Lost in Translation

Desiree purchased a small bamboo cutting board for use in the kitchen in the place where we are staying in Manila. The board, of Chinese manufacture, looks to be well made, but something has been lost in the English translation of the printed information that came with it.

The English text is filled with misspellings and does not exactly make sense to me. The text reads exactly as follows: “High quality bamboo, spccial artwork, natural green, envirenmental protection and sanitation penple need bamboo ror inhabiatancy under the circumstance eating without meat.”

I gave this sentence to AI and asked for a possible translation. This was the answer:

“This sentence reads like it went through a linguistic blender on ‘optimistic mode.’ Let’s decode the intention hiding inside it.

Original:

‘High quality bamboo, spccial artwork, natural green, envirenmental protection and sanitation penple need bamboo ror inhabiatancy under the circumstance eating without meat’

What they’re trying to say (cleaned up):

‘Made from high-quality bamboo with special craftsmanship. Natural, eco-friendly, and hygienic. Bamboo products are ideal for a healthy, sustainable lifestyle, especially for people who prefer a plant-based diet.’”

Apparently, the original message took the scenic route through the English language on the way to me, but it got where it needed to go eventually, with a nudge from other sources.

A Photo of the Cutting Board

—Mitchell Hegman

My Buddy Ashwin

Today, I’m sharing a photograph of Ashwin, also known as Win-Win. Ashwin is the provincial Filipino version of a 15-year-old boy. He is also Desiree’s nephew. I’ve been hanging out with Ashwin for the last two weeks, but yesterday he flew back home to his province.

I’m going to miss him. He’s a bit goofy at times, but Ashwin’s a really good kid. He’s respectful, pretty good with English, and not afraid to laugh at himself. You can’t ask for much more than that if you’re an old guy from Montana visiting the islands and looking for pleasant company.

I hope to see you again soon, buddy!

Hanging Out with Win-Win

—Mitchell Hegman

The Wet Market

At the top of my list for adventure when I’m in the Philippines (any Asian country, really) is wandering through a wet market. The inputs feeding into you there can be overwhelming at first.

First and foremost, the great discordance of sound created by the market as a whole feels less like something heard and more like something encountered, closer to a wall than anything else. Once you step inside, everything arrives in a rush: hundreds of voices talking at once, knives and cleavers thwacking cutting boards, cubed ice pouring into bins, the bustle of traffic still reaching in from the streets.

Visually, it’s no gentler. Displays rise vertically and stretch horizontally, each one asking for your attention. I’m drawn to the fruits and vegetables, bright and varied, many of them unfamiliar to those of us confined to the Rocky Mountains. The fish and meat section can be more challenging for anyone accustomed to thinking of chickens, fish, and four-legged animals as things that begin and end in tidy packaging. Here, their parts hang in displays like trinkets on a macabre charm bracelet. Fish are stacked into shining heaps. Everything is being reduced, piece by piece, as you watch.

And the scents refuse to settle. They shift and layer as you move along, never letting you land on any one thing for long. Fruits and vegetables offer sweetness and earth, while the meat and fish press in with something heavier. You are reminded of damp stone, of overturned soil.

Given all of this, I love the wet markets. This is honest stuff. Life without the courtesy of packaging.

Vegetables

Fish on Display

Fish Up Close

—Mitchell Hegman

A Post for Alan

This post is for my friend Alan Bouchard. Having worked on the communication/data side of the electrical industry, I suspect he’ll take a particular interest in the street wiring photographs I’m sharing today. As it happens, these feature some of the more orderly examples here in Metro Manila.

These pictures are what I’ve come to call “drive-by shootings,” quick attempts to catch a moment through the window of a moving car as we slip from one part of the city to another in a Grab ride. The results are not always perfectly framed, but they tend to be authentic.

In time, I’ll try to share a few captures of what I consider the more… improvisational work in the outlying neighborhoods as the opportunities present themselves.

Street Wiring

Street Wiring

—Mitchell Hegman

The Durian Thing

If you glance at the first photograph I’ve posted today, you’ll see, in the foreground, some large spiky-looking fruit. That’s durian. If you are unfamiliar, durian is the train-wreck of fruit in the tropics. This is due to the horrendous, off-putting scent emitted from the fruit once it is sliced open.

Travel and food writer Richard Sterling states that "its odor is best described as pig-excrement, turpentine, and onions, garnished with a gym sock."

Interestingly enough, the smell is only the opening act, a kind of olfactory toll you must pay before marching in for a taste. Once cut open, the flesh inside is soft and custard-like, with a flavor that seems to argue with itself: sweet, savory, faintly nutty, and somehow reminiscent of things that ought not belong in fruit at all. Some swear by it, speaking of durian with something near unwavering loyalty. Others recoil at first encounter and never quite recover. Here in the Philippines, though, it is treated not as a novelty but as a matter of fact—another offering from the tropics, equal parts challenge and reward, waiting patiently for you to decide which side of the argument you fall on. 

