November 21, 2023 • 23 mins
We'll transport you to the heart of the Philippines with our special guest, David Haldane. As an expat and author of the book, A Tooth in My Popsicle And Other Ebullient Essays on Becoming Filipino, David offers a uniquely insightful perspective on the blend of the Philippines' cultural landscapes --from bustling Manila, with its mix of modern skyscrapers and Spanish colonial architecture, to untouched islands including Cebu, Palawan and Boroquay!
We'll not just traverse the geographical diversity of the Philippines, but delve into the country's rich culinary traditions (including delectable lechon and ube ice cream), and tight-knit village communities. David recounts his warm welcome into a village, showcasing the Filipino's inherent hospitality and strong sense of community. And of course, we'll delve into tales from his book.
_____
David Haldane is an expat who lives in the Philippines part of the year, and is author of the travel memoir, A Tooth in My Popsicle.
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Podcast host Lea Lane blogs at forbes.com, has traveled to over 100 countries, and has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and 'one of the top 100 Indie books' of the year). She has contributed to many guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles.
Contact Lea- she loves hearing from you! @lealane on Twitter; PlacesIRememberLeaLane on Insta; Places I Remember with Lea Lane on Facebook; Website: placesirememberlealane.com.
New episodes drop every other Tuesday, wherever you listen. Please consider sharing, following, rating and reviewing this award-winning travel podcast.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Lea Lane (00:00):
I lived in the Philippines for a couple of
months years ago and I know thatthe country has some of the
most beautiful islands in theworld.
Most of us know little about itotherwise as a place to travel,
so let's go over some basics.
Located in the Pacific Ocean,near the equator, the Republic
of the Philippines consists ofover 7,000 islands, about 2,000
(00:21):
of which are inhabited.
These islands are divided intothree groups Uzan, Visayas and
Mindanao.
Philippine history includesSpanish rule, American rule and
Japanese occupation.
The country today is a mix ofover 100 ethnic groups, cultures
and influences.
Our guest is David Haldene, wholives with his family part of
(00:42):
the year in the Philippines.
In his book A Tooth in MyPopsicle, he offers stories and
anecdotes of life as an expat ona beautiful Philippine island.
Welcome, David, to Places IRemember!
David Haldane (00:55):
Hello, thanks for having me.
Lea Lane (00:57):
Well, let's start with the capital, Manila.
It's a densely populated cityon the island of Luzan which
mixes Spanish colonialarchitecture with modern
skyscrapers.
Metropolitan Manila encompassessix cities and 12 towns.
It's on the South China Sea andit's the capital of the
Philippines.
So it's historic and modern,rich and poor.
(01:18):
Tell us what you'd visit inManila if you were traveling
there.
David Haldane (01:22):
Okay, well, first let me say that Manila is not
my favorite part of thePhilippines.
That said, it's a great placeto visit and there are many very
interesting things there.
Probably my favorite part ofManila is the area called
Intramuros, and that is the oldwalled city within the city.
It's really fascinating becauseit's just so historic, and the
(01:46):
thing that I remember the mostabout being there was tracing
Jose Resol's final walk to wherehe was executed by the
Spaniards, and there's thingslike that.
They actually have footprintsstarting where he was imprisoned
, going along the sidewalk,ending up in the park at the
spot where he was executed.
Lea Lane (02:07):
When was that?
David Haldane (02:08):
It was right at the very end of the Spanish
colonial period, just before theUS stepped in, and that was in
1898.
He was a spokesman for therevolution, although he wasn't
an active revolutionist.
Lea Lane (02:23):
I know Intramuros is also home to a couple of UNESCO
World Heritage sites.
There's the Baroque 16thCentury San Augustine Church and
there's Fort Santiago, whichwas a military prison.
So I agree with you, it's oneof the more interesting areas.
Makati is the area I probablywould stay at.
That's the more high-end area.
It has a lot of culture andentertainment.
David Haldane (02:45):
Great shopping.
Lea Lane (02:46):
What would you shop for if you were going shopping
in the Philippines?
David Haldane (02:49):
I think the best place to go in Manila is the
Mall of Asia, which is thelargest mall in the Philippines
and something like the eighthlargest mall in the world.
I think it's quite amazing.
It's overlooking the ocean.
What you go shopping for almosteverything is cheaper in the
(03:09):
Philippines than it is certainlyin the US and many other places
, so it's a good place for goingshopping, no matter what you're
looking for.
Lea Lane (03:17):
I agree.
Okay.
Well, if you go to Manila, youmight want to take a day trip
out there to a coconutplantation or a volcano
waterfall.
There are lots of day tripsoffered.
You could go to theUNESCO-listed natural sites of
Bannuay and Banat rice terraces.
They're 2,000 years old and youcan hike to a waterfall.
Have you done that?
David Haldane (03:38):
I have not.
Right.
In Manila there's a waterfallnot too far.
I would also add this is alittle bit outside of Manila,
it's like a day's drive, but aplace called Baguio.
Lea Lane (03:50):
Yes, I've been there, yes.
David Haldane (03:51):
Beautiful.
It's north of Manila, beautifulrice terraces, it's a gorgeous
city and it's kind of up in themountains, so it's probably the
place in the Philippines thathas the best climate.
If you come from California orsomeplace like that, you like
that kind of climate.
Baguio feels almost likeSouthern California.
