DEL PILAR OUT REACH MISSION

It is always fun to get away from Manila and into the Province. This was one of those memorable times. Our Partner in University of the Northern Philippines invited us to go with them on an outreach mission to Del Pilar, a city up in the mountains to the south and east of Vigan.

We left Quezon City and drove to Vigan on Monday, April 20, arriving in the late evening. It is about a 9 hour drive. There is a stretch of tollway for about half of the way, and then it is all driving through the cities. When you factor in the people who park in the lane (they put on their flashers, so that makes it okay), the rice drying in your lane, the tarp awning that is spread out into your lane and the narrow street and the scary driving, and it takes quite a while. We left the office later than we planned, things kept popping up, and it was dark when we arrived. I tried a new hotel. It was very nice with lots of atmosphere. 

The thing is, you can just barely see the stair but it was this long and very steep stair case to get into the hotel and then. . . .

. . .another steep stair case up to the room. But at least we were getting our exercise.

  We joined the University staff the next morning at 4:30, and headed out. This was a medical mission so there were lots of nurses, a couple of dentists and a doctor. They even took a supply of medicines. We took our own van as far as Candon, so we could head home from there on our return. We drove south to Candon city, met the drivers from Del Pilar and transferred into their trucks. Why didn't we drive to Del Pilar?

And that is why we didn't take the van!

But jeepneys took the run. I saw a jeepney unload that was even packed on top. Little kids came peeling off the top. My mom's heart almost stopped

We made it!

But the city was surprising. How did they get all this building material so far up in the hills? Then I found there is another much longer route but easier route coming up from the south. 

I did mention that the Spanish influence is very strong here. Every small city, called a Barangay has one of these wonder covered pavilions. They play sports. Lots of basketball and women's volleyball. They also host lots of community programs, and in this case wheelchairs assessment and distribution.

This was a medical mission so lots of people came for lots of reasons. We even saw three teeth pulled. The preferred method for a filling a cavity.

 But our part on the program was the fitting of wheelchairs.

Sadly, on the bumpy ride home my ipad fell out of my bag. Now I have to figure out how to put my programs, audio books and the like, onto a new ipad.