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Preamble
This is a report about the fantastic trip to the Far East. done at the end of 2005.
My last travel to the Philippines in the Island of Oriental Mindoro was 12 years ago, whereas my wife Annabelle’s last trip to her fatherland was seven years ago. She was very homesick and willing to see her mother and all her relatives.
The travel had been in the air from the last two years. Annabella’s mother, now near the age of eighty, pressed for a reunion of all the family.
Her four sons and daughter are all scattered for the world and exactly: Annabella in Italy, Elisa, her elder sister in FL, USA, Doyeto her young brother in Canada and finally her brother Celsy around the world working in the Navy business.
The aim of the reunion was not only affective. They needed to do some adjustment and settlement of the future of several properties as land and houses that Annabella’s mother had supplied to transfer to her sons.
The travel begins the 16th December and end the 3rd January 2006; from the Milan Malpensa airport to Hong Kong with the Lufthansa Airline; from HKG to Manila with the Philippines Airline; from Manila we departed for several excursions to the islands of the Philippines (mainly Mindoro) and China.
I must reserve a praise to the service of the overhead lines and “star ferry”, and other Asian marine and earth transport; the services are impeccable, punctual and very comfortable, while some European airlines leave to wish in compare.
Saturday 17th December 2005
My son Marco accompanies us to the Malpensa airport of Milan.
My wife and my son Giorgio are travelling with me; we arrived in Frankfurt and at 5 p.m. we departed to Hong Kong. As already pointed out the flight and the service has made me mourn this airline: even if I had acquired and booked the flight 6 months earlier with the Lufthansa airline, they had NOT been able to reserve tree seat together in the aeroplane. I have to mention that I had never experienced a so negative flight in many aspects. I do think that a trip that lasts 12 hours and had been booked 6 months earlier should deserve a minimum of comfort and standard services.
It was a negative experience and I regret not having chosen the airlines such as Singapore Airline, Cathay pacif or Philippine Airlines where the services are fabulous and they give you also assistance at ground in every airport all around the world. In future I know which airline to chose!
Sunday 18th December 2005
 Arrival to Hong Kong at 11 local hour, we proceeded to the check out and recovering baggage. At the airport we buy the “ Octopus “ card, a reloadable ticket usable for transports in the HKG buses, Metro, AEL Airport Express Train, star ferry.
We travel with the AEL, the High-speed train from the new airport on Lantau Island, which connects the island of HKG with the peninsula of Kowloon.
For the first part of our staying in HKG we booked at the Noble Hostel Hotel in the Central quarter, one of the most populous and full of life of the city, in the centre of Causeway Bay. This is one of the most beautiful areas with stores, shops and restaurants. We are spending the second period (30th Dec to 3rd Jan) in Kowloon in the four stars Langham Hotel.
The Noble Hostel is not excellent but enough good; the cost is reasonable: HK$ 450 per night for 3 person (approx. € 50 ).
We unload the baggage and after an our of relax in the room, we go out for a walk in the main ways of Causeway Bay: the shops are illuminated for Xmas, everywhere we hear Xmas music, the luminaries that decorate the skyscrapers recall Winter festivity. Xmas seems more felt in China than in Europe!
We began to look for cheap shops offering sales and start confronting prices. Late in the evening, tired of rooming around, we decide it is time for dinner and we slip into a small restaurant that offers specialty of sea fruits.
Another walk to our Noble Hoste Hotel closes the first day in HKG.
 Monday 19th December 2005
We spend all the day in Kowloon. The “Star ferry” joins the island of HKG from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui to Kowloon.
We leave Central with the “Star ferry” and surprisingly we find the way very interesting. The view and the panorama of the natural harbour of HKG from the sea at the sunset are fantastic; the sight of the sparkling light of the skylines is a unique marvellous show.
On the way we see other floating ferries, countless ships, containers vessels, hydrofoils, boats, “sampangs”, junks and pleasure craft with restaurant.
