Philippines, July 2000

July 21
Manila was not as I expected her to be. Painted black with the smoke from vehicles, with a very unpleasant face - I felt that as I reached Manila from Osaka in 3.2 hours flight. As if drawn by a chalk on a blue board, there were ships in the sea. I stayed in Wise hotel in Quiado Street. It was raining so there was no way I could stay outdoors. 500 piso a night, paid yesterday. There are rows of vehicles on street, not giving a hood to traffic rules; same with the pedestrians. But there are smiles everywhere. Even when I was fitting the bicycle in airport, there was a crowd around me. Being a traveler, I like this; wherever you see a face, you see a smile. I called up newspapers, got appointment at Manila City Office for Monday. I met Mrs. Jeny at 4 in Lions Club's district office. She was working for a Anti-diabetes program tomorrow. I met many dance students too. A girl named Bibiyan was cracking up jokes with me. She said I'm ready if you want a friend for the night. I said I'm not a coward, I can sleep alone. Everyone had a good laugh. Another girl Jiniya gave her phone number and said to call her at 7:30 in the morning tomorrow. I came back to hotel and had food. Then I went to have a clean shave, wanted to look good for tomorrow. Unknowingly, I went into a shop run by the gays. I sat down on one chair and as he was about to run his scissors through my hair, I said I came to get my beard shaved. He was surprised. Apparently it was only hair cutting saloon. They didn't have a machine, but he said he would do it and started shaving with a razor. Then he started off with questions - where do I come from, where am I staying - alone. It was very uneasy for me, as he was getting very close, his body touching mine. I started to pretend that I couldn't understand and speak English. I felt very uneasy when he said If you need lady I'm ok. I wanted to get out of there without shaving. When I reached the hotel at 10, the receptionist told me that the room charge had run out. I had booked for 2 nights - they told me two nights had passed in 24 hours. The guy who booked me yesterday was not there. I was in a fix. They said I'd have to pay if I wanted to stay for one night more. I requested them to contact the guy who booked me yesterday, but they would not listen. I was not in a situation to be able to pay for one more night. At midnight I left the hotel. It was raining. I tried to contact Puranji in the number provided by Sudhirji. The number apparently was under repair. I headed aimlessly, came across Armita Police Station under a over head road, went inside. Where is Nepal? In Afirca? I laughed at the policeman's question. Do you know Mt. Everest? Nepal's there. I told him its between India and China. There is no sea, where do you get water to drink - to the policeman's question like these, I told him we melt ice and drink it. It's still drizzling, still a possibility of downpour later at night. They offered me coffee and bread, gave me permission to sleep in the tent in front of the station under the bridge. I kept my cycle inside the station.

July 22
At 6 in the morning, a policeman woke me up with a cup of tea. He brought noodles too. I had tea after a long time. I called up Jiniya at 7:30. At 9 reached Governer Forbes. There was a bunch of people selling cigarettes, newspaper to the people in cars stopped at the traffic signal, and there were beggars. A girl by the name of Lolita came and introduced herself; a crowd of people after her, got introduced to the beggars too. They knew Mt. Everest, but didn't know Nepal. At 9:30 Jiniya came waving at me. We went to Pledge for Diabetes program with her mother and few other people.

Viviyan didn't leave my side throughout the program, offering me coke and juices time to time. She gave me a toy, with a piece of paper in its hand. Something must have been written there. All of her friends clapped and laughed, Viviyan put her arms around and held me tightly. She's short, boys-cut hair, moves like a boy, looks like a boy at the first glance. We had burgers at Wimpy's and I took off alone from there. It started raining, reached Armita Police Station at 10 at night, called up Mama Jeny to informed that I reached. The police were having fish and rice, I also had a plate in their request. Philippino police are very helpful, they keep warning me to be careful because of the present unrest situation. Makati City, known as the Hong Kong of Philippines, is more clean and beautiful than Manila.

July 24
I headed towards Bagiuo at 7:15. Throughout the way, people talked to me from moving cars, two people asked if I was Pakistani, 3 Indian, and one guy asked if I was Japanese. One other guy though recognized the flag and said Nepali. People usually say take care and god bless you. Peace is at stake in Philippines because of the insurgency initiated by the Muslim opposition group demanding a separate state in Mindanao. At this place that I chose to lodge for the night, Noel checked my passport first. Initially I was given permission to sleep on the bench outside. Then they allowed me to set up the tent too. Had dinner with them, showed them files and pictures, they were impressed and permitted me to sleep inside in the restaurant. His wife was even telling me to sleep inside the room with her two sisters. Sisters agreed too. I jokingly said I'm tired and don't want to get more tired. Everyone laughed. The girls were saying we won't touch you come sleep inside. I moved tables and chairs and made my home on the restaurant floor.