Lea Lane (04:12):
I know much of the Philippines is humid.
I think the best time to visitis in the winter, when it gets a
little less.
So would you agree?
David Haldane (04:18):
I would say yes, yeah a lot of rain.
But it's warm tropical rain andit's actually quite pleasant.
If you're sitting in a house,you feel this incredible
drumbeat on the house like thatfor about 15 seconds and then it
goes away.
Lea Lane (04:35):
Oh, I love that.
David Haldane (04:36):
Yeah, me too.
I find it very soothing.
Lea Lane (04:39):
That puts me to sleep.
Just to go to sleep in white noise, just to hear it.
David Haldane (04:43):
Yes, I agree, Filipinos think I'm totally
weird because I like that.
Lea Lane (04:48):
Well, the gem of the Philippines are the uncrowded
tropical islands.
Many remain unspoiled withclear water, palms, sand beaches
, coral reefs.
Let's mention a few of them,but we certainly will have to
come back.
So, thank you, thank you, tellme about the island of Cebu.
David Haldane (05:01):
Well, cebu pretty much everywhere has beautiful
beaches, and the city of Cebu isvery interesting as well.
I've been scuba diving thereonce or twice, off of some of
the beaches around Cebu.
The areas of Cebu are Maktan,Lapu, Lapu.
Really all those beaches arebeautiful.
One thing in Cebu to do that Ireally suggest is they have an
(05:25):
annual fiesta there called theSanulag Fiesta, which is the
third Sunday of January andthat's probably the biggest
fiesta, at least the most famousfiesta, in the Philippines.
Lea Lane (05:38):
Well, I know there are many fiestas and towns have
their own one right, all yearlong, and you want to find them
right.
David Haldane (05:44):
Every town in Barangay has a fiesta every
year for its patron saint.
So pretty much wherever you arein the Philippines, there's a
fiesta going on somewhere nearby.
Lea Lane (05:55):
So seek it out if you can, because they're wonderful
to attend for sure.
So Cebu has a lot of clubs andbars and galleries.
It's got a city, as you said,so there's some culture and
nightlife.
What about the island ofPalawan?
David Haldane (06:07):
I love Palawan.
There's a beautiful city, smallcity there, called Puerto
Princesa.
There's something called theUnderground River, which is a
really interesting place.
Lea Lane (06:17):
You paddle in the dark .
I know you go through there.
David Haldane (06:23):
Yeah, very quiet.
El Nido is a beautiful place inPalawan to go to and there's a
lot of island hopping there anda place called Caron.
Those are all areas where yougo, get a little boat and
they'll take you everywhere.
So Palawan is beautiful.
Lea Lane (06:38):
I can imagine it's uncrowded, even though it's
popular because every place, asyou said, you can find a little
island near it, even if the mainisland is busy.
David Haldane (06:45):
Well, that's true , you know.
As you mentioned earlier,there's 7,000 plus island s, so
you're never far from an almostdeserted island.
Perfection.
Lea Lane (06:55):
There's a private island on Palawan called Banwa
Private Island.
I read about this one.
I did not go there.
It costs a hundred thousanddollars a night and it's
considered the most expensiveisland resort in the world.
It's 15 acres, yes, and it's atwo hour helicopter or seaplane
ride from Manila, so you can goall the way to the top.
You can go in a hut or you cango there.
David Haldane (07:17):
I'm not aware of that and I don't think I'll be
spending any money anytime soon.
But you know, maybe one day ifI win the lottery, you know.
Lea Lane (07:25):
Right, nice to think about it.
Yeah let's talk about theisland of Boracay.
Tell me about that.
David Haldane (07:32):
Boracay is also beautiful.
Now that's a very popularisland.
There's a lot of tourists there, but again, you know, there's
so many different places there.
Boracay is probably moredeveloped than some of the other
islands.
There's a lot of lovely resortsthere and beautiful beaches.
There's a nightlife in Boracaywhich you don't get everywhere.
(07:53):
There's a lot of beach bars andpeople hanging out, drinking
and dancing on the beach.
You know it got a lot ofattention a few years ago
because the president Duterteactually shut down Boracay for
about six months because he wasconcerned about the environment,
pollution of the environment.
So he basically said okay,that's it, no more business in
(08:16):
Boracay.
And they'd also a lot of theresorts had violated national
ordinances about building tooclose to the ocean, you know.
So I was there shortly afterthey reopened it and it was
amazing.
It looked like the publicofficials had gone through the
island.
You know there's a 30 metermark and it's illegal to build
(08:38):
anything below that.
There were resorts with theirwhole sides just, you know, cut
off and you could see the rooms.
They've recovered now andthey've rebuilt all that and
it's a wonderful place to go.
So I highly recommend Boracay.
Lea Lane (08:51):
Well, it has been called the world's best island
by one of the magazines that Iyou know Travel in Leisure,
Condé Nast one of them, andPalawan has as well.
So I guess it's recovered.
It's got powdery white beach,glorious sunsets, it's got Mount
Lujo with panoramic views overthe island and shipwrecks, and
sounds perfect.
David Haldane (09:11):
So let's hear about your island that when you
live near, the island that I'mmost familiar with is called
Shargal Island, and it'sactually where my wife is from.
She was born there and we havea.
We have a little property thereand we go there quite a lot on
the weekends.
