One day we took a jeepney ride into Gumaca. Lyn and I, Ate Rosie, and Lyn's siblings Perla, Mylene and Joel climbed in through the back end of the jeepney and had a seat. After another stop or two we were fully loaded with 35 people on the inside. I don't know how many people were riding on the roof. As we rounded each corner, I wondered if we were going to remain upright or blow one of the bald tires and go careening down a ravine. On the plus side, our travel time between Gumaca and Tubas was half what it was with Tito.

Quite a load for the tricycle!

In Gumaca, the driver maneuvered around dogs laying on the side of the road. Sometimes the loud blare of the horn didn't even rouse them. There were pedestrians, pedicabs (bicycles with side-cars), tricycles (motorcycles with side-cars) and others to maneuver around. Sometimes jeepneys don't even bother to drive onto the shoulder to let passengers get on or off. Our driver would honk the horn and race around the obstacle and squeeze back into the traffic lane. The driver pulled up to an open-air market area and came to a halt. The fair was 16 pesos (less than 50 cents). The market area was only slightly less crowded than the jeepney. It's kind of like a swap meet compressed into half the area.

The first stop was for meat. Ate Rosie picked some choice cuts from a couple of the vendors. The meat was hung up or laid out on tables in the open air. They sliced it up to order. Then, Lyn and I made our way to the telephone store. This was not a place where you buy them, but rather where you can place calls. You go up to the counter, explain what you want, pay the money, and then go to one of three booths to complete your call. Then, we went over to the drug store to get some malaria pills for me.

I had tried to take care of this before the trip. I made an appointment with Kaiser, my health care provider, and spoke with a nurse who told me what I needed for a trip to a rural area in the Philippines. She gave a flu shot and a shot for one of the hepatitis strains, I don't remember which one. she said I needed pills for the other hepatitis strain, malaria, and something else, I don't remember that one either. She directed me to the pharmacy. Mistake #1 - I followed her advice and went to the pharmacy. After waiting in line for awhile, I was told my medical plan did not cover drugs. I went home and mentioned this to Lyn and she told me to use a separate prescription card. Mistake #2 - I went back to the Kaiser pharmacy and tried the card and was refused again. I tried it at a local drug store and was told the card had expired. Our card was 1 month old. I gave up. I think it usually takes more than 1 month to be totally frustrated by a medical plan or, in this case, lack of one. Of course my loving wife chose Kaiser; I had no choice in the matter. I decided, if I got sick and died, I could blame her. Case closed.

There weren't very many mosquitos in Tubas, but there were enough to give me second thoughts. I decided Filipino drugs might be worth a try. There was no door to the drug store. About five feet in from the street lies the counter. However, first we had to wait in the line which almost extended out to the street. At this time I saw something rather shocking, something I never expected to happen here. Walking by was an elderly Caucasian couple! After regaining my composure, I left Lyn in the drug line and walked over to them. They were from Utah and surprise, surprise, they were Mormons. They were two months into their year mission and they had seen a Catholic missionary soon after they had arrived, but that was it. I was willing to chat longer but they had to go.

Lyn was able to buy the malaria drug without a prescription. We bought some fireworks (cheap), loaves of bread (only one choice), fruit, and rented seven video cassettes for 210 pesos, which is a little over $4. We paid 100 pesos refundable deposit extra, because they said Alex, Lyn's brother, had rented a video and never returned it.

The same jeepney we had taken in to Gumaca was still there when we finished our shopping. We asked how much it would cost to rent it just for us. The driver said 500 pesos (about $12.50). I decided that was a little steep, but we didn't have to wait long for the jeepney to start loading up for the return trip. At the last minute I remembered I wanted to get some reading material in English. I walked up the street a little ways and the best I could find were a couple of Manila newspapers. The return trip was just as thrilling. At Sampaloc, the driver wanted to make a side trip to another Barangay (village). The road was rumored to be even worse. So, Lyn, Ate Rosie, and I decided to walk the remaining distance to Tubas. Even at a leisurely pace, we still beat the jeepney back.

Though New Year's was still a few days away, people were already firing off skyrockets and exploding firecrackers. I tried three skyrockets from my stockpile. Only one worked properly. Local fireworks seem to be poor quality. The fuses are fast burning, sometimes barely present. Sometimes they don't explode or explode long after you think they should.

On one hand, I didn't want to get malaria, but, on the other hand, I wasn't sure about the quality of the drugs Lyn bought. In typical fashion, there were just a few pills in a bag. There were no instructions included. Now I know why Lyn never reads the instruction manual when we purchase a new gadget - in the Philippines you never see one. I decided to hold off on taking the pills. A curious thing happened. Yes, the mosquitos came out each evening, but they didn't seem to be biting. During the time I was there, I remember squashing one or two that landed on me, but I didn't notice any bites.

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