July 25
Early at 5, Riza came in my tent with a coffee, saying good morning. I washed my face after the coffee. Noel had already gone to the market for shopping. I had breakfast and walked out at 5:30. They refused to accept money for the food. There was no way to find out how far Bagiuo was from there, it was not written anywhere. You get different answers from different people. I had lunch at San Miguel at 11. It's a small village.

Even though they speak different languages in different regions in Philippines, their main language in Tagalo.

The water has risen in the river because of the rain; it flows like Marsyangdi back home. The road constructed through the hills, there are small settlements at places in the woods. School kids on their way home, climb up to my cycle, on the up hill. I get off, chase them off, and run away from them. They appear again from nowhere. It continued in every settlement I passed. At 7, I reach Seson at the base of Bagiuo. Tried to call up Sudhirji, but could not get through. It was cold, and started raining on top. It reminds you of Darjeeling, sans the tea fields. Walking in the rain, I found out Aurora Hill, and from a policeman in Bayan park, the address of Sudhirji. They were surprised to see me at their door, were waiting for my phone call. I was introduced to Merna vauju, and together we had dinner.

July 26
It's been raining on and off. Merna vauju contact several people in the morning, arranged appointment with the mayor for 3 pm, called up the newspapers. We headed towards the city hall at 2, Sudhirji's family in car and me following in my cycle. The mayor could not make it in time. We kept ourselves busy with the newspaper interviews till 4. Mr. Mauricto G. Domogan, the mayor, came at 4 and we had conversation while he was also signing some office papers. We had problems in understanding each other because of pronunciations, Sudhir dai and Merna vauju acted as interpreters; as with the newspaper interviews. After taking a picture with the mayor, and his autograph too, the journalists took some pictures outside the hall. The mayor congratulated me personally and gave me 1000 piso. It started down pouring when we reached home at 5:30. After dinner I talked with Kamala till midnight. She is planning to head back home after the final year of Civil Engineering. Even though they stayed in Kathmandu, their ancestral home was in Gorkha. She was expecting huge change in Nepal over the five years she has spent in Philippines. I don't know what to expect when I go back.

July 27
There are small beautiful wooden houses all over the hills of Bagiuo. People are friendly and curious, whenever we stop there are always people asking questions. At 2, after lunch, we headed towards Trinidad municipality, 5 km downhill from Bagiuo. The mayor, Mr. Nestor B. Fongwan was very happy to see me. He told me that he had been to Nepal and that he had collected information on Nepal. He provided me with 1000 piso from the municipality. He had a good time using my cycle on the municipality premises. We had coffee and took pictures together because he said he would meet people like me only once in a lifetime. I was encouraged by his words.

July 28
It was raining the whole day, so I didn't go anywhere. Woke up, took a bath, had lunch and went back to bed again. At around 2 came Kamala, was a relief to my boredom. She opened up and started talking to me about everything of her life - her days in hostel, in foreign land for studies, days she had to spend without her parents. She is in a mind set not to marry in the near future. She said she does not want to marry as far as possible. She would marry only after staying with her parents for some years. She of marrying age, told me about friends she made in the Internet, some of them have even proposed. I spent my day with her stories. From time to time she would bring me coffee. I listen to her stories attentively as a good student. She did not ask anything about me. She still has to see life, she's starting off finishing her studies. She is yet to see her dreams come true. But right now she is weaving more of them. She laughed out loud saying she would come to welcome me at the airport when I come back after 10 years.

July  28

Today,  there  was  a  welcome  program  of ADNESA,  the  Nepal.s  Students Association  in  Philippines.  So  we  moved

to  South Drive  after a meal at 12:00. Merna  bhauju  had  another  cottage there. On the way, as I stopped for a drink, a Phillipino boy asked shyly, in his language, if he could ride the bicycle. A boy of 12/13, he can.t even reach the pedals. But still, I respect his wishes. He went ahead, trying hard to ride. I followed. A group of little urchins gathered around us after a while, the boy on the cycle beamed, he was the hero of the day. I congratulated him and went  ahead. In  Teachers.  camp,  I  met  an  American called  Mark,  who  had  read  my  interview in  the  Manila  Times.  He  congratulated

me and made an appointment to meet at nine, tomorrow. I was supposed to cook a Nepali meal for him. Sudhir  dai came to search for me in his car, as I was taking too long on the road. At last we  reached  South  drive,  House  no.  22, prepared  a  welcome  banner  and  pasted arrows  at  various  places  to  indicate  the direction.  The  students  started  pouring in. The program started at 3:00. Along with  many  students,  president  Sudhir Thapa  expressed  their  opinion  in  front  of

the  mass.  I  also  shared  the  bittersweet experiences  of  my  trip.