We have a little beach cabinthere.
It actually, historically itwas a very quiet, kind of
(09:32):
undiscovered island, and thenthen the surfers discovered it.
Now it's considered the surfingcapital of the Philippines.
It also was named at one pointby Conde n magazine as the best
island destination in Asia.
Lea Lane (09:47):
Asia.
David Haldane (09:48):
When Boracay was closed by Duterte for that
period that I told you about,shargal really benefited because
everyone that was headed toBoracay changed their plans and
went to Shargal.
Probably the most interestingplace and you want to see the
culture is a town calledGenraluna, and that's where they
(10:09):
have every year t theinternational surfing
competition there and that'swhere most of the tourists and
foreigners hang out.
Just all kinds of things to seethere and nightlife and but
it's also very islandy.
It's not a city, you know, it'sreally an island town.
There's also a place calledMongcapunko Beach, which is
(10:30):
where we're like that.
Mongpapunko.
That means a squatting rock,and it's named that because
indeed there's a rock, a bigboulder there, and at low tide
it looks just like like it'ssquatting there.
Mongpapunko is famous for itsrock pools.
They're just tide pools andduring low tide you can go
(10:52):
swimming in them.
It's just like a swimming pool.
It's like a warm saltwaterswimming pool and a lot of
tourists go there.
That's actually where we haveour property in Mongpapunko, and
it's a beautiful place.
It's changed tremendously sincethe first time I saw it about
20 years ago, when nothing wason the island.
In fact, my wife and I builtthe first structure on the
(11:14):
island, which was a littlewooden structure with hearts in
the ceiling.
For you know, because we werein love, you know?
Yeah, it's not there because itwas was blown away by the recent
typhoon two years ago, and sowas a lot of other things at at
Shargal, but they're coming back.
I was just there last weekendand it's a beautiful place to
(11:36):
visit Real quickly.
They also have an internationalfishing tournament in April in
a place called Pilar, andprobably my favorite favorite
place is another island verynear Shargal called Bukus Grande
, and what's interesting aboutthat island is there's only one
way in and it's through a placecalled Sikoro Cove, and that's
(11:58):
the most famous, desirable placeand the only.
There's only one way to get inand it's through a tunnel that's
only open at low tide, you know.
So you get in a boat and you gothrough this little tunnel and
you got to get out before thetide goes up or you're stuck
there for the night.
Lea Lane (12:16):
Well, that doesn't sound so bad if you get stuck
there.
David Haldane (12:19):
No, I can think of worse places to be stuck.
It's a beautiful place with alot of underwater caves and rock
formations, and one of myfavorite things is there's a
little lagoon there withthousands of stingless jellyfish
, you know, and you can go(stingless.
Stingless they can't sting.
Lea Lane (12:37):
Oh, because they are beautiful if they're stingless.
Beautiful.
David Haldane (12:40):
So you go swimming there underwater with a
mask or something and you justsee all these beautiful
jellyfish and they won't hurtyou.
Lea Lane (12:48):
Wow, love it.
I love these ideas and you cansee there's stuff to do in the
Philippines, but many travelersdon't know much about the
Philippines culture or thereality, so let's talk a little
bit about that.
Let's start with food.
Everybody's interested in that.
What are some of the favoritesthat travelers shouldn't miss?
David Haldane (13:04):
What I've found is that Filipinos would pretty
much eat everything or anythingyou know.
So some of it's kind ofappealing to travelers, some of
it not so much.
One thing that's traditionaland you see it every fiesta,
every birthday party, everycelebration is Le.
You know the pig on the table.
(13:25):
The first time I saw it I wasshocked because here's this big
whole pig.
You know roasted pig.
The only thing that was missingwas the apple in its mouth.
You know pig, and that took alittle getting used to, but I
did eventually and it'sdelicious and it's lovely.
And you know you have to getover your Western prejudices.
They have a dessert that'scalled halo halo, which is
(13:48):
really lovely, ice and fruitsand you know all kinds of
beautiful things.
It's different wherever you go.
Ube is a flavor it's a purpleflavor that they make ice cream
and cakes and everything out ofube.
And then there's some kind ofweird things that not everyone
(14:09):
likes to eat, like I don't, likeI've never tasted them.
Balut is one of the famousthings and what that is, it's
actual eggs with duck embryos,you know.
Lea Lane (14:20):
They have that in Vietnam as well.
I know I've been offered it ther.
e
David Haldane (14:23):
f love that and they swear by it.
My wife loves it and I can'tbring myself to try it.
I'm sorry.
Lea Lane (14:31):
How about adobo?
That's more popular, that'sjust a regular stew right.
David Haldane (14:35):
Yeah, very good, very tasty.
There are a lot of shakes andfruit drinks, mango shakes and
things like that.
There's a drink that you onlyget out in the very remote
islands, like the one that Ilive on, called tuba.
It's a coconut wine, I guess.
They get it from the sap of thetrees and it only lasts like
(14:57):
maybe two or three days and thenit goes bad, so you can't buy
it in a store.
Lea Lane (15:01):
You got to drink it all up.
David Haldane (15:03):
You have to get some local kid to climb the
coconut tree before you can getit out, and then you drink it
right away and it's verypowerful.
Lea Lane (15:12):
Well, maybe after that the egg with the fetus in it.
