Welcome to the Jungle (part 1I)
Now this is more like it…
I’m going to try this again, with my head on straight.
I wake up every morning when the generator turns off, usually 6ish, because the fans stop blowing.
There are worse ways to spend a morning
The place we rented on Palawan was billed as an "off-the beaten path eco-retreat." It is literally a compound carved into the jungle about 20 minutes by Tuk-Tuk to the nearest small village.
We packed in all the food we would need in an ice-box, which we cook on a wood-fired stove that you heat by adding wood 15-20 minutes before you want to use it. It is kept going at all times by the lovely young caretaker couple Malgar and Luv- Luv, who live on the compound in a small cottage.
Outside our rooms are a common kitchen/bar (with a roof) and lounge chairs looking out over a lagoon that is so smooth, clear, a blue you would assume it was photoshopped. The lounge chairs are covered by a trellis planted with vines, the roots of which hang down, providing rich feeding grounds for hummingbirds. When it rains, the water slowly drips through.
Five minutes down the hill is a pristine beach that is stunningly calm. We walked 15 minutes before we saw another person, a local fisherman resting in to shade. A fifteen minute swim in the other direction revealed a reef of brilliantly colored coral and fish, just under the water. We took a surfboard intended as a floating platform in case the kids got tired, but really it was just a way for them to dunk one another playing King of the Hill when they got bored of snorkeling.
The satellite dish went down the day we arrived, which was mildly stressful until I could get through some previously scheduled meetings (blog here), but since then (and since Theresa and Sophia arrived safely) the total lack of service has been a respite from the constant connections that are the complicated blessing/curse of the modern age.
Now that I’ve gotten my head into the right space, this is amazing.
This is also the first time since we started this adventure that it's just been us and the kids, made much more enjoyable for all once we were reunited. We have played lots of cards and the occasional game of chess or backgammon. The kids have built an elaborate Minecraft village on laptop battery power in the heat of the afternoons. Every day, often multiple times a day, we walk down to the beach where we swim, throw frisbees, snorkel, and play a variety of games/ challenges, most of which Ava has created and are then refined in a sort of applied chaos theory of rule creation and adjudication.
For much of the time we have been here, it has been oppressively hot and humid. The first day, I took 4 showers, having done yoga on a platform overlooking the jungle and ocean, and tried to do a workout between beach trips. The breeze, when it comes, is lovely.
The ecosystem is "active". We have just basically surrendered to the idea that ants are everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I assume that they will all die or flee my bags when we get on a plane, but until then they just march around. It isn't even they are attracted to our food - they largely ignore anything that isn't pure sugar (though what they do to sweet things left in the open has to be seen to be believed).
Before stepping outside, we coat ourselves in the thoughtfully provided, citronella oil, which largely works to keep us be from mosquito bites and sand flies. The bites we do get are sprayed with the, again thoughtfully provided, vinegar spray, which works surprisingly well.
The other constant joy has been the animals around. There are an indeterminant number of dogs who live in rotation between this compound and one up the street where the family of the groundskeeper raises chickens, pigs, ducks, and fighting cocks. The cat is less interested in us, and more interested in the food byproducts we provide. The dogs just tend to locate near us, happy to have attention if we (the kids) wanted to play, but generally just snoozing nearby. When we walked to the beach, the dogs accompany us, once in a while swimming out to be sure we are ok. The goats make circuits of the property, both near the houses down by the shore, but are skittish of the dogs with us.
The daughter of the groundskeeper, Luv-Luv, and son-in-law, Malgar live on property, and are here to take care of guests. We are the host guests in two years, so it's been a little adjustment for all of us. We are also odd in choosing to cook for ourselves - given the fish-heavy local diet I would have loved to have them cook, but the kids, who don't even like fishsticks would have starved.
When I started washing the dishes we had used in the outdoor kitchen, Malgar made it clear that was Luv-Luv's job and I needed to stop.
Twice, they have also gone to get fish fresh off to boat - cooked a Michelin level fish dinner -which put our move regular "egg-sandwich and/or pasta with jars of sauce" meals to shame, and gives me a sense that having them make the meals would have been delightful with less picky eaters.
And at night, the entire Milky Way
Last night we took advantage of a cloudless night (zero light pollution) to stargaze down on the beach. It was like the starchart I had on my wall as a kid. I think this will be our last beach vacation for a while. It is probably the pinnacle of what lazy days in the sun - sand can be (though all of us would add air conditioning and subtract bugs if we could), and we are soaking it up.
And in a few days, we will be glad to be on the road again- headed toward some new adventures.
