-Offer to check out and film a true cock fight.
-Judging of a Lady-boy (transgender) beauty pageant
-Met and made friends with the pioneers of Philippine rock climbing/outdoor adventure
-Island paradise weekend trip
-Started classes
-Thinking about moving out to a much cheaper place, in Los Banos, with grown-men rules
-Hiked to boiling mud springs on Mt. Makiling and Flat Rocks
I plan on attaching my roommate's (Justin's) manuscript/rendition of the Lady-boy beauty pageant in order to appease any curiosity.
A brief synopsis is this: We go hike on a Monday, early morning, get home, sleep and shower to go out for dinner. We eat dinner on a second floor balcony, and at the conclusion of eating we look over the balcony rail to see a sort of parade. It was very similar to a high school homecoming parade, sans girls in there daddies convertibles....
9 very attractive "women" were being escorted down the main strip in Los Banos, by men and we thought nothing of it....
We left our dining establishment a bit later and took some shots of the end of the parade. We went to local bar and had some coffee....
We start walking home and hear commotion down an alley. We check it out and see a huge crowd of people around what appeared to be a mock "So You Think You Can Dance" Filipino style.... with DJ, MC and all...
As the only white skinned people for miles around, Justin and I were of course invited to sit in chairs, rather than on the concrete with everyone else, in true hospitable Filipino style, of course. When a Filipino invites you to sit in their own country at a special event, you don't say no....
Were we in for a helluva show!!!
Three and a half hours, and a full length transgender beauty pageant later, Justin and I had surely had enough culture for the day and night and then some.
That may be most interesting of the stories as of yet, on our study abroad in the Philippines, but there are surely more to come. We are actively pursuing the next adventure every single day.
I'm including some pics of the aforementioned event as well as some others I think you all might enjoy.
Till next time, and that will be sooner than later.
Be well and love life,
MJ
