Live in the Philippines

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The Road to…….

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On September 22nd I wrote about the road grader in front of my house digging up my sidewalk. “Of Course, When It Rains”. So now in November the road is finally coming to my house, I’ve taken onboard extra beer as my life has come down to this being one of the most exciting things to happen up here on the mountain in the last 13 years. I’m telling you this is bigger than when city water was installed, or even more momentous when we got trash removal, what I’m trying to explain is that this is phenomenal.

I almost don’t believe it, but in November large piles of grava (Gravel) were deposited on the left side of the road effectively making it extremely difficult to park my new old car in my own driveway. I’ve often wondered why it was not called a parkway. But you might thing I’m grousing about that minor inconvenience, but I’m not, I’m so happy about the new road that there is nothing that would upset me. But alas I might have spoken too soon.

I see the engineer working on a small road off of my road (No Name Street) and I ask him when they will start at my house, my reason for asking was not that I am in a rush, but more to the logistics as to where do I put my car while they are blocking in my parking way. Please wait Mr. Thompson we are not sure yet. It was my turn to scratch my head. But even if my new old Honda is trapped in the carport for a few days, I’ll happily live with that. Hey folks, I’m getting a new road after all these years.

Article continues below pictures.  Click on the picture to see a large image.

So you may ask, “Hey Paul so what’s the big deal about some tarmac in front of your house? The big deal is dust from the old road that covers the front of the house and prevents me from keeping my car clean and shiny. Every time a Trike speeds by, dust is spread in every direction and covers my neat orderly world with a thin layer, and prevents me from sitting on my wall out front for most of the year except the rainy season; well then the problem is being splashed with mud besides the falling water.

Friday 9 November, the road crew arrived and started work, setting up metal forms down one side of the road and bringing in the bags of cement. The cement mixer was rolled into place and by all that’s holy I never saw such productivity. These young guys were professionals who jumped to the task at hand and never let up. I sat on my wall watching them and they worked in a group, but keeping an eye on me. It was getting hot and I had a bottle of water with me, but it dawned on me that these guys had nothing to drink. I have a 5 gallon water dispenser we use for parties, so I went into the house and filled it up with a bottle of mineral water and ice and brought it out for them. You would have thought I had just parted the Dead Sea, with the looks those guys gave me. So with a thank you from the guys, they all drank their fill.

The foreman shows up and questions the workers as to where the water came from and they pointed to the old Kano sitting on the wall. He came over and thanked me also, and asked if I could let them hook up their water hose so they could mix cement. I told him yes but I did need a small favor. When they will be done with the road there would be a six inch high drop off between the road and my driveway, is there any way that could be corrected. I received a smile and a nod of the foreman’s head, and a bigger smile when I said I’d pay the water bill. I knew he was funded to purchase water, and I just gave him a Christmas bonus.

So the work is ongoing, and the New Old Honda is trapped in my carport until the road is done. This was not caused by poor planning as three people had already given their permission for me to park at their house. Remember that permission stuff from last week? If I really need to go anywhere there are Trike’s and Jeepney’s every 2 minutes.

The guys are joking with me about me taking pictures of the work, so I explained about writing a story about the road for Bob Martin’s blog called LiP. They liked the idea and started posing for the camera.

Here is a warning, if you are smoker, do not, I repeat not take out a pack of cigarettes in front of a road crew, one pack gone in 60 seconds.

One week and the road is done, now the six inch drop between my driveway and the road is cemented by the guys, as I did provide the water, both for the crew and the mixing of the cement. My water bill will be large

So all is well and good you think? Nope Paul is involved; I was informed that my car would be locked up for another two weeks while the cement cured. So with permission of the road crew I sneaked it out of my carport and moved it to a friend’s land. It will come home the first time I see a local drive up the road.

But all and all I’m pleased with the new road, and the hard work the guys put into it. Mayang fed them Pancit on the day they finished working, now they are moving off to the next project. But I made a lot of new buddies. The neighbors now bring chairs and sit on the road in the evening and yack-yack the night away with Mayang in the middle, of course.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • John;
      I was wondering the same thing; there were no elections in the near future, and no political types standing by to take credit for the work.

        • John;
          Before the new road I would buy a truck load of gravel and my neighbors and I would level it out by hand every year after the rainy season. I won’t miss that!

  3. Paul, you know that the new road can and will be used for other things as well in addition to a place where the ladies can congregate and yack yack the night away with Mayang in the middle, don’t you? Folks can now play cards and bingo there by the light of the moon and play basketball by day. Also, the paved road is perfect for a dance floor for wedding receptions under a canopy strung between the houses on opposite sides of the road. 🙂

    • John;
      Badminton also, that was started yesterday by the little kids, but you’re right, it is a blessing and a thing of wonderment for us all. Sunday many SMB’s and cocktails were consumed on the road of happiness.

  4. I’m headed to capiz in a few weeks to my fiancée village outside dumalag, I had no clue what they were talking about when they said bad roads until I saw it in July first hand, I called it a mud bog!!! I was told they had started to pave and expected to get past my in laws place this week. I’m as excited as you are Paul….

