Out and about in Solano

Lyn and I woke up early as usual and decide to go to McDonalds for breakfast since we had seen that they had wifi and were trying to upload pictures off f our phones. We were hoping that it would be faster as well. After ordering some food we were giving the password and told which corner to sit in to pick up the signal. It was a very weak signal and we could not upload anything. After breakfast we walked around town a little bit and then headed back to the house. The plan was to leave after lunch and go visit some relatives. After a refreshing cold shower and lunch we headed out. We stopped by Lyn’s Mom’s house and hung out there awhile and then decided to go visit some relatives that lived further into the mountains. One of these relatives was named Sally and I had talked to her during the funeral services. She spoke great English and I found out that she was in education as well. She is actually a Principal of an Elementary public school. We were going to visit her and Lyn’s Aunt and Uncle. After a long drive on the trike we arrived at their house and all poured into a 4 wheel drive van to go up the mountain to visit Lyn’s Aunt and Uncle that do farming up there. Once we got there they were already out picking fruit and invited us to pick as much as we wanted to. The fruit they were picking was called rambutan. It looks kind of funky but once you peel off the outside skin you are rewarded with a very sweet fruit inside. We also picked a fruit called lansones and one called santol. They were all delicious or masarap as we say in Tagalog! After that we went back down to the main house and had great fellowship over a pepsi and a few snacks. After talking awhile it was time to go back to Lyn’s Mom’s house to watch a video of the funeral. When we got there they had already started the video and had were eating freshly boiled peanuts. As we watched it fresh corn from Lyn’s Mom’s farm was cooked and brought out in large bowls for everyone to enjoy. This was a big hit and several more bowls were brought out to meet demand. A little bit later some boiled kamoteng-kahoy (Yucca) was brought out with bowls of brown sugar to dip it in. It seems in the Philippines that brown sugar makes good things even a little bit better! We left around 6PM and went to visit one more relative and then it was on our way home for dinner. We stopped at a small restaurant and got several take always to eat at home. It was about 8PM and almost time to go to sleep. Finally we went to bed. We would need to be at the terminal by 6:30AM to reserve a good seat in the van as we are heading for Baguio in the morning. It is about 5 hours away on the zig zag road. Lyn and I are both so thankful for our days here we truly want for nothing. Ok Ok maybe a cool breeze now and then! :)

What a day!

