Rinnai on demand hot water installation part 3

This is the third day for the hot water install. Today it took me 8 hrs to fit ,manufacture and  hook up 4 lines  then test them with soapy water for leeks. Way too long . The big problem was the 5/8 flar fittings that had to be made for the lines that got cut, input line ,in and output hot water lines and then the stove. Lucky joy is doing a double today so I can shut down the system.
Next is the hot and cold water, im not sure if i should move the accumulator closer to the new system ,but it would look a lot cleaner and 3 times more work .
The gas lines are now hooked up tested and not leaking. In terms of cost I just added another $100.00 to the parts charge and at least 4 more trips to home depot but that was my screw up for not knowing what i know now. Like BJ says ,you never stop learning

the gas loop

connetion into the house

to the stove

I'm going to move the accumulator over also but before that can be done all the water lines need to be run. I did some pricing and copper cost is so high that it wont be a good idea. I like the new PEX system, its much cheaper overall but the tools to do the job are very expensive. Since i plan to do the heating system also later I think its a good investment.

This assembly is going to be moved but I need to shut down the house and water for a day to do this.

 note the date on this old heater I think I got my moneys worth

Part 4 will be the new water lines but it will have to wait ,vie exceeded my current budget.

Rinnai on demand hot water installation part 2

In part 2 of this installation we are doing the gas line in black pipe. I went downstairs into the cellar hole did a bunch of tape measurements ,went upstairs did a bunch of drawings, threw the first set in the trash ,did another and off to home depot or (cheapo if you wish)
I spent 3hrs putting mi list together with the help of a lady that was actually quite knowledgeable, to a point. I came home assembled the black pipe installed it and when it was time to hook up nothing fit.
The proper kit to the heater line did not fit, it went back 27.00 fot that mistake, The 3/4 inch fittings to the old line did not fit 3 each at 10.00 ,they went back. I forgot a 3 foot piece of black pipe, so much for planning. I could not get a piece of flex pipe 3/4 inch from the heater to the furnace so I had to settle for ridged

black pipe, 3 more elbows and 2 6 inch short lengths, still did not fit .I have to go back and get one more pipe 5 inches and put the whole thing back together .The transition lines from the old to the new still have to be figured out and im not paying the gas company $60.00 to come in and do a 10 minute job for the hookup . I have dish soap also.

Rinnai on demand hot water installation part 1

I got tired of constantly paying the power company for heating 120 gallons of hot water. It was something we needed when the kids where in the house ,but now that they are gone we decided to switch to an on demand hot water system heated with gas. see you later electric.
This eliminates that big hot water tank as well as that extra meter on the house that just seems to never stop spinning About $45.00 per month this is a cost recovery for the system in 2 years
It will cost close to $2000.00 to install complete when done but I also don't have any more cold water problems even in a power failure because the system runs on mili amps you can use a battery to keep it going.

This is the new heating unit for hot water REU-VC2025FFU-US-P
on amazon for 670.00 along with it at the minimum you will need a ubbink 21 inch universal non condensing kit (long) at 35.00 and a Webstone 3/4 ips union kit  5443WPR

Choosing your location is critical , if you end up with a long exhaust run you will need a condensing drain and the exhaust extensions are very expensive and can increase the cost of installation by almost 200.00 OUCH
I find the valve kit a bit high priced also for what you get but its designed for the heater so if you don't want to go chase parts its still the way to go

The system will replace the old 120 gal hot water heater and the lot water meter it should save about 40.00 per month in electricity and increase the gas consumption by 2.00 I like that trade off

.These items are going away

It took about 4 hrs to determine where to install the unit and set up a frame. I only had one spot in the basement to work with and i lost my old coal shoot as a result which was also my basement venting but that can be modified and is not a big problem

mounted

side view

When you do the exhaust vent don't use the pattern on the box use the collar as a hole pattern, the vent hole gets too big and you end up filling it with insulation to make it tight again.

In part 2 of this we will install the new gas line to run this heater and also set up for the new furnace and re route the kitchen stove line.

Briggs and Stratton snowblower engine

It does not  matter if you own a Craftsman or one of the other models. If it has a Briggs and Stratton engine on it it will eventually fail. In my case the snow blower was given to me because the connecting rod in the engine was making a noise. I suspect that when the blower was first bought no one put oil into it and started the engine thus scoring the crankshaft bearing.
The engine is an ebay purchase for $99.00 plus shipping, a good price since a short block was almost $250.00 from a dealer.
Here are some of the problems I had in the conversion and why the engine was so cheap.

PS I took the flywheel nut off with an air impact socket, came right off

Philippines the trip of a lifetime The North shore day trip

This is a trip to the North Shore over the mountain from the city of Carcar  to Dumanjug   through Brili  through the mountains and over to the other side to the city of Dumanjug stopped at the local market picked up some food and then went on to a private residence on the North Shore and spent the day at a very nice place was very windy but enjoyable.

Food shopping

Loading rice

Family outing

Very windy

Guest huts

The Beach

Fuel Oil useage

I was using way too much fuel oil.