I tried durian while in Vietnam in 2009 and tried it again here in the Philippines recently. I would describe the flavor as sweet at the start, with a weird, chemical, industrial-cleaning-agent finish. The smell is such that many establishments in Vietnam would not allow you to bring it inside. I don’t wholly object to durian, but it is not a favorite by any measure.

Durian on Display (and Desiree)

Open Durian Fruit (Wikipedia)

—Mitchell Hegman

Metro Manila

We have settled onto the 43rd floor of a tower in the Uptown Parksuites in Taguig, Metro Manila. Three bedrooms, a full kitchen, a living room and dining area, and balcony views stretch out over modern Manila below.

This is the highest floor I’ve ever occupied. Standing out on either of our two balconies can be a bit dizzying, but I don’t let that stop me.

Naturally, I’m sharing a few balcony photographs here today.

The City Below

A Corner Room

On the Balcony

The Expanse at Night

—Mitchell Hegman

Apple and Star Apples

One of the servers at the resort tiki bar was a diminutive girl of perhaps twenty named Apple. I love the name. It’s a simple twist on a common word, but for some reason it stays with me. Unfortunately, I did not get a photograph of her to share.

But I will be sharing a couple of photographs of another kind of apple: the star apple. It is a rather softish fruit I had not encountered before coming to the Philippines, known locally as caimito. From the outside, it does not look particularly remarkable, usually a smooth purple or green sphere about the size of a small apple. But when it is sliced across the middle, the seeds inside form a small, natural star, which explains its name.

The flesh is soft and slightly jelly-like, with a gentle sweetness that reminds me a bit of grape and custard combined. It is typically eaten chilled and scooped from the rind with a spoon, as the skin itself is not eaten. It’s one of those simple tropical treats that seems perfectly suited to a warm afternoon, when something cool, mildly sweet, and refreshing feels exactly right.

Star Apples and Tangerines

Star Apple Ready to Eat

—Mitchell Hegman

Goodbye to Mövenpick Resort

Today I am sharing a few parting photographs from the beautiful Mövenpick Resort. Our time here has come to a close, and the next several days will find us in the Manila area.

Our Private Beach

Waves Rolling In

At the Pool

—Mitchell Hegman

In the Water

One of the first things I did before we embarked on our series of water adventures here in the Philippines was give an underwater sports camera we’d purchased in the U.S. to Desiree’s youngest daughter, Ina (Shanaia). She’s a water bug and will get plenty of use from it.

Yesterday, while swimming at the coral gardens off the shores of Boracay, Ash, Desiree’s brother, grabbed the camera and managed to get a few photographs of me snorkeling with huge schools of tropical fish.

Good stuff, this!

Lots of Fish

Me Snorkeling

Fish Under Me

Feeding the Fish

—Mitchell Hegman

Snorkeling Day

Yesterday (though by no official reckoning but our own) was snorkeling day. We chartered a boat out to two “coral gardens” just offshore from Boracay. Though the wind made for some choppy waters, we were treated to plentiful small and colorful reef fish. We also stopped for lunch at a fairly quiet private beach.

Posted are a few photographs from the day:

Walking out on the Floating Pier to Our Boat

Me Snorkeling

Our Boat Landed for a Lunch Break

Feb on the Beach at Boracay

—Mitchell Hegman

Boracay

In the central Philippines, in the province of Aklan, lies a small island that has fully embraced all that makes tropical destinations warm to the soul. Boracay sits just off the northwest coast of Panay, a sliver of land surrounded by clear, seemingly jeweled waters. Its shoreline is famous for powder-fine white sand that feels almost like sifted flour underfoot, while turquoise waves shuffle in and out without particular hurry.

Boracay has long been a favorite destination for tourists from the Philippines. In recent years, travelers from all corners of the world have discovered its charms as well. 

Morning Calm

Desiree at the Ocean’s Door

Desiree and Her Girls

A Storm Brewing on the Other Island

At the Grotto

—Mitchell Hegman

Mövenpick Resort, Boracay

Yesterday, after a jump from one island to another by plane and then a boat ride from there, we landed on Boracay Island. A short drive by van then deposited Desiree, me, and a good chunk of her family at the beautiful Mövenpick Resort.

I will be sharing more on Boracay later. For now, here are a few pictures from the resort.

Boarding the Boat

The Whole Family on the Boat

The Pool at Movenpick

Everyone at Dinner

Desiree with a Coconut Drink

—Mitchell Hegman

Taal Volcano

Taal Volcano, located on the island of Luzon about two hours outside Manila in the crawl of traffic, is one of the most active and complex volcanoes in the Philippines. It sits within Taal Lake, creating a picturesque yet deceptive beauty. Geologically, Taal is a caldera volcano with numerous smaller craters and a history of frequent eruptions due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Historically, Taal has erupted more than 30 times since the 16th century, causing significant loss of life and property. Interestingly, the last major eruption occurred on January 12, 2020, only one day after Desiree and her family visited Taal. That eruption led to widespread evacuations and disruption. Ash even fell on Desiree’s sister’s house in nearby Cavite.