Lyn and I are still experiencing Jet lag so we usually take a nap in the afternoon and we usually wake up early around 4:30 am. This morning we heard an unusual sound on the roof. It was a scrapping sound followed by a sliding sound. Turns out it was chicken climbing around and having some early morning fun. After waiting around for about an hour and half we decided to go into town early and buy some baked goods for breakfast and just enjoy walking around the town. This town has a really cool vibe. Not too big not too small. It was nice to see the town waking up and everyone starting to get busy to greet the day. After having a nice walk in relatively cool air we stopped in a bakery and bought a large sampling of their goods. Everything from pandesal to things I had never seen before. When we got back everyone was up and we had breakfast. Today we would be going to swim in the river. It was a ritual that they usually did the day after a burial. It would involve having special water/minerals poured on your head and then after turning around three times you went for a swim in the river. After you got done you were supposed to change your cloths and everyone’s old clothes were collected and put in bags. Then those bags are thrown in the river and away they go. We all put on our oldest clothes and packed fresh ones for the trip. We left about 8AM to go to Lyn’s Mom’s house to meet up with everyone before heading to the river. Of course we arrived by trike! The river was about 2 or 3 miles away and we would all get there by riding scooters, motorcycles, trikes and one van. It was decided that Lyn and I would ride on the back of Charles motorcycle to the river. Yep three up on a motorcycle……. gotta love it. Charles asked me if I knew how to drive and offered to let me drive back. Wait what I would be allowed to drive on the roads of the Philippines?!?!?! This is a dream come true for me!!! We all headed out caravan style. We arrived at what looked a little like a rock quarry and proceeded to the riverbank. We all went through the ceremony and then enjoyed the cool water of the river. The current was strong but it was shallow where we were so we just enjoyed the cool water and the fellowship. After changing and throwing our old clothes in the river and we were on our way. I drove Charles motorbike with Lyn on the back. We drove in the outskirts of town across bridges with beautiful scenery and through neighborhood road. I could not have been happier!! When we got back we had lunch and a few red horses (beer) and just had a good time over all. After that we went home and took our usual afternoon nap. We went back to Lyn’s Mom’s house and had a prayer service for Lyn’s Dad who had died just one year ago. After the service I sat on the front porch as more and more kids got braver and decided to try out their English on me. It was great usually with everyone’s help we could all figure out what we were saying to each other. If we got too far off the beaten path I would call Lyn over to straighten us out. Grace Lyn’s niece lived with Lyn’s Mom in her house and she was telling me about the farm that they worked on together. We decided to go take a look and see the crops and the general area. It was about 3 miles away and of course we would go by trike. Rommel was going to drive and Lyn, Grace and myself would ride along. After going on about every road surface you can imagine we arrived at the farm. We walked through some trees and then the scenery opened up to one of the most beautiful scenes I have seen here. We walked about a quarter of a mile more and just enjoyed each others company. Grace is a 1^st year Agriculture major so she plans on being a farmer when she gets out. For the trip back they offered to let me drive the trike back. Awesome! Lets roll! As soon as I started driving it felt like the trike had a mind f its own. It seemed to pull me in every direction except straight. Some of the road was paved and was not too bad but you had to remember two things. Number one you were much wider than a motorcycle and you did not lean to steer you just turned the handle bars. After growing up riding motorcycles it was very hard to steer in ths fashion. While I was only going about 25 mph it felt a little out of control as I manuervered around dogs, chickens, kids playing and oncoming traffic. When we hit the unpaved roads it only got worse. Here you had to watch out for puddles and ruts in the ground. This meant you had to line the bike up to miss the holes with the bike wheels as well as the sidecar wheel as well. Some times you had to go through ruts and your steering would go away completely for a few seconds only to be regained when you came out of the rut. This was a challenge to say the least. Finally we had to cross a muddy rutted road that went between two rice paddy fields. If I messed up we would be over the edge and down in a rice paddy. I got about ¾ across and I hit a big rut and instantly the entire trike started going to the left and straight for the rice paddy! I could just see me flipping this thing. I naturally put my foot down to help stop and balance as the brakes did not seem to be doing anything. All of this was happening while we were probably only going about 15 mph. Thank goodness we stopped about a foot from the edge. After thanking everyone that was riding with me for not screaming we were on our way and I managed to get us all there safely. I have a much greater respect for all of the trike drivers and will need much more practice before I will be taking one on the main roads anytime soon.

The Service

We woke up at 5 to the sound of music. There were a lot of people already moving about. I can now understand why Lyn is so good at camping. It felt a lot like we were on a big group outing. Some people were making coffee and others were cooking breakfast on gas burners in the kitchen. We all got ready to start the service. We would be going to the church and then on to the cemetery. There was a small marching band outside playing music until the Hearst came. They would actually lead us to the church for the service and then on to the cemetery. We would all walk behind the Hearst the entire way as a sign of struggle and respect. This was no small feat as the cemetery was about an hours walk away. After about 20 minutes we made it to the church and after the casket was taken in we all went in and had a seat. It was a small beautiful one-room church. Most of its beauty came from its simplicity. Sometimes we all get caught up in the mentality that bigger is better but this church was a shining example of why that is not true. After several songs and speakers several family members were asked t speak. Even though I could not understand the language I could of course see the love and sorrow on their faces. I was even asked to speak, I am not sure if anyone but Lyn really understood what I said but at the end of the day that was all that really mattered to me. At the end of the service all of the family members where asked to put flowers on the coffin and then stand at the front of the church then all of the people got in line and offered their condolences one more time. It was really moving to say the least. After that we prepared for the long walk to the cemetery. The walk was filled with conversations and it was great to see the views of this beautiful area at a speed that only walking can provide. Along the way some cars would toss out coins and the kids would run around and pick them up. As we walked things really started to heat up as the sun came up. At times it was a struggle but like with most struggles came appreciation. The appreciation of walking in the shade when trees were present, a cool breeze or maybe water that was handed to you by someone you did not know. About half way there the Hearst stopped and they could not get it started. I never heard one person complain. We all just found a place in the shade and talked while several of the men opened the hood and tried to figure out the problem. After about 10 minutes they got it started and we were on our way. We finally made it all the way to the cemetery. The coffin was brought out and everyone was given one final chance to say goodbye. Then it was carried to its final resting place and placed in the vault. After that it was boarded up and the younger men formed a line and handed buckets of concrete to each other that were used to seal it up. While this was being done we went back to Lyn’s Mom’s house for a big lunch for all involved. We bought a few bottles of soda at the Sari Sari store across the street and everyone continued to enjoy the fellowship. Later that afternoon we went back to Dominga’s house had dinner and called it a night. It had been along day and we were all ready for a good nights sleep. What a great send off to such a great person. May you rest in peace Mamang.

