Exciting past several days. Toured an eco house in Cebu that was breath taking. All electricity was self produced, food was produced in a very small area (of course, you had to put up with chickens, ducks, goats, etc. and lots of plants.) The materials were mostly salvaged from the land fill and managed with lots of creativity. Amazing. Some pictures will appear magically here soon.

We left Cebu and arrived in General Santos City, on another island, but our bags didn't. Well, fiddle. But as Tiffanie points out, don't sweat cause ya can't change it. So we went to a Valentines party in our travel clothes. Just another day on the road. The welcoming party had a 20 foot banner announcing our arrival. Goodness! The warmth of the welcome was bigger than the banner. What lovely people. We had a meeting with the mayor. Dynamic woman. Quick witted. Looks about 22, isn't . covered lots of topics. Poverty, lives of children, education, food production. Interesting half hour.

Today was a day of work and visitation. Visited the Mindanao U. Dept of Fisheries, including their lab ponds. The work is training the students in aquaculture, fish processing and marketing. Looks like the goal is to create entrepreneurs whose goal will be to help feed the nation. Visited a Rotary project (in a hurry) where mangrove trees were planted to help with food, water and erosion. Saw a museum tracing the life of General Santos. Made the name make sense to this poor ol American mind.

Managed a home visit with "Manny" Pacquiam (sp) pro boxer that won 8 titles in different weight classes. Nice guy. My host had taught him how to scuba dive. What a trip. Celebrity comes with a cost