Cultural Studies

I went fishing this morning with a guide. His boat was small and difficult to manage in the stormy weather. I caught a handful of small fish- one Nemo- and decided the fishing here is donkey. He was fishing from the back of the boat with about 50 yards of line wrapped around an empty plastic water bottle. He hooked a couple too using shrimp. He and his brother (who drove the boat) kept all the fish we caught except Nemo- they put him back. I say all- but we caught a total of maybe 6 fish all under 6 inches long....

Enough said about that.

I've learned that the term Asian Pacific Islander should be two different things. Asian or Pacific Islander. Filipino people are as much Asian as say a native Hawaiian is Oregonian!

Filipino folks are islanders through and through. Much like Hawaiians- they are very comfortable in and around the water, use the oceans resources for food, tourism, and spiritual guidance.

Why do you spell Philippines with a P but Filipino with an F? Seriously, what is that?

The ocean here is different, and so is the island. We have to go back Kate. We have to go back to the island!

First, I thought that this was a small island that had just a few resorts. I was wrong- the whole interior of the island is village. Local folks packed in! So I guess the way it works is the resorts get the good, ocean front real estate, and the locals get stuck with the leftovers. That seems to happen in a lot in nice places.....

I stuck a video of the car ride from the hotel through town to another beach. I only put the first half up and will try to get the second half....but Internet is slow here, and it took like 6 hours to upload this 1 minute clip. Also, the video sucks- so only watch it if you're bored or just want to waste your time.

Search "Calee and Sarah" on YouTube and the video will come up.

If you're really curious what the Philippines may look like maybe watch it. Otherwise it's not much.

We rented a jet ski today from the hotel. The hotel has a dock and you can take off from there. Ill try to take a photo. Sarah drove it most the time while I scouted for fish. Didn't see any fish, but there was other cool stuff....caves and little islands. This place has a Pirates of the Caribbean feel. Bamboo huts, overgrown with vines, built on a tiny little island, with skulls and stuff on it. Arrr, where's me rum?

Yeah, you read that right. Sarah drove it most the time and I'm still here to write about it. She was weaving us through a gauntlet of boats, divers, snorkelers, and small islands....only hit one dude. That thing rips too, we topped out at 45mph! Chris Jones always has been a big fan of jet skis....I should have listened.....but roller blades are a step too far buddy.

Now we are at the end. Can you believe you waisted your time reading this one? Jokes on you I guess. Sorry....