Author: David Haldeman

At Lumgan on the Pagsanjan River and Laguna de Bay we had our first experience with the sturdy outrigger canoes called bancas. We beached our four bancas on an island. The boatmen cut the tops off coconuts using their bolo knives and we drank the juice and ate the soft meat with a piece of the husks to used as a spoon to scrape the soft meat out of the shell.

Friday, March 4

Our early morning trip took us to the Los Banos campus of the Philippine University at the foot of Mt. Makiling. The birders soon outdistanced the botanists as we lingered over unknown species, marveled at the tree ferns, and enjoyed erythrinium, spathyphyllums and acanthus in bloom.
We had a canoe ride up the Pagasanjan River to see the falls and the site of the movie set for “Apocryphal Now.” The river narrowed as we entered an area bounded by three-hundred foot high cliffs. We transferred to a half submerged bamboo raft and pulled ourselves around a cliff by a rope. The view into that cascading fury was worth the effort.
We spent the night at the Calirya Country Club, a resort on a man-made lake developed with philosophical and ecological ideals. Then we traveled to Lumban on the southeast coats of Laguna de Bay. Here we were invited into the home of the mayor where several women were embroidering ramie cloth held in two foot hoops. I bought one for 130 pesos and later at Dumaguete a local seamstress made me a blouse overnight.

On Thursday, March 3 we headed for the Gulad Sa Batuloa Nature Trail near Batuloa to meet the manager and naturalists who had laid out the trail. This was formerly the Zabel Hacienda and it will be developed to maintain the ecological balance.
While deep in the forest we heard a helicopter overhead and a little later we were joined by another group of men carrying rifles. The helicopter landed and a man in a printed shirt and dark red pants got out. I chatted with him about the vegetation. Then, to my surprise, Edgar told me that he was Tony Leviste, the governor of Batangas province. He invited us to have lunch with him at the Club House. We felt bedraggled walking there on the marble floors flanked by luxurious plantings and fountains. We were served in the open air dining room where a mobile of bird’s nest ferns planted in coconut husks hung from the high thatched ceiling.
Here I learned that I should have been taking malaria quinine pills for several weeks before coming to the Philippines. I was grateful to Stan and the Hinegartners who gave me some so I could take double doses.

Wednesday, March 2

We traveled in a fourteen passenger Manila Tours bus into the countryside headed for Catatagan and the Punta Buluarte Resort. It was a new world. Cariboa–domesticated water buffalo—pulled plows to cultivate rice paddies. Pineapple, coffee, papaya, banana, and coconut palms were all growing together in the fertile volcanic soil. Our driver honked to clear the road of people, pigs, and chickens. We passed fields of gerbera daisies and stands selling bananas and watermelon. Men chopped weeds with bolos, women washed clothes along streams and spread them on bushes to dry. We learned to identify new birds– pied chats, Brahminy kites, yellow-vented bulbuls, pigmy swifts, striped cane grass warblers, European tree sparrows and Schach shrikes.
Punta Buluarte Resort is a part of the Elizades family estate situated high above Pagapas Bay. We stayed in cottages covered with bamboo and ate in the spacious dining hall with parquet floors and beamed ceilings. Mrs.Busser helped me select chicken timora—a stew with chicken, green payaya, green peppers and chili greens. .

We flew in a C -10 plane on a 15 hour flight and arrived in Manila on Tuesday morning. Alicia Busser met us at the airport and it was with her husband Bill’s contact with the U.S. State Department that we were able to visit unusual areas on four of the Philippine Islands.
Our headquarters was the luxurious Philippine Village Hotel near the airport. It was a haven after the noise of the streets filled with taxis and jeepneys (small busses) and motorcycles. Here we met our Philippine escorts Edgar Buensuceso, Director of the Philippine Airlines Travel Information Center and Pedro Gonzales, Chief of the Zoology Department of the National Museum.

Monday, February 28, 1977
[No entry]
[Day lost in crossing the International Time Line during flight to Phillipines.]

Monday, February 28, 1977
[No entry]

Sunday February 27th 1977
Rosina died at 1 p.m. but I didn’t know it until March 12th.
To the Philippines. See “Trella’s Philippine Adventure”.

Saturday February 26th 1977
Ice gone in river and flood receding. Mary out 8 a.m. to get drinking water. Marion water taste so bad. Connie still off sick so Laura did wedding. Made copy of Carl Rieger’s tape for Historical Society. Priced odds-and-ends laying around and people bought them as soon as they were out. Lorraine Soulier in. Aida Concepcion in and we talked about Manila. Her son is in Far East Medical School there and it is her native city. Serviced a wedding at Emmanuel Lutheran. Real estate tax notices came. 4 properties total $688. Called Bernard Brooks- still optimistic but he realizes Rosina can’t live. To bed at 11.

Friday February 25th 1977 – 45 + 30
Ice jam in river. Interesting to watch logs and ice hit it. Snow nearly gone except where it had been piled up.
Got $200 more in traveler’s checques, a $12 calculator and hard candy for Filipino kids and a flashlight. Rosina in ICU.
To LK for supper and ran into Cecil and Phyllis Haycook and ate with them. Picked up Mary to go to Little Theater “Death of a Salesman”. Robert Rockwell, Rocky’s nephew there (at Mary and Rocky’s). His mother Mabel died and he is here for funeral. Play was dramatic and so well done Bob Babich and Norma Johnson. Lillian gave me hand wipes and Mary chocolate bars for my trip.