Neighborhoods are called barangays. Ours is Bulabog. So we live on Boracay, in Bulabog, up Papaya path. The roads here don't actually get you to your house, they get you to your barangay, then you walk. In our case we walk up a hill paved with concrete. We are on the east side of Boracay island, and because of the change in seasons (we are now in the wet season) the typhoon winds are out of the west, so we are now on the calm side of the island. Come November, the dry season, the winds will shift and we'll get them. Along with the dry season winds will come kiteboard surfers from all around the world.
We've been blessed with a fabulous landlady named Liza. She lives in the house next to ours. We live in a fenced, gated compound with just these two houses and her garage turned potting shed. Liza is a gardener so to our fortune we live in a bit of tropical wonder. Our home came well stocked with furniture, towels, cooking things, etc. This is another blessing as it means I don't have to go from sari sari shop and haggle over things like spoons, or rice cookers. Haggling is a social event here, it bugs Brian, and wastes time (unless you can shift your concept and embrace island time!), I don't mind bartering but it's nice having a house with stuff in it already.
Boats off White Beach after the winds shifted to the West side of the island.
The boys enjoyed playing in the surf. Before the winds came we were able to snorkel along White Beach which has a live coral reef off shore. We saw brain coral the size of a dishwasher, water snakes (yes, they are poisonous), lion fish, clown fish, and many other colorful water creatures that we are yet to be able to name.
Toads are plentiful. With legs like this guy has I am surprised I've not seen frog legs on the menu.
The view from our bedroom.
Taking a boat to Panay for a visit to the Ati village. The boat guys run a plank from the deck to the sand and you walk right on down.
At the Caticlan market getting cocunut ground to a fine pulp, which was later soaked in water and made into coconut milk. The ladies at the Ati village made a dish with pumpkin, coconut milk, dried fish, mung beans, and rice. I don't know what it is called. My smart friend K knows almost everything, like what the stuff is called.
Two Ati girls. Not sure why the sad faces, they are usually full of silliness.
Playing a game. Note the tiny chick.
The kids, and I suppose the adults, are covered in sores. I think it's scabies and really wish I had the medicine from the States that we treated our boys with - it worked in one application.
A wise observer.
And this, such beauty.
Our new home has giant land crabs, hermit crabs, toads, and lots of geckos. We have geckos behind the curtains, under the table, above the clothes...you get the idea. Most of them are just 4 inches long or so, but there must be a least one BIG lizard in our house. Each morning I find one 'present' or turd if you will, in the same exact spot on the floor. Directly above the 'gift' is where our odd ceiling is kind of dropped. I think that each night as the lizard makes its effort to get back over the edge of the dropped ceiling, it lets loose, well you get the idea.
Last night we came home late from Bible study, real late, the lizard had already been out. Bis stepped on the pellet of pooh, and that gave me the chance to examine it a bit (oh joy). The lizard had obviously eaten a cockroach. Did I mention we have cockroaches?
So I'm reading, looking at the gorgeous color of the water and thinking "blue water really does exist" and I'm thinking what a wonderful adventure you're on. Then I see poisonous water snakes, lizards, geckos, land crabs, frogs, poop...it's like a plague! Just a reminder to me that you aren't on vacation but are on a mission.
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