I didn’t sleep well last night. I was quite restless. Couldn’t get something out of my mind as I laid in bed trying to get some rest. Yesterday morning, some friends gathered here at the house to make an out of town trip. We had all been invited to Father Franco’s house in Buda to […]
Terrorism can happen anywhere
Yesterday was a sad day for the Philippines. At around 1:30pm, Philippine Time, a bomb went of in an upscale mall in Makati, Metro Manila. The powerful bomb exploded at Glorietta 2, a mall that Feyma and I have been to a number of times. Glorietta is probably our favorite mall to visit when we […]
Talking about safety
Whenever the subject of travel to or residing in the Philippines comes into conversation, it’s inevitable that the topic will turn to safety, perhaps even focus there. So, what is it about safety that warrants so much attention? Well, the first thing that people say is terrorism, or crime. Are those a concern? Hey, I […]
How dangerous is the Philippines
Over the past few days, and even before that, some folks reading this site have expressed concerns about the dangers of living in the Philippines. So many people worry about the rates of murder being high here. I always get e-mails saying – “I’m white, I stick out like a sore thumb. Surely I’ll be […]
It’s a good time to keep a low profile
Elections in the Philippines are less than a week away. But, elections here are probably different from where you live, at least if you live in any first world country. Why? Elections here often bring violence. Serious violence. Death. Killings. Kidnappings. Bad stuff! It’s true. Many of you probably know that I I travel a […]
Julie Campbell, R.I.P.
Recently here in the Philippines, a United States Peace Corp Volunteer was murdered, her name was Julia Campbell. Julia Campbell, 40 years old, was from Fairfax, Virginia. Campbell had been teaching at an Albay College on the island of Luzon since September 2005. She was fluent in Tagalog. I saw her do an interview on […]