July  30

Prerana  and  Kamala  acted  as  tour guides today and I tagged along to see the famous places of  Bagiuo. At 10:00

a.m.,  we  reached  .Bell  Church., strangely  named  considering  it  was  a Chinese  temple.  A  beautifully  made

temple at the bottom of the hill, where we lighted incense and made a wish. There  was  also  a  place  for  fortune

telling. You have to take out a narrow bamboo  stick  from  a  wooden  tube, throw two pieces of wood on the floor, like dices and the priest would hand you a paper that had your fortune. After the Bell Church, we went to the  Green

Valley. We had a blast bowling in the Valley Club, situated at the top of the hill.  The  panoramic  view  of  the  villages

from the top of the hill was beautiful. Kamala  loves  playing  guide,  but  Prerana rarely  speaks.  She  is  a  dreamy  creature

and  hardly  smiles  at  our  jokes. Then we went to PMA (Philippines Military Academy). It had a pretty big compound  and  a  parade  was  going  on when  we  reached  there.  The

monuments  and  the  treehouses  built there  seemed  wonderful.  I  started taking  pictures;  Kamala  posed  happily

while  Prerana  needed  a  lot  of  pushing. Photo  session  over,  we  moved  towards the canteen for lunch. It started pouring again.  We  stayed  in  the  canteen,n listening  to  Kamala.  She  was  a  livewire and  I  even  nicknamed  her,  the  Bagiuo FM. That only prompted her more; Prerana  and  I  were  the  listeners.  Sudhir dai.s  little  son  Sumir,  provided  ample entertainment too. Then we went to Venus  View  and  to  Barnam  Park. There was a light drizzle and we sat on

a bench under a big tree, talking and watching  people  on  boats.  We  returned .home.  around  11:00.  They  took  a  jeep, I  preferred  to  walk.  Back  home,  the Kamala  FM  was  on  again,  broadcasting the activities of the day. This time the

listeners  were  Sudhir  dai  and  bhauju.

August  1

Today is my last day in  Bagiuo  and we have  made  plans  to  make  momos. Sudhir  dai  has a real big vessel for making  momos.  At  one  time  they  used to sell momos too, Sudhir  dai tells me. Actually  Sudhir  dai.s  home  is  a  small

restaurant  or  rather  a  guest  house.  But everything.s  free  here  of  course. I went with Kamala to buy the required

stuffs for momo. We took a jeep. In the vegetable  market,  there  was  a  shop  for Nepalese  customers,  the  shopkeeper

even spoke a little bit Nepali. She asked Kamala  if  I  were  her  boyfriend.  Busy selecting  onions,  Kamala  said  yes.  The

shopkeeper  commented,  .he  looks nice..  Kamala,  now  understanding  fully, tried to take back her words. I teased

her, she pretended to get angry. We  began  to  make  momos  from  six. Sudhir  dai,  Komal,  Kamala,  Prerana  and

me, we all have our own styles. Momos appeared  in  various  artistic  shapes. Before  we  finished  making  momos,

Rakesh,  Komal.s  boyfriend  arrived, pretending  to  be  starving.  He  winked and signaled at Komal from time to time

to go outside. Sudhir  dai  calls the couple Mailee  bahini  and  Maila  jwain.  There  are few students in  Bagiuo, who have a live-in  relationship,  some  of  them  also

have  Philippino  partners,  and  Sudhir dai.s house is like a meeting center for these  couples  and  also  like  a  court.

They even turn to him for help, when they are in trouble, like when a Nepali boy  deceives  a  Philippino  girl  or  other

lovers.  problems.  .What  will  happen  if Maila  leaves  Mailee.,  Sudhir  dai  teased. Komal  and  Rakesh  got  angry  and  left the room. Momos were done and the couple was still outside. From the first lot of momos, each one got a plate.

Everyone  praised  the  sauce  I  prepared. Sudhir  dai joked all the time while eating,  .Shahilee  (Prerana)  is  a  sly  one,

nobody  knows  where  her  heart  is  yet. Kanchhi (Kamala) has a lot of guys calling for her, but whom will she choose?. The first lot of momos disappeared  fast.  Komal  and  Rakesh

entered.  Rakesh  looked  unhappier  than before. Maybe they had a tiff.

August  2

Traveling downhill for 34 km.,  I descended  through  Canon  road.  The way was not smooth, and I couldn.t cycle  fast.  Anyhow  I  reached  Saytan, after 1.45 hrs. It was a cloudy day and hence I didn.t feel the heat. By evening I returned to Noel.s restaurant in Tarlac,  where  I  had  stayed  earlier.

