Lady boys and other Filipino tidbits

Here are a few points I wanted to share about the Philippines. I've been vagabonding through the country for 3 weeks now, here are my observations:
~Holy moley, there's a lot of lady boys here! I thought Thailand had an overflow of them, but the Philippines takes the cake. Oh sorry, for those that don't know what a "lady boy" is, it's a male that acts and dresses as a female. Some of them are slightly attractive with their slim, trim bodies, beautiful long, stick straight black hair and impeccable makeup. But as soon as they open their mouth, you realize they're a lady boy. The Adam's apple gives them away, too. Some do a horribly poor job at female impersonation. I'm almost embarrassed for them. They sway their hips awkwardly, wear orange lipstick and lack any hint of grace as they brush the hair from their face. BUT, I do give them a lot of credit for being who they want to be. 

Basketball, a favorite Filipino pastime

I had the pleasure of dealing with a moody lady boy at the reception of one of the hotels I stayed at. What a nightmare. When I asked him what his name was, he responded "Miss Arnell", with a funny lisp. I sputtered, "wait, did you just say..... Oh, never mind". He was dressed as a male, however. I think he enjoyed making my life miserable. Any little thing he could find to inconvenience me, he did. I'll warn you: Dealing with a sassy lady boy is way worse than dealing with a bitchy female. 
One night on the island of Panglao, me and Eva (my Lithuanian sidekick) decided to check out the local club scene. After eating a scrumptious meal on the beach, we kidnapped our dive instructor, Denec, and asked him to show us the nightlife of Panglao. He suggested we go to the local club. While we were there, we met 2 lady boys, Samantha and Jo. We snickered as we watched them sashay around the club and confidently flirt with all the boys. Samantha was skinnier than a starving cat in Ethiopia, but surprisingly, she had boobs. 

She was very open about her transgender, so I asked her how she managed to grow her own ta-ta's. She explained that she takes a monthly hormonal injection which comes from Thailand (lady boy capital of the world), and it costs 500 pesos (about $11). She said she saves all month for it. It made me sad to think that $11 was so little to me, but so much to the locals. This was obviously something that was very important to her. 
Samantha had this woman thing down pat. I was mesmerized as I watched her flaunt herself proudly. Talking to her was just like talking with one of my girlfriends. These 2 "girls" were a riot! We danced together on the dance floor to the tune of upbeat American songs as we drank $1 beers.There were even stray dogs wagging their tails happily on the dance floor with us. Only in the Philippines....

Left to right: Jo, Eva, Samantha, Brazilian guy, Denec

Everyone was so friendly and sweet. This was such a great local experience. I felt like I created a stronger bond with the country and really fell in love with it at that point. We got to know Denec a little better and discovered he was a genuinely good guy. Very charming and real. Filipino style :)
~Ok, observation #2. Everywhere I look, I see a young, beautiful Filipino girl with an old, fat, white man. It's actually disturbing. I'm not sure if there's a website where they find these beauties, but it seems like almost every single grandpa has himself a pretty Filipino gal. She daintily holds the rough, white arm of her old man with her tiny brown hand. She hangs on him as they eat at expensive seafood restaurants and shop for new dresses. It's a win-win situation. He gets a gorgeous girl, she gets money. I still think it's disgusting. 

~On to a more pleasant topic.... bakeries! Filipinos love their baked goods. The streets are lined with bakeries, displaying their tantalizing cookies, breads and rolls in the glass cases. I've become addicted to the delectable coconut bread. 

Coconut bread.... delish

~The Philippines are pretty Americanized. American music flows through the air everywhere I go. Almost everyone speaks English, which makes things much easier. But sometimes I prefer the challenge of a language barrier. It spices things up a bit. Call me crazy, but traveling in third world countries has become almost effortless for me at this point, so I appreciate a challenge every once in a while. 
~Filipinos use the word "ma'am", after almost every sentence. "Need a tricycle, ma'am? Good price, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am. Yes, ma'am." But with their accents, it sounds like they're saying "mom". The first time I was addressed as "mom", it caught me off guard. I thought, "They just called me mom, that's strange. Guess that's what they do in the Philippines." Now, I know better. Sometimes I joke with them. "No thanks, dad", I reply. They always laugh at this. 

Watermelon juice, I'm going to miss this....

I write this blog on my last day in the Philippines and I get the feeling that I don't want to leave. The last 3 weeks felt more like 3 days. I would have probably spent more time here if it wasn't for my 3 week visa expiring.  The longer I spend here, the more I love the place. This is mainly due to it's residents. Filipinos have warmed my heart with their kindness and charm and never fail to squeeze a giggle out of me. They are real, and I'm definitely a fan of real people. 
Maybe it's because I'm at the end of my round-the-world trip, but traveling through the Philippines has been quite facile. I've had an absolute blast and rarely felt frustrated or stressed. I definitely needed this vacation after my vacation!