Subject:
              From Simon Aiken
 
 
9am local time Wednesday, 1am GMT, 8pm Tuesday EST
 
    Cebu City - another day, another dirty city.  However, the
Cybercafes are springing up all over the place, and this one is 2 blocks
from my hotel (open 7am-3am).  I splashed out on a 250 Peso a night
joint this time (US$6.40 / #3.85), and it's the first running water I've
seen in a week.  I meet a contact ['Larry'] in half an hour.  (Spoke to
him on the phone and he apparently needed directions to the hotel - odd,
since last time I was here he managed to direct  someone to the same
hotel....)
 
    History repeated itself yesterday when I arrived in Cebu City by
ferry.  I took the precaution of walking several 100 yards outside the
terminal to get a taxi, as this is where I'd had 2 plainclothes
policeman literally stop the 'taxi' by force last time; as soon as I got
into this meter-less 'taxi' (having agreed the fare) 2 uniformed cops
jump out and spend 10 minutes ticketing him - then let him drive off
with me....  But when you know the city a little, it takes some of the
risk out.
 
    They are playing the 'Titanic' theme in the Cybercafe.  Someone told
me that they showed 'Titanic' on the ferry from Manila to Cebu - the
equivalent of showing 'Inferno at 35000 Feet' on a charter flight.  One
of the crewmen on my boat yesterday was wearing an "HMS Titanic"
baseball hat.  Sometimes here, I feel like the odd one out because I
don't have a photo of Leo DiCaprio on my T-shirt.
 
 
    At 11.15am today I leave for Tagbilaran (Bohol) and then I'll stay
on Panglao Island.  I'll try to hitchhike to Balicasag Island this
afternoon or tomorrow - there is no actual boat service yet (and it's a
little too far to swim). The travelling is not much fun - in the space
of 6 days I stayed in 5 different hotels.
 
    On the bus from Davao to Butuan, there was a major stop and 2 very
well dressed Muslim women got on and started reading the Koran to us in
loud voices.  (How well do you know your Koran in Tagalog?)  Then, a
blind man using what appeared to be a small palm tree as a cane gropes
his way up the steps of the bus, and sings a song with guitar
accompniment - trying to sing as loud as he can to compete with the
Muslim women.  Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if it'sfor
real....
 
[Apologies for the rather impersonal nature of these messages - they
reflect
the primitive software that I have to use, and not a lack of time to
type.]