Arriving at Tsim Sha Tsui, the sight of Clock Tower remembers us the long English presence in HKG. The tower has survived to the demolitions brought in the years in order to make room to the modern skyscrapers.
To find one’s bearing in Kowloon is enough easy; the side faces HKG island and here there are some museums and the Space Centre Museum; we walk to Salisbury Rd where one can find YMCA Hotel -in which we stayed 12 years ago- and the famous Peninsula Hotel.
We cover also Nathan Rd, full of life day and night, crowded with tourists, Hi Tech shops and stores, tailors shop that offer to saw woman or man dresses in a couple of days at very cheap prices, restaurants.
We have lunch the famous Lobby of the Peninsula Hotel, which is said to be one of the most famous in the world.
The lunch is exceptional and the environment fantastic with all special Xmas decorations, a big Xmas tree and the orchestra in the lounge on the 1st floor that plays Xmas carols.
In the afternoon we visit Salisbury Rd again and then we go to the port of Kowloon Public Pier and buy tickets for the night tours of HKG Bay with a stop at the She Yue Mun village for dinner.
At 6,30 pm we leave for a 4-hours-tour of the fantastic bay with the Bank of China, the Exchange Square, the HKG & Shanghai Bank, the International Centre, the Central Plaza and many others skyscrapers. We domed to the traditional Chinese village of She Yue Mun situated in the oriental part of the bay of HKG.
We have a delicious supper in company of Australian, British and American families. After dinner we continue with the tour of the bay. Once reached the small port of the “star ferry” at Central we proceed to Paterson Street where our Noble Hostel Hotel is located.
Tuesday 20th December 2005
The planned visit to the Victoria Peak begins with the departure from the Hotel at the tram station to the Peak Tram.
Victoria Peak, at 700 meters on the sea level, nowadays is a Chinese residential area, but it used to be a rich colonial quartier. The train suns on the hills, for about 10 minutes, necessary to reach the Peak Tower on the top of the Peak. It looks like a “wok” and one can find shops, stores, trade centres full of souvenirs, of course restaurant and leisure facilities.
The real fun is the very steep climb to the top which offers a wonderful sight of the city and the harbour, fresh air and quiet, far from the crowded roads of the centre.
We have lunch in the historian Peak Lookout traditional restaurant with a splendid terrace overlooking the city.
Late afternoon we go down and decide to visit the southern part of the island of HKG with the towns of Aberdeen and Stanley and the popular beach of Repulse Bay.
Aberdeen is a small village where a few inhabitants live on sampangs and junks berthed.
Some women on the boats offer us a tour that we cannot refuse; floating restaurant sells fresh fish cooked at the moment.
We conclude the day visiting the southern zone of HKG: Wan Chai, where in the 70s there was a red-light quarter visited by the USA soldiers in dismissal during the Vietnam war.
The place is very interesting, there are still many red-light bars and dancing halls, but there are also lots of shops and curious street restaurant with very lovely Chinese food.
The visit of Wan Chai recalls SUSY WONG, the prostitute of the famous novel “ The world of Susy Wong”, set in Wan Chai.
We conclude the day in a typical Chinese restaurant with some delicious fish specialities.
Wednesday 21th December 2005
We spend this day in Macau, Portuguese colony transferred to China in 1999, two year later than HKG. Macau is about 70 km west from HKG and is a small city in comparison to the economical giant city of HKG.
It takes us 50 minutes by boat to go to Macau from Tsim Sha Tsui.
We visit Macau by Turbojet ferry; plenty of Portuguese historical monuments, squares, restaurants and buildings remembering the colonial period, the town looks like a Mediterranean one.
The harbour is very busy: boats arrive from HKG, Guangzhou and other Chinese locations. A lot of people visit Macau mainly for gambling in the non-stop casinos.
We visited the Museum of Macau, the ruins of St. Paul’s church, the temple of A-Ma the Macau Tower and the Fortaleza do Monte; the view of the town from the ancient bastion is splendid.