David Haldane (15:14):
Yeah, that's right.
Lea Lane (15:17):
Sounds delicious.
I mean, most of the things aretropical and lovely.
Let me ask you about theinfrastructure, because I know
it's a society that's stilldeveloping its tourism and I
know it's a problem.
What are some of the situationswith the infrastructure in the
Philippines?
David Haldane (15:33):
Well, everything is.
Things are not reliable likethey are in the West, like
electricity I mean.
Brownouts are common and everyhouse, including ours, has a
generator, a diesel generator sowhen the power goes out, you
can start up the generator.
As a matter of fact, we'replanning to go solar and we
(15:55):
found a very good solar personhere in Suriga where we live.
So people if they can afford it, they go solar.
We've actually been savingmoney to do that.
It will in the long run, makeour lives much easier here.
Transportation is problematicat times.
I'm sure that there are laws inthe Philippines about how
(16:16):
people should drive, but I'venever seen one enforced.
Lea Lane (16:21):
I remember that.
David Haldane (16:23):
Yeah, and so you kind of have to just go with the
flow, yeah.
Lea Lane (16:27):
I remember also, did they still drive with the lights
off at night?
David Haldane (16:30):
Oh yes, oh boy, yeah, an amazing thing, I mean,
and you'll see motorcycles withwhole families on them, seven
people with no lights, drivingdown the street at night.
It's amazing that more peopleare not killed here.
Lea Lane (16:45):
Let's talk about one of the best elements of the
country the people.
Filipinos are among thehappiest and friendliest people
on the globe.
I remember that very well I wasworking there.
How supportive they were, howhospitable they were.
I was just blown away by howlovely they were.
So what do you think?
What makes them that way?
Why are they so kind?
David Haldane (17:04):
Well, I agree they are.
I mean, there's a warmth andthe culture and they're very
friendly to visitors.
They go out of their way tomake you feel welcome, they
smile.
They're very religious also.
They tend to be Catholic mostof them are Catholic and they
take their faith very seriously.
For the most part and I thinkthat may have something to do
(17:26):
with their disposition they tendto be very optimistic and you
know, I sort of say that.
You know the basic credo isdespite all evidence to the
contrary, everything will bejust fine.
You know, that's kind of theway Filipinos feel about life
and you can see that in theirattitude.
It was one of the things that Iloved about my wife when I
(17:47):
first met her and one of thethings that I admire and I've
always.
I always want to be more likethat, be more optimistic.
Being a Westerner, I tend tosink into these dark moods.
Filipinos don't do that toomuch, you know.
They see the positive side ofthings and I love that.
Lea Lane (18:04):
I remember how wonderful they were with elders.
They have a title of respectautomatically they bestowed on
someone whose age is over there,so it's a very respectful thing
.
And they even, I remember,touched the older person's hand.
That's right, their forehead,and a blessing.
It was wonderful.
David Haldane (18:22):
Yeah, that's right, and they have their
titles built into the languageKuyia means older brother, ate
means older sister, and variousnames and, of course, being 74
years old myself, I reallyappreciate that.
Lea Lane (18:37):
I like it too.
I like it too.
I know they love nature.
They live in harmony with allkinds of lowly creatures, so you
have to get used to that alittle bit too.
It's part of their wonderfullove of life.
So, I would say that theislands and the people are the
two things that made me rememberPhilippines as a wonderful
place.
David Haldane (18:56):
And I would concur the physical beauty of
the place, the whole countryeverywhere you look, and just
the warmth and joy of the people, and especially with how poor
people here are.
There's a great deal of povertyhere and there's not a lot of
opportunity.
They so appreciate what they dohave, so grateful just for life
(19:17):
itself, and that's veryinspiring to me.
Lea Lane (19:19):
Very inspiring.
Well, the name of the podcastis Places I Remember, so we
share memories, David.
David Haldane (19:27):
My most vivid memory of the Philippines is
when I met my wife, and you knowI told you she comes from
Shargo Island, from a littlevillage.
We met online, actually, and wecorresponded for a while.
And then I came to visit herand she met me in Surigao City,
where we now live, in the portwith a chaperone, and she hardly
(19:48):
said a word to me and within anhour we were on a boat full of
bananas and pigs on the way toShargo Island to meet mom and
dad, and that was an incredibleexperience.
We walked into this littlevillage Now this is 20 years ago
All these kids are following methrough the streets and she
takes me into mom and dad'shouse and here the whole family
(20:09):
is sitting there you know mom,dad, four brothers and sisters,
cousins, aunts, uncles, everyoneand outside half the town.
Probably 60 people are outsidelooking in the windows and I
said, ivy, what are all thesepeople here for?
And they said, oh, they'venever seen a foreigner up close.
And it was really something.
(20:31):
I had just met Ivy, and we hadn'no plans we certainly didn't
have any plans at that point toget married, and the first thing
our mom says to me is so youwant to marry my daughter and
poor Ivy's, tensing up next tome, you know, and it was an
interrogation, but it said a lotabout not only her family but
(20:52):
about the culture, and I don'tknow to what extent it's still
like that, but I think it islargely they were not going to
let their daughter leave thatlittle town without a pretty
thorough investigation to do whoshe was going with.
And then after that I went outto the beach and the townspeople
had a teacher translate forthem and they asked me questions
(21:15):
and in the end I guess I passedthe test, you know because,
they gave us their blessing, andso we were able to move forward
.