 Even when I went on vacation and had the heat turned down to 40 deg the oil consumption was still high.
So where is the problem. The heater works fine the furnace is operating smoothly.
 Seems the pump pressure is too high, it should be just above 100 psi but mine is almost 130psi so im pushing more fuel through the furnace than necessary. As i turned down the pressure she started to run very erratic. Why.?
Seems i have a single line to the burner and when the tank gets low or there is an oil delivery it stirs up the fuel and air gets into the line causing fuel interruption and the burner wont start, so you end up making a mess by bleeding the pump.
 The simple solution was to turn up the oil pressure, this solved the problem, By turning up the oil pressure i was using more fuel. Not good.
I went on line and found an Oil de-aerator  called a TIGERLOOP for about $90.00  and some installation time. It will require that you buy 2 additional 1/4 inch flex lines  from the tigerloop to the pump, make sure you purchase bio grade oil line, NOT water line that is sold at HomeDepot, a plumbing supply store will have this, 24 inch is fine for most systems. All fittings come in a package. Dont forget the 1/8 inch allen wrench plug that must be inserted into the return side of the pump.
This device  basically recirculates the fuel back through the loop ,removes any air that may be trapped and delivers it back to the pump at the proper pressure that i have set. The pressure is now about 110 psi or ten lbs above the tested nozzle rating . According to the chart this reduces my flow rate by 20 percent , that's a lot.
The unit mounts to the outside of the furnace . Comes with an extra safety valve. You can also buy the one with a filter attachment ,but since i already have a filter in the system i felt the extra $60.00 was not worth it
I have to buy 2 extra hoses and do the installation tomorrow.
The pump on the furnace also needs a small modification to make it work properly. You must insert a small male Allen wrench plug into the bypass port. without this you will build up too much pressure and blow the seals on the pump and having to replace it.
Total cost to me is just over $150.00 plus 2 hrs of installation time.
Once the system is hooked up and turned back on you will notice no fuel flow into the de-aerator , but the minute you push the reset button on the furnace it immediately fires off and you can see the fuel flow through the system along with the large amount of air in the fuel. I was very surprised at this volume. Basically foam for the first minute. This did not interfere with the operation of the furnace. She fired right off.
You can now turn down the pressure to just over 100 lbs. This should drop to 80 lbs static when the furnace shuts off. If it bleeds down to nothing the regulator valve is not functioning properly and the pump must be replaced.
You can now also readjust the air flow and flame , I would recommend a service tech come in and put the tester to the system to get the max efficiency out of it. Or as I did rent one for a few hrs .
Lets see what happens over the next week. My last delivery was over $4.00 per gallon so any savings will be a great help.

Philippines the trip of a lifetime Cock Fighting

Cock Fighting a Philippine national sport

I got to go to a cockfight. This sport is a very big sport in the Philippines and just about everybody participates in one way or another. I've enclosed some of the basic facts about this in the following was downloaded from the Internet.
 I'm going to post some videos that I did and some pictures. 

Cockfighting is popular in many countries but the rules for every country differ according to preference as well as tradition. This is also true in terms of the weapons used when two roosters are pitted against each other in the cockpit.

The Blades Used In Cockfighting

There are three kinds of weapons attached to the left leg of a gamecock and these are the gaff, the short knife, and the long knife. The use of these weapons will depend on the country where the sport of cockfighting is legal. In Mexico and Puerto Rico in particular, the short knife and in some instances the gaff are preferred by cockers. In the Philippines however, cockers prefer the slasher or the long knife. But there are petitions to also use the short knife especially in derbies.

Naked Heel

Some countries also prefer that the cocks fight the natural way so they use the naked heel fighting technique. Here, the cocks will use their natural spur (Tahid) to fight one another. The spurs are sharpened and will serve as the weapon. Fights using naked heel take a lot of time to finish that’s why a special breed of fighting cocks is used in this type of cock fighting. Asils are the bloodlines preferred because this strain has strong endurance as compared to other fighting cocks. They are slower but at the same time can take on a lot of hit and can last for a long time because of their strong body.

The Gaff

This type of weapon is like a nail with a sharpened point. When attached to the foot of the gamefowl, it works as a stab and with almost no slash wounds. Cockfights using the gaff normally take longer as compared to having the knife type. Blood flow is controlled so you will not see fighting cocks bleeding profusely from wounds. The fight usually lasts longer because it is hard to kill a rooster with deep gameness unless it was hit in the heart. Not many countries use the gaff but it is still used nonetheless.

The short Knife (Tari)

Measuring one inch to an inch and a half, the short knife is famous in the USA mainly because it is the preferred weapon by Mexicans. US breeders of gamecocks produce roosters basically for the Mexican market so they produce hybrids that can perform better when using the short knife. Since the knife is short, the fight can also drag for several minutes.

The fighting cock must be very good at cutting and shuffling. Multi-shuffling cocks are actually preferred in the short knife type of fight because they can inflict multiple injuries in just one buckle. Breeders developed strains particularly for this purpose like Sweaters, Hatch, Roundheads, Lemons to name a few.

Long Knife (Tari)

Also called the slasher type, the long knife is famous in the Philippines and preferred by cockers all over the country. The knife measures three inches more or less from the base and can inflict severe damage with just one hit. It is normal to see a cockfight in the Philippines to end with just one buckle because one of the cock was hit in the heart and died instantly.

The length of the long knife to be used will depend on the size of the foot of the fighting cock. If it is a short heeled cock, the knife will be shorter but if it is a high station cock, the knife can well be over three inches. The size of the leg where the long knife is to be attached is also the basis of the size of the long knife.

Since the size to be used will vary according to the size of the fighting cock, the gaffer must be an expert not only in attaching the knife but as well as in terms of determining the appropriate length of the knife to be attached. This is important and therefore crucial that’s why cockers study carefully what size a long knife should be.

