I would love to tell you that Saturday's tour was just as good as the day before. I'd love to, but I can't. It was a miscommunication flop that was salvaged with a trip to a church and walking through the local market. Let me tell you about it!
We were instructed to be on the bus in front of the hotel at 9am. I had already heard Pastor Jun describe the tour and didn't want to go but was assured it was going to be a great tour and not really given an option. I obliged and got on the bus. We drove for an hour and a half or so and listen to a guy talk about the Mactan island. Some of it was interesting information, most of it could have been Googled or found on Wikepedia. He was a super nice guy, though. He had his degree in electrical engineering but I guess makes more money as a tour guide and has been doing that for over 20 years. Crazy, I know! Anyway, at 10:30am we arrived at this beach resort. He proceeds to tell us that we can go in, eat lunch, and swim for a few hours. Well, no one told me we were swimming on the tour so I was not prepared. Neither did anyone else who came on the same tour have any idea that's what we were doing on top of the fact that 10:30 in the morning is too early to eat lunch. Our mission director stepped in and called a local pastor.
Pastor Tangun came quickly and took us to his church where we were able to meet some of his people. He also has a school for children and a Bible Institute. These facilities were much nicer and they even had a few small air-conditioner window units installed in the main sanctuary. They also had a covered basketball court on the back side. Nothing was extravagant, just nice. I've never been a big fan of Manna feeding centers mostly just because I didn't know much about them. However, Pastor Tangun is a result of a Manna feeding center. I guess they're pretty important. Some of my favorite missionaries in Mexico say a lot "They'll never care what you know until they know you care". It's so true! People don't really care to know about the Gospel until their basic physical needs are met. We had a great time at his church.
We went back to the beach resort where we were fed a buffet lunch that included none other than rice and lots of Filipino authentic food. It was a beautiful view for our lunch. There weren't enough tables set up under the tent so the Mission Office crew ate in a cabana. Pastor Tangun then escorted us to their local mall which basically consisted of one huge department store in the dead center with a few kiosks around the outside.
Chris, Jason, Sally and I opted to stick together and walk the streets of the local markets. We were talked to, laughed at, and stared at. It was very interesting. It was an experience worth taking. We saw whole pieces of meat hanging from hooks, lots and lots of fish (whole), and many other things I can't even describe. People would holler at us and say "Take my picture Sir, take my picture Mum". Several of the kids wanted Chris to show them their picture on the digital screen after he took it. They were so much fun posing for pictures and smiling and following us. We were definitely the talk of that part of the town. We walked in a big square and then stopped for a snack at Julie's Bake-Shop. All the girls (at least 4) were in uniform serving many kinds of breads and rolls. We ordered cinnamon buns for all. They weren't like a cinnamon roll from back home, but definitely good. We then went back to the "mall" where Chris purchased a local shirt called a Barong. I bought wash cloths. Why? Because our hotel does not have them. I only brought a few to wrap breakable items in, so I purchased a few at the department store which I can leave behind when it's time. We then got back on the bus and drove 1 1/2 hours back to the hotel. Whew! Thank goodness.
We got back to the hotel in plenty of time to do some exploring and then headed out to dinner with Sally. We decided to try Jollibee. The locals say it's a lot like McDonald's but better and cheaper. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, mostly because I don't plan on repeating that experience. The burger definitely had something else mixed in with the meat. It was not American cheese or cheddar cheese or any kind of cheese I recognized. There was some funky sauce on there I ended up trying to wipe off with my napkin. I guess the taste was still stuck in my mouth because my french fries ended up not being so good either yet Sally and Chris both said they tasted fine. We then walked up to the rotary where there are actually signs posted that said "Please, No Public Urination". We walked across a bridge that went over the busy street but were in too close quarters with many young boys and felt uncomfortable. We made it around to McDonald's where I ordered an ice cream cone and then headed back.
On that little journey I saw several little kids lying on cardboard boxes some with parents, some without, some very young (like probably around the age of 2) and some maybe as old as 10. I saw adults who were using their jacket as a blanket and an umbrella to cover their face so people couldn't see them. It was sad! My heart aches for them.
We got back to the hotel and headed to bed promptly.
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