We have lunch in the rotating restaurant it the Macau tower at the high of about 200 meters. We can also appreciate the view of the town and the exquisite Portuguese cuisine.
Late afternoon it is time to go back to HKG by turbojet.
 Thursday 22th December 2005
Early in the morning we walk to Causeway Bay for the last visit of shops before departing to the Philippines, a visit in the great Japanese store of Sogo, then along Paterson street with the luxuries shops and boutiques that offer dresses, watches, shoes and jewellery of the major European (especially Italian and French) Firm.
A visit to the complex of Time Square is a must: it is composed of two skyscrapers. On both of them there is an enormous screen that projects news, commercials and so on. Inside, the infinite number of shop sells everything: clothes and shoes by great Italian fashion stylists, French perfumes, mobile phones, computers, etc. There are supermarkets, restaurants, coffee houses. Xmas carols and Xmas decorations are everywhere.
Late in the afternoon we leave the hotel, by the AEL (Airport Express Train), to go to the airport where the flight to Manila departs at 6,30 p.m.
The flight with the Philippines Airline is comfortable and punctual; at 8,30 p.m. we arrive in Nino Aquoi Manila airport.
At the airport the Bayview Hotel van waits for us in order to drive us to the Hotel. We have to cross the congested traffic of MetroManila city for about 12 km.
The Hotel is located in Roxas Blv, in front of the USA Embassy.
The room at the 12th floor is comfortable and overlooks the fantastic Manila Bay with its harbour.
 Friday 23th December 2005
Annabella’s sister Elisa and her family, has already arrived in Manila from the USA and, as planned, we have appointment to go to Mindoro island together.
We decide to spend the day visiting Manila, capital of the Philippines a nation composed by an archipelago of more than 7000 island.
The visit start from the famous ancient walled city of Intramuros: the ancient medieval city is surrounded by 400-year-old walls and it is one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world.
Intramuros is a fortress and it was the residence of the Spanish governor from the 16th to the 19th century.
We visit Puerta Real, Baluarte de Saint Diego and the Fort Santiago with its famous chamber of torture.
In the centre of Intramuros there is the grand Manila Cathedral, dedicatet to Saint Augustin and completed in 1606.
We walk to Saint Barrio Luis, then along the Juan road and Street Moon, we admire the typical colonial houses faithfully reconstructed: Manila House, Urdaneta House, Blanca House, Los Hidalgos and Philippines Hogar.
A short visit of the Rizal Park and of Chinatown crossing the Pasing river.
A must is to visit Quiapo, the heart of Manila, where there are plenty of shops in which we buy some typical object.
From the Bay area we enjoy a view of the well-known Manila sunset.
In the evening we meet our friends at the famous restaurant “ The Aristocrat” in Roxas Blv and enjoy Philippine cuisine.
After having this sumptuous dinner we have a walk along the sea; the Xmas luminaries the music played from the orchestras in the restaurants and the view of the bay make this night unforgettable.
Saturday 24th December 2005
It is time to have a trip to the Island of Mindoro. In the early morning the van is ready to carry all of us to the harbour of Batangas from which we shall proceed to the harbour of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro carrying with us a Ro-Ro ferry.
The harbour of Batangas is very important because most of the connections trough sea pass from here especially the ones directed to Oriental Mindoro, to the ports of Calapan and Puerto Galera.
Crossing the Philippine sea, in two hour we arrived to Calapan, capital city of Oriental Mindoro; then it takes about another two hours to reach Annabella home in Sta Rita, Pinamalyan, about 100 km far.
On the way we see Naujan Lake with a famous birthwaching site, we pass the towns of Pola and Victoria and finally we arrive in Sta Rita where Annabella’s family lives. In the courtyard of the house, her mother and many other relatives give us a warm welcome.
It is a big emotion for all of us but especially for my wife who hasn’t seen her mother for severals years.
We relax and have dinner all together. W are all exited, of course. After dinner I retire and leave Annabella with the mother and other relatives that don’t stop telling about last news and events.