As of this writing, some big time cockers are introducing the short knife in Philippine derbies. They know that the bloodlines they have were specifically designed for the short knife so they want to use it in their roosters’ fights. It is also one way to eliminate the factor of luck in the fight. With the use of the long knife, even a not so game rooster can win against a strain with deep gameness because the long knife can inflict severe damage with just one strike.

The use of the short knife will somehow ensure that only cocks with deep gameness will eventually survive the fight. This is one way for the big time cockers to fully dominate the fight against small time backyard breeders. It is not known however if small time cockers will patronize the short knife. The use of the long knife makes the battle about even because even ordinary cocks can accidentally kill a purebred and this is the equalizing factor that may not be so easy for small cockers to give up.

 Refreshments are always served at any event
A big part of the cockfight is the negotiations that happen before the actual preparation. This consists of evaluating the contestants and their owners . The starting bet, and odds are se,t and well as who gets what for the winner or looser.
This is important because it takes 9 months to raise a fighter and the looser goes home with nothing.

 Cockfighting is like a family picnic, or going to a baseball game. Beer and soft drinks are sold, as are tacos and other snacks. Entire families come and bring the kids. Although more men attend a cockfight than women, many dads bring their young sons to introduce them to the tradition.

 evaluation

 
 Negotiations are long ,up to an hour or more

 The contestants are chosen. The arena where the fight is held to the death is called a "Cockpit"
I wonder where our fighter pilots got that name.

The preparation

The cock owner brings his own blades to the fight,Or assisted by the gaffer and they are carefully measured and checked for poison. They all must be of uniform length, and are cleaned by rubbing a lime on the blade to remove any toxins. (Since cockfights are to the death of the loser, the judges want to make sure there's no poison to help them along.)

 The blades are tied on to the rooster's back claw with string. It is inspected by the judge before the fight starts. The blades are honed razor sharp, and don't take very long to tear through feathers and flesh, once the fight has started.

The person that sets the blades is a master gaffer and has been doing it for many years. This man i spoke to said he has been doing it for over 10 years. While some owners have their own blades, most don't due to the high cost of ownership, and depend on these gaffers to set the blades. The blades are returned to the gaffer after the fight . The winner gets patched up by a vet and the looser becomes dinner.

 a sheath is placed over the blade and off to the cockpit.

 

Then the odds are set and the betting begins

 Thousands of pesos are bet every Sunday, and there is one fight after the other. Toward the end of the day, the dead roosters start piling up around the back side of the arena. In the Philippines, it is considered an honor to eat the loser.

 The looser is  de-feathered in boiling water the blade removed and returned to the gaffer and the bird becomes dinner.

Philippines the trip of a lifetime.

 DECLAIMER
Philippines the trip of a lifetime
FIRST lets establish one thing
The ASPCA does not exist there , never will and personally I'm not that much of an animal lover.
Dogs and cats are Rodents ,no better than rats, Cockfighting is legal , a big sport next to basketball and conducted in back alleys weekdays with major events on weekends.
Everything that you see is subject to be eaten for food.
Under these ground rules I will begin my story.
Please feel free to ask any questions about anything.

Poverty and Income

Work at 4am in the morning

There is complete harmony in a nation of complete poverty and the very rich, each one needs the other to survive.
You are responsible for your actions here in what you say and what you do, a good attitude and patience is a must. There is no such thins a insurance a social welfare system or legal system, as i said you are responsible for your actions or your family will suffer.
The people are very friendly enjoy live cherish what little they have and are among the hardest working culture that I have ever been exposed to. (and I have been around much of the world).
Its simple, No work No pay and this includes Saturdays and Sundays. The average salary for a person working is $7.00 dollars a day or about 350 peso.



8000 peso

On this table is 8000 peso , about $200.00 dollars American.
This is more money than the average worker makes an entire year.
Communication
We in the US live on the Internet, Thinking this was the case throughout the entire trip, i prepped the cellphones and any other device for communication that was available. It came immediately apparent that this is going to be a problem when I boarded the Airplane in Burlington VT and had no communication anymore. In NY JFK if you want Internet you have to pay for it and get sucked into a six month contract with some carrier that you will never use again, so no Internet. Transportation from one terminal to the other was quite easy after you pay $10.00 for 2 smart carts that can be used throughout the terminals. However on the way back ,we discovered the trains were not running so all 5 pieces of luggage as well as hand carry had to be loaded onto a buss for transportation to terminal 5, in the cold with improper clothing. with the train everything is indoor so no environment to deal with . With the bus this is not the case .



The wait



The plane







Overpriced water that no one wants

Its a long flight




Decent meals,lots of drinks

The sun never sets over the North Pole



40,000 ft and -55deg f

The only place my camera mount would stick, but then the touch screen would not work




Tracking the trip was fun
14hrs in one spot is difficult for even the best of us. The accommodations are comfortable with plenty of legroom, decent meals,lots of movies and you can get around and walk as you with, There is a bar on board, duty free purchase . Pleasant service , something i found throughout the entire trip and something we in the US really have to learn, We are so self centered with a ME attitude, We forget about the people around us in our daily contact.This was very apparent the minute we landed in Inchon Korea.


Inchon Korea. Courtesy and Greeting
From this point forward throughout the entire trip I was greeted as SIR and Joy as MAM by anyone you came in contact with. The airport terminal is spotless, the employees are all very young and in uniform to serve you.
Departing the international flight and a connection meant another security check. Not as annoying as the US, much more pleasant . Just don't buy expensive water because you will just have to throw it into the waste basket. Here is were the entire family group met up throughout the entire US I estimate about 35 family members all bound for Cebu Philippines on the last 4 hr leg of the flight. It turned out to be quite a party flight seeing relatives that you have not seen in quite some time.


