It has been a whirlwind. Where to begin, after spending a couple of nights in Manila where we first landed in the Philippines, we swiftly moved on as we accidentally booked our hostel in brothel central. Very diverse and extreme changes from the comforts we were experiencing in Northern Thailand for the previous months. Manila was a stop gap between a connecting flight to Negros Island, we were unsure of what it was going offer and so pleased to see the greenery surrounding us as we landed. The plane landed just on the sea front, I had never been so low to the sea on a plane before!
Negros Island meaning ‘land of the gentle people’, and we were in Negros Oriental which is 5,386 km². Already having yoga teaching lined up at Origin Natura Spa in Dumaguete City, we got picked up and taken into town. The tuk tuk here are trikes (a three wheeler made up from a motorbike attached to seats! Squeaky, friendly and only 8 pesos per ride!
On Thursday 20th April 2017 I started teaching at the spa. Never having been the resident yoga teacher before I was very excited to meet the students and see the space! (In a later post I will talk about the venture of creating a studio here).
So, Dumaguete itself! Happy, hot, and very humid. It is basic here with no unnecessary glitz and glam (not that we ever need it), just simply living. First impressions… if you eat meat then you are in BBQ heaven, if not then you are a little tight for choice! Especially when having to eat out every meal while you live out of bags. That being said, the markets are vast! Fresh and bursting at the seems with produce. Cooking here is a delight with local organic herbs and vegetables. Sitting as I write this I look out to the little balcony where beyond there are mountains from Sebu Island and Palm trees closer to greet us in the mornings. As a result of apartment hunting and arranging teaching and the studio we haven’t explored many nature filled areas. This weekend we are excited to dive into a bit of snorkelling! Several evenings we have ambled along the promenade next to the fishing boats in the sea. A hustle and bustle around the street food where they sell 3 delicacies… fish tempura, squid tempura and of course the balut (an egg that is a developing embryo that is then boiled and eaten from the shell) I admit I have not been close to temped! But people seem to love it!!
The beautifully friendly and lovely ladies who work at the spa were so welcoming and made me feel part of the gang already. All local women who were therapists, on reception and housekeeping came to greet me and help me out. I cannot thank them enough for being so kind. After getting shown around and seeing apartments for rent by Kristine, one of the ladies at the spa, we found a place! Just a 10 minute walk from the studio in Fatima Village. A small little space with no more than we needed. Simple and a chance for Tom and I to create our cosy second home together. We were especially glad to move into an apartment the week we arrived here so we no longer had to live out of the surfboard bag in one room.
Looking forward to exploring the island, people, culture and classes more.
I hope this little post has shown you a snapshot of what I’ve been up to!
Namaste
