We're still here in Manila. Ole has not been feeling well. He picked up some bug and his throat has been sore and his nose runny. He's feeling a bit better this morning and has been sleeping and resting a lot. We do go out everyday to get food and just stroll in the mega malls. The whole city is crawling with "mega" malls, larger than Lloyd Center. We actually have not been to Manila's largest one yet--supposedly the largest in Asia. We have been taking the train to go around which is faster and easier on the senses. But yesterday we took a jeepney to go to the Adventist cafeteria. Boy, that was noisy, slow at times and harrowing at other times and very polluted. Luckily, Maitri has a handkerchief to cover her nose. The weather has been quite subdued, but we heard up in the mountains, it has been below freezing, which is very extreme and unusual. We really have not finalized our plans. It's still up in the air.

Ole had a haircut done by Dyanggo’s (Mitz’ housemate) niece, Dondon. He tipped her with P60 ($1 is about P48).

We wanted to share some of the everyday pleasures we experience in consuming foods, exotic to us but everyday to locals.

Today we enjoyed some of the foods pictured in the first photo (clockwise from bottom):

mangosteen: contains a cluster of pink-white, sweet segments inside a deep red rind;
lanzones: contains clusters of translucent sweet, tart flesh inside a thin leathery yellow rind;
dish of kangkong leaves and stems which we stir-fried with a little oil and soy sauce, eaten with rice;
mangoes;
guayabano: medium size green very juicy white sweet-tart fruit, tastes kind of like a cross between a guava and a peach, it has a thin green leathery skin;
finger bananas with very distinct, fragrant flavor;
orange papaya;
star apple: green, golf ball size fruit: jelly-like very sweet interior;
coco bun and 2 pan de sal: light, airy, sweet buns;
light sticky buns;
plate containing a boiled plantain banana and 2 servings of glutenous rice, each wrapped in a leaf (young coconut leaf and banana leaf) in which it is cooked.

We also found a local branch of the franchise "Soy Yummy" yesterday in the local mall and picked up a liter of chocolate soy milk. They're a great place for soy smoothies, too. Amazing that the malls are one of the most convenient places to get vegan food in Manila. There appear to
be branches of Bodhis, the vegan health food chain run by Chinese Taoists, in almost all the larger malls!

We are planning to leave for Palawan this afternoon. It is going to be about 24 hours in a ferry boat. We will arrive in Coron Island, northern part of Palawan. This region is made up of the main island of Palawan and hundreds of small islands. This means lots of beaches!