Desiree and I visited Taal with her sister and family in 2024. We ate dinner at a lovely eatery overlooking the lake and the volcano. Yesterday, on a flight back to Manila before we hop off to Boracay today, we flew over Taal, allowing for a perfect view from above.

I am posting two photographs of Taal from 2024 and one captured from the plane yesterday.

Taal (2024)

Desiree with Taal in the Background (2024)

Taal from the Air (2026)

—Mitchell Hegman

Island Commitment

When it comes to affixing things to walls here on the islands, whether we are talking about works of art, wiring devices, cabinets… whatever, there seems to be little debate on keeping things plumb or in line with the nearest neighboring thing.

Here, commitment is key. Once it is decided to fasten something in place, you go for it no matter the orientation and then move on to the next task.

It’s rather weird for me to say this, especially considering my craftsman (keep things level and orderly) sensibilities, but I actually find a certain charm, at least freedom, in the island approach to this. Crooked stuff is so prevalent in some places, it becomes an order of its own.

I am posting a couple of examples from the crooked hotel in which we have been staying most recently.

Paintings

A Wiring Device

—Mitchell Hegman

Sewerage

Spelling is not my strong point. I would likely do better if words were spelled a bit closer to the way they sound. But the use of silent letters, and sometimes two letters together making the sound that another letter could make on its own (think “tough” versus “tuf” here), can make things get a bit hopeless for me.

When it comes right down to it, I think we throw a lot of unnecessary letters into words. Just right there “unnecessary” has two “n”s and “s”s scrunched together.

Today I’m sharing the photograph of a sign posted on the wall of the bathroom above our toilet here in the Philippines. The phrase “sewerage system” was used rather than “sewage system,” which struck me as odd coming from the U.S.

Thinking we might have some extra stuff at work here, I consulted the interweb.

It turns out that we might learn from those using English as a second or even third language. In proper English, sewage is the somewhat icky to majorly icky stuff we try to send off through the “sewerage” system, which is the actual pipes and whatnots that carry it (the sewage) away.

It is properly a sewerage system.

The Bathroom Notice

—Mitchell Hegman

The Mountaintop Retreat

One of the most beautiful places I have seen in the Philippines is a small retreat owned by one of Desiree’s cousins. The retreat is very literally built on a mountaintop overlooking sugarcane fields and agricultural lands that stretch outward until they meet Bayawan City and the ocean just beyond. I also appreciate how it was constructed using a mix of new and traditional methods, including bamboo wall panels that give the place a natural warmth.

We visited the retreat yesterday evening, just as the light softened all around us.

From the top, even the sound of barking dogs and thundering lorries on the main road below eased into something near a whisper.

I’m sharing a few photographs from that visit.

The Retreat

Climbing to the Top

Desiree and Me at the Overlook Rail

All the World Below

—Mitchell Hegman

Harvesting Coconuts

In the Philippines, a special person is required to harvest coconuts. By special I mean someone with Evel Knievel sensibilities. You know, someone not afraid of riding a motorcycle into the side of a bus at full speed and not afraid of falling from the sky.

Just such a person climbed a tall coconut tree just outside Desiree’s father’s house. Once at the top, he both trimmed fronds and dropped a dozen or so coconuts to the ground.

Here’s the thing, the guy was no spring chicken. I would place him in his mid-forties, but he was wiry and sure of himself. And he climbed to what I would guess was something over 70 feet above the ground to begin whacking away at the fronds and fruit with a long knife. Consider this: he climbed the tree with bare hands and feet. No rope. No safety strap. Just a man and his own skills and confidence.

I’ve posted a photograph I captured of the man as he dropped a coconut to the ground. If you look toward the top center of the photograph, you can see the tall coconut tree he climbed. You should also be able to pick out the man clinging to the tree. Finally, in a patch of blue sky below that, you can see one of the coconuts he dropped.

Coconut Tree Harvest

—Mitchell Hegman

A Day in the Province

In the U.S., living outside a city is simply called “living in the country,” and extremely remote places are thought of as “the wilderness.” Here in the Philippines, the equivalents would be “living in the province” and “living in the jungle.”

The province is an interesting, if not compelling place. At a minimum, you should expect to be surrounded by someone’s chickens. Several skinny dogs are practically guaranteed, and pigs and goats are never too far away. The whole place also seems to brim with fruit trees of every imaginable variety.

While spending time at Desiree’s family home in the province, we were welcomed by all of the above. I also encountered a few of the requisite gecko lizards inside the house and discovered a pretty good-sized toad in the bathroom.

We are talking about what would have been absolute paradise to me as a kid.

And I like it just fine now. Turns out the kid in me still approves.

Below are a few photographs from a day of province living.

Desiree’s Family Home

Laundry Drying in the Jungle

Owl-Eyed Fish (Lunch)

Desiree Checking on Pigs ended by Her Uncle Carlos

—Mitchell Hegman