Day 304, 305, 306, 308, 309, 325, 326 ---------------------- Souvenirs from the Philippines

Day 304

10/31/2010
One of the souvenirs I bought on the trip to the Philippines was a wonderful bag. This is a close-up of the fabric it is made from. (the fabric is probably from Indonesia) I love this type of printed cotton.

Day 305

11/01/2010
Some of the bracelets I bought at Davao's Aldevinco Shopping Center. This is well-known for its boutiques that sell indigenous souvenir items and is one of my favorite shopping destinations. It was great shopping with my "niece" Shingay who is a gifted bargainer! I will be selling them at the FACC fiesta next year.

Day 306

11/02/2010
We also found these cute little bags in Davao. Becca immediately decided to use one for her iPod. The ones that I have left will also be for my booth at the FACC fiesta.

Day 308

11/04/2010
We also bought some of these colorful "magic" bags that unzip into larger tote bags. They also are to be sold at the FACC Fiesta in June.

Day 309
11/05/2010
I told Becca I needed a fan and a hat for the Philippine sun. We found these fans that turn into hats and ended up buying a package of them. The ones we don't keep will also be sold at the Fiesta.

Day 325
11/21/2010
A selection of river pearl bracelets from the Philippines to sell at the FACC Fiesta in the spring.

Day 326

11/22/2010
A few of the macrame and shell necklaces that I bought in Bohol, Philippines to sell.

Day 299 - Day 300 - Day 301 Visiting Bohol

Day 299

10/26/2010
St.Joseph the Worker Cathedral of Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines. Built in the 1800's to replace an earlier Spanish building. It forms part of the city square.

Day 300

10/27/2010
One of the main symbols of the Province of Bohol is the Tarsier. The huge eyes provide this nocturnal animal with excellent night vision. The tarsier is the smallest primate and is endangered. They use their mobile ears to help track the insects which are their main diet. The Tarsier Foundation is dedicated to saving this cute, tiny animal.
http://www.tarsierfoundation.org/

Day 301
10/28/2010
One of our stops on our way to the beaches of Panglao, Bohol, was Hinagdanan Cave. A small karst cave made of limestone with stalagmites and stalactites and this interesting old (prehistoric? ) painting. The cave is known for the pool inside.

Day 295 -

Day 295
10/22/2010

Close up details of the kampilan or kris knife owned by my "family" in Davao. It has been passed down from father to oldest son for generations and is now owned by my "brother" Jojo. Notice the hash marks on the edge of the blade (think tally marks on the butt of a gunfighter's pistol). It is part of a whole outfit that he has.

Jojo's great-grandfather was a datu of the Bogobo tribe that is native to the area. They are known for their brass and bead work.

Day 225 - Kalesa

8/13/2010

On of the souvenirs from my last trip to the Philippines. A Kalesa was a horse cart used during the Spanish times and still used in a few places to this day.

Day 87 - MahJong

3/28/2010

I belong to the Filipino American Community of Colorado because I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines. Some of the members play MahJong, a Rummy-like game that uses tiles. This game is very popular in the Philippines and any week you can find one or two tables going at the FACC clubhouse.

Day 71 - Woven Bowl

3/12/2010

I bought this beautiful bowl the last time I visited the Philippines in 2003. I bought it in Kalibo, Aklan on Panay island. This type of basket weaving is a specialty of that province. This type of photography depends a lot on the background and on the angle of the shot.

Day 62 - Yakan weaving

3/3/2010

This is a hand-woven turban from the Yakan tribe. The Yakan are from the island of Basilan just south of the city of Zamboanga in Mindanao, Philippines. The turban is woven from cotton and silk and is worn by tying and folding it around the head.

Day 61 - Philippine woven purse

3/2/2010

In honor of Peace Corps Week -

this purse was made by artisans from the T'boli tribe of Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines. Purchased when I was a PCV in Davao City, Philippines.

Day 37 - Shell

2/6/2010

I am not sure of the scientific name of this lovely shell.

It comes from the central Philippines.

I had a hard time choosing the view I wanted to include in this project,

so I combined these three views using PhotoShop.

Day 35 - Shells

2/4/2010
This little shelf was built between the studs when we remodeled our kitchen/ main floor bathroom. I love showing off part of my Philippine shell collection here.

Day 5 - Antique

1/5/10

antique figurine bought in the Philippines in the 70's

I have been experimenting with close-ups.

I bought this in Cebu. Notice the curls, they are little bits of brass pounded into the wood.

Getting Published

I was honored to be asked to write about being a Peace Corps Volunteer for a book written by my friends Nora and Nestor Mercaco and Alok Sarwal. The book, "Voices from Colorado - Perspectives of Asian Pacific Americans" has the stories of many Asian Americans here. There were four RPCV's who served in the Philippines who were included in the book. My story "My Life in the Peace Corps - a Summary" was condensed for the book.
The release party was like year-book day at high school. People whose stories were in the book were collecting autographs from the others who were there.