Last week we spent our time in Cebu City for our quest for knowledge. This has been going really well.
The next day we had a meeting at the architectural firm, VSA design. They focus on large commercial projects but they do pro bono work by helping out with smaller projects like ours. We gained some knowledge about traditional architecture and we can come back there to get feedback on our design. We had our last informative moment in Cebu City with the owner of a drilling company called Pacana Engineering Works. This contractor was located in a backstreet with chickens running around. Inside his little office it was cool and clean though. He gave us all the necessary information about deep water wells and because it started raining really hard we stuck around and had a discussion with him about Pilipino politics. After our last meeting in Cebu City we took a bus ride to Moal Boal. Of course we rented motorbikes there and after that we headed off to bed in a resort called Eskapo Verde.
Eskapo Verde is a resort that David had already discovered while spending a week on his own. As Building Engineers, we were absolutely fascinated by the way in which the resort is built up. All lodges are constructed from beautiful woodwork while they are still resistant to the harsh circumstances of the mangrove forest where the resort is located. Apart from the best food that we had so far, we got a tour from one of the co-owners who put his heart and soul in the design and construction of the entire resort. His input gave us many insights for designing a house for our own projects. Furthermore, we rented peddle boards in the resort to explore the mangrove forest. Juliette had to be save because the wind on the way back turned out to be stronger than expected but afterwards it was just another new experience to laugh about.
After the silence of the mangrove forest we thought it was time for some action so we went canyoneering. After we had received our 1500 pesos worth of adrenaline, we moved on to Panagsama Beach where we found a street with bars to led off some steam; after five days of moving around and talking to experts it finally felt like weekend. It actually was weekend so we acted like it. On Saturday the 21st we went for a swim with sardines in the coral reef. There were almost more Koreans with life vests in the water than fish but that only added to the experience. After that we took our motor bikes in to the mountains where we were finally able to give the gas that we had been holding in on the bumpy roads of our own island. We felt so alive that we just had to take the opportunity to capture the moment in an elaborate photo shoot. Saturday night was full of drinks and ladyboys so it is fair to say that we experienced South East Asia for real by now.
By now we have already been back on Poro Island for a week and we have been processing all information that we gathered. A whole week in our own apartment gave us the opportunity to cook several different meals. A Philippine version of old fashioned Dutch hutspot turned out to be the best move. This week we have also talked to the mayor about the vision of our project. He shared his political ambitions with us as well and if we come up with a good plan, we could visit his office again to talk about the possibility of collaborating. For Jori’s land we already made a solid plan; we know where we will build a well, what installations we need and how we can expand in the future. Right now we (30-07) we go back to Cebu City to consult Cebu Institute of Technology once more. After that, we take the week off abroad to extend our free residence with another 30 days. After that we will actually start building the well and finish the design of our house.
Stay posted if you are curious about our construction plans. Hopefully we are able to show some action shot within the upcoming month of August