Nice shops

High end merchandise




Open bar 




A 58,700 bill



Hamburger and coke delivered to your table on a porcelain planter



Your menue

more shopping

Exhausted and a flight delay I slept solid on a tile floor on gate 28, Here is were the party kicked into high gear. Everyone that is going to this event has to meet here for the connecting flight, about 30 relatives, from NJ NY VT Chicago Tennessee and Idaho Toronto Canada, Soal, Korea. MY god let the party begin.This was supposed to be a 7:30 departure that didn't board until 21:00 for a 4 hour flight in at midnight.On this short Int flight The air con was minimal during a 2 hour ground delay on the taxi way for of all things deicing, shit Its still cold outside.Joy fell asleep, woke up and asked how much longer damn we haven't even left yet ,go back to sleep,.
Lost FYI again.


A hamburger purchase
We have now traveled half way around the world from  BTV at 06:00 on Wed and arrived in Cebu 24:00 Saturday morning , passed through the international date line ,Lost Friday altogether and Never saw night because we flew over the north pole at 40000 feet , quite a site to see the aurora borialis at that height.After our departure out of Korea about 15 min into the flight my seat monitor crapped out. I need some sleep.
The Philippines A third world nation, My home for the next 3 weeks.


As an American you cant hide among these people, first you are about 1 foot taller than everyone there, overweight, and no tan. The best you can do is accept that you are a tourist, get out the camera, and buy a big hat so you can be seen. The people love to have their picture taken.
I was fortunate to have with me a member of my family ,JASON who became my shadow and my best friend.
 He stayed with us all the time while there , Slept on the living room floor ,arranged for laundry and transportation or anything I wanted. Joy also had a personal person that stuck with her throughout the entire trip. This personal assistance allowed me to go places that no average tourist would ever dare to go by themselves.
 For Joy it was not too much of a problem but still it was very comforting to know that the word was out in the community of Car Car ,I was a family member visiting from the US and off limits to any and all questionable activity unless personally requested something  through Jason (I did During the cockfight),.
 Everyone warned me about the possibility of getting jumped and taken advantage of, this was not the case ever during my time there. I felt very comfortable and was allowed to go into places by myself that you would not think of. The word was out, I was a guest and was greeted everywhere i went  by my first name OVA as the visitor from the US of the Bargayo family.
 Seems the name has clout in town.
Everything is word of mouth, there is no postal service at all,  no street signs to guide you, no GPS to find things, no Internet, unless on a new bus to Cebu , an Internet cafe, 20 peso for 1 hr, or private home so moving information and legal documents is done by carrier . Seems everyone knows someone else, or is a cousin of the family. What a beautiful way to live.


This is a CATHOLIC nation, no separation of church and state. Very important to remember


Our accommodations 
 Welcome to Cebu  Immigration  was very slow but that seems to be the standard here people are in no hurry and quite pleasant customs was non existent but one piece of luggage did get torn open but nothing lost.
Philippine customs and immigration was simple and strait forward but we have been in transit now over 20 hrs and even a small delay gets to be a bit testy. Its 12 midnight and it took another 2 hrs to get through these two governmental entities. Nothing goes with any kind of urgency here.
Its now 3am and we finally get outside into some warm and wet climate. We say hello to all the relatives that came to greet us along with a big welcome sign. Then off to our first nights stay.

Saturday Jan 11 
We stayed at "St Gregory the Great" a Retirement home for Priests and Nuns . This arrangement was bade by one of our other travelers and was quite pleasant, This is also were we had our family photo shoot and a big party afterword a few days later, just before the wedding. I'm surprised that we could even do this in that type of accommodation. A bit conservative for this group but after last nights party .It was a good reprieve. Just like a hotel but with services thrown in. Anyway we got a real good rest in before continuing on the the private residents of  Dindo the groom and stepping things up a notch in the party category, red horse, gin beam, Jack Daniels  a good basketball game and Gatorade shots, all night long good food. Warm weather 78+ deg and light rain Sure beats snow Cell Phones wont work and were turned off for fear of roaming charges. Again No FYI. At this point I started hand writing everything.

Our first house,

The wrong one
This was a real nice accommodations, but the wrong house. Seems there was a miss communication between my two brother in-laws and both contracted for a different home for us to stay in while there. The other home was only 2 houses further down. We stayed in the upper right condo for 2 days before discovering this was the wrong place. Of course we had to make amends to the landlord payed him for the two days and then moved to our new accommodations. End of problem right , Wrong. A group of young adults, i think seven,  were staying at my Mother in laws home. Its like a halfway house there right now. Funds are tight but they chose that over our accommodations . We could have taken them all in but my mother in law was so happy she had a full house of young adults you could not deny that pleasure.
Their plan was to go to Cebu , separate from the rest of the group and go zip lining ,which they did. Before leaving showers and cleanup was in order , thinking that the wrong home was the right home ,they just crashed in ,made themselves at home .Got cleaned up and left. The landlord never knew. I'm sure that this got out into the community and restitution had to be made by my brothers to the landlord for the mix up. Could you imaging doing this in the US you would be in Jail. Here a small compensation and thank you for your service is fine. Like I said earlier "You are responsible for your actions"

Sunday church service and first buffet complements of Love and Jim along with James

One of the interesting things about a food service of any kind is that all are welcome ,so for the poor who have limited resources the was a smorgasbord that everyone could attend.

