Our Trip So Far: Cavite
We’ve been here in the Philippines for a little over two weeks. I haven’t had time to get online and post anything because of our tight itinerary. The times I actually get on the internet I just check my email and answer some comments, then quickly logoff.
My wife and I anticipated the difficulties traveling with three young children so we adjusted our expectations and tailored our trip to be as kid-friendly as possible. So far it’s been good. Our home base is at my uncle’s place in Las Piñas which is fairly near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Our first few days here we spent in Cavite where my wife went to high school for one year. She took time to reconnect with her old ka-barkadas. Cavite is unrecognizable to her she says. Gone is the small town feel as Cavite has acquired new roads and shopping malls as part of the effort by the local government to improve the area’s infrastructure. Coincidentally, Cavite, a film making the rounds in independent film festivals worldwide, depicts its landscape as “dismal and upsetting.” The movie, although said to be visually stunning, “shows a kind of poverty and desperation that most Americans rarely see.” I’m not sure if I saw the same Cavite but had the filmmakers shot it ten years ago, its portrayal would have been even more dismal. I was told the route from Manila leading to Cavite was known as dumping grounds for victims of vigilante-style murders but this has been largely eliminated due to the improvement of roads in the area.
While in Cavite, we took a quick trip to Tagaytay, had lunch, enjoyed the view and went horse-back riding.
Next: EDSA and Cubao
Tags: Cavite, crime, film, philippines, Tagaytay
July 7th, 2005 at 12:14 pm
Wow Cavite! I’m headed for Manila as well after a 15-year absence to be bestman for my cousin’s wedding in Makati. I’m in the same boat as you are, not really knowing what to expect except for the fact that I’m in for a world of heat and humidity. I suppose living in Vegas with it’s oven-like atmosphere helps… but boy, I can already taste the air…
July 7th, 2005 at 12:54 pm
Just taggin’
http://arnoldgamboa.com/2005/07/tag-game/
July 8th, 2005 at 12:42 pm
When are you coming over, Luis? Prepare yourself for the smells as well…
j/k, pollution has improved a bit.
Thanks for the tag, Arnold. Too bad my DVD collection is back home. I’ll get to this when I get back.
July 9th, 2005 at 2:49 am
Hey Daniel, I’ll be flying out this 12th of July, which means our plane should hit Philippine grounds on the 14th. With only 7 days to spare, I know this is going to be a whirlwind trip (replete with trips to Greenwich pizza and also for some fishballs near the UP Diliman campus — wahoo!). My cousins and friends have forwarned me to take NoDoze pills as they wouldn’t allow me to waste a single minute even for sleep. I’ll leave you a note when I’m in town.
July 9th, 2005 at 3:20 pm
Hey, Luis, I’ll still be here! That’d be great. Let’s try to hook up.
July 10th, 2005 at 1:22 pm
Cool deal! Maybe we can meet up for some afternoon merienda (if and when hectic schedule permits)… I’ll email you my local number once I get a sim card from Globe shoehorned into my phone. By the way, there’s some news going around here in the US that the political climate in the Philippines is starting to brew a storm (not another coup I hope). How true is that, and hopefully, it is still safe to make the trip, right? Otherwise, I would have heard warnings from my folks there.
July 11th, 2005 at 9:38 am
Nice post, Daniel!
I haven’t beeen to Cavite in a while either, although I did notice all the reports about the “salvage” victims there have stopped popping up.
Luis, come on over to the Philippines! From the general reaction to these failed rally attempts I think it’s safe to say nobody really wants a coup to happen.
Mmm, fishballs! There’s a kind middle-aged man selling them on the street between AS and the Faculty Center. I’m partial to isaw myself, and there are great sticks to be had near the Ilang-Ilang dorm in UP. I highly recommend them.
July 12th, 2005 at 2:28 pm
You bet I’m flying to Manila tomorrow Noelle… no coup or rally attempts can hinder my cravings for them fishballs (insert Homer Simpson voice: “mmm…. fisshballlsss”). BTW, thanks for the “great sticks” tip, I will definitely try them out!
Hey Daniel… one more day man, one more day…
July 14th, 2005 at 8:45 am
Luis, have a safe trip!
December 13th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Hi I’m from dasmarinas cavite also I love the picture. It’s been 5 years since the last time I went back home and I really miss cavite. What school did you wife went?