Once again I must apologize for the lack of updates. It would seem that the Philippines hates any and all forms of electronics. It would seem that every piece of digital equipment here has been either lost, broken, or stolen in the last three months. Of course lack of technological means makes it rather difficult to update or post photographs.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Leaving Mindoro we traveled to the mountain city of Baguio. At ten thousand feet above sea level the weather was mild but the training was fierce. Even walking around it was often difficult to catch ones breath. The mountains there are quite different from the lavish jungle we saw back home. Instead of palm fawns we were greeted a forest of evergreens, a site that made me just a little homesick for my fabled Pine Barrens.

Our week passed quickly and soon we returned to Mindoro where our hectic training schedule continued. Only in the last few days have things varied enough to make one realize that time here is drawing short. Monkey has gone to live with Master Rodell in Batangas though I'm sad I know she will be happy and that I could never hope to bring her to the US. The house is also beginning to clear out as we give away most of our unnecessary possessions. Souvenirs have finally began to accumulate and the rush or training has moved to a hush of relaxation and introspection.

Two days ago we set out on a personal mission to simply remove some trash from the beach. Four people with some drinks set out. Inquisitive glances and puzzled expressions however soon disappeared and we were ten strong marching the entire length and breadth of our little white beach. Four stuffed refuse bags later and things are even better than when we arrived. Now if only it could stay that way. W celebrated our success that evening with a bonfire that skirted both the water and the rocky cliffs that mark the borders of our sands. Being Master Rodell's last night with us it was serene evening tinged with beauty and sadness.


~T

Hello World! This update is going to be primarily photos since little has changed from my daily routine. Though my new (read as 6 week old) GE digital camera has died I've managed to borrow and shoot off a rather extensive amount of photographs as of late. I will most likely be traveling to the mainland this weekend so perhaps I can have it repaired or replaced. It has a one year warranty but for some reason I don't think that holds a lot of water around here. Time will only tell! Three more weeks until Japan. I will miss this place terribly and if finances would allow I honestly could see myself taking up a more permanent residence. See you all soon!

~T

Hello again from the South Pacific! It has been a while since I've posted and it's about time to rectify. Until Friday of last week my days were rather routine, up at dawn to train for a few hours then breakfast and sleep followed by more training in the evening and finally dinner and a few drinks with friends. That all changed however when I decided to join a group of French divers on a trip to Baracay. Because Sensei had previous engagements on the mainland I decided to brave the travel by myself. I then discovered that there were no available flights from Manila to Panay but seeing as its just the next major island over from mine I thought I would try to bus and ferry it. This was mistake number one. Leaving at 7am I took one tricycle, a jeepney (pictured below), a van, a cargo ferry and a motorbike only to arrive at the boat terminal around midnight. This meant I had to wait 5 hours for dawn to cross a narrow channel that in all likelihood I could have swam. Falling asleep in front of said terminal I awoke covered in morning dew and rather perturbed. I made it to Baracay but it had taken 22 hours instead of the 10 I was told before I set out...

The Island itself was a bit too touristy and crowded for my taste. While I did get to enjoy some good company and some excellent food for a change I did not however get to go diving! The weather while at times clear was still spotted with bouts of rain and wind causing less than grand visibility. Instead a few of us opted for sailing which was a pleasant change of pace. While my French companions headed home in the wee hours of Monday morning I again unable to book a flight headed out around noon to catch the only available ferry. One would think I had taken heed from my first jaunt but alas I am a slow learner. While this trip was less frustrating in terms finding my way it was no less lengthy. To make a long story short it took me 26 hours this time, with the highlight being my stay at a hostel in Calapan. It was there that I was completely drenched by a storm, argued with a trike driver who tried to bring me to the most expensive hotel in town and befriended some lost Russians who were also headed to Puerto Galara.

All in all a memorable and tiring trip for certain! For now Sensei and Master are still on the mainland and I've gotten to enjoy a week without heavy training. Though the weather has been at times less than agreeable I really haven't been one to complain. Instead I've simply taken the time to fix some things around the house and finish reading my books. I am now the proud owner of a functioning toilet and a cold water shower! Ahhh the excitement of island life! Until I blog again!

PS the picture of me with the "Beer Snorkel" is me getting my unofficial SCUBA certification from my friend and instructor Dorthee at Pacific Divers.

~T

Sorry for the lack of udates lately but life has been a blur! Traveled to Batangas and Manila to train. Training at the village was quite an experience. Dauntingly long sessions of drilling coupled with dummy fighting and direct combat left me more than a little exhausted. Spent the fourth of July eating burgers and drinking beers which Sensi and I felt was most appropriate course of action. I managed with considerable effort to acquire a new camera and air mattress so that was a positive. You will see some pictures below which include the village and pictures of me eating a south pacific delicacy called Balut. Oh and don't click that link unless you have a rather strong stomach.