Sunday 25th December 2005
On Christmas day my mother-in-law organises a rich breakfast and requests all of to attend the special Mass in the parochial church of Saint Augustin, where she is a meritorious member of a congregation.
The parish priest gives us a worm reception, all the Paglianawa-Mercene family lasts about 30 members at the church.
This Parish is composed of the big church and two buidings dedicated to the primary and secondary school, both directed by Jesuits priest.
The Jesuits and other Roman catholic congregation set in the Philippines since the 5th century following the Spain domination.
The people are in fact up to 95% fervent and practising Roman Catholic.
The function starts and lasts more than one hour; it is suggestive. The officiating priest is surrounded by at least 12 altar boys and by representatives of some congregations.
Such a function recalls me the old time, when I was a child and attended mass as an altar boy.
The holy mass is accompanied by music and by a chorus that sings Xmas songs. Finally I can say that it was long time since I attended to such a suggestive holy mass.
 Completed the mass, out of the church, as usual, everybody is greeting and wishing the best. Annabella, with great emotion, meets some other relatives and some school mates.
We go back to house, with the usual tricycles, crossing the market of Pinamalayan town. I ask for a stop and visit the market, which offers everything: fresh fish, vegetables, clothes, fruits, electronics. What catches my interest is the fish market: all fish is very fresh, just fished in the night. I can see several tuna fishes of various dimensions, mackerels, soles, shrimps, crabs, and many others.
We buy some of all and we have a delicious lunch.
At Christmas, at lunch time, all the relatives (uncles, cousins, etc) from the surrounding towns pay visit to Annabella’s mother and to all of us.
It is ready a big buffet and everybody enjoys the food. It is very exciting, especially for my wife, to meet many cousins, the uncle and some old friends.
The atmosphere is fantastic: children sing Xmas carols and all this recalls once again the old time when also in Italy the family used to be closed each other. Nowadays much of the old tradition is lost, especially in the big cities.
Late in the afternoon, we decide to enjoy the famous Cock fighting in the near town of Gloria.
I join my wife’s two brothers and my son Giorgio and all the cousins follow us on four tricycles.
We arrive at the “arena” where cock fighting is underway; the place is crowded, people are gambling and shouting trying to stimulate the preferred cock to the victory.
We assist to 5 fights and my brothers-in-law bets and loose some money. The show is cruel and nevertheless the business around this “sport” is enormous: the cock are prepared to combat with a long training, beside that on the left claw you can see a kind of knife.
Each combat lasts only for few minutes and that is the end for the unlucky cock. A great economic turn exists: many people use to bet, many TV channels advertise products to strengthen the cock and also beauty products are sold to present the cock with shining pen and so on.
Late in the afternoon we experience the rain, a kind of mild shower on the way back home.
Christmas here in the Philippine is already passed, while in Italy is still going on (backward of 7 hours). It is time for me to phone my family and exchange Xmas greetings.
Monday 26th December 2005
It is time to enjoy the tropical sea of Mindoro. In Mindoro, hundreds of seaside exit, from Puerto Galera to the southern Roxas. The several resorts offer splendid beaches, restaurants and bungalow.
A nearby beach a few kilometres from Santa Rita is very beautiful and the Magdalena Resort offers all comfort.
We arrange ourselves in a comfortable bungalow beside the beach; my mother-in-law’s two house helpers start preparing the grill to cook fish and meat.
The crystalline and lukewarm water of the sea invites for a swim and there is no doubt for me: I dive in this marvellous sea.
The sea is warm and my mind flies to Italy where it is snowing! I swim for two hours, till lunch time: grilled fish and pig and tropical fruits with the very good S. Minguel beer make me say “that’s life!”
 In the resort, some musician play old songs and my wife and her sister Elisa sing some old songs at the “karaoke”.
In the afternoon chartering a sampan we make some excursions in the near islands, some of which are desert, rich of vegetation and beach that make dreams come true. The inhabitants of the fishermen village give us hospitality always smiling; they offer us fresh fish and coconut that we eat with joy.