Lea Lane (21:24):
It gives a sense of community.
I know that there's atremendous sense of community in
these little villages where Ifelt it as well.
David Haldane (21:32):
Yeah, very much so.
They were not going to let hergo off with anybody.
It wasn't just her parents, itwas the whole town.
Lea Lane (21:37):
Very interesting.
Well, you can read more of thiskind of anecdote in David
Haldine's memories of life inthe Philippines and his
entertaining new book A Tooth inmy Popsicle.
Thank you, David, for yourinsights about this still much
untraveled destination.
It was fun.
David Haldane (21:53):
Thank you very much.
I enjoyed talking with you.
I lived in the Philippines for a couple of
months years ago and I know thatthe country has some of the
most beautiful islands in theworld.
Most of us know little about itotherwise as a place to travel,
so let's go over some basics.
Located in the Pacific Ocean,near the equator, the Republic
of the Philippines consists ofover 7,000 islands, about 2,000
(00:21):
of which are inhabited.
These islands are divided intothree groups Uzan, Visayas and
Mindanao.
Philippine history includesSpanish rule, American rule and
Japanese occupation.
The country today is a mix ofover 100 ethnic groups, cultures
and influences.
Our guest is David Haldene, wholives with his family part of
(00:42):
the year in the Philippines.
In his book A Tooth in MyPopsicle, he offers stories and
anecdotes of life as an expat ona beautiful Philippine island.
Welcome, David, to Places IRemember!
David Haldane (00:55):
Hello, thanks for having me.
Lea Lane (00:57):
Well, let's start with the capital, Manila.
It's a densely populated cityon the island of Luzan which
mixes Spanish colonialarchitecture with modern
skyscrapers.
Metropolitan Manila encompassessix cities and 12 towns.
It's on the South China Sea andit's the capital of the
Philippines.
So it's historic and modern,rich and poor.
(01:18):
Tell us what you'd visit inManila if you were traveling
there.
David Haldane (01:22):
Okay, well, first let me say that Manila is not
my favorite part of thePhilippines.
That said, it's a great placeto visit and there are many very
interesting things there.
Probably my favorite part ofManila is the area called
Intramuros, and that is the oldwalled city within the city.
It's really fascinating becauseit's just so historic, and the
(01:46):
thing that I remember the mostabout being there was tracing
Jose Resol's final walk to wherehe was executed by the
Spaniards, and there's thingslike that.
They actually have footprintsstarting where he was imprisoned
, going along the sidewalk,ending up in the park at the
spot where he was executed.
Lea Lane (02:07):
When was that?
David Haldane (02:08):
It was right at the very end of the Spanish
colonial period, just before theUS stepped in, and that was in
1898.
He was a spokesman for therevolution, although he wasn't
an active revolutionist.
Lea Lane (02:23):
I know Intramuros is also home to a couple of UNESCO
World Heritage sites.
There's the Baroque 16thCentury San Augustine Church and
there's Fort Santiago, whichwas a military prison.
So I agree with you, it's oneof the more interesting areas.
Makati is the area I probablywould stay at.
That's the more high-end area.
It has a lot of culture andentertainment.
David Haldane (02:45):
Great shopping.
Lea Lane (02:46):
What would you shop for if you were going shopping
in the Philippines?
David Haldane (02:49):
I think the best place to go in Manila is the
Mall of Asia, which is thelargest mall in the Philippines
and something like the eighthlargest mall in the world.
I think it's quite amazing.
It's overlooking the ocean.
What you go shopping for almosteverything is cheaper in the
(03:09):
Philippines than it is certainlyin the US and many other places
, so it's a good place for goingshopping, no matter what you're
looking for.
Lea Lane (03:17):
I agree.
Okay.
Well, if you go to Manila, youmight want to take a day trip
out there to a coconutplantation or a volcano
waterfall.
There are lots of day tripsoffered.
You could go to theUNESCO-listed natural sites of
Bannuay and Banat rice terraces.
They're 2,000 years old and youcan hike to a waterfall.
Have you done that?
David Haldane (03:38):
I have not.
Right.
In Manila there's a waterfallnot too far.
I would also add this is alittle bit outside of Manila,
it's like a day's drive, but aplace called Baguio.
Lea Lane (03:50):
Yes, I've been there, yes.
David Haldane (03:51):
Beautiful.
It's north of Manila, beautifulrice terraces, it's a gorgeous
city and it's kind of up in themountains, so it's probably the
place in the Philippines thathas the best climate.
If you come from California orsomeplace like that, you like
that kind of climate.
Baguio feels almost likeSouthern California.
Lea Lane (04:12):
I know much of the Philippines is humid.
I think the best time to visitis in the winter, when it gets a
little less.
So would you agree?
David Haldane (04:18):
I would say yes, yeah a lot of rain.
But it's warm tropical rain andit's actually quite pleasant.
If you're sitting in a house,you feel this incredible
drumbeat on the house like thatfor about 15 seconds and then it
goes away.
Lea Lane (04:35):
Oh, I love that.
David Haldane (04:36):
Yeah, me too.
I find it very soothing.
Lea Lane (04:39):
That puts me to sleep.
Just to go to sleep in white noise, just to hear it.
David Haldane (04:43):
Yes, I agree, Filipinos think I'm totally
weird because I like that.
