It's been almost 3 years since we moved to the Philippines. The passage of time hits home to me more when we return to places that we've been before... and experience them differently because we are different.
I've vacationed on beautiful Borocay's beaches 3 times, and I've stayed at the same hotel in Station 3 every time. The first time was when I had only lived here a few months, and I took my friend, Sarah, with me. I was new to living outside of my western comfort zone, and I was a bit skittish. We didn't stray very far from the hotel.
The second time was last fall when we came with friends who are long term residents of the Philippines. They showed us their favorite haunts, and we knew a lot more about living the Filipino life, so we were far more relaxed. We know what cardineras and sari sari stores are now, and we know how to buy from them. Walking down a narrow street off the beach in the beach led to a great story about Ben losing an apple as it rolled down the hill in the dark and a random person handing it back to him after he thought it was long gone.
There's a long street that leads from the main road in Borocay down to the beach at Angol Point. It's full of regular Filipino life. There are guys resting after piling long, narrow rods of metal for a house that's under construction. Local kids walk by laughing in groups, coming down to the beach, still wearing their school uniforms. The sari sari stores sell tiny lemon Fantas that we can't get in Manila, and the farther you get from the beach, the cheaper they are. People drive by on motorcycles, and you'd better move to the side if you don't want to get run over. Local dogs sit in the shade, waiting for you to drop your banana cue.
And speaking of banana cue, I decided to buy some from a cardinera for the first time. I couldn't resist. We could smell him frying it in oil as we walked down the sandy road late in the afternoon, looking for mangos to buy by the kilo.
"How much, kuya?" "20 pesos, ma'am." "One please, po."
Heaven on a stick, mga kaibigan. Fresh banana cue is addictive. We came back more than once for that sweet, carmelized sugar on a saba banana.
Not far from the banana cue stand was a fruit vendor. She called Ben "handsome", and we knew he could get his sliced mango every day because she'd be there. David had her make him a mango shake with condensed milk, no added sugar, because you can do that at fruit stands here. We know this now.
David and the boys would walk to Starbucks in the mornings far down the beach before I was up and going. One day, they decided to take a pedal trike. The pedal trike kuya said they could all ride, but he'd need to put down a piece of cardboard in the luggage rack to hold Evan. So he did. We also know this is totally normal, and Evan loved his special seat. He told them about Borocay and pointed out the sights. He has 6 kids, and this is his regular job. He rents the trike daily from someone else, and he needs to get enough fares to pay the rent and then have some left over.
For the most part, if you're in a local part of town, you'll pay the same rates as the locals for typical things like fruit and snacks, and we appreciate that. All bets are off on the beach, though. I think they assume that foreigners don't know the exchange rate. I asked a guy selling little pen lights how much he was charging. "800 pesos." I laughed and said, "I live here." Nope. I'm not paying $18 U.S. for a pen light toy. I'm proud that I know enough to know when a vendor is trying to overcharge me... and that most locals aren't.
When we walked away from our hotel, I knew that this was the last time we'd probably ever see it. It was the last time I'd see the pink dressed reception ates who noticed that Ben had cut his toe somehow and got out the betadine to clean it up. It was the last time I'd see the waiters who praised my kids' drawings and laughed when they got together to try and pull apart an oar that wouldn't come unstuck. We are known and appreciated because we've become sukis (regular customers), and I'm going to miss that.
We are using this time in our lives as a precious chance to travel, and we are traveling all over Asia, but there is something special about traveling in a country that you understand better because of the hard won knowledge you've gained by learning to call it home. Mahal kita, Philippines.
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