Tuesday 27th December 2005
Annabella’s younger brother, his wife Tessy and their two children arrive from Canada. It’s time to enjoy themselves with some music, good food and the usual exceptional St. Miguel Beer, which is popular in the whole Far Est. We prepare the family meeting, waiting for the cousins and the uncles and aunts that live in the roundabouts.
An enterprise works in the courtyard, while we set the grill to cook pork (the speciality here in the Philippines is called “Licion” and it’s similar to the Italian “porchetta”), the tables and chairs, the buffet and the jukebox.
At the market the shopping is very fast: fruits, vegetables, chickens, fish, sea food and so on.
In the meantime I have fun observing and recording the different situations I see and the traffic of hundreds of tricycles running in the centre of the town. I go to an Internet café to read and send some e-mail.
In the Evening Annabella and her family attend their meeting to discuss about their lands end the future.
What kind of occasion would be better?
Wednesday 28th December 2005
The Day has arrived. The great meeting is today!
We start with he holy mass at 6 in the morning; it’s a peculiar mass, done especially for us, to give a benediction to the whole family.
The mass is celebrated with chants in St. Augustin Church. Inside the birds fly and they seem to be at home. The give a sense of peace.
The ceremony is always so touching and recalls forgotten feelings. The priest asks me to bring him the monstrance and my wife to bring him the goblet to consecrate.
The mass over, we go to the priest who wants to meet the family and suggests having this sort of meeting again, so that we can respect the Christian traditions. After having taken lots of photos we go home.
After breakfast I walk around in the courtyard where someone does the last things; the kitchens and the grills work and one can smell a lovely perfume.
Later on relatives arrive and the choir and the dancers, too. The music and the party start.
At lunch time about a hundred relatives go and come! As decided, we “foreigners” (Annabella from Italy, Elisa from the USA and Doyeto from Canada with our families and their mother) sit on a small stage. Listening to some traditional music we see the dancers dance an Hawaiian-like dance, strewing flowers and fastening our heads and necks with crowns and garlands to say us welcome.
The dance continues for a long time; the lunch starts and we take food from the big buffet on which the “porchetta” towers and there are cakes and ad ice-cream machine that makes children be joyful.
We eat and dance, after then Elisa, my wife’s sister, introduces the relatives. It’s often hard to recognise them, because we haven’t seen each other for ages!
At the end of the presentation, the music starts again and we eat something else.
Someone sings at the Karaoke, included the chief of the police (Annabella’s cousin), who sings a lovely song in Taglog. We clap our hands.
Outside, on the road, there are some members of the Mangyans, a generic name that indicates 10% of the total population of Mindoro, composed by 8 different tribes. To be precise, the Tadyawan Mangyans live near lake Naujan, not far from the cities of Victoria, Socorro, Pola, Gloria, Pinamalayan and Bansu, even if they come from the foot of Halcon Mountain, the 4th in high in the Philippines (2586 mt)
 *** Please consult the chapter about Oriental Mindoro and Mangyans tribes
Late in the afternoon I suggest Giorgio and his cousins to go to the beach; they accept with enthusiasm, so we say goodbye to the ones who stay home, eat and dance.
We go to the beach by tricycles, that here work like taxis (a way 5 km long costs 0,20 € per person).
On the beach we swim in the wonderful ocean, then I ask some fishermen to conduct us to Conception Island, in front of us.
It takes roughly one hour to arrive. We walk along the semidesert beach and a few fishermen, discretionly, offer us some corall. I refuse, because of the impossibility to bring it with me and of the respect of nature.
We go back home late in the evening. The sun sank below the horison while I swim once more before going home.
After dinner we go to the village to listen to a concert set in a square.
Thursday 29th December 2005
Last day in Mindoro.
Early in the morning we go and visit Annabella’s cousins 55 km far from Santa Rita, in Kinbunan, a fishermen village facing the sea.
