Some of you have already stumbled upon our tribute to jeepneys in the photograph section of this website. Normally, I’m not at all interested in vehicles. I can barely distinguish a Jaguar from a Hyundai without first looking at the symbol on the steering wheel. But since jeepneys have been a daily source of visual entertainment and amusement while we’ve been here in Philippines, I couldn’t very well leave them unmentioned in this journal.
Jeepneys were originally built by modifying left over American army surplus military jeeps after WWII. The war had destroyed almost all engine-driven vehicles, and people were in dire need of transportation. The Americans had a dilemma about how to dispose of the surplus jeeps rusting away at various depots. A mutually convenient solution materialized.
The war vehicles were sold to Filipinos who then transformed them into commercial transportation units. The jeepney became a permanent solution to the postwar transportation problem. And everywhere in the Philippines, jeepney owners enthusiastically shouted, “Let the decorating begin!”
Ornamentation is what makes the jeepneys unique, not only from other forms of transport but also from one another. Jeepneys are like Filipino snowflakes, in that no two are alike.
Indeed, it seems every aspect of the jeepney is designed for function and more importantly, embellishment. First and foremost, the long, smooth side of the jeepney is the ultimate painter's canvas and is often decorated with anything from Disney collages to astrological tributes to vistas of American cities. The bumper is not just to ward off bumps, but to hold more artwork. Even the mud flaps are prettified with a sun motif, or five stars surrounding the title of a popular or sentimental song such as "Love Me Tender” or “You're My Everything.” The ceiling is another lovely space for assorted designs such as the names of the operator's family members, the titles of some popular songs, or comic strips with Garfield being a clear favourite.
Painting aside, there are many other aspects of the decoration that rely on a more homey style of ornament. One cannot help but notice the jeepney’s wide side windows with the red and yellow cloth or crocheted curtains, the jalousies, and when it rains, the plastic awning that is let down.
By looking at the photos I’ve posted, you might wonder how the driver is able to see the road through all that hood ornamentation. Useless antennas, countless headlights, beaded curtains, and hubcaps block the already narrow view out the front window. The truth is, the driver’s can’t see. And you only need to attempt to cross the street in this city to discover that jeepneys, and every other Manila driver for that matter, see pedestrians as blobs of air that can simply be blown aside with a gentle swipe of the front bumper.
Since traffic lights here are mere suggestions, pedestrians do not have the right of way and fervently skirt across the street quickly to avoid bodily harm. Manila has been voted the worst city in the world for motorists and many have exclaimed that there are people who pay much more money to drive under less challenging conditions in videogames. But I think drivers in this city who complain about this have never tried crossing the street!
In recent history, there have been many attempts to eliminate the jeepney from the transportation scheme with good reason. Compared to buses, jeepneys are more wasteful since they sit fewer people, uses up almost as much gasoline, and spend almost as much on tires and spare parts. Numbering 27,000 in Manila alone, they aggravate the energy crisis, perpetuate dependence on multi-national corporations, and crowd the streets.
Crowding of streets is what Manila needs least. Traffic here is in such a crisis that the days you are allowed to drive your car depends on the number of your license plate. And demonstrative of traffic woes, in Tagalog, “traffic” is not just a mere noun, but also an adjective, “matrapik”, and the most widely used excuse for just about anything.
All the attempts however, have failed seemingly because the jeepney is now part of the Filipino cultural identity and the overwhelming favoured mode of transport. And so this joyous vehicle that is literature, pop art, ambulant home, statement of belief and personality, and, at the moment, King of the Road, will remain.
Happy New Year everyone! We're celebrating by listening to our new favourite band Die Moulinettes, a 50 ml. bottle of amaretto, and a Crazy Eights championship. Woohoo!
tothesea,
k~*
P.S. FYI, we "borrowed" the Jeepney poem...
Tuesday, December 31, 2002
Saturday, December 28, 2002
Visiting Great Uncle Harry
Today we woke up with an extraordinary mission. We were quite surprised to find out yesterday that my paternal great uncle, Harry Mercer, died during WWII in the second wave of the Battle of Leyte and is buried in Manila. He died in combat on January 11, 1945, just less than two months after the troops in his division had landed in this country. Sadly, he never lived to realize the allied troops’ victory against the Japanese and the subsequent liberation of the Philippines.
To beat the midday sun, we headed out the door first thing in the morning. We walked for about an hour through a relatively quiet area of Manila, asking machine-gun toting guards for directions along the way, until we found the American Manila War Cemetery. Harry was buried in the U.S. Army cemetery because for a short time he was a faux-yankee. Since he was too young to enlist with the Canadian troops, he went south across the border, lied about his age and residence and went to war with the Americans after a single year of training. Harry’s gleaming white marble cross headstone has forever etched him as a resident of Massachusetts. He now rests beside by Americans on all sides except to his right, where a Filipino soldier lies.
