Retiring to a tropical island...

...is all I imagined it to be

It has been a little over a month since I retired and just about one month since I have been here in the Philippines. I think I have found a good way to continue the Capn's Log so, here is the next installment.

It's been quiet...

...so far.  I have applied for a retirement visa (and hope to get it within the next week or three), ordered a car (and hope to get in within the next week or three!), started construction on the Guest Kubo (complete in the next month or three 😀 ), started the next village well project (next day or three) and I'm in the process of developing lesson plans for a Conversational French course I have been asked to teach at Liceo. Oh and I have been taking it easy too! Mind you, Vivian says she is already tired of ordering steel bar, cement, sand, gravel, coco lumber and plywood!

...but...

The Guest Kubo...

...in Banana Grove is under way - although we've had to remove some of the bananas to make some space. I'm really looking forward to the result of this.

Foundation Work

There's a fair amount of materials on the site - but it didn't get there on wheels. It was either hand carried or carabao "dragged"

Home Depot Delivery - Umabay Style

Actually, there is no Home Depot here. That lumber came from "somewhere up in the hills" and was hand sawn by a guy with a chain saw. He has an amazingly steady hand and a sharp eye.

The Man with the Chain Saw

The next village well...

...will be another open well. While there is less chance of good potable water from an open well, the well is cheaper to construct and requires almost zero maintenance. Even if the water is only good for bathing and laundry, it will still help. 

Keng Keng's father starts the next well

Out of all the hand pump wells, only our own is still functioning properly, so there's some maintenance to be done on the other wells around the village (and some research to do on how to make these pumps more durable). However, all of the other open wells are in good shape and providing water on a daily basis.

There's a lot going on but not a great deal to see at the moment. I'll update all the various projects as we go.

Have a great day!