Viona's Take On The Philippines

By Viona Loos

This is a story about our 14 month stay in the Philippines and the adventures that follow.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543945690

Book preview

Manila!

Chapter 1

Farewell, Bali!

The crazed Frenchman continued to hurl stones at my home while I videotaped him from my lounge window. His attacks had begun a couple of weeks before, after I’d come home at about 3.00am one Saturday morning. I still wish I had arrived either ten minutes earlier or later. If I had, then I wouldn’t have seen those poor little toddlers being passed over Maurice’s gate by other teenage boys. I could see the homosexual paedophile’s grin flash in the taxi’s lights, but it soon disappeared when he realised I had witnessed what no responsible human being would do. I pretended I had seen nothing and hurriedly unlocked my door, and I shuddered when safely inside.

Although the police were called numerous times to my home, Maurice’s vicious attacks escalated, and I feared for the lives of me and my kids. His access to piles of crisp new US dollars always set him free when the police accosted him, and I realised it was probably best to leave Bali. A policeman friend explained Maurice’s supposed crimes weren’t frowned upon, unless I could provide proof, but he too admitted they knew full well of his paedophile activities. Besides, Maurice had killed no one, not yet anyway, and I was not about to be his first victim!

So, in July 2015, we sold off what we could, packed up our bags, booked a hotel near Kuta Beach, and prepared to enjoy our last days in Bali. As I was sipping a frozen strawberry margarita by the pool, I overheard some guests mention flight delays due to an eruption of Mount Raung in Java. I couldn’t believe my ears and went to the front desk to get more information. The rumour turned out to be true, and we were forced to stay an extra week in Kuta, as was the recommendation.

Chapter 2

Welcome to Manila!

It was unfortunate that we landed in Manila at dusk, because I was looking forward to exploring our new environment during the day. The young, pretty customs officer welcomed us to Manila, stipulating that the slogan devised by the Ministry of Tourism is: It’s more fun in the Philippines!

After small chit-chat, she said, Your eyes are very prominent! I took that as a compliment, although I had never heard of someone’s eyes being described that way. Later, I was to discover that most Filipinos have their own way of expressing themselves in English!

Finding a taxi was easy enough, and we waited for the passengers in one to disembark while the driver waved, ensuring we would be his next customers. He touched the rosary that dangled from his rear-view mirror, said a quiet prayer, and then crossed himself, proving he was a Catholic and reminding me we had to put our seatbelts on before departure.

The long queue of cars slowed us down as we neared the toll booth. It didn’t take us long to make it to the front, and our driver struggled to find the exact amount needed because the clerk had run out of change. I was of no help as I had nothing but large peso bills on me.

I had booked a family room at the Dragonfly Hotel in Cavite City as I wanted to be near the British Academy, where I hoped to enrol my kids. It was difficult to have a first impression of the area since the streets were dark, and I was excited to see what our new environment was like. At dawn, I was greeted by an unattractive scene of dilapidated and skeleton buildings, which didn’t give the impression of a city vibe.

I got ready for our appointment at the academy, hoping to find placements for my kids there. I was disappointed to find that this institution did not offer British curriculum as I had hoped, so we decided on Plan B: to go to another school in Angeles City that had assured us we would get the education we desired.

Chapter 3

Viona’s Take on Angeles City

Angeles City is one of the most bustling cities