Getting ready for the walk to the church.

Same Same but Different!

“Same Same but Different” is a saying that I first heard on a visit to Thailand. I think it really applies to my experience here. While things are really different here the emotions and feelings shared are the same. We woke up in the morning around 6 fully rested for the first time in several days. We could hear the sounds of roosters and dogs barking right outside the front door. We had breakfast with Lyn’s sister Dominga’s family and decided to take a shower and then walk into town. The shower consisted of a plentiful supply of cold water only. To get the job done I also used a bucket to pour more water over myself. After getting over the shock of it I realized two things. I was very much awake and I was cool for the first time since I arrived. What a great way to start the day! Who needs air-conditioning when you start the day like this?!?!?! After Lyn showered we went into town. It is only a few blocks away and I really like it. It is small but busy and it is fun just to walk around. Lots of trikes, lots of scooters and lots of people staring at me. Along the way we ran into several of Lyn’s classmates from high school and college. After getting back home we started getting ready to go back to Lyn’s Mom’s house. We would be hosting many family and friends today as they came by the house to pay their last respects. Before we left it started to rain. It was about twenty minute ride to her house and we would be taking trikes! As you probably know by now I love these vehicles. They are the workhorses of the Philippines. They are run by underpowered motorcycles that are slow but strong. You can see them carrying around everything from entire families to sofas and just about anything in-between. Somehow they always are able to add one more person if needed no matter how many you started with. Safety would probably not be their virtue but I love them all the same. Before we left we decided to go to the cemetery and see where her Mom would be buried and also see her where Lyn’s Dad was buried. The way it works in the Philippines is you are buried above ground and cement vaults. They are very close together and to get to the one you want to see you have to walk on top of the vaults. While doing this you say excuse me to each one out of respect.  Once she paid her respects to her Dad we went back home and left for her Mom’s house in a driving rain. We all rode in the trike and despite many ways for the water to get in we arrived surprisingly dry. Once we arrived we were greeted by many relatives that were already there preparing for the next few days. The plan was to spend the entire afternoon and night at her Mom’s house and then leave for the funeral service the next morning. Lyn’s main job was to sit next to the coffin and greet friends and family as they came in. It was amazing to see how Lyn’s family consoled so many people and also how much Lyn’s Mom was loved as a Mom, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt and most importantly as a Friend to so many. This turned out to be hundreds of people much to my surprise. There were basically three areas of activity. The living room where Lyn’s Mom was laid to rest, An outside area were people were playing card games and of course an area for Karaoke. I stayed with Lyn in the living room for most of the time with occasional nap breaks in one of the bedrooms. We were still fighting jet lag and sitting quietly does not help. The event would go on all night and then at 5:00 am the services would start for the funeral. Lyn and I lay down for the night around 2:00 am. There were actually five of us stretched across the bed sideways and you would be surprised how well you can sleep in those conditions when you are fully worn out from your day. Activities went on all night and but did quiet down as the early morning hours set in. At 5AM the music started playing and we all started getting ready for the day. Too be continued after I get some much needed sleep………

Lyn's Dad's headstone.

Preparing food for all the guests.

A few guest.

More guest.

Eating!

View from the front porch!

Finally Solano!

