Davao, Philippines: After a week in Manila, I flew down to Mindanao, specifically the city of Davao - home of Mt. Apo, the Filipino Eagle and large amounts of durian (I was willing to try again, but thankfully the opportunity never came). I joined Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Peace and Reconciliation team just as they were focusing on documenting and reports. This was good timing because it allowed me to be useful - I spent the next few days editing newsletter articles. One of my favorites was about a "peacebuilding soldier," an army general who has been conducting "Culture of Peace" workshops (see UNESCO as well as CRS) with his men. Timing also allowed me to sit in on a gathering of Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute alumni - thus learning about their work and gathering invitations.

Night out in Manila: 1) Let me introduce Aldean's boyhood buddies, Assad and Hussein 2)Yes, we rented side-car bicycles and yes, I'm wearing glow in the dark moons; what you don't know is that we weren't allowed to take them out of the parking lot - so we, and the other children, chased each other in a circle lined with food and toy stalls 3) Jumbo Kingdom, the restaurant that we visited because of its view of Manila Bay 4) The bar was closing but Aldean convinced the staff to let us stay and sing karioke for a half hour 5) The YMCA, of course 6)Prime example of the Filipino obsession with text messaging 7) Still, singing YMCA 8)9)And dancing... the bar is empty and closing, but why not? 10) No evening out is complete without squid balls from a street vendor 11) how do you spell velosoraptor?

Manila, Philippines: 1)Aldean took me to the Asian Development Bank headquarters - very impressive building - to enjoy subsidized lunch! 2)He also gave me a tour of his alma mater, University of the Philippines 3)This was my home for the week - the YMCA-Makati 4)Jeepneys! a very cool and colorful form of public transportation; cheap and easy - as long as you know where you're going (yes, I got lost several times, and often opted for taxis); really the jeepney is symbolic of many aspects of Filipino culture, I think; ask and I'll explain re: fares and stops 5)One of several churches in the old Spanish colonial walled city, Intramuros 6) Kin, friend of Aldean's friend's friend, my new friend and excellent tour guide, in front of the original location of his Jesuit university Ateneo 7)The most trash I've ever seen collected in a water canal