Experiencing The Philippines For the First Time

Being able to travel the world is a beautiful thing, travelling across the globe and seeing different countries, landmarks, eating different foods and taking away special memories can really open the mind to dream, wonder and create a whole world of possibilities. Anyone that tells you that they don’t like to travel is either very old, or haven’t travelled enough to really appreciate what the rest of the world has to offer. I for one absolutely love to travel and I’ve been blessed and fortunate to see a lot of the world. Something easily taken for granted when you are a young child where all of your travel arrangements are made by and accompanied with Mum and Dad. Looking back now, I really do appreciate how many countries and places I’ve visited, cultures I’ve experienced and people I have met across the globe, thanks to the financial and time efforts of my Mum (Dad of course played his part, but Mum has always been the mastermind with these things). Seeing firsthand how different (variably better or worse) life is in another part of the world, raises feelings of being humbled, inspired, grateful or even envious. More than anything it awakens you to how much more there is to life than the daily grind of survival.

As you know, I’m currently on vacation in (and blogging from) the Philippines. 4 Weeks in and it’s been awesome, I can honestly say that I’ve been to and seen more in this time than I have put together in the 4 times I’ve come over in the past! Those last visits were always a family affair, which pretty much went like this; Arrive in Manila where we would stay for about a week and a half to get settled in, shop and reconnect with family friends and a handful of family that live in the capital. As I mentioned In my last post, my Mum’s side of the family is huge and the majority of them live in either Bacolod or Tapas which is in the Visayas part of the country. So from Manila, we’d head over to Bacolod to stay with and visit family for 2 weeks after which we’d take a boat ride to Iloilo for a day as we have a handful of family there before heading out for a 4 hour drive to Tapas where my Mum is originally from and a lot of her family still live. Tapas is as old school village as you can get (Filipinos refer to this type of area as provincia) so coming from the creature comfort filled western world it takes a little more than adjustment and compromise. We’d stay there for just under a week before heading back to Bacolod via Iloilo where again we’d stay for a week or two before going back to Manila for the last week or few days before flying back to London.

Reconnecting and spending time with family is great, but the Philippines is made up of so many islands, history and different cultures so it has so much to offer. When I think of getting away, I like to picture sun, sea and white sandy beaches and the Philippines has some of the very best. To be honest for most of the Filipinos that live abroad, especially in London, their holiday consists of going back to the Philippines and they do exactly the same type of trip I described above, and many don’t even get to visit more than one city, let alone experience any of the amazing and beautiful beaches, landscapes and heritage sites across the country. Even more tragic is that many of Philippines’ inhabitants haven’t had the opportunity to see and enjoy much or any of it themselves. The common denominator for this, like many things in life, and not just in the Philippines, is money. When we used to come over to visit family, food and accommodation is pretty much taken care of as we stay with and eat with them. But if you want to island hop and venture to the more remote, picturesque destinations you don’t have this cost-saving luxury. – There’s the flights, the hotels, meals, taxis/tricycles and excursions or activities when there (and that’s just one island!).

Having the financial and time flexibility that both me and my girlfriend have now, we decided that this visit to the Philippines was going to be a real holiday where we would explore and see more of the country and make others more aware of its beauty and rich history. Even 6 weeks isn’t enough to visit all the amazing places here but what we’ve seen has definitely been worth the travel time and financial expenditure. The highlights so far being swimming with a Butangding (Whale Shark – see pic below) in Donsol, Sorsogon and stepping on the white sand and crystal clear waters in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. This week, we’ll be heading over to Bohol to see Dolphins and Whales!

When most Filipinos living abroad think or refer to the Philippines, they think of their family and home. Now when I think of the Philippines, I too still think of family and see it as my mother’s homeland, but I’ll also think of having a fantastic holiday, which ranks right up there with all the paradise-like destinations in the world.

Family Ties, Worlds Apart

As I mentioned in my last post, it’s been 7 years since my last visit to the Philippines. A lot has changed and a lot has remained the same since then. The country has moved forwards in line with the information and technological advances. Infrastructure has also improved. –Last time I came to visit my family in the provinces, roads were non-existent (well not the sort of roads us westerners would refer to) and forget about getting a signal on your cell phone. This isn’t the case anymore. One thing that has remained and perhaps would be obvious, is the climate. Coming from London where even our summer period is hit and miss (anything above 15 degrees is widely celebrated) you would think 30 degrees heat and sunshine would be hugely welcomed. Well that might be the case if you’re on the beach with a nice sea breeze kissing your face, but when you’re in the city inhaling the car fumes and having to weave in and out of all the human traffic, hot weather is the last thing you desire. Me and my Filipino friends in London always used to make fun of how slow people in the Filipinos walked compared to us, now I’m starting to think they do it to minimize the production of body sweat. It’s actually even worse when you’re sitting in a house with very little ventilation, let alone air conditioning or at the very least an electric fan, unbearable is an understatement.

Although I’m only half Filipino, the family on my Mum’s side outweighs my Dad’s pretty much 50-1 (yes 50 relatives for every member of my Dad’s family!). Back in the day, it was normal to have up to 7 children and that was no exception in my Mum’s family. Added to that each of her siblings appeared to follow suit and have 5-7 children of their own and so on with their children (you do the math!). – My Mum appeared to be the exception, in that I’m an only child. And because of this, I have a lot of cousins, nephews and nieces, many of the latter are the same age if not much younger than me. All of my previous visits to the Philippines have been a family affair with my Mum pretty much dictating the agenda, ensuring that we got around to seeing as many family members as possible. This time around however, I have come with my girlfriend and her parents (who are also Filipino). Me and my girlfriend already agreed beforehand that this vacation would be ‘our’ holiday and we would see more of what Philippines has to offer (which is a lot). Having said that, taking the time and effort to visit our relatives (on both sides) still goes without saying -the backlash if we didn’t, would just be too much to deal with and we would never hear the end of it!