Lea Lane (04:48):
Well, the gem of the Philippines are the uncrowded
tropical islands.
Many remain unspoiled withclear water, palms, sand beaches
, coral reefs.
Let's mention a few of them,but we certainly will have to
come back.
So, thank you, thank you, tellme about the island of Cebu.
David Haldane (05:01):
Well, cebu pretty much everywhere has beautiful
beaches, and the city of Cebu isvery interesting as well.
I've been scuba diving thereonce or twice, off of some of
the beaches around Cebu.
The areas of Cebu are Maktan,Lapu, Lapu.
Really all those beaches arebeautiful.
One thing in Cebu to do that Ireally suggest is they have an
(05:25):
annual fiesta there called theSanulag Fiesta, which is the
third Sunday of January andthat's probably the biggest
fiesta, at least the most famousfiesta, in the Philippines.
Lea Lane (05:38):
Well, I know there are many fiestas and towns have
their own one right, all yearlong, and you want to find them
right.
David Haldane (05:44):
Every town in Barangay has a fiesta every
year for its patron saint.
So pretty much wherever you arein the Philippines, there's a
fiesta going on somewhere nearby.
Lea Lane (05:55):
So seek it out if you can, because they're wonderful
to attend for sure.
So Cebu has a lot of clubs andbars and galleries.
It's got a city, as you said,so there's some culture and
nightlife.
What about the island ofPalawan?
David Haldane (06:07):
I love Palawan.
There's a beautiful city, smallcity there, called Puerto
Princesa.
There's something called theUnderground River, which is a
really interesting place.
Lea Lane (06:17):
You paddle in the dark .
I know you go through there.
David Haldane (06:23):
Yeah, very quiet.
El Nido is a beautiful place inPalawan to go to and there's a
lot of island hopping there anda place called Caron.
Those are all areas where yougo, get a little boat and
they'll take you everywhere.
So Palawan is beautiful.
Lea Lane (06:38):
I can imagine it's uncrowded, even though it's
popular because every place, asyou said, you can find a little
island near it, even if the mainisland is busy.
David Haldane (06:45):
Well, that's true , you know.
As you mentioned earlier,there's 7,000 plus island s, so
you're never far from an almostdeserted island.
Perfection.
Lea Lane (06:55):
There's a private island on Palawan called Banwa
Private Island.
I read about this one.
I did not go there.
It costs a hundred thousanddollars a night and it's
considered the most expensiveisland resort in the world.
It's 15 acres, yes, and it's atwo hour helicopter or seaplane
ride from Manila, so you can goall the way to the top.
You can go in a hut or you cango there.
David Haldane (07:17):
I'm not aware of that and I don't think I'll be
spending any money anytime soon.
But you know, maybe one day ifI win the lottery, you know.
Lea Lane (07:25):
Right, nice to think about it.
Yeah let's talk about theisland of Boracay.
Tell me about that.
David Haldane (07:32):
Boracay is also beautiful.
Now that's a very popularisland.
There's a lot of tourists there, but again, you know, there's
so many different places there.
Boracay is probably moredeveloped than some of the other
islands.
There's a lot of lovely resortsthere and beautiful beaches.
There's a nightlife in Boracaywhich you don't get everywhere.
(07:53):
There's a lot of beach bars andpeople hanging out, drinking
and dancing on the beach.
You know it got a lot ofattention a few years ago
because the president Duterteactually shut down Boracay for
about six months because he wasconcerned about the environment,
pollution of the environment.
So he basically said okay,that's it, no more business in
(08:16):
Boracay.
And they'd also a lot of theresorts had violated national
ordinances about building tooclose to the ocean, you know.
So I was there shortly afterthey reopened it and it was
amazing.
It looked like the publicofficials had gone through the
island.
You know there's a 30 metermark and it's illegal to build
(08:38):
anything below that.
There were resorts with theirwhole sides just, you know, cut
off and you could see the rooms.
They've recovered now andthey've rebuilt all that and
it's a wonderful place to go.
So I highly recommend Boracay.
Lea Lane (08:51):
Well, it has been called the world's best island
by one of the magazines that Iyou know Travel in Leisure,
Condé Nast one of them, andPalawan has as well.
So I guess it's recovered.
It's got powdery white beach,glorious sunsets, it's got Mount
Lujo with panoramic views overthe island and shipwrecks, and
sounds perfect.
David Haldane (09:11):
So let's hear about your island that when you
live near, the island that I'mmost familiar with is called
Shargal Island, and it'sactually where my wife is from.
She was born there and we havea.
We have a little property thereand we go there quite a lot on
the weekends.
We have a little beach cabinthere.
It actually, historically itwas a very quiet, kind of
(09:32):
undiscovered island, and thenthen the surfers discovered it.
Now it's considered the surfingcapital of the Philippines.
It also was named at one pointby Conde n magazine as the best
island destination in Asia.
Lea Lane (09:47):
Asia.
David Haldane (09:48):
When Boracay was closed by Duterte for that
period that I told you about,shargal really benefited because
everyone that was headed toBoracay changed their plans and
went to Shargal.
Probably the most interestingplace and you want to see the
culture is a town calledGenraluna, and that's where they
(10:09):
have every year t theinternational surfing
competition there and that'swhere most of the tourists and
foreigners hang out.
