Benedict with his grazed chin and cut lip
Our wee boy drew blood for the first time yesterday, Friday 1st October 2010, in Balanga City when he fell and cut his lip and grazed his chin. He had us worried and when he woke and cried at 11:00 pm he had us worried again. This morning I am happy to say he is back to the usual Benedict.
Luna, Benedict and some local children
Puerto Rivas Ibaba
Balanga City
01.10.10
We arrived yesterday morning at 05:00 am and headed to Balanga City in Bataan. I was hoping to catch a fast ferry from Manila but alas the ferry is no longer so we ended up taking a taxi. In retrospect this was the right thing to do as we were all tired from fllying through the night. The drive was uneventful through the northern suburbs of Manila and then north to Bataan. We checked into the Crown Royale Hotel and I have to say it is comfortable and amply meets our needs. A bit more expensive but it includes a breakfast with free flowing coffee, and the food is edible!
Bataan province is part of the North Luzon region and this area has a strong connection with the US military: Subic Bay once housed the US Navy & Army and is about an hour from here. But Uncle Sam has gone. There was also a lot of action here during World War II and the Japanese surrendered here to bring hostilities in this theatre to an end. So there is quite a lot to do and see.
There is a genuinely easy feel to this place. I have made a couple of birding sorties (botab.blogspot.com) and the locals are really friendly and easy going. I've also connected with Mark, a local guy who spent his adult life in California, but is in the process of resettling back in his home town. He's become our transport manager and I must say he's done a great job.
Saturday afternoon Mark brought his son Glen to the hotel with his school jeepney and off we went for a tour down to Marveles westwards along the Bataan peninsula. Nice day out! Sunday Mark and Glen took as for a tour of Subic Bay in he neighbouring province of Zambales. As I mentioned earlier Subic was the US military's base in the Philippines up to about 1985. It has a strange feel to it, seemingly falling apart and massively underused. There is a Subic Bay International Airport but it is not operational. The inland part of the base is untouched forest and it is excellent for birding. It has the added benefit of having exceptionally good quality roads so self-drive would be feasible. Another pleasant day out and particularily good to see such an interesting part of the Philippines.
I have to say I really enjoyed our trip to Bataan, a really nice part of the Philippines and worth a revisit I think.
No comments:
Post a Comment