Inday Vinyas

The Philippines on Ulitzer I have received so many visitors to my post about Ondoy. So I want to talk a little more about the calamities in the Philippines. First, here are places you can go to help: www.philippineaid.org - I mentioned this one before. www.inquirer.net - This is a newspaper website. They have a lot of information about the Ondoy Relief Drive. www.redcross.org.ph - Yes, they are very active here just like in the US and other places. I want to let everyone know again that this is not the only time that we have trouble in the Philippines. We have so many typhoons every year. Many people die each time we have a bad typhoon. Houses fall into the rivers. Children and old people drown. Little boats sink in the ocean. This happens so many times each year in the Philippines talaga. You can see in my blog here that I wrote a story about Typhoon Feria back in Ju... (more)

Sailing the Sea of Samar, Philippines

I traveled to my home village in the province of Samar to celebrate the Fiesta San Juan. I was lucky to fly from Manila to Tacloban, Leyte. The next day I took a private boat with friends and family. The trip takes four hours and goes under the famous San Jacinto bridge into the Sea of Samar. The boat is a normal "banca" boat, but bigger than most of the boats in my village. We are loading the boat in this picture. I was lucky and slept in a hotel the night before we sailed to my village. Six members of my family joined us to eat that night, and then they just slept on the boat. ... (more)

Typhoon Feria in Samar Province, Philippines

We have many typhoons in Samar Province where I grew up. I read there are more than 20 each year, and I believe it. I had experience with one a few weeks ago when I visiting home for the Fiesta San Juan. It was a very bad one and it scared everybody. We were just relaxing and having fun talking that day. The sun was shining, and it was very hot. A little rain came, but that is normal anytime of the year in Samar. But then we heard a very strong wind. You have to remember that many houses in this barangay are made of bamboo. Even the nice houses have only a tin roof and many gap... (more)

Travel in the Philippines: The Bus to Samar

Hi to all people who want to read my story about traveling home to province! Last month I decided to visit with my family there in Samar to relax myself more. I am back here in Pampanga now to work again, coz I feel better now. It is hard to travel on the bus for two days, kasi walang tulog (because there is no sleep) for one night. My first time to travel to Pampanga, I felt so very sick for three days. I couldn’t eat, ust coffee only, and I couldn’t sleep. I always nag susuka masakit tyan ko masakit ulo ko (was always throwing up, sick to my stomach and head). I feel so kalog (ra... (more)

The Roosters in Pampanga, Philippines

I think it is napakatawa (funny) when Kanos talk about the roosters here. I have heard a rooster every day of my life, so really I don’t hear them anymore. But Kamo friends say the roosters “are a sign” that they are in the Philippines. It has been so very maimit (hot) here the last week. It makes my head hurt when I walk outside, and it wakes me up early in the morning. I don’t like aircon you know, but some days the heat makes me very tamad (lazy) and I don’t want to write, I don’t even want to chat on YM I was alone in my apartment last week for one night because my bro and s... (more)