After taking a few photos to show family back home, Magi walked off to look at a large memorial nearby. I sat by the grave and was awestruck by the serene setting that was to be found in such a bustling and overcrowded city such as this. Magi returned with two handfuls of white and yellow flowers that had fallen from a nearby tree. We scattered them around Harry’s grave and rested the most beautiful one on an arm of the white marble cross.
It was quite a poignant morning because I am the first family member to ever visit Harry’s grave. My aunt Cheryl commented on how wonderful it would have been for my poppy to know that someone in the family had visited his brother after all these years. I went there and returned home carrying that precise emotion.
tothesea,
k~*
To beat the midday sun, we headed out the door first thing in the morning. We walked for about an hour through a relatively quiet area of Manila, asking machine-gun toting guards for directions along the way, until we found the American Manila War Cemetery. Harry was buried in the U.S. Army cemetery because for a short time he was a faux-yankee. Since he was too young to enlist with the Canadian troops, he went south across the border, lied about his age and residence and went to war with the Americans after a single year of training. Harry’s gleaming white marble cross headstone has forever etched him as a resident of Massachusetts. He now rests beside by Americans on all sides except to his right, where a Filipino soldier lies.
After taking a few photos to show family back home, Magi walked off to look at a large memorial nearby. I sat by the grave and was awestruck by the serene setting that was to be found in such a bustling and overcrowded city such as this. Magi returned with two handfuls of white and yellow flowers that had fallen from a nearby tree. We scattered them around Harry’s grave and rested the most beautiful one on an arm of the white marble cross.
It was quite a poignant morning because I am the first family member to ever visit Harry’s grave. My aunt Cheryl commented on how wonderful it would have been for my poppy to know that someone in the family had visited his brother after all these years. I went there and returned home carrying that precise emotion.
tothesea,
k~*
Wednesday, December 25, 2002
Thirteen Lessons You Learn from a Dog
1. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
2. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
3. Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
4. Take naps and always stretch before rising.
5. Run, romp, and play daily.
6. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
7. Never pretend to be something you're not.
8. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
9. When someone is having a bad day, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
10. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
11. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
12. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
13. Never miss your chance to have a treat.
Happy Holidays everyone! Maligayang Pasko!
Love,
Krishna & Magi
2. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
3. Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
4. Take naps and always stretch before rising.
5. Run, romp, and play daily.
6. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
7. Never pretend to be something you're not.
8. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
9. When someone is having a bad day, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
10. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
11. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
12. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
13. Never miss your chance to have a treat.
Happy Holidays everyone! Maligayang Pasko!
Love,
Krishna & Magi
Thursday, December 12, 2002
Paki Balot Ito
Normally around this time of year I’d be dreaming of sipping tea by the hearth and romping in the snow with some fun-loving dogs. Snow gives the holidays a magical quality that is only matched by the colours of autumn. Even the Filipinas we’ve talked to long for a bit of the white stuff. Fat chance of ever seeing snow in Manila. December is as cold as it gets and the temperature rarely dips below 25 C (80 F). Here, the holiday season for us is marked by escaping the heat in an A/C apartment and taking daily dips in the pool (we have become excellent lap swimmers!). Pumpkin pies and sugar cookies are replaced by mangoes and sapin-sapin, a delicious coconut milk-based dessert.
In our guidebook, Filipino cuisine has humourously been described as “short on greens and long on intestines.” Ironically, dessert is often flavoured with or made of vegetables and even ice-cream comes in flavours such as corn, avocado, and purple yam (we even saw cheese-flavoured ice cream). The sapin-sapin that we are so fond of usually has a purple yam (ube) swirl in it, and I must say it is delicious. If there is one aspect of cuisine that Filipinos have mastered, it’s dessert.
I’ve been immersing myself in Filipino history. Their dramatic past (and present) makes for a captivating read. This irresistible 7,107 island archipelago whose total land mass is comparable to Arizona, has been colonized by all of these countries in this order: Spain (who held on for 400 years after the explorer Magellan first landed on its shores; and who named the country after King Philip II), Portugal (only a partial takeover until the Spanish overtook them), Britain (just a brief colonizing stint), Japan (for a ruthless four-year period during WWII), and finally, the US (who bought the nation for US$20,000 in a package deal that also gave them Guam and Puerto Rico). Finally, a long-awaited Independence came in 1946. Strangely enough, Filipinos (or Pinoys as they call themselves) annually celebrate their Independence from Spain in 1898 instead of the date of their actual independence. Maybe this is because the revolt against the Spanish brought forward the most popular national heroes or because the Spanish held the Philippines for so many more years than their other colonizers. This staunchly independent nation is now home to 84.5 million people, 1/8 of which live in metropolitan Manila.