From this point the family split up to visit all of their respective relatives  and reunited at Eppys surprise birthday party. OH There is another formal dinner in between in a private club in Cebu

Medical Issues
Yes we had them ,mostly  the runs due to water  and in one case Tim got real sick after a beer party.
 We had with us two medical doctors and  many nurses so we were all in good hands for anything that would and did come along.
Another party]

Some reflection, 
The less you have here the happier you are ,that seems to be the culture here. As you will experience in the photos The people here will never change to conform to our way of living ,not for many generations.
So on the communication dilemma, we purchased some cheep card phones with a month of service. I'm not using mine because i did get Joys phone to work.
 For you smokers in the USA , cigarettes are sold by street vendors by individual cigarettes ,they are called sticks 2 peso each to anyone any age.
. I think I'm still typing on Saturday so the afternoon was spent at  the grooms home , gated of course with servants. Just ask and you shall receive. Even the laundry is picked up no mater where we are it disappears and comes back clean pressed and clean.
Bummer, I'm on a public access system and it times out every 30 min  I have to start my long entry all over again


With Sunday service over and good food eaten ,we set off to see the town in a van provided us by family members.

Transportation is not easy. Ill talk about that a bit later.


Bahay-na-Tisa

http://traveleronfoot.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/bahay-na-tisa-of-carcar/
The pictures don't do this house justice  It is really beautiful inside. The only drawback I saw was that the first floor was flooded with about 3 inches of water due to the heavy amount of rain . This was not a problem, some shipping pallets were laid down ,whatever was down there got picked up off the floor and all is well.

The City of Car Car is a  beautiful Gem in the rough.
The city of Carcar in Cebu is known to many as “The Heritage Town of Cebu

The Heritage City of Cebu. Carcar City is home to various Spanish to American period structures. The Carcar plaza alone hosts several Heritage structures, the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria dominates the area.

Within the complex various structures stand. Walking towards Sta. Catalina street one will surely be astonished with the quaint houses and their distinctive architectural details.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/40109-national-heritage-zone-carcar-cebu

This city is poor compared to Cebu but for all its disadvantages it is vibrant and very active. The people are just wonderful and friendly. Everyone is just trying to make a living anyway they can, right down to the smallest child.
I really enjoyed my street photos . They tell a story all their own.

The children of the street will sell you candles at 2 peso for offerings

 The candles are then placed on this screen and burnt off. The wax melts down on to a pan below and is then recycled into new candles to be sold again.

 May vendors just sleep in their transportation

 This is the local fire truck, the only one. If there is a fire like we had several years ago there is no hope.

 The town roundabout is a historical landmark and off limits to all. This is highly respected , not trashed and kept clean by the residents

 The streets Of Car Car
DRIVING is interesting , there are no road rules ,no traffic lite on the weekend they are turned off but no accidents or dented fenders. You are responsible for your actions and words. This is the proper way to live. So lets turn off all the tragic lite in NY on weekends and see how well we do.
 As an American visitor it is accepted that you are rich and wealthy. Possession here is a status symbol  but all is fully shared.

 The streets Of Car Car

The streets Of Car Car Its raining and wet but warm.

Today is Sunday ,The day of the dead.
Seems the party is at the cemetery.

January is festival month throughout Cebu
"The "senyor" in the greeting refers, of course, to the Santo Niño, the Holy Child. The complete title is actually Señor Santo Niño de Cebu. "Señor" here is being used as a title of respect."

I will be the first to admit this for me was a bit unusual, but to the residents of this community its a festive time for them.

Welcome to the Dead End Store

This is just a fun establishment and in no way reflects the activities in real live

Local business men

For some reason i could not rotate this photo

The dog is not a pet ,its competing for food with the child

Whats real is this

No mater the weather everyone waits to make 20 peso for a ride to somewhere

Children earn pesos to clean the crypts

The entrance

Just waiting in the rain for people like me

Transportation after a funeral

Sunday funerals are done by foot ,everyone walks. When its over they all jump onto whatever can take them back into town

The tarp in the background had water in it. As the truck drove under it someone pushed the tarp up and everyone got wet. The result was great laughter for all

rodent

This little girl Just caught my fancy

For the love of a child

The crips

There is not much space for the dead here. Each family has a plot so as each generation passes on the previous person is moved out ,placed in a earn and displayed within the family plot and the next generation takes their place.

Street people

The emotion in their faces under the living conditions cant be expressed here in the US

The Bargayo visit for a Sunday afternoon

 

Lunch

Scavenger

 

 

 

A small payoff

The ride

Mother and Daughter

Jason and Michel

I like this photo of Michel but its out of focus and unusable

Sister and Brother, who needs to make amends

One very happy Mother

Not quite the dead end

So on to the next adventure. One of the nice things about this trip is I never know what is going to happen next. My only request was that we not sit around and do nothing. Thank you all for granting me that.

Bench seats

Our ride

This group is returning from a funeral, its raining heavy

The streets

Housing

These three items saved my butt for electronics. I gave the small meter to Jason when i was done with it

This is for Tim Who absolutely hates spiders

_________________________________________________________________________________

Our next big adventure was a family photo session done by a professional photographer back at St Gregory the Great With a wonderful buffet meal that evening.
Thank you Mio for making that happen for all of us.