We have had several typhoons in the area causing lots of rain and huge surf. After training last week we heard cries for help from the friends of a man who had been pulled out by a large wave beyond a rock wall cliff. We ran to help and after climbing up and over the rock face found him clinging to a boulder amid the surf. We managed to swim out and retrieve him but it was quite a hairy scenario. Aside from the storms this week started off with some safer adventure as not only did I complete my PADI SCUBA diving certification but we also held a big party to celebrate Master Rodel's 60th Birthday! It was filled with seafood, cake, Karaoke and exorbitant amounts of merriment.

This weekend I may be traveling solo to meet some dive friends in Baraki, on the island of Palawan. I have no clue where we are going and what the exact plan is however I see little reason not to go. Sensi and our other American guest will follow Master again to the mainland for some in depth training and to be honest I'm a little relieved to me missing out. That is all for now!

~T

The days here have grown rather tiresome though not for lack of activity. Rather the days are fuller than before and if they were not so exciting I would certainly collapse. Since I last wrote I have been working towards my PADI SCUBA diving certification for open water diving. Couple about 5 hours of Martial Arts training with another 4 or 5 of Diving lessons out on the ocean and what you will be faced with is a rather exhausted adventurer. This weekend however we shall make my first trek back to the mainland since my arrival 3 weeks ago. We shall arrive in Manila and then take the long ride to the Arnis village outside of Batangas. We will be attending large combat classes first there and again in a public square upon our return to Manila on Sunday. I am hoping to either purchase a new digital camera during this trip or to have my old one repaired. The screen sadly "gave up the ghost" as they say earlier this week. I will try to take some shots with Sensei's camera soon but no guarantees...

June 25th
A typhoon has been long threatening us these last few days with large amounts of wind and heavy rain. Mainland Manila has been flooding but here on the island things have been fairer though not the pleasant paradise my previous pictures have shown. We lost power yesterday afternoon and while this is not all uncommon for an hour or so its return was far delayed by the storm. Only late this evening did we finally regain power. Thankfully we were not without candles and a trusty propane stove. So although our eyes may have been strained slightly while playing cards into the night our bellies did not go unfilled.

One might think or rather hope that while a storm was beating upon our shore that training would be placed on hold. Not so with Master Rodel. We continued our early morning and afternoon Arnis sessions in the pouring rain and at times amid dazzling lightning and thunderous booms. Thankfully our swimming and hiking workouts were canceled and I was able to gather some much needed rest. I have spent the last few days battling a mild ear infection that has left me sleepless and a touch off balance.

In other news our house has gained another tenant aside from Master. As you may have noticed in the photos below we have been joined by a quite loveable crab-eating macaque. Her name is Jenny, though we refer to her simply as “Monkey.” At just over a year old Monkey escaped exportation as a lab money by first befriending the Mad Frenchman DeeDee and now by taking up residence within our lovely domicile.

In other news I am presently about halfway through the Lord of the Rings book series hovering somewhere around page five hundred or just over a thousand. It’s a quicker read than some would have lead me to believe but certainly not what one would call “light reading.” Funny however that amid its pages I found a single dried rose which when discovered drew a smile from my lips but as time progressed simply weighed heavy on my heart. I gave my copy of “The Hobbit” to the young boy Trevor that lives next store as I do not plan on returning with any of my books. In return he brought me a copy of the children’s novel “The Ratastrophe Catastrophe,” a retelling of the Pied Piper, which I may choose to read next if I finish before my copy of “The Mammoth Hunters” arrives.

I will no longer bore you with ramblings on books and the lamenting of bruised limbs. Instead I bid you farewell from the South Pacific. May you grow up but never old!

Pleasure and Pain

June 21st

Sorry for the lack of updates but it has been a very busy week. Training is going well though my body has been taking quite the beating. My hands are ripped, cut and blistered and my feet have seen far better days. I've not only bruised both heals I've managed in just ten days to wear holes in my only pair of running shoes. Thankfully today has been mainly one of rest. Though there will be plenty of underwater kicking and punching practice later, along with a technique review, it will all be close to zero impact.

Ive got a few pictures for you from a most wonderful resort atop one of the mountains here on Mindoro. Thursday Sensei and I headed to the Pondarosa Golf Course. Which oddly enough is a course of nine holes scattered along various hillsides and along ravines. While the course is populated by a number of various creatures (including what I was told is a rather venomous centipede) it is simply amazing and far beyond anything either of us could play upon in the States. (And if you must know I had 57 strokes on a par 30 which was still six strokes better than Sensei)

Tomorrow Master Rodell will arrive and some seriously hardcore training will begin. We also hope to make a trek back out to Puerto Galera to purchase a washing machine and to visit what we have been told is the only ATM on the island. It was sadly out of order on our last visit and while we have money for the moment the idea of traveling to the mainland for cash is not one that I wish to explore. So long for now!

~T