Some things are different here . . .

When you travel or live in another country, you definitely notice differences . . . especially when you move from a very dry climate to a very humid one.  Or from a 1st world country to a 3rd world country.  (Oh oh. . . google says that those are outdated "Cold War-era" terms, now replaced with the terms "developed" and "developing"). Whoops. But I grew up in the Cold War era, so it's okay.

Here are some things we've noticed:

• There's shopping for every budget -- from open air cheap markets to hole-in-the-wall small shops to huge modern shopping centers.

• Some things, such as corn starch, cocoa, icing sugar, etc., are sealed in double plastic.  It's so humid here that double bagging helps.  Our apartment stays around 75% humidity.  Very different from the 0-50% we experience at home.

• Because of the humidity, everything is sticky, including us.  Paper is limp.  That's the only word I can think of to describe it.

• So far I've been able to find everything I need except for dry onion soup mix.  And hair spray is hard to come by.  Even in salons, they don't use hair spray after they cut and style your hair.

• Washrooms in the Philippines are actually called "comfort rooms" or "CR" for short.  So if you're in need, you don't ask for the washroom, or the restroom, or the bathroom, or the toilet (as you do in many European countries).  You ask for the CR.  Good to know.

• When it rains, it really pours.  We walk outside, expecting it to be cooler as it is when it rains at home, and it is just as hot and even more muggy.  Even temperatures in the mid-20's feel hot due to the humidity.  We're getting used to it.  Now when it's 28, we say, "Wow, it feels cool!"

• The taxi/Uber-type service is great.  Apparently when Uber came in, the congestion on the roads became worse.  Many people bought cars, hired a drivers, and put them into the Uber system, significantly increasing the number of cars on the roads.  Then GrabCar came and bought out Uber.  Still too many cars on the road.

• Taxis/GrabCar are cheap.  From the temple to the Ayala Mall, a 10-15 minute drive depending on traffic, costs between 100-200 pesos.  100 pesos = 2.31 CDN.  Compared to owning or renting a car, it's definitely cheap.  LeRon always rounds up, giving the driver a small tip.

• GrabCar works great.  You order the car, see where it is, and see a picture and name of the driver, as well as the make and color of car and the license plate. You see the fare when you book and the price doesn't change even if the traffic slows you down.  You can pay online or by cash to the driver, and then you receive a receipt online.  We are sold on GrabCar.  And we use taxis and GrabCar a lot.  GrabCar also will deliver food or packages.

• A Filipino told us that we are doing great for over 70.  He said that in the Philippines, 60 is OLD!  And I guess it is, given that the average age is 26.

• I have a bidet on my toilet at home and love it.  We first saw bidets in Jordan and weren't sure how to use them.  I recently learned what to do in countries where you can't flush the toilet paper (as is the case in the Philippines, except in our apartment and in the temple).  You use the bidet to wash off, then use the toilet paper to wipe off the water.  That way the garbage doesn't stink.  Who knew?  I have traveled in 50 countries in the past 30+ years and I didn't understand it till now.

• We regularly get "Extreme Emergency Alerts" on our Filipino phones.  Severe rainfall warning.  So far we are okay.  But they say the worst typhoons will come September-December.

Each area of Philippines has its specialties.  Here in Cebu, one of them is the "Piaya," a sweet pastry made with flatbread with a sugary/syrupy filling and sesame seeds and sometimes with mashed ube (pronounced oo-bay), a purple yam.  LeRon doesn't particularly like them but I think they are tasty.  The lady that gave them to me called them "cookies."  Nobody bakes here.  Many don't have ovens and those we know with ovens are uneasy to use them. 

Toilets in Philippines have a plumbing fixture called a bidet (a French word pronounced bi-day' or bee-day'), used to clean yourself after using the facilities.  It took me a while to learn how to use one without spraying water all over everywhere.  Mine at home is attached to the seat and works a little differently.  I think it's a great innovation.

This is for my Robinson grandchildren.  Robinson is a big name here.  Lots of Robinsons stores.  We window-shopped at the 7-story Robinson Galleria Mall when we were in Manila.  Very high-end.  Actually, we more than window-shopped; we bought sweaters because the air conditioning was so cold.  More on that in a later post.

Last night we went out to supper with the other "foreign missionaries" and a Filipino couple who will be leaving to serve as temple president and matron in the soon-to-be dedicated Bacolod Temple.  We're in the "La Vie" restaurant, also known as "La Parisienne," which is just a 5-minute walk away.  Not sure what gelato has to do with Paris, but they serve it here and it tastes good, along with the mango shakes.  L-R starting lower left: Sister Beth Andreasen, Elder Joe Andreasen, Sister & Elder Torrie, Sister Nagana, President Nagana (pronounced na-gahn'-ya), Elder Krey Stirland, Sister Wendy Stirland. 

What?  The Eiffel Tower?  In Cebu?  Yes, this is outside the "La Parisienne" restaurant.

Here's LeRon outside La Parisienne, playing with the koi fish.

And this is where we would eat if we were Filipinos.  Although La Parisienne was full of Filipinos too.

Here's another specialty item, this time from the city of Iloilo (pronounced ee-low ee-low), which is on an island north of Cebu.  Pinasugbo is a deep-fried banana snack, coated in brown sugar and sesame seeds.  It used to be served in banana leaves but now is served in white paper cups.  It's very tasty.
 

This gorgeous flower is on a tree right by our apartment building.  It's the flower of a Pink Trumpet Tree.  Google says this tree is native to the American tropics.  Must have been brought in when landscaping on the temple compound was done.  Lovely flower.

More next time about our week in Manila and thereabouts.  On Tuesday, February 17, our 2-week holiday will be over and we will be back to our responsibilities in the temple.