Just all kinds of things to seethere and nightlife and but
it's also very islandy.
It's not a city, you know, it'sreally an island town.
There's also a place calledMongcapunko Beach, which is
(10:30):
where we're like that.
Mongpapunko.
That means a squatting rock,and it's named that because
indeed there's a rock, a bigboulder there, and at low tide
it looks just like like it'ssquatting there.
Mongpapunko is famous for itsrock pools.
They're just tide pools andduring low tide you can go
(10:52):
swimming in them.
It's just like a swimming pool.
It's like a warm saltwaterswimming pool and a lot of
tourists go there.
That's actually where we haveour property in Mongpapunko, and
it's a beautiful place.
It's changed tremendously sincethe first time I saw it about
20 years ago, when nothing wason the island.
In fact, my wife and I builtthe first structure on the
(11:14):
island, which was a littlewooden structure with hearts in
the ceiling.
For you know, because we werein love, you know?
Yeah, it's not there because itwas was blown away by the recent
typhoon two years ago, and sowas a lot of other things at at
Shargal, but they're coming back.
I was just there last weekendand it's a beautiful place to
(11:36):
visit Real quickly.
They also have an internationalfishing tournament in April in
a place called Pilar, andprobably my favorite favorite
place is another island verynear Shargal called Bukus Grande
, and what's interesting aboutthat island is there's only one
way in and it's through a placecalled Sikoro Cove, and that's
(11:58):
the most famous, desirable placeand the only.
There's only one way to get inand it's through a tunnel that's
only open at low tide, you know.
So you get in a boat and you gothrough this little tunnel and
you got to get out before thetide goes up or you're stuck
there for the night.
Lea Lane (12:16):
Well, that doesn't sound so bad if you get stuck
there.
David Haldane (12:19):
No, I can think of worse places to be stuck.
It's a beautiful place with alot of underwater caves and rock
formations, and one of myfavorite things is there's a
little lagoon there withthousands of stingless jellyfish
, you know, and you can go(stingless.
Stingless they can't sting.
Lea Lane (12:37):
Oh, because they are beautiful if they're stingless.
Beautiful.
David Haldane (12:40):
So you go swimming there underwater with a
mask or something and you justsee all these beautiful
jellyfish and they won't hurtyou.
Lea Lane (12:48):
Wow, love it.
I love these ideas and you cansee there's stuff to do in the
Philippines, but many travelersdon't know much about the
Philippines culture or thereality, so let's talk a little
bit about that.
Let's start with food.
Everybody's interested in that.
What are some of the favoritesthat travelers shouldn't miss?
David Haldane (13:04):
What I've found is that Filipinos would pretty
much eat everything or anythingyou know.
So some of it's kind ofappealing to travelers, some of
it not so much.
One thing that's traditionaland you see it every fiesta,
every birthday party, everycelebration is Le.
You know the pig on the table.
(13:25):
The first time I saw it I wasshocked because here's this big
whole pig.
You know roasted pig.
The only thing that was missingwas the apple in its mouth.
You know pig, and that took alittle getting used to, but I
did eventually and it'sdelicious and it's lovely.
And you know you have to getover your Western prejudices.
They have a dessert that'scalled halo halo, which is
(13:48):
really lovely, ice and fruitsand you know all kinds of
beautiful things.
It's different wherever you go.
Ube is a flavor it's a purpleflavor that they make ice cream
and cakes and everything out ofube.
And then there's some kind ofweird things that not everyone
(14:09):
likes to eat, like I don't, likeI've never tasted them.
Balut is one of the famousthings and what that is, it's
actual eggs with duck embryos,you know.
Lea Lane (14:20):
They have that in Vietnam as well.
I know I've been offered it ther.
e
David Haldane (14:23):
f love that and they swear by it.
My wife loves it and I can'tbring myself to try it.
I'm sorry.
Lea Lane (14:31):
How about adobo?
That's more popular, that'sjust a regular stew right.
David Haldane (14:35):
Yeah, very good, very tasty.
There are a lot of shakes andfruit drinks, mango shakes and
things like that.
There's a drink that you onlyget out in the very remote
islands, like the one that Ilive on, called tuba.
It's a coconut wine, I guess.
They get it from the sap of thetrees and it only lasts like
(14:57):
maybe two or three days and thenit goes bad, so you can't buy
it in a store.
Lea Lane (15:01):
You got to drink it all up.
David Haldane (15:03):
You have to get some local kid to climb the
coconut tree before you can getit out, and then you drink it
right away and it's verypowerful.
Lea Lane (15:12):
Well, maybe after that the egg with the fetus in it.
David Haldane (15:14):
Yeah, that's right.
Lea Lane (15:17):
Sounds delicious.
I mean, most of the things aretropical and lovely.
Let me ask you about theinfrastructure, because I know
it's a society that's stilldeveloping its tourism and I
know it's a problem.
What are some of the situationswith the infrastructure in the
Philippines?
David Haldane (15:33):
Well, everything is.
Things are not reliable likethey are in the West, like
electricity I mean.
Brownouts are common and everyhouse, including ours, has a
generator, a diesel generator sowhen the power goes out, you
can start up the generator.
As a matter of fact, we'replanning to go solar and we
(15:55):
found a very good solar personhere in Suriga where we live.
So people if they can afford it, they go solar.
