A couple days to recuperate at Ian’s comfortable beachfront house on the shores of the South China Sea was just the tonic I needed. I had visited some posh hotels and resorts, but this was my first glimpse of gracious home life in the Philippines. For a few days, we did little more than chat, watch TV, and visit the beach while Ian’s staff tended to our every need.

Ian and his neighboring cousin Mario are well-known in the community, their mutual grandparents having lived in the nearby village of Aringay.  Aringay offered not much in the way of tourist amenity, not even a restaurant. Once again, the disparity between rich and poor was glaring, with some lovely homes standing next to ramshackle hovels. This time, however, we were hanging out with the well-to-do. Continue reading 12. Poor, Poorer, Poorest →