When we arrive we find the cousins and all the relatives waiting for us and after the ceremony they invite us to the table set for the occasion. On it, roast chicken, “porchetta”, rice, fruits and vegetables stand. A big tuna fish, of 10 kg about, towers in the middle.
It has been fished during the night, barbecued, it’s spicy and surrounded by lots of other sea food.
I don’t let them repeat the invitation and I appreciate the genuine taste of the fish; not to exaggerate I walk to the beach. We spend a few hours at the beach, especially the guys and I, while Annabella, her mother and their relatives go on chatting and projecting next visit.
In the afternoon, Annabella’s cousin invites us to a coconut field, not so far; he cuts the coconuts with precision and we eat this marvellous fruit and drink its milk.
Sometimes someone from the bungalow asks us to have lunch: we keep on eating and drinking!
I feel sad: tomorrow we are leaving to Manila, then to Hong Kong where we are spending new year’s night.
I cannot avoid to be moved if I remember the good the spent on Mindoro and on the other islands; above all I’m touched by the sincere welcome, the hospitality of this always smiling and available people. Oh, poor us stressed people that forgot this kind of values!
Friday 30th December 2005
We leave to Santa Rita at 4 a.m. with the usual van. There is also my brother-in-law Goyeto and his family. All together we go to the harbour of Calapan to catch the hydrofoil to sail to the harbour of Batangas in the island of Luzon.
It takes us about one hours to arrive in Batangas. Instead of going directly to Manila, Goyeto and Tessy invite us to go to Tagy Tay on lake Taal, where there is Taal volcano, the smallest active volcano in the world.
Tessy’s family comes from Tagay Tay and her parents still live there.
Tessy goes to the village and sees her family; we continue to lake Taal to admire the volcano.
The more we climb, the more the air becomes fresher and the panorama so beautiful. We have lunch in a restaurant that has a terrace overlooking the lake and showing the panorama of the volcano.
In the afternoon we go to Tagay Tay again, to say goodbye to Goyeto and the whole family. We go to Manila by van. We go trough Cavite in the suburbs of Manila and congested by the traffic. There is plenty of Jeepney, the very decorated jeeps used as public transport that work with gas oil and are really polluting.
We cross Manila in the rush hours and I think about the stress of those who bear this traffic and this pollution every day.
Finally we arrive in Roxas Blv at Bayview Hotel from where we enjoy the panorama of Manila bay and its harbour.
In the evening we go out walking along Roxas Blv, browsing round the stalls and the shops and looking for a nice and typical restaurant to have dinner.
We decide for a Philippine restaurant, attracted by the spicy smell. Here we taste delicious rice and pork specialities and fish and sea food in large quantity, accompanied by vegetables and tropical fruit. 
After dinner we walk along the sea, admiring the bay and the illuminated ships, the stalls full of food and traditional objects for tourists, the open-air restaurants with their small orchestras that play for the customers. The walk is intense, especially the Philippine one; one can perceive the festivity in the air and its preparations for the end of the year.
At about 11 p.m. so surprisingly, people begin walking faster, the place get crowded and the music plays louder and louder. A few minutes later we know why: in the roadstead there are more or less ten ships that, illuminated, shot fireworks.
The starry sky is lightened by coloured fireworks and, at ground, someone answers with other fireworks.The show is surprising also because it lasts 40 minutes and it’s spectacular. The beach is very crowded and the crowd claps their hands and say “oh!” at every boom.It’s a suggestive show, but unfortunately we have to say goodbye to Manila and to the Philippines; tomorrow we are leaving to Hong Kong. I promise it is only a “see you soon”.
 Saturday 31st December 2005
Departure to Hong Kong. In the afternoon we arrive at the international airport and the limousine sent by the Langham Hotel is waiting for us. It drives us to Kowloon, crossing the majestic and spectacular Tsing Ma Bridge that links the city to the airport. It’s the longest suspended bridge in the world and it’s crossed by cars and by the high speed train.
