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Writer's pictureJanine

How I went into a slum

Report from 27 November to 29 November

From: Philippen

  • Puerto Princessa

  • Karli is still ill

  • How I went into a slum




Karli and I met up again in El Nido. We travelled separately for 8 days and each had great experiences. Unfortunately, Karli is still ill.  Together we drive back to Puerto Princessa, the largest city in Palawan.  I am glad to have left El Nido.



Karli's parents are coming to visit us! Here in the Philippines. In less than a week we'll be meeting up together on Bohol, an island in the centre of the Philippines. That's why we're travelling back to Puerto Princessa to fly to Bohol from there;



Porto princessa

Our accommodation in Puerto Princessa is quite funny, there is a small floating bamboo house on the sea. There are 10 tents in this bamboo house. In the link at the bottom of the article you will find the link to a photo album with more pictures



Karli and I have sorted out a few things. A pair of jeans, two T-shirts, a few sewing items, a bag, a rope... and and and. Our rucksacks are far too heavy. So far I've mostly left them in the hostels or accommodation. Sometimes there were boxes to share. Mostly not, then I just asked the owners of the accommodation if they had any use for them. They were always happy. I also learnt that guests often throw clothes they no longer need in the rubbish. The locals fish them out of the rubbish and don't understand why we throw away such good clothes. Hostel owners' wardrobes are actually made up entirely of clothes that have been discarded by guests. At least every time I have complimented a hostel owner on their clothes, they have told me that it was a discarded / lost item of clothing from a guest.


Anyway, we came up with something new this time and I wanted to give our things that we no longer needed to the really needy. Last week I asked the skippers in the marina where the really poor people live. Many of the sailors are regular visitors to the Philippines, some even live here. So they have an answer to my question: the poor people in the Philippines live on the water!

The land in the water doesn't belong to anyone  Or rather, it belongs to the state  and therefore somehow to everyone. At least in the Philippines, people are not evicted there. Accordingly, the neighbourhoods on the water are the slums of the Philippines 

 During my short stay in the Philippines, I have often seen these stilt houses in the water. Maybe you remember from one of the sailing posts, there were some photos of such settlements in the link. I always wondered why people build houses in the water... Now I know.


Anyway, today I went to the slum of Puerto Princessa to give away my discarded items such as clothes;


So I drove to this neighbourhood and then walked in. I was really a bit strange. I stood out like a colourful dog, all eyes were on me. I felt quite uncomfortable and didn't really know what to do with myself. Just hand my things to the next person? No, that felt strange too. I wander a bit further through the alleyways. Some Filipinos approach me and ask me if I'm looking for something. I answer and then keep walking until I see a side street. It's a dead end and at the end is the sea, so I walk in. There's rubbish everywhere on the ground. Children are playing basketball. Roosters are running around. A few men are building a tiny fishing boat. It's full of life and people seem happy. I watch the hustle and bustle. A woman speaks to me and I strike up a conversation with her. Her name is Amy. She is joined a short time later by Rose and Jennifer, who are delighted that I am here and pepper me with questions. Unfortunately, their English isn't that good, but somehow we manage to make ourselves understood. We sit down on a bench and talk, I also pepper them with questions. Their husbands are either fishermen or construction workers. Sometime later, they ask me if they can show me their houses. I'm not going to pass that up! The three of them are really friendly. When it gets dark and I have to leave, I give them my bag and tell them that I no longer need it and would like to give it to them. As I say goodbye, the three of them accompany me to the main road;


Unfortunately my mobile phone is still broken so I wasn't able to take any pictures. However, one of the women took a photo of the four of us and sent it to me via Facebook.



Just a short entry today. Next week we will be travelling to Bohol, another island in the Philippines. Gaby and Dieter will be visiting us there.




📷 here there are more great pictures

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