What can I say it takes awhile to get to Lyn’s hometown no doubt about it. We left our house in Greensboro Saturday morning at 7 am and drove to my daughter Chelsea’s house in Raleigh. We got there about 8:30 and went to breakfast with all the kids. What a treat after the last few days. After having breakfast we were taken to the airport by Chelsea, Justin and Rheagan. We usually to try to travel light but this would not be one of those times. We had our carry on bags as well as three 50lbs bags that we were taking to the Philippines. Lyn has six siblings with families of there own and it is always nice to get things from the states that they could not usually get there so we were loaded to the gills with stuff. Our plane boarded on time but we got stuck at the gate as the plane next to us was having a problem. They moved some of the passengers over to our plane and by the time they moved the luggage and added more food we were leaving about two and half hours late. Our flight once airborne would be an additional 12 hours to get to Tokyo. Yikes!!!! We were in for a long ride. When we finally arrived in Tokyo 5 movies and three meals later we found out that they had actually held our next flight and we would make it to Manila but about 2.5 hours later than planned. We were going to be picked up by the relatives of Eric and Russelle friends of ours that live in Greensboro but are from the Manila area. They were going to pick us up and let us stay with them and then take us to the bus station the next morning for the final leg of our Journey. We needed to tell them that we were going to be late but the wifi was not working in the Tokyo airport. Finally we boarded the plane for our trip to Manila. This flight would only be 4 hours, very short by our current standard. As luck would have it the plane had wifi and I was able to send a message to Eric who relayed it to his Mom. We finally arrived in Manila to long immigration lines. By the time we made it through and found Eric’s Mom and brother-in-law it was almost 1 AM. They grabbed our bags and took us in their car to a condo that we could use for the night. I cannot tell you what a big deal this was and how thankful we are to have such good friends to set this all up. It is so hard to travel that far and be thrown into the craziness of a big city and try to figure everything out. By the time we went to sleep it was 3 AM. We got up at 6 and took much-needed showers. Then we caught a cab and went to the bus station. Eric’s Mom insisted that she go with us and she stayed until we were safe and on the bus headed for Solano. While waiting for the bus it was obvious that I was the only non-Filipino in the area. You know when sometimes you get that feeling that you are being watched well it was happening every minute. Every time I looked around the room it was like the entire room was staring at me and then they would all look away. This happened over and over as we had to wait until 11 to catch the next available bus. After saying goodbye to Eric’s Mom we were off to Solano! Well after we fought our way out of Manila. If you have to fight traffic, a bus is the way to go. They just go where they want to go and everyone else gets out of the way. Once we got on the road I just sat back and enjoyed the trip as the scenery went by. I also enjoyed the very cold air conditioning. We made several stops along the way and I was quit a spectacle every time I got off the bus. We finally arrived in Solano and were whisked away to Lyn’s sister’s house. After unpacking and lying down for a moment we headed out to Lyn’s Mom’s House. Her body was there and most of her relatives were there as well. They are currently going through 9 days of prayer.  Her Mom’s funeral will actually be this coming Thursday. When we arrived Lyn was able to finally say good by to her Mom. It was an emotional outburst that had been building in her since she found out the news several days ago. I am so glad she could be here and surrounded by all of her family members during such a difficult time. There were lots of people inside the house and several outside as well. As with most funerals there is great sadness and great joy as family members reminisce about great times in the past. Lyn knew that there would be lots of kids there so we took a box of 100 blow pops. As they got handed out we noticed that adults and kids alike all enjoyed them. The room turned to one of laughter and the fun stories continued into the night. We went home about 11 and went to bed for the night. We both slept soundly and were thankful to be here with our family.

Hotel in downtown Solano.

Bus in Manila.

Vendor on a trike.

The market.

Downtown Solano!

On to the Philippines

Lyn has decided for us to keep the blog going throughout our trip to the Philippines. She would like a record of our travel there and to be able to share our trip with friends and family around the world who cannot make it back to the Philippines to her Mom’s funeral. Hopefully I can write it in a way that will capture the moments and give her a way to remember our time there. Lyn’s Mom was a strong woman who raised seven of her own children and was a mother figure to countless others. Lyn always said that she was strict but fair and really cared about everyone that was there. I can attest to this. On my last trip to the Philippines Lyn’s Mom always made sure that someone was with me to make sure that I had no problems wherever I went. Even if I left the hotel just to get a coke I had an entourage with me at all times. I am so glad that we were able to renew our wedding vows there and that I was able to meet both Lyn’s Mom and Dad and really get to spend time with them.

Well it has been a couple of tough days. After learning about the death of Lyn’s Mom we drove for two days to get home. We finally arrived Wednesday night around 9. I think my Dad wonders sometimes if his age is slowing him down. Well yes in some ways it has. He walks with an unusual gate and probably cannot win a foot race but put him behind the wheel of a car and he is “The Man” We drove over 11 hours each day through some crazy traffic and a few wrong turns near Chicago. No matter what the situation, he always managed to pop up in my rear view mirror. On the way home Lyn and I made lists of things that needed to get done over the next two days. We leave for the Philippines on Saturday and will be there until the 30^th of July. I am sure our trip will be filled with great sorrow and great joy as we celebrate the life of Lyn’s Mom.

