Lone Filipina Girl Playing a Xylophone – video

Lone Filipina Girl Playing a Xylophone
Lone Filipina Girl Playing a Xylophone

Brooke’s Point is a delight in peaceful travel

Early morning in Brooke’s Point is a quite time. Life starts the same as it does in the rest of the country, as dawn appears. But, it seems that bit slower here, than in the rest of the Philippines.

People don’t rush. There’s not much happening; so I guess there’s no point in rushing. As I once again tried to capture dawn in this old town I heard a sound that isn’t too common in my travels. The delicate lone metallic taping of a Xylophone. Rounding a corner I saw a lone Filipina girl sitting by the roadside playing just such an instrument.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqjd41YVvXA[/youtube]

(Video link for feed and email subscribers) The video starts a little shaky as I didn’t want to disturb her, so I was  recording from quite far away. Lot’s of Filipinos will get embarrassed and disappear off if you try to take candid photo’s or the like. I learned to just act as though nothing was special and try to walk by.

Wake up with the local people for dawn at Brookes Point

Dawn can bring about many special things in the Philippines. It’s one of the best times to see real life. The heat of the sun is still at bay,  the people are somehow more Filipino then. At least both I and they are not feeling so weary from the heat at that time. When searching for a place to live it’s important to experience a country, and a place at all time’s of the day or night. Each one bringing a different meaning and feeling. Different sights, smells, sounds and a very different environment to the rest of the day.

I know somewhere, someplace there’s a hostel packed with people out to see the world. But at the same time are nursing hangovers, clutching “the what to do today” section of their guidebooks and wondering where they can get a “proper breakfast“. And all that is fine – for them.

It’s not what I am out there doing. I don’t pretend to be an expert at what I am doing. If I was I would have found home a long time ago. But, one gentle side effect of my journey that I do appreciate is seeing local life as it really is. Not one person in Brooke’s Point has stuck their hand out asking for money, no one has given me that annoying V sign in photographs. And people really do seem to be more ‘untouched‘  here if that word can be understood without scrutiny.

It’s one of those things that has me shivering at the thought of going to anywhere else in South East Asia. Tourism enmasse. I may have to reconsider. Or maybe I’ve spent too much time sitting and writing in an old house in Brooke’s Point?! Time to move, I think.

Coming Soon:

Moving on from Brooke’s Point and ending up in prison – including a how to live overseas feature  “dealing with religion when you travel”

Liked this post?

Never miss a post!
  
* indicates required