Noel.s  wife  appeared  more  excited  to see  me  than  Noel  himself.  They  readily provided  food  and  a  place  to  sleep.

.Won.t I get to sleep with your sisters today. I joked. Not the one to be daunted  she  replied,  .Oh,  aren.t  you

tired today?. We had a good laugh. And then I prepared the tent. Riza watched silently and went to her room.

August  3

I  think  Philippino  girls  are  the  friendliest girls in the world. They are so warm and open,  even  with  the  strangers.  Riza

brought me the morning tea, Noel had already left for the market. I took their leave after a meal. .Will try to meet you

later., I said to Riza, trying to bring a smile  in  her  crestfallen  face.  The  heart rules after all and it needs no edging to

get  emotional  even  in  a  short  encounter. Remembering  the  last  incident,  I

walked. It was already 8 when I

reached  Manila.

August  4

At 3:00, I went to Makati city, where

the  Brunei  embassy is located, to get a

visa.  The  traffic  jam  was  terrible.

Somehow  I  managed  with  the  bicycle.  I

filled the visa form, was called for

interviewed  immediately  and  got  visa

without  any  hassles.  Though  Nepalese

need a sponsor to get a visa to  Brunei,

I got special concession, as I am .the

cyclist  for  peace..  I  thanked  the  consular

for that.

I stopped to have a Philippino meal on

the  way.  Though  they  normally  eat  rice,

their  vegetables  usually  taste  sugary

with a touch of salt and pepper. Back  in  my  room,  Deo  Poonji  contacted

the Nepali consulate. We learnt from the

secretary  that  the  the  consulate  was

extremely  busy,  as  he  had  just  returned

from  abroad.  There  was  no  way  we

could get an appointment, even in the

following week. In the evening I went to

see  Emilio  Aguinaldo  College,  where

Poonji  is  studying.

August  5

I went with Dr. Deo, after a meal, to

check  out  his  dental  clinic.  He  checked

my teeth, cleaned them and told

interesting  anecdotes  about  his

struggling days. Dr. Deo is returning to

Nepal, after 2 months, but he plans to

leave it again after 2 years or so. He

sees no scope for him in Nepal. I

remained  with  him  throughout  the  day,

Ram  Binod  Bhattarai,  former  finance

officer.  Without  taking  much  interest,  he

asked me what I needed and told me to

contact Mr. Pant. He even returned my

visiting card saying .Why waste that on

me?. I was aghast and hurt by his

behavior.  Then  I  met  Pradhumna  Rana,

who  listened  to  my  stories  attentively.

Pantaji  also  seemed  to  be  co-operative.

After 5:00, the office closed, they

whizzed off in official cars while we

waited  for  public  transport.

August  10

At 11:00, I was called for an interview in

Manila Bulletin. As we talked on, a staff

asked if I read the Bible. I fibbed, why

not? .Where is your Bible?. he asked. I

was in a fix and couldn.t avoid that

question so, on impulse, I fished out the

novel  Basanti,  from  the  bag  which  was

presented  to  me  by  a  Korean  Doctor,

Rhee Kun Hoo. He looked at it with

interest  for  a  long  time,  especially  the

cover  page,  before  commenting  .Oh,  so

your god is a woman!. .Yes, and her

name is  Basanti., I lied trying to keep a

straight face. Not being able to control

my  laughter  anymore  I  excused  myself

and went to the rest room. When I

returned,  he  had  finished  observing  my

.Bible.. .Oh good., he said. Good what, I

never  knew.

After  the  interview,  Bodeto  took  me  and

Poonji  to  a  cafeteria.  She  was  happy

that  finally  my  interview  took  place.

Today  I was introduced to Lucy, who is

also a gay. Oh God! Now whom shall I

introduce  Lucy  to?  Dhiraj  was  already

too annoyed. .I will be here for 2 more

weeks.,  I  lied.  He  was  pleased.  Phone

number?  I  gave  Poonji.s  number

readily!  Poor  guy!  In  the  evening,  back

in my room, we just got together and

talked.  Niranjan  presented  me  with  a

Khukuri.  What  to  do?  Even  peace  lovers

and  representative  of  peace  should  be

armed  sometimes!!

August  11

The last day in Philippines. I didn.t go

anywhere,  just  washed,  arranged  and

packed  my  clothes.  Deo  Pun  arrived  at

5:30 with a cake. I shared it with

Niranjan,  Manik,  Bijay  and  Ana,  my  new

Philippino  friend,  and  took  leave.  I

reached the airport at 7 a.m., there was

visiting  his  college  and  meeting  many

friends. In the evening, the rain had

just stopped. We ate a pork barbecue

on the way, crossed the road with great

difficulty  and  reached  home.  Manila

started  pouring  again.