San Miguiel and Magat Dam

Friday, 9th September 2011

It all begins again...

Alfresco dining under the nipa hut, as we are too large a group to fit around the kitchen table. It's very nice to have a meal together with everyone instead of in two batches.

Today we travelled to San Miguel to visit some interested friends. Our study was on the Gospel message and how it relates to Abraham and David. Once again many comments followed the study – they almost went for as long as the study.

Isa, Sis Cathlyn, Ami-Anne, and another Sister

Discussions after the study

No grass anywhere

Cute little children

Sarah was not feeling too well this morning and the heat was proving a bit much, she took a rest for a while in the back of the multi-cab. The children took turns on the hammock and even let some of the local's have a turn as well. The surroundings of the homes is bare dirt (no grass or pebbles) and our kids seemed to find it attracting to sit on, play with and generally immerse themselves in the grime. Silas made friends with the family pig (which we are sure must be called Wilbur), they happily posed for a photo.

Silas enjoying the hammock

Noah enjoying the hammock

Bro Luming's multicab

Bro Frans' multicab

Our lunch was cooked while the study was on, and then taken with us in the back of the multi-cab to our picnic spot at Magat Dam. To get to the other side, we needed to walk across a swinging bridge, in typical Filipino style the planks of wood were rotting or being eaten out, and had been repaired in a very interesting fashion. Matt took great delight in bouncing the bridge more than necessary as we were walking across, and it was nice to see the other young girls were nervously crossing ahead of us, not just us! The water was rushing past, and the children were warned not to fall in, as that would be the last we would see of them. After lunch we took a walk up the steps “to offer cake to the queen of heaven” (Frans).

The "shortcut" to Magat Dam

Harvesting rice

Still on the shortcut

The swinging bridge

A close up of the swinging bridge

Very fast flowing water

Across the other side

When we had finished there, we all piled back into the multi-cabs and continued to Magat Dam itself, to have a look at it all. Apparently the largest man-made dam in south east Asia. Very spectacular! And cool – a welcome relief from the heat.

Very impressive

The other side of the dam - those lines across the water are floating houses

Back to Bro Luming's, for a while and then Matt and myself, went to the markets with some others. Bro Frans and Bro Luming went to visit some interested friends in hospital. After finishing at the market, we were taken to the hospital to visit Ivy, who was being treated for pnuemonia, and her sister and brother were/had been in with dengue. We had a great time experiencing the markets without kids – the smells and sights are probably very similar to the markets at home, only smellier and different things being sold. Lots of photo opportunities.

Back to Bro Lumings in the dark, and an early tea for the kids, a late tea for us.

After 9:00pm we left for a bible study at Bro Miguel's, I finished talking at 10:07pm, and we got home at 11:45pm. Again, lots of discussion afterwards that we can't understand – learning to sit there patiently, and looking interested – although haven't quite managed to laugh in the right spots yet.