Enduring an onslaught of typhoons, flash-floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes, the U.N. has named the Philippines the most disaster-prone country on earth. Notably, it is also home to the largest robbery in history (by ex-president Ferdinand Marcos and his shoe-loving wife Imelda) who stole an estimated US$5-10 billion from the people of the Philippines. Fitting their fun-loving nature despite such natural and man-made adversity, those in Manila can proudly say that their city has the world’s largest nightclub.
According to a recent language survey in Canada, Pilipino is in the top five spoken languages of Manitoba, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories!! (Are you gasping with surprise? We are.) With Magi’s help, I’ve learned a few phrases though neither of them will get me very far in Manila (or Iqaluit for that matter). In a strange, and now laughable, dream the other night I was abducted by guerillas in Manila and spent the entire dream saying my two best phrases in Pilipino which are, “My name is Krishna” and “Can you put this in a doggy-bag?” My aim was to try and convince my captors that I was Filipina so they would let me go. It didn’t work.
Life is calm right now despite a slew of very eventful dreams. Aside from doing some initial planning for our trip around Australia, it seems we are taking a brief vacation from our holiday. Though we haven’t done much exploring or traveling within the Philippines, I must say that so far, this is some of the best quality time I’ve had on our trip. It’s nice to be able to sit back and watch the world happen, especially at this time of year when things usually seem to feel a little more hectic. We decided to stay here so that we wouldn’t find ourselves celebrating the holidays in a guesthouse somewhere in the outback. So, we are not only looking forward to Christmas and New Years, but Magi's 26th birthday next Wednesday as well.
tothesea,
k~*
In our guidebook, Filipino cuisine has humourously been described as “short on greens and long on intestines.” Ironically, dessert is often flavoured with or made of vegetables and even ice-cream comes in flavours such as corn, avocado, and purple yam (we even saw cheese-flavoured ice cream). The sapin-sapin that we are so fond of usually has a purple yam (ube) swirl in it, and I must say it is delicious. If there is one aspect of cuisine that Filipinos have mastered, it’s dessert.
I’ve been immersing myself in Filipino history. Their dramatic past (and present) makes for a captivating read. This irresistible 7,107 island archipelago whose total land mass is comparable to Arizona, has been colonized by all of these countries in this order: Spain (who held on for 400 years after the explorer Magellan first landed on its shores; and who named the country after King Philip II), Portugal (only a partial takeover until the Spanish overtook them), Britain (just a brief colonizing stint), Japan (for a ruthless four-year period during WWII), and finally, the US (who bought the nation for US$20,000 in a package deal that also gave them Guam and Puerto Rico). Finally, a long-awaited Independence came in 1946. Strangely enough, Filipinos (or Pinoys as they call themselves) annually celebrate their Independence from Spain in 1898 instead of the date of their actual independence. Maybe this is because the revolt against the Spanish brought forward the most popular national heroes or because the Spanish held the Philippines for so many more years than their other colonizers. This staunchly independent nation is now home to 84.5 million people, 1/8 of which live in metropolitan Manila.
Enduring an onslaught of typhoons, flash-floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes, the U.N. has named the Philippines the most disaster-prone country on earth. Notably, it is also home to the largest robbery in history (by ex-president Ferdinand Marcos and his shoe-loving wife Imelda) who stole an estimated US$5-10 billion from the people of the Philippines. Fitting their fun-loving nature despite such natural and man-made adversity, those in Manila can proudly say that their city has the world’s largest nightclub.
According to a recent language survey in Canada, Pilipino is in the top five spoken languages of Manitoba, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories!! (Are you gasping with surprise? We are.) With Magi’s help, I’ve learned a few phrases though neither of them will get me very far in Manila (or Iqaluit for that matter). In a strange, and now laughable, dream the other night I was abducted by guerillas in Manila and spent the entire dream saying my two best phrases in Pilipino which are, “My name is Krishna” and “Can you put this in a doggy-bag?” My aim was to try and convince my captors that I was Filipina so they would let me go. It didn’t work.
Life is calm right now despite a slew of very eventful dreams. Aside from doing some initial planning for our trip around Australia, it seems we are taking a brief vacation from our holiday. Though we haven’t done much exploring or traveling within the Philippines, I must say that so far, this is some of the best quality time I’ve had on our trip. It’s nice to be able to sit back and watch the world happen, especially at this time of year when things usually seem to feel a little more hectic. We decided to stay here so that we wouldn’t find ourselves celebrating the holidays in a guesthouse somewhere in the outback. So, we are not only looking forward to Christmas and New Years, but Magi's 26th birthday next Wednesday as well.
tothesea,
k~*
Monday, December 02, 2002
photography
Finally we have made some changes to the photography page! Aaron had some film developed and scanned and I've posted a few of those pictures on the photography page of this site. Unfortunately we didn't have any editing tools or we would have done some cropping and zooming. They are also a little dense so they may take some time to load. Enjoy them here as they are.
tothesea,
k&m
tothesea,
k&m