March 27th 2015 Cagayan De Oro- Day 2 Very HOT!

As I wait for my pizza at Alberto's Pizza an Alberto Employee is sleeping on a pull down bed in the restaurant. Another employee tried to wake him and it took 5 seconds of shaking him to wake him up. Obviously very tired not to mention the heat!

My 11 inch Hawaiian pizza for 120 pesos ($4 cdn) at Alberto's Pizza.

"Luke..........I am your faaaaaaather!"

This is the Agora Market. Behind it is where the main bus station is.

Robinsons Mall.

Walking up along the street of Golden Friendship Park this morning on my way to McDonalds at 5am.

I had gone to Alberto's Pizza last night to get a Hawaiian for take-out and this morning I went back again for lunch as their 11 inch pizzas are 120 pesos ($4 cdn). The woman had told me to try the quickmelt cheese on my pizza and she said I would like it and as I left she said "So how was your pizza?" and I gave her the thumbs up and said "It was awesome!" but she didn't smile and looked at me as if I said "it was aweful!". As I walked down the street I heard a guy yell out to me from across the road "Hi daddy!!" and then another guy laughed near me and said "Hi dad!". I just don't get it unless they are pretending to be my long lost children or something. 

I walked down to Macabalan Wharf (Misamis Oriental) to inquire about their schedules for Cagayan De Oro to Camiguin Island (Cah-mee-geen) and they told me they no longer have a boat service from Cagayan De Oro to Camiguin island and that I would have to take a bus to Balingoan and from there catch a boat across to Benoni, Camiguin island. 

As I left the Wharf I noticed an old woman start to deliberately follow right behind me where ever I went. At first I thought she was going to ask me for money but she didn't but just followed right behind me where ever I went which was a little wierd so I quickly waved down a cab and jumped in and she came right up to the taxi drivers window that was rolled down half way and she bent down to looked directly across at me for a few seconds as the cab driver looked at her wondering what she wanted. I said to him "That woman has been following me and I don't know what she wants. Do you know?" and he laughed and said he didn't. She was my first filipina stalker!! 

The cab driver was 53 years old and said he didn't know what the whole "Hi daddy" thing was all about but he sure did like Celine Dion as he cranked up a song and began to sing out loud "And I am your LAAAAAAADIEEEEEEEEEEEE.....da,da,da,..da,da,da.. and you are my Maaaaaaaaaaan!". I think he thought he was at karaoke as he was getting right into it and made me laugh. 

I walked over to Agora Market which was where the bus had dropped me off when I arrived in Cagayan De Oro and I inquired about when the bus goes to Balingoan and the guy told me the buses run 24/7 every 30 minutes and I saw a sign sayng Balingoan 90 pesos ($2.50 cdn). As I walked back I saw a group of young school girls in uniform and I could hear them talking amongst themselves and then they went very quiet as they were within 30 feet of me and each one was looking up at me with little smirks on their faces and then they all laughed after they passed me. I guess they don't see too many blond haired white guys around too often but this happens EVERY TIME I pass by a group of school girls in uniform. It is very humourous!

Well I think from my last post I have changed my mind about staying in Cagayan De Oro for a few more days. Today I was outside and it was just cooking in this concrete jungle where I needed to go into Malls for air conditioning just to escape the heat. March is the hottest month of the year in the Philippines and unfortunately there are no nearby beaches to chill out and relax at during this heat which is why I have decided to move on to the island of Camiguin starting tomorrow morning. I usually go off my Lonely Planet guide book maps and check things out in every town and once I feel I have seen what I wanted I just move on. Lingering around has never been my style as I am too IMPATIENT. 

I had left the air conditioning on in my room and it was so nice to come back to a very cold room. It was like a refrigerator! 

For the past week I have been asking myself if 3 months in the Philippines is too long and was wondering if I should cut it short by 2 weeks. Right now I have one month left (April 28th) and I might check with the airline but I still want to see Camiguin Island and Bohol before heading back to Cebu City. I think I prefer the provincial areas best as the city takes a bit out of me and a little too chaotic with traffic and noise. I know if I stay another day in CDO I will probably just hang out in my A/C hotel room anyhow so definitely time to move on for me. I would be lying if I said I wasn't missing Canada right now. This is the longest time I have spent in another country (60 days) where I think I was in India for maybe 30 days or less when I was there 9 years ago.