Just a note to my family and friends. I've been taking pictures since 1980 this makes me somewhat of a semi pro who screws up a lot. You will notice I have no formal photos of this event, as well as the wedding event. This is because i have a standing rule for myself that I not interfere in any way with the photographer who is being paid to do his/her job, its hard enough as it is.
So please if you have formal photos I would love to have access to them for this project.
Thanks

 

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Its Monday The day of the wedding

Its makeup tome and a small bachelor session At the http://www.radissonblu.com/
.Radisson Blue hotel Cebu
Its only 10 am and we are already drinking . This is going to be a fun day.
Again the photography was done professionally  at the wedding and reception. Wait until you see that.
 Ive got some side shots

 First sorry for the blue temperature hue My photo screw up I'm not going to do color correction in Photo shop until later. Besides at this point we were already half in the bag and its not even noon yet.

 So Two of the things needed doing before the wedding was a proper shirt and a haircut.
Lets talk about the shirt that just never seemed to stay in one place.
Off we go Saturday morning to buy me a shirt at the Mall in Cebu . Going to the mall here is just not the same as at home . Winding streets heavy traffic and when you finally get there

 Security. and My shirt

 Security in the parking lot before you park there is a mirror inspection and trunk inspection even before you park your car.
A security check at the main entrance of the mall through a metal detector. For all this it was not intrusive at all very cursory inspections even with my backpack. I kind of like this procedure. It was done  by young people who were very happy to have the job. This process employs many people  and is quite effective. They are dressed in a clean tailored white shits ,name tag formal badge a weapons belt , empty holster such as we use in the US but no weapon of any kind. There is a first aid pack attached .
You will find them at all entrances as well as the bottom ant tops of escalators. always willing to help anyone in need.
 The second type of security revolves around Banks and ATM machines here you have a guard assigned with a shotgun. For me this was a bit intimidating at first but as time went on it was just part of the overall decor  and nice to know that you can go to any ATM and not be concerned about what is behind you.
I got to likening their security policy. Its proper and employs many people.
Buying a shirt, or for that matter any purchase is a pleasure,
Entering a store in the mall , (past a security guard of course) you are greeted by several sales representatives  in a formal uniform who always address you as MAM or SIR . Asks what you are looking for and then stays with you throughout the purchase of the item. For me the shirt was a problem because i am a large person. Our sales rep went out of the way to get the right size for us from the back ,had me try it on right there on the floor and then hand carried it for us to the checkout were he then took care of the cash transaction packaging of the shirt. All by the same person . Well done Thank you
We in the US could learn a lot about customer service from these people. Again there are so many ,at least 4 per section always straitening and fixing something, its a wonderful way to get max employment for the economy.
 So off we go with the shirt. Through front door security no problem a check of the sales slip which is attached to the outside , and all is fine.
Well the next day comes around, Where is the shirt for the wedding, gone, we don't know where . I suspect we left it in the vehicle that was used for the trip and forgot it. Bummer the shirt was actually quite expensive by Philippine standards and it just took a walk.
Off to the store we go again the next day just before the wedding to go through the hole process again for another shirt .Done finished all is fine .I liked the shirt, used it, but i don't own it.
Seems it went out with the laundry to be cleaned several days later and never came back.
 I do look good in it at the wedding.
A note when shopping here , there is no return policy or refund policy. You buy it ,you own it, no matter what. Another item we should adopt here .Maybe we will think more about how we spend our hard earned cash.

 The haircut
Joy said I need a haircut, thinking is was just one of those US style wham bam thanks a lot cuts i said no. Dindo said, Uwe come with me ,you will like it. He was right. When you are in a foreign country even a simple haircut can be an experience.
As I have said, leave your American attitude and ideals at home. They do not belong in the Philippines.
On Monday I went out and got a Filipino haircut. He puts a US barber to shame. First relax in a nice chair, your barber speaks both English and Tagalog. First a hot towel, then a haircut with scissors and a comb, another hot towel treatment, a shave, but a dry shave with very sharp straight razor one section at a time. This is followed up with another hot towel, a second shave, this time wet, when done, another hot towel, powdered down and then some really nice aftershave. Now a hot towel behind neck then a full facial massage. Total cost 200 peso, or $8 US, for the haircut that took almost one hour. I gave the barber at 300 peso tip 12 bucks, because this was the best shave and haircut ever.


The wedding was great and very beautiful. I cant wait to see the photos.
Well nothing ever goes right with this group without some sort of calamity, even at the church.
Dindo has this real cool souped up VW Bug that we used to cruse the neighborhood on Saturday
This was to be his ride to and from the church
Nicely polished all spiffy it arrives with a full accompaniment , Out he goes and the bug is valet parked just a bit down from the entrance.
The wedding is over ,we come out only to find that they have been locked out of the bug. Seems someone locked all the doors and left the key inside. Well in less than a minute there are guys around with coat hangers trying to help with a full course of breaking and entry into the car.
Seems They did get in. I couldn't hang around because my ride to the reception was leaving .

The monkey in the tour bus
During this day we had available to us one of those 20 passenger tour buses to get everyone around. Air conditioned ,clean white, unmarked, When you drive through the streets of Cebu in one of these it is definitely an attention grabber . Who are these people anyway, American tourists with cameras what else.
Never the less the people were very friendly and not at all disenfranchised about our mode of transportation. We were the monkeys in the bus.
I was with Joy in a private car just ahead of the other group heading for the prescription at the

Maribago Blue Lagoon - Lapu Lapu City, Cebu - Foursquare

located on the island of  Lapu Lapu  just south of the airport.