    • Dirk;
      All things take time here, but they will someday happen. 14 years ago I paid to have the hill paved that connected us to the National Highway, as during the rain not even a human could get up it, let alone my car. That got the ball rolling and then 1.4 decades later, it’s done. That was quick!.

  5. With all of the extras you supplied Paul it looks like you added some party spirit to this job which I am sure made things go better for the workers. Now that the road in front of your house has been ” concrete blocked ” it would not surprise me if sooner or later it will turn into a ” block party ” LOL . On my recent visit, the National Highway between CDO and Iligan is undergoing a lot of reconstruction in several places so I had a chance to see some of the construction and the equipment being used. It added an additional hour to the normally 90 minute ride although it gave me a better view of some of the scenery.

    • Bob;
      The National Highway at the bottom of the hill was in fair shape, before the rainy season they stripped the asphalt off it, and then stopped because of the rain, this month they started again in time to stop for Christmas break. But my road is done and nothing they do can upset me now! (lol)

  7. Good to see there was progress and a good result Paul. It’s not easy living in the 3rd world but the Philippines is catching up to the 21st century.
    I have a second storey being added to our house and looking at the workers toiling away just amazes me. The speed and effort of their work is inspiring.
    Then I look around at my 10 family members and I am in awe at their lazines. The contrast could not have been more extreme. It is definitely a country if those who do and those who don’t.

    • Boss;
      I understand the laziness, if someone else will provide for them; it will be accepted by them. I have a large family all living within a five minute walk from me. In the beginning when I was still sailing I would help with a well, adding a room or fixing a roof. I learned the hard way that this could come to be expected all the time. I weaned them off wallet slowly overtime by just explaining I was retired and not making the big bucks anymore. Now I pay them for work I need done, and I’ll help with a medical problem. But my well has gone dry.

      • Well I took your advice. It was a hard lesson and it felt bad to be a fool. Pouring money into a never ending hole. I should have known better. Now I know.

        • Boss;
          I’m not 100% sure as to what my advice was, but if it helped you than I’m glad. No one is a fool for trying to help, but there does come a time when you should be helping yourself and letting others stand on their own two feet. If my family members want a cell load, pack of smokes booze or even their next meal, work was invented to provide those. As I said above, I will be there if it a medical problem comes up. But the gravy train has been de-railed.

          • Well said Paul!!! I’m a firm believer in letting someone help themselves. 🙂

            BTW – Fantastic article!! I’m glad your road is finished, and you’ve got a nice road to keep your house and car clean now, and a place for the ladies to gossip. I’m sure it helps to keep them out of your man cave too!! 🙂

            I’m a firm believer in a happy worker is a better worker. I ran my friends home construction while he was on vacation for a couple of weeks. I gave them beer at the end of each week and donuts occasionally too. THey were happy, and worked harder for me during this period… in my opinion. I think doing that much in the Philippines might have earned me some sort of title… Sir Scott, or something similar. 🙂 Good cold drinking water is a good thing to have when you’re working so hard. And it looks like your new driveway ramp turned out nice too!!

            I’m happy for you.

            Scott

            • Scott;
              Everything is a struggle for these guys, hard work, hot sun and low pay. So any little thing a person can do to make their day a little better is well worth doing. I’ve lived a semi-decadent life and at my age I need some positive entrees in “Lamb’s Book of Life” but mostly I find that good deeds are rewarded in one way or another. But I do most of them expecting nothing in return, and normally that’s what I get. We were out on the road joking last night and my Grandson was with us. There are a lot of speed bumps and that slows down the Trike’s, so the kids can play.

  8. Hi Paul – Is’nt it just wonderful the small things that keep us happy here in the Philippines. Now that the roads finished and the dusts settled so to speak you will have to think up another reason for drinking so much beer since the atmosphere is now clean. But I’m sure you wrote the book of excuses and you’ll find one hahaha!!!
    Regards.
    Jim.

    • Jim;
      The day I need a reason to enjoy a cold SMB, is the day I’ll stop drinking them. (lol) The Snow Bird season is starting with the arrival of two friends from the states who winter over here, with at least 4 more on the way. That is my party season until Febuary.They all live close by and are all talking about the new road, as up the hill they have houses also. We will be having “Cocktail Party’s” on the road in the evening, with neighbors joining in with the Kano’s. They like the way we do it.

  9. Paul on my in-laws island life was idyllic with no road and no traffic. Of course progress comes to their little corner of the world and now they have a road in what used to be their front yard. The dust from the motorbikes is terrible and sweeping has become a several times a day chore. The LGU is supposed to pave the road and that can’t come soon enough. Here’s to a dust free future for everyone, lol.

    • Mark;
      Remember that song with the line “They tore down paradise, and put up a parking lot?” Sadly that happens in the name of progress, but in a few years no one will remember the way it used to be. My dirt road was fine until they opened up the top of the mountain for settlement, we still have no Jeepney Traffic but Trike’s all day long, 2 stroke motors are on the way out (By Law) so now it’s the quieter 4 stroke’s going by without all the fumes. Another improvement!