Lyn wrote this about her Mom. I think it sums up the kind of woman that she was and the legacy that she leaves behind.

“I just want to thank all of our family, friends and relatives in behalf of Lamorena family! You're thoughts, prayers, messages, calls & texts really help us go through this grieving time! It really meant a lot to me & my family. I feel that my mom is fortunate enough to be surrounded with loving people. During her lifetime, most of my relatives (cousins) love her as a mother figure for out of all of her 11 siblings, there are only 3 of them left. She helps them in their formative years, some of them stayed with us & she selflessly dedicate herself as a mother to them despite being a little strict, they loved her! They know they can count on her advices whenever they have problems. She is helpful, kind hearted, sweet & friendly person. Always cheerful to her friends. All of my nieces & nephews love to sleep-over at night just to be with her! They call her "mamangkit"(grandma) which sounds so sweet to me & she loves it! Most of the time she thinks of them first rather than herself. Mamang, you are the best and you're always be missed! I love you so much! Thank you for bringing me into this world and tendering me into a person I am now! I will always treasure the love, advices, hugs, kisses and care you've given me! You're forever be in my heart! Now, you finally reunited with Papang ! We love you both & thank you for looking after us!”

Tomorrow we leave for the Philippines out of Raleigh around noon. We will fly to New York and then Tokyo and then finally arrive in Manila Sunday night at 9:45. God Bless our trip.

The Last Post

We woke up in miles city about 6 AM. The temperature had cooled off to about 55 so it was a great night for sleeping. Today our plan was to leave by 10 AM and head to Bismarck North Dakota. It would be about a 6-hour drive and would put us right in the middle of the state. We would be going right by Theodore Roosevelt National Park so we decided to stop in a take a quick tour of the park and then head on our way. They do have campgrounds at the park but they do not take reservations so it is first come first serve. Most campers roll in at 10 to get a site before they fill up. Anyway we arrived about 1 PM and went into the visitor center to take a look and get information. We were told that we were in the south park and could do the loop in two to three hours depending on how much we stopped. We decide to check out the campsite for future visits. The campsites were huge and shady and much to our surprise they were open. We decided to have lunch and decide whether to stay or go. We decided to stay and found the perfect site near a bathroom and a water supply. This campground was basic. Pit toilets and water was about it. It made up for it in cool temperatures and over all beauty. We set up camp and then headed out to see the rest of the park. This was considered the Badlands as well but it had a different look and feel to it. Theodore Roosevelt came here after his Wife and Mother died the same day to grieve his loss and rebuild his spirit. He was one of the first people to talk about conserving the area so that many generations could be able to see and enjoy it in the future. As we drove through we saw that while it resembled the Badlands in South Dakota it had a lot of green grass and flowers added in. It was beautiful. This park is an under promise and an over deliver kind of place. It is relatively small but had great vistas and herds of bison. If you ever get a chance make sure you do the loop drive up to Buck’s Hill and check out the view. I will bet you the price of a campsite that you will not be disappointed! By the way the campsites here are only $10 a night however since we are traveling with senior citizens ours was only $5 for the night. This place is a deal by any standard. After our tour we came back to the campsite and had a spaghetti dinner made by Lyn with puto for dessert. Yum Yum!!! At 9 we went to the amphitheatre and were treated to a show abut the “bad “animals of the park and a little history about Theodore Roosevelt’s connection to the park. So after hearing an interesting talk about local residents, which included mountain lions and rattlesnakes. (Oh lord here we go again.) we carefully walked down the trail back to camp and we all went straight to bed. What a fun unexpected treat this park is. If you are ever in the area you should make the effort to come here and remember if you do not like it your first nights on me! Oh and by the way we found out late that they do have regular bathrooms here we just happened to be near the only pit toilet in the park. Here is a short video of our campsite. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152582295258130&set=vb.752963129&type=2&theater

This was written yesterday and today we wake up in Minnesota to the sad news that Lyn's Mom died of a heart attack at 1AM this morning. (We do not have all the details yet.) We are headed home. It will take us two days to get home and then we are off to the Philippines. Lyn's Mom was a very strong woman who raised 7 children. She will be missed. God Bless our family during this difficult time.

Bison

Lyn in Roosevelt's cabin kitchen.

On our way to the nightly ranger program.

My Dad trying his hat on Sturgis style.

In the town of Medora ND.

Town of Medora.

Original store in Medora.

Fellow camper complete with dog and goggles!

Fantastic park!