Balinsasayaw is the Tagalog (Filipino or Pinoy language) word for swiftlet bird’s nest soup. El Nido (roughly: “the nest”), where we are currently staying in the Philippines, is named in honor of these valuable little products. At one point they were the main industry and export of this beautiful part of Palawan Island. Now we have Bangka boats giving island hopping tours, local resorts and restaurants, you know tourism. And a half paved road from the capitol city of Puerto Princesa (eg the Airport) is the lifeline. The local kids play takraw (like hackey-sack on steroids) and badminton under the flickering streetlights on that very road. Meanwhile their parents crowd around a 20” TV or radio to listen to sports or watch old “shoot-em-up” commando movies. People seem genuinely happy and life is fairly simple at this point. The electricity and technology is useful for what it is, but only for part of the day. As far as I am concerned, thats the way that it should be.
Too bad there is no pause button for capitalism. We need something to freeze progress, when the good still outweighs the bad, before the rat-race takes over. Before the greed sets in and people start acquiring things simply for the pleasure of shopping or to outdo their neighbors. Or just to have more stuff. Just be thankful for what you’ve got and you will be all right. I can hear them paving the rest of the road right now and it makes me cringe. Here come the air-conditioned, high-speed, package tour buses. Next they’ll build the big all-inclusive resorts. And that’s the end.
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