  10. good article Paul. I enjoyed reading it. I lived on a lot of gravel roads in my lifetime and I remember having to walk to the corner to catch the school bus cause our road was too muddy for it to travel on. also, i remember the dust. it was cool you took a positive approach to the road construction in front of your house. many people would have considered it a nightmare and threw around a lot of complaints. you made those workers job a lot more pleasant.

    • Donna;
      Complain, not in this lifetime, we did have one old guy grousing about the road but he couldn’t find anyone to listen so he went home.
      The road crew told me they had to destroy my sidewalk and were all looking at me waiting for my anger, I surprised them by saying; “You’re building me a new road? Then that sidewalk has to go!” We got along well the rest of the time.

  11. Hi Paul,
    I do enjoy reading your posts. They are all very well written with a nice humorous thread running all the way through them.
    Great way to get the workers on side. I bet they really appreciated the cold water you provided for them during the day. Your kindness really paid off with the foreman agreeing to sort your 6″ drop too! You showed a refreshingly easy going attitude to the inconvenience the road works caused you,and for a few extra pesos on your water bill you have earned the friendship and no doubt respect of the workers involved.
    Well done Paul.
    Keep the articles coming.
    Regards Dave.

    • Dave;
      Thank you, Common sense tells me, that a little kindness will go a long way in life. As for the water bill, I knew I was the one who could afford it. Those kids worked hard in the hot sun to earn their pay, why their company didn’t provide cold water I’ll never understand. It was a small jester on my part, and I filled it and iced it down twice a day for them. (Me not a maid or my wife) I stood out on the new road yesterday after the gang was gone and was pleased to see the fine job those young guys had done.

    • Chas;
      Drink a beer and identify the need, drink a beer and ponder the solution, drink a few more beers and solve the problem. That’s been working for me the last 50 years, I don’t mess with success. Drink a beer and pat one’s self on the back.

  13. Yep, Pinoy kids are afterall very creative, Paul. Before long, neighborhood kids will be using the paved road for other games like tumbang preso, patintero, hop scotch, even a bit of gambling called, “cara y cruz”. In my barrio, I attended an evening wedding reception and dance held on a paved street like yours at the height of a raging storm, but of course a canopy was erected over the road well ahead in advance. During the dance, the MC (master of ceremonies) would solicit donations on behalf of the newlyweds before a song is played. Guests wishing to donate – any amount – would hand the money to the MC and request a particular song to be played. The MC would then announce that the following song, in this particular case, “The Tennessee Waltz”, would be played next as requested by our guest from the US of A with a gift of ___ pesos to the newlyweds. The dance went on merrily throughout the night, with the barrio folks oblivious to the torrential rain, lightning and thunder. 🙂

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ek3eCbfqp0

    • John;
      My daughter just had me download Miss Page’s album with that song on it, but the song she really wanted was “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window”.
      I have a tent 20X11 I bought for my first daughter’s wedding. Since then it has been used at most weddings/funerals and any other type of get together in my purok. The guys are so used to it they don’t need me to help put it up anymore. They tell me I should rent it but that’s not me. The road is such a hit; everyone is sweeping it in the morning.

      • Paul, about sweeping the road every morning, that’s to be expected of barrio folks, but I hope they don’t use walis-tingting, or they are going to damage the road’s finish in no time. They have to use walis-tambo if they want to keep the road clean and long lasting at the same time. Walis-tambo is more malambot than a walis-ting ting, which is matigas. 🙂

        • John;
          I hadn’t thought about the soft or hard broom, I use the garden hose as I’m lazy. I figure in 50 or 60 years they’ll be doing the road again, or maybe not!

          • Water is actually better. it will help the curing process. Concrete cures for one year. So, keeping it cool as possible will extend the life of the concrete ten fold. Your section of the road will outlast any other section if you continue the water cleaning for at least a couple of months.

            Scott

            • Hi Scott;
              So I was doing something good even though I didn’t know it. Being that their brooms are so short the hose will work better for me.

  15. Paul,
    You know you could have had a cooler of SMB out there to speed the job along lol. or it could have prolonged it. It looks like they did a fine job with the road all by hand. No big fancy concrete truck or equipment. Anne just purchased a house in a nice quiet subdivision. Hired an architect to do some remodeling. Has 6 bedrooms, but reducing to 4 bedrooms, completely re-painting inside and out. Got a good deal for 3 million. Bought from filipino living in New Jersey, retiring back to another part of the philippines. Anne’s cousin who is contractor will do most of the work. Well Paul i hope Mayang/You and family have a nice turkey day and drink a few extra SMB’s for me. Oh i wish i was there celebrating the holidays with Anne and making a holiday visit to see you. Hoping 2013 goes fast. Take care and enjoy life with your new road.

    • PapaDuck;
      Going out for Thanksgiving (Texas Joe’s) puts on a feast for cheaper than I could buy the stuff needed, plus no clean up.
      I understand changing 9 bedrooms to four bedrooms as size matters. It sounds like Anne got a good deal.
      Hurry back!