Seeing all of my family here has been a hugely emotional, more so because I’m no longer the young adolescent tagging along Mum and Dad. My family in the Philippines are very loving and humble people, always welcoming and great fun and this time around has been no different. In the 7 years that have passed, the countless nieces and nephews I remembered as little kids are now maturing adults, either completing their academic studies, beginning careers or even starting families of their own. It’s still difficult to feel a real affinity with all of them, having been brought up on the other side of the world where cultures, customs and mindsets are also worlds apart. Many of them are not aware of the opportunities available that I know and have experienced first-hand, and it is completely understandable given the environment and way of life they have grown accustomed to. Many of them have grown up in humble homes where money is a scarce resource in contrast to us. They all aspire to go abroad to pursue a better life and help their own families (a common tradition with Filipinos) back here. Being in the position I am in and knowing what I know now, I really want to do more for them, and spending a bit of time and talking with them, I have really gotten present to opportunities we can provide each other. Amongst them lie a vast array of skill sets and abilities, added to that their standard of written and command of English is fairly high. It will just be a case of enrolling and empowering them in the world of opportunities available to them, especially in this information age where money can be just a few keystrokes and mouse clicks away.

Coming back to the Philippines this time around also begs the question of whether I could live here (I don’t see myself living in the UK for too much longer) and the answer is both yes and no. The standard of living on my kind of income provides a huge shift up in lifestyle and the weather is obviously more favorable. The challenge however is accepting the majority of limited thinking and resignation that hinders many Filipinos from stepping up and awakening to the opportunities around them. There is definitely a need for more of them to learn financial education and literacy (of course, that can be said for any part of the world) as the potential is obviously present, we just have to open the door and allow them the choice to take the step through it. Easier said than done you might say, but the transformation and possibilities that would open up would be worth it, and anyway, I like a challenge!

Back in the Philippines

So it’s been a while since I last posted on my own Blog, and admittedly there hasn’t been any real justification for it. -Perhaps I’m just not a natural writer? Perhaps I’ve been lacking inspiration or content that I can really get my teeth into, well if that is the case now I have no excuse. – For the last 2 weeks I have been reconnecting with my roots in the Philippines (My Mother is Filipino and my Father Chinese Malaysian). There’s 4 weeks left and so much more to see and do, but these last 2 weeks have brought up a mixture of emotions. Being brought up in a western society, it always takes a little adjustment to settle in a third world country and even to this day (I’ve been to the Philippines 4 times previously over the years) there is still an initial culture shock upon arriving in Manila (Philippines’ capital); the heat, the congestion, the way people drive, the pollution, the poverty, the commercialism and the constant stares of curiosity and awe I keep getting from people everywhere we go (More on that topic later). It’s been 7 years since my last visit and much has changed, yet much has remained the same. Coming from the inconsistent and frustrating climate of London, the sunshine and heat is welcome but at the same time can be unbearable especially in Manila where everything and everyone are on top of each other.
You can’t walk a few meters without seeing eye-catching billboard signs and logos, the air is filled with the sound of car horns as the weave in and out of each other, overtaking and making their own lanes (you’d think 4 or 5 would be sufficient already). There are young boys hustling for a quick buck hailing down taxis and buses for people. Fast food joints are absolutely everywhere (Jollibee and Chow King being the predominant players amongst the McDonalds and KFCs).

TV is an experience in itself, where programs (predominantly entertainment shows and daytime soap operas) and adverts are often OTT and cheesy. This in my opinion, and I’m sure many would agree, does not represent the Philippine population as a whole. – Most of the presenters and actors are really light skinned, and as a result this is what is deemed as attractive and what many of the young generation seek to emulate (skin whitening products are completely legal and in abundance). This is nothing new and will likely never change. Philippines is probably not the only culprit of this in Asia. And this is where the constant looks and stares I receive mentioned earlier ties in, you see in contrast to most Filipinos I’m very light skinned, I’m fairly tall (5’9 which is average back in London) and have a bigger build so I do stand out a bit. Admittedly most of the stares come from the females and for the most part it is flattering (sorry girls I’m already spoken for) but I also suspect they think I should be an ‘artista’ i.e. one of their tv/film celebrity idols.

Like most third world countries, there is a major rich and poor divide. Money talks in every part of the world, but in the Philippines this is even more present. There’s an unspoken agreement that different laws and opportunities apply for the wealthy and those living in poverty. A salary that would be deemed as middle class back in London, would give you a big house, a nice car and a driver/chauffeur, a maid, and a nanny for your kids. Many of the poorest towns would not look out of place in the film ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’. Some of the houses (in these towns) are very basic and let’s not even go into the subject of their toilets and bathing arrangements, but with some children and even adults bathing out in the street with a simple tub of water, you kind of get the idea… They also suffer from constant brown outs (when all of the electricity in the vicinity is cut off) which can happen without warning. –Imagine trying to sleep in 30 degrees heat without an electric fan!

Please don’t get me wrong, all of these things do not represent how I perceive my mother’s homeland, it is just what I got present to staying in Manila for these first two weeks. Manila is not ‘The Philippines’, The Philippines is made up of many islands and there is much natural beauty to see and experience, some of which is on my agenda for the next few weeks (swimming with whale sharks and dolphins for one thing!!!). This coming week I’ll be spending time visiting my relatives and I’ll be sharing all the highlights with you here on my blog, so until then…

Watch This Space!

I’m currently updating my site and will be adding tons of new content which is going to help you take your internet business to the next level =)

In the meantime, please subscribe to my newsletter and I will send you valuable content that you can start learning and apply to explode  your business right now!

Love & Magic,

Anthony