in most cases they have tripled. I have tried three different hotels in Manila and find that the Merchants Hotel is the least I can accept. The rate is 50 pesos ($7.00) a day. In 1972 it was $2.50. It is listed as best value and I guess it still is although not the bargain a a few years back.
Other cheaper places are unsuitable for either cleanliness or facilities or both. Outside Manila the same category would be about 20 pesos or less than one half.
In the city walk and browse and I make a trip every other day to the American Express office to check for mail. There are many movies and they are cheap-50 to 75 cents-so I often go, as much to escape the midday heat as anything else. Though most of old Manila is crowded and dirty, there is a magnificent park just between old and new Manila with fountains, malls, and restaurants. I go there most nights to sit and watch the people and/or hear good outdoor concerts, or maybe watch the skaters. It seems like half the city goes there and I don't blame them as it is a beautiful place and it does get cool evening breezes and of course sometimes the evening rainstorm. I is wise to duck into one of the restaurants for coffee if you see those coming.
Food is not expensive if one stays out of the tourist hotels and restaurants. Native dishes which run to noodles, rice, fish and pork can be had for 4 or 5 pesos
(70cents). Soft drinks are a dime and San Miguel beer is 20 cents. I've discovered a hotel nearby where a lunchtime buffet is served for $1.40. For this you may choose from 25 or 30 meat and fish courses and other goodies-most of them delicious. On days I go there the other meals can be snacks. One local delicacy is "belote", embryonated duck eggs boiled in salt water. Though they are supposed to cure all ills, I still don't like eating that duck fetus inside.
One landmark (plural) is the Jeepney. Basically it is an elongated Jeep converted to a minibus. Each one is gaily and imaginatively painted and is loaded with dozens of chrome knicknacks and many painted slogans. They carry about 12 persons in extreme discomfort, but the cost to ride is 3 cents. They run on a pre-set routes. They are always crowded and in rush hour you can't get on one. Each is individually owned and run as a business. They are in every city, not only Manila.
As the Philippines is a nation of islands, large and small, they have a comprehensive network of shipping by sea. Some liners are primarily for passengers and others for freight, but most carry both. My most recent trip was a sea voyage to Zamboanga City on the southern tip of Mindanao island. It is 800 miles south of Manila and the voyage took two days and two nights, but I spent the third night on the ship because of the late arrival in Zamboanga and the curfew. The fare was 112 pesos, therefore the voyage, food, and bed was less then three nights in a Manila hotel. My particular ship was a large liner carrying lots of freight and about 150 passengers. My ticket was designated "first class without cabin" (there were no cabins on the ship). Bed was a canvas cot, sheets, and a pillow on the upper deck. 2nd class slept on the upper deck but had less protein with their meal. 3rd class were on a lower deck AND got less meat. Thank Providence for plenty of catsup which made the meals edible. Although there was little to do on board, the time passed pleasantly. We were usually in sight of verdant islands and some of the many soldiers on board had brought card decks and chess sets. I played Rummy and chess with them. The locals are chess nuts and I was no match for them, but I gave them
"what for" with the card games..
Mindanao Island and the Sula archipelago to the south are home to many of the Muslims and is the site of a revolt against the central govt. I think the Muslims want autonomy. The quarrel didn't affect me and I found both the Muslims and the Christians to be most hospitable. The city itself is a busy Market and Shipping center for all the surrounding area. The Market place is a joy, right on the waterfront with bounty from the sea and local gardeners that beggers discription. Fish of every size, shape, and hue straight from the sea, or huge sweet, juicy mangoes for a nickle. A good sized fish or 4 smaller ones sell for 30 cents. The vendors are a kaleidoscope of tribal origins and dress. When a fisherman/vendor runs low on stock the Muslim boys dive right into the sea and swim to the boat to bring new stock. I went browsing at the market at least once a day.
Aside from poking around the town I went to a small offshore island or reef for swimming. The water was crystal clear and there were coral reefs and and fish aplenty. The beach was almost deserted except for some naked Muslim urchins. I also took a Jeepney to the outskirts of the little city and continued by foot into the hills on one of many footpaths. There were clean streams and dozens of washerwomen; lots of thatched huts, caribou, tropical flowers, and some of the largest and most brilliantly colored birds and insects I have ever seen. The natives were amazed to see a tourist trekking back in the hills, but uniformly friendly. At one point I traversed a swinging, trembling, suspension footbridge over a stream. The local kids were jumping and scampering on the bridge and howling with glee at my attempts to keep my balance.
Zamboanga more than any other place seems a tropical,southseas paradise. The prices are minuscule and as yet not discovered. I highly recommend it to anyone who need a change of pace. I did see some Americans who were at the local 1st class hotel with Unitours so you better hurry.
On my trip back to Manila I took the ship "Sweet Home", a fine vessel with a set schedule and a varying range of accommodations. It is mostly a passenger ship, but carries some cargo. I left on Friday night and got back to Manila on Monday afternoon. The vessel spent 16 hours in Cebu City so I explored there a bit. I had a proper cabin this time with a good bunk, four bunks to a cabin. It was air conditioned and we had meals in a real dining room. The fare was 140 pesos-still less than spending that time in Manila.

WELL THAT IS IT FOR THIS LETTER, SOME OF THESE THINGS ONE COULDN'T OR SHOULDN'T DO NOW. WHAT GREAT MEMORIES I CARRY FROM MY ADVENTURES IN THE PHILIPPINES !!