Three months in the Philippines I joined
a tour group of Filipinos. It was to be
to be a four day trip by train, from Manila‘s
Tutuban Train Station, south to Legazpi.
We would see the sometimes active
Mayon Volcano, abaca fiber weaving
and many other sites and events.
Then about a hundred kilometers south
of Manila a typhoon passed through.
There we tourists were, two Americans and
twenty five Filipinos stranded among
hundred of passengers with the tracks
south and north damaged.
For three days, while tracks were being
mended, we lived in the train at a pleasant
town along the way. Our harried tour leader,
a motherly woman, struggled to keep us
feed and to keep our spirits up.
By the second day of living on the train
I craved a shower and a chance to shave.
I left the train to visit a small family
run hotel. with at most six rooms.
I asked if I could shower. Yes, I was told.
The bath was shared by all in the hotel.
A young man carried water for me to use.
Within a half hour I was clean and freshly shaved.
I asked how much I owed and was told - For what?
All you used was a couple of bucket of water.
On the third day the tracks were fixed
and the tour started. I saw not just
the many sites of the area but learned of the
warmth, resourcefulness and spirit
of the Filipino people.
Mayon volcano is in the background. In the foreground is the bell tower of a church. During one eruption the church was completely buried. Now only the bell tower is visible.
The picture is from the web.
No comments:
Post a Comment