Day 190 - Over the Rainbow

We woke up early this morning to visit the Davao Watershed Park and Eagle Conservation Area. The park was very beautiful with a nice balance of landscaped grounds and rain forest. Tucked in between the planted areas, were various perches and cages for the different raptors that live in the Philippines. The main goal of the park is education about the Davao Watershed, and the breeding and reintroduction of the Philippine Eagle, of which there are only 500 known left in the wild. The Braminy Kite, on the other hand, is quite common. The park had several in residence; some lived in cages, I'm guessing because they had permanent injuries, but others, like this fellow, were free to fly round and keep an eye on the guests.

After the park, we visited the Davao Chinese Cemetery, where Cz's paternal grandmother, Lola S, is buried. Chinese families preferred that their children marry other Chinese. Cz's Grandfather was the first in his family to break that tradition when he chose Lola S for his bride. She had been raised by a Chinese family, but was in fact, Filipina. Furthermore, Chinese ladies were generally not educated (Lola S only went to school through grade 4), as they were expected to stay in the house and take care of the family. Lola S bucked tradition by being the original shopkeeper of the store that preceded where we had dinner last night. In her spare time, she loved gardening, and maintained a flower bed where she could be seen working outside right by the street. Shocking! I can only imagine how appalled Cz's grandparents would be by his decision to marry not only a non-Chinese, but a Whitey foreigner.

We followed our visit to the cemetery with lunch at a street stall. Among the tasty treats were stuffed squid, a version of ceviche, seaweed salad, meat dishes, sauteed green beans, and assorted soups. Cz got especially excited over the flattened, fried eggplant. It tasted pretty uncomplicated (and very nice), so I will try to reproduce it when we get back to Cagayan.

Which is where we headed after lunch. Auntie R, Cz's mom, Cz, and I were lucky enough to catch one of the super-deluxe air-con buses heading to Cagayan. The landscape passing by was a tangle of rumpled green hills draped in strange yellow-grey clouds. Occasionally the sun streaked through the clouds, often splashing dramatic light on the hillsides, and once, even making a HUGE rainbow.

We arrived back in Cagayan shortly after dark, and just in time to hear a group of carolers, all carrying candles and decked out in Santa hats. Traditional Christmas caroling is still alive and well in Cagayan, and it is impossible to go anywhere without a few street urchins coming up and singing for coins. Surprisingly, though, if you give the kids a coin, they all say 'Thank you', and some even sing a thank-you song. Polite street kids! It says a lot for a country when even the street kids are polite.