The hotel is full! Our booking is considered by the direction of the hotel and we overnight in the Suite at a common room price. We are so glad!
In the evening, after a conspicuous dinner, we go down in the lounge, where we have some seats booked to celebrate the new year.
The hall is adorned. There is a bar with a refreshment area offering delicacies and champagne: an orchestra of two good-looking singers and four Philippine musicians play a soft music. We get ready to celebrate the new year in the best way.
A little inconvenient is the fact that Giorgio doesn’t feel good; maybe the food causes him a bit of stomach ache.
Midnight strikes and the crowded hall celebrates.
We dance and give greetings for 2006.
 Outside the hotel there is a huge crowd celebrating with “ola!”
We joint the people next to the sea to assist to the long show of fireworks on the background of the bay of HKG. Fireworks and lights create fantastic drawings on the starry sky. Some ships, boats and sampan shot other fireworks and the show is wonderful. The people, especially Chinese, cheers to the New Year, whereas the police survey.
All of a sudden we hear a sound coming from a secondary road through the skyscrapers; we follow it and it sounds to have been made by a hornpipe.As soon as I can go nearer I see an orchestra composed by five people with drums and bagpipes, dressed like Scottish people in kilt; they are Chinese.
During a little brake I take some photos with them that, proudly, tell me that they are well-known all over the world and they got the second price in a competition of this kind of music.
We listen to their bagpipes playing Xmas carols, then we go to the hotel and keep on celebrating.
Sunday 1st January 2006
New year’s day: with the mind we prepare ourselves to end this marvellous travel. We go out again in Nathan Road and the near roads to do the last shopping. We have lunch in the famous Peninsula Hotel, we visit the space museum and Kowloon park.
In the evening we walk in Tempe Street where there is a night market with hundreds of lovely things: watches, clothes, souvenirs value for money. We watch Chinese performance.
Sometimes we stop at the stalls that sell sea food to eat. We go to Tung Choi Street, too; there is the “ladies’ market” with its stalls full of toys, jewellery, clothes, some objects in jade at a fair price.
Monday 2st January 2006
n the morning we prepare everything to go back home: we pack the luggage, we go to the airport in HKG, we pass the usual check-in and we leave to Frankfurt to fly to Milan.
 This is a little report of a fantastic trip. It’s not easy to resume 16 days in Hong Kong, Manila, Mindoro Islan, Mrenduchi, Cenception and other minor isles.
Metropols like Hong Kong and Shanghai are impressionant; I had visited them 12 years earlier and I couldn’t recongnise them because of the intense developped, the new skyscrapers, the new motorways and railways.
It’s impressionant the efficiency of the services and the galopping developpement. The future of the world seems to be the Pacific Area.
I had the greatest satisfation in the Philippines, besides the warm welcome of our relatives and the celebrations. The island I visited, some of which are semidesert, offer unreal panoramas that leave you amazed.
The human relation with the hospital and availale fishermen; the beaches and bays with their very thin white or dark sand; the excurtion by boat in a very beautuful landscape that unites a dream-like neature and the ground, palm groves and mangroves with the transparent blue sea; the tipical fishermen houses, the children who dive naturally into the sea. All this sensations are incredible.
 To conclude, a last impression I had: like all the oriental people, the Philippinian have the gift of the smile: they always smile, they are full of joy to live and of humanity. That fascinates me, especially when I think that we lose our temper for small things, we are egoist, we care only of ourselves. We are poor stressed  people.
In that places family still has a sense and the attachment to it is very important; we have quite lost that.
It is a marvellous country, where there are uncontaminated areas where interesting tribes with very ancient cultures live and there are charming islands. I left them with sorrow, proposing to visit it again for a longer time, in a few year, when I have enough time. ia ha ancoraun senso e l’attaccamento ad essa è importantissimo, cosa che da noi si è quasi persa.
Reflection
The one who leave for a travel is not the same person who comes back home.
Travelling makes you find wisdom. |
