Day 7

13 December 2008

We took our Lola (grandmother) on a walk around the neighborhood today and ended up at the Barangay Hall (community center). I think we even met the bgy president, Ellen Reyes. We talked, shared photos and got Lola to walk around the patio for a few minutes. For those of you who don't know, my grandma suffered a stroke in August which left her left side severely weakened. She loses her balance easily if she's walking unassisted, so her caregiver is with her almost all day. While it's difficult to see, I'm grateful that she's alive and still has the same firecracker spirit that I remember from my childhood. She misses her home in Naga City and constantly says that she would like to return to there rather than stay in Blue Ridge. I can sympathize with her, but for her safety, it's probably best for her to stay here.

The afternoon was spent walking around Cubao. We took a Jeepney ride from BRB to Cubao and, boy, was it an adventure! A Jeepney is a converted Jeep (or something like it - I'm pretty sure that's the way it started but now I think they probably make Jeepney bodies) that's like a private taxi, decorated to suit the driver's personality. Mom set a few ground rules for us to follow in the vehicle, to ensure our safety - no jewelry, no purses, keep everything in your pockets at all times including your hands, and don't speak unless you absolutely need to (since speaking would identify us as Americans and thus increase our chances of getting mugged). However, *someone* decided to hand the driver 250 pesos ($5USD) when our total fare should have been only 32PHP ($0.90). It was a good thing we were riding with such nice people and that the driver handed back the money right away. And, no, that someone was not me. I'll let you guess who it was. Leah also had to sit like a contortionist for half of the ride because a teenage schoolboy decided that the three inches of seat between her and the next passenger was enough to sit on. May there were three inches of seat left because I wasn't actually sitting on the bench myself! I spent most of the ride to Cubao hanging on to the overhead bar and doing a wall-sit! Had I known I was going to do a work out, I would have worn more comfortable clothes. :)

In Cubao, we went to yet another mall (the Gateway). I don't know why we're going to so many shopping malls, especially since they're so crowded. But I guess shopping is the main thing to do in the cities. Anyway, I picked up some books on Philippine reef fishes and dive guides to help me with choosing a dive operator and dive sites in either Batangas or Bohol. Planning a dive trip is usually pretty easy if everyone has a C card and wants to dive. but since I'm the only certified diver in my group, it's been challenging to nail down a resort that offers other activities and accommodations that works for our schedule.

We went to the night market in Green Hills to finish our day. I've been to night markets before and this one was so packed with shoppers I couldn't really see anything close up. The highlight of the outing, though, was seeing the puppet show on top of one of the neighboring buildings. I remember watching this show as a child and it was neat to see that it hadn't changed much.