We've actually been savingmoney to do that.
It will in the long run, makeour lives much easier here.
Transportation is problematicat times.
I'm sure that there are laws inthe Philippines about how
(16:16):
people should drive, but I'venever seen one enforced.
Lea Lane (16:21):
I remember that.
David Haldane (16:23):
Yeah, and so you kind of have to just go with the
flow, yeah.
Lea Lane (16:27):
I remember also, did they still drive with the lights
off at night?
David Haldane (16:30):
Oh yes, oh boy, yeah, an amazing thing, I mean,
and you'll see motorcycles withwhole families on them, seven
people with no lights, drivingdown the street at night.
It's amazing that more peopleare not killed here.
Lea Lane (16:45):
Let's talk about one of the best elements of the
country the people.
Filipinos are among thehappiest and friendliest people
on the globe.
I remember that very well I wasworking there.
How supportive they were, howhospitable they were.
I was just blown away by howlovely they were.
So what do you think?
What makes them that way?
Why are they so kind?
David Haldane (17:04):
Well, I agree they are.
I mean, there's a warmth andthe culture and they're very
friendly to visitors.
They go out of their way tomake you feel welcome, they
smile.
They're very religious also.
They tend to be Catholic mostof them are Catholic and they
take their faith very seriously.
For the most part and I thinkthat may have something to do
(17:26):
with their disposition they tendto be very optimistic and you
know, I sort of say that.
You know the basic credo isdespite all evidence to the
contrary, everything will bejust fine.
You know, that's kind of theway Filipinos feel about life
and you can see that in theirattitude.
It was one of the things that Iloved about my wife when I
(17:47):
first met her and one of thethings that I admire and I've
always.
I always want to be more likethat, be more optimistic.
Being a Westerner, I tend tosink into these dark moods.
Filipinos don't do that toomuch, you know.
They see the positive side ofthings and I love that.
Lea Lane (18:04):
I remember how wonderful they were with elders.
They have a title of respectautomatically they bestowed on
someone whose age is over there,so it's a very respectful thing
.
And they even, I remember,touched the older person's hand.
That's right, their forehead,and a blessing.
It was wonderful.
David Haldane (18:22):
Yeah, that's right, and they have their
titles built into the languageKuyia means older brother, ate
means older sister, and variousnames and, of course, being 74
years old myself, I reallyappreciate that.
Lea Lane (18:37):
I like it too.
I like it too.
I know they love nature.
They live in harmony with allkinds of lowly creatures, so you
have to get used to that alittle bit too.
It's part of their wonderfullove of life.
So, I would say that theislands and the people are the
two things that made me rememberPhilippines as a wonderful
place.
David Haldane (18:56):
And I would concur the physical beauty of
the place, the whole countryeverywhere you look, and just
the warmth and joy of the people, and especially with how poor
people here are.
There's a great deal of povertyhere and there's not a lot of
opportunity.
They so appreciate what they dohave, so grateful just for life
(19:17):
itself, and that's veryinspiring to me.
Lea Lane (19:19):
Very inspiring.
Well, the name of the podcastis Places I Remember, so we
share memories, David.
David Haldane (19:27):
My most vivid memory of the Philippines is
when I met my wife, and you knowI told you she comes from
Shargo Island, from a littlevillage.
We met online, actually, and wecorresponded for a while.
And then I came to visit herand she met me in Surigao City,
where we now live, in the portwith a chaperone, and she hardly
(19:48):
said a word to me and within anhour we were on a boat full of
bananas and pigs on the way toShargo Island to meet mom and
dad, and that was an incredibleexperience.
We walked into this littlevillage Now this is 20 years ago
All these kids are following methrough the streets and she
takes me into mom and dad'shouse and here the whole family
(20:09):
is sitting there you know mom,dad, four brothers and sisters,
cousins, aunts, uncles, everyoneand outside half the town.
Probably 60 people are outsidelooking in the windows and I
said, ivy, what are all thesepeople here for?
And they said, oh, they'venever seen a foreigner up close.
And it was really something.
(20:31):
I had just met Ivy, and we hadn'no plans we certainly didn't
have any plans at that point toget married, and the first thing
our mom says to me is so youwant to marry my daughter and
poor Ivy's, tensing up next tome, you know, and it was an
interrogation, but it said a lotabout not only her family but
(20:52):
about the culture, and I don'tknow to what extent it's still
like that, but I think it islargely they were not going to
let their daughter leave thatlittle town without a pretty
thorough investigation to do whoshe was going with.
And then after that I went outto the beach and the townspeople
had a teacher translate forthem and they asked me questions
(21:15):
and in the end I guess I passedthe test, you know because,
they gave us their blessing, andso we were able to move forward
.
Lea Lane (21:24):
It gives a sense of community.
I know that there's atremendous sense of community in
these little villages where Ifelt it as well.
David Haldane (21:32):
Yeah, very much so.
They were not going to let hergo off with anybody.
It wasn't just her parents, itwas the whole town.
Lea Lane (21:37):
Very interesting.
Well, you can read more of thiskind of anecdote in David
Haldine's memories of life inthe Philippines and his
entertaining new book A Tooth inmy Popsicle.
Thank you, David, for yourinsights about this still much
untraveled destination.
It was fun.
David Haldane (21:53):
Thank you very much.
I enjoyed talking with you.
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