Two Weddings, A Funeral And More

It is funny how the unexpected happens to you even while enjoying a bespoke vacation. In all my planning and preparation, I did not expect that I would be in attendance at two weddings and a funeral. All this took place on the beautiful island of Cebu, Philippines.

Let me back up a bit to give you a total picture of my travels thus far. My Southeast Asia trip began in Manila. From there I flew to the overcrowded tourist destination of Palawan. The city’s main transport – tuk tuks crowd the streets. I missed the opportunity to go on tour of the subterranean river because of a flight delay. Guess I’ll have to return again someday 🙂. Instead I toured the city of Puerto Princesa, went zip lining, site seeing via my very own tuk-tuk driver to places like Baker’s Hill, crocodile farm, butterfly farm, etc.

Moved on to Cebu, the second largest city in the Philippines. I like it here. Less crowded, people are friendly, sites are spectacular and lots to see and do. I visited the Kawasan Falls to the south, passing through the town of Moalboal where divers go to experience the sardine run and Tabogon to the north passing by the Temple of Leia. Both were long rides, but along the way the sites and views were breathtaking.

I rode the bus to Kawasan Falls. While riding along I heard a commotion on the bus. I turned to see what was going on. The bus stopped. The conductor of the bus held a limp little boy and proceeded to drop the boy on the side of the road. I thought the lad was sick but when the bus started up again and the conductor got back on barking out in a dialect I did not understand what obviously were some stern words to the lad, that I realized the child was a stowaway. I could tell from his looks that he was a street kid. I turned to my seat neighbor and asked if he was and she confirmed it. Sad 😞 situation.

Now about the two weddings and funeral. I peregrinated the city of Cebu and while cooling off, resting my weary legs, and observing the beauty of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cebu, back to back weddings occurred. I sat quietly as the uninvited visitor to observe the proceedings. The flowers and decorations were pretty. The music was sweet and the bridal parties were dressed to the nines even though the temperature was in the high 90s. My presence was not a disturbance because other visitors and locals were there too. The cathedral is actually a historical site.

The funeral, on the other hand, was that of a fellow believer of my faith. Though I did not know the deceased, I was invited to attend by one of the officiating ministers who I met at church the previous day. Morbid thought, I know, but I wanted to experience a Filipino funeral. The grieving family members welcomed my attendance. First there was a feast at the home, which I was told is customary to host for days or even weeks. While at the home, the mood was very respectful, encouraging and comforting to the family. After eating we proceeded to the church for the last rites, ceremonies and interment.

Overall, my time in the Philippines has been very interesting, and exciting. These are my observations: Rice is a staple and eaten at every meal. I’ve eaten rice seven different ways already and counting (bud-bud, rice cake, puso, champorado, to name a few), durian, halo-halo, mangosteen, and other fruits I can’t remember the names. My favorite is still the mango which I eat every day. The traffic is horrendous in Manila and Cebu. Driving there is not for the faint hearted. The weather temperature is hot, hot, hot, but the rainy season is about to start. Every day there is something to see, enjoy, and taste. It is affordable and the USD goes a long way here. My weary body can’t wait to get to rest at night, I fall out the minute my head touches the pillow.

Community Peeps, readers, friends and family, it was wonderful in the Philippines. As of date, I’m already in Kuala Lumpur. Please forgive any errors in spelling, expressions and verbiage. I’m writing on the fly and access to Wi-Fi is not always available. I’ll have to save the photos for another time also.

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