At this point I would like to get a bit into the people that have to live here. I took these photos while stuck in tragic

Gas is very expensive 

A gated  private home 

Get Lost dog

School children going home

School children going home 

Your local store

Standard transportation

The streets

The streets

The streets

This man stood there for about 3 minutes while stuck in traffic

The streets

Still the same guy

School girl on her way home

The streets

The family

Housing

Play time

from the private car just in front of the tour bus. The trip took over an hour for less than 2 miles

most work is done in front of the house

Schools is out

the lumber mill

The streets

delivery

housing

Basketball a national sport

Government revitalization program

Quality transportation

shopping

a Koran restaurant Don't ask whats on the menu

Stepping through a ditch left by a work crew while widening the street

I thought this was interesting totally out of place

living

I liked this old gate

Total and complete poverty right next to a very expensive resort

Welcome to the Blue Lagoon Were the reception was held and we stayed for two knights , full meals and all amenities.
Whats interesting is that at this resort you can tip your service providers. The one we went after for our one day guest pass complements of the local Mayor and coronal  ,if you tipped the employee he or she could loose their job. Something they all highly cherish.
Here is the only time I got to take some quality photos. I got up at 0400 in the morning took the tripod and went out to the lagoon to take these photos . By 0700 i was done and went to breakfast.

our room

the bar

high end photos

high end photos

My favorite taken at about 0430am 15 sec exposure

high end photos

high end photos

Not different exposure different times

high end photos

high end photos

high end photos

high end photos

looking for starfish

the hermit crab would not come out

merge the next three pics 1

2

3

breakfast

tide is out

sea erchants

bill for the first day

good food

This was definitely 2 days of high end living.The two days are over and we take up an invitation to stay for a day pass at Plantation Bay also a nice high end playground were everyone had a blast.
What constantly comes back throughout the different locations that we visit is the quality and service that you receive no matter where you go.


Plantation Bay
http://plantationbay.com/
This is the resort were no tipping is allowed . We were the guest of the Local Mayor
We were served a wonderful lunch and while waiting we observed the proper way to set up a guest table. It takes 4 employees and a level.

test

We were guests for lunch

The work

the level

the table

our waitress

Plantation Bay was definitely a fun water park day the weather was great.Most of these pictures were overexposed so I spent the morning photo editing them.

 

 

  

The resort reserved a room for us all so we could get all get cleaned up for our next destination
A private club in Cebu for a semi formal dinner party complements of Arnald. We had the privilege of large private buss transportation from the plantation to the club.  Here is the monkey in the buss adventure again We have been club jumping after the wedding for 3 days now so everyone is living out of their suitcase. All these had to go into the bus as well as the entire group. The club in Cebu would not allow us to stage all this luggage in their lobby, so what to do?Joy and I got the driver to take us to Zenidas home on the other side of town way up in the hills. I still don't know how this driver made it through those narrow streets in that large bus, but he did. All the luggage was dropped off, lots of it . We thanked him (properly) and off he went back to Plantation Bay. It was definitely a long day for him. Zenida then drove us to the second party. Another long day well passed midnight before all was over
These are some of the street pictures from Plantation Bay back across the bridge and into Cebu

School is out

This is the school bus for those that can afford

nothing is easy here

This is the primary mode of transportation throughout the islands

A hole family

Grain store

I Think this was a welding shop

Im not sure what is going on here

food

Construction

Each person pays 20 peso the more the cheaper

watermelon delivery

bicycle repair station

Look Joy TJ MAX

moving commerce

across the bay back into Cebu City

Recycled paper

Refrigeration in motion

January sale

Side streets are always interesting

Phone service

Street workers the polution is so strong this is how they work around it

Sheetrock delivery

recycling

The only car accident i saw  while there. Financial restitution will be made on the spot. There is no insurance.

Delivery

police department

school is out

school is out

school is out

Its common to see the entire family on one bicycle. I really don't know how they do it

Transportation is very simple and basic

streets

streets

Balot at first I thought this is how they vote

streets the barber shop

streets produce

streets grains

streets welding

streets BB-q

construction

watermelon

recycling

This is the only car accident i saw the entire time there. restitution is made on the spot. There is no insurance

These vendors are selling memorial plates, but they are only samples. If you choose to buy one, you pick a style and pick it up the next day.

The key here is that the letters are removable and they put your plate together by stealing the letters off other ones in the cemetery to assemble your purchase. Eventually yours will get recycled also.

competition for food

Street streamers for the fiesta this weekend

bike shop

A strip club Joy wouldn't let me go

across the street from the club

im not sure what the function of the ladder is

this trash will be picked up by someone and reused. Its in the middle of the street.

These two pictures stand out for me

This is in downtown Cebu

your electrical grid But everything works

note security guard with no gun. This is common here. This seems to be the only street argument i saw in 2 weeks there

everything is swept and cleaned up for recycle, even the dust in the street

Our next party spot

Zenys house Was our halfway house for the entire group no mater where each group went. If things got late,or the schedule had conflicts, someone was sick or not feeling well . This was the stop off place to recoup and reorganize.



Our new house in Car Car
Finally after almost one week we where into the house that was originally rented by us.
The place was owned by a very nice older lady who had an absolute eye for decor and design. The place was really  beautiful and a pleasure to stay in throughout our visit Hot cold water 2 baths and lots of room to spread out and get comfortable. It was just on the other side of the old location right next to some bridge construction for widening of the road. The landlord said she would loose part of her front yard to the wider road. This seemed a bit sad but did not seem to bother here all that much.

The entire home was ours for seventeen days . Total cost about $320.00 dollars US

 The flowers are in bloom

Well arranged

These are old railroad ties

Mill stones

coconut tree

We settled in .The house was about 2 miles north of the town of Car Car and within walking or a quick ride in a Pedicabs to Joys moms house, his brothers or to town. A nice location but next to a bridge construction site and heavily traveled road. This was OK .I really got to observe the daily routine of the average person living around the bridge.
Joy went out  the next morning into town for errands and I stayed behind. I set up a chair with my camera at the top of the steps ,just outside the gate and started to take pictures for about the next four hours.
The street is a beautiful place, the people are always smiling and the concept of hardship of any k

ind does not seem to be on their mind.

Transportation

Jeepneys

The jeep was a remnant from the World War II. Enterprising Filipinos saw the possibility of it being a mode of transportation and turned them into the new longer and colorful jeepneys that have become a Philippine icon. The most common mode of transport, jeepneys ply several routes around the country, especially those areas where bigger buses cannot serve. Jeepneys can be 10-seater or 14-seater. More than once the seats in the jeepneys are full of passengers. Still, always some new passenger will be added.

Sitting in a jeepney, your knees will unavoidable touch the knees of your neighbor. To get off at a particular location, you just tap your peso coin on the roof. The conductor will yell for the driver to stop. When you get out and eventually new passengers get in, one single word “Sigi” or Go of the conductor is enough for the driver to move on.

• Route travel can be seen on cardboards displayed on the jeepney’s windshield
• ‘BAYAD PO’ (BAYAD means fee or payment) – This is what you’ll say when you pay. If you are seating far from the driver, other passengers will pass your fee to the driver or fee collector (a person who usually sits in front).
• ‘PARA PO’ in Tagalog and Lugar lang in Visaya (PARA means to the side) – This is what you’ll say to the driver if you want the jeep to stop. It serves as a signal to the driver that you’re going to alight.

Remember:

• If you are not sure of the place you’re going, you can always tell the driver where he can drop you off. Tell him nicely the exact name of the place you’re going. Jeepney drivers know the routes very well and can help you with the directions.
• When inside the jeepney, it is important to be watchful of your things. Avoid using your cellphones, cameras, and other gadgets (especially expensive ones) that can catch the attention of snatchers/pick-pockets. They can be one of the passengers inside the jeepney or people in the street.

Pedicabs

Pedicab is a three wheeled bicycle with a covered rear seat for customers. Like a bicycle rickshaw, this form of transportation is powered by human pedals. This environment friendly type of transportation is very common in places with narrow streets

. This can be considered the silent version of tricycles, since bicycles are used, with a passenger cab attached to the side or in front.

As a driver, strong lower limbs and being healthy physically are very necessary. Driving pedicabs is one of toughest in the world. Pedicab drivers are exposed to the heat of the sun, dust, sweating a lot when it is a sunny day while wet and cold when heavy rain falls. Some call pedicabs as “padyak”, others call it “trikad” while in some areas in the country, they are called “tricycle”, “pot-pot”. This mode of transportation can carry one or three passengers at a time.

Tricycles

Most motorcycles in the Philippines are used for serving as a kind of taxi. Most known names for these means for transportation: Tricycles and motor-taxi’s both can be seen in many different forms and length. Tricycles in the Philippines resemble the auto rickshaws of India and the tuk-tuks of Thailand and other Asian countries, except that the cab is attached to the right side of the motorcycle instead of being in front or at the back.

Tricycles can be seen on the side streets and some subdivisions and normally used for short-distance travel. With the stronger horsepower of a motorcycle, the tricycles sometimes are hired to ferry people and merchandise from the market. Depending on the construction and discretion of the driver, the tricycle can ferry from 2 to about 7 people.

• If you are not sure of the place you’re going to, you can always tell the driver where he can drop you off. Tell him nicely the exact name of the place you’re going.
• You can ride tricycles together with other passengers, or you can ride it privately.
• You can also say ‘PARA PO’ if you want to get off.
• Tricycles are not allowed along highways like EDSA. but they do it anyway. There is no one to enforce this rule  They will only bring you to short-distance travel-areas.

room for one more

This is done rain or shine with no cover of any kind except maybe a plastic bag.
But then the weather is warm and a little rain never hurt anything.

Bridge Construction
I was fortunate enough to watch the construction site in action over several days while there.
The traffic flowed no mater what the situation There are no detours, cones equipment moves freely with the traffic and they worked on the project over the weekend .

The man in blue was the welder

trafic keeps moving

mixing concrete

yes everyone works 

30 kilo of rice

yes its raining

removing a mold plate from the concrete form

mixing concrete

pork to market

it was about lunch and this person was given something to eat. No lunch break here

water to market

Welding with no mask no gloves and in shorts

family walking home from shopping

the children are beautiful

team work

happy

they work in their bare feet

Among all the hard times you find a high and tour bus back to Cebu

a young woman adding water to the slurry

the welder

this young boy was waiting for a ride into town

Some advice that was given to us was, don't drink the water
I couldn't quite understand why at first, but now I do.I was given this bottle of water that was purchased at the grocery store and I could actually remove the secure cap off the top refill and put the cap back on so that the seal got never got broken.
When you buy water in the Philippines make sure it's a brand that you can trust and don't buy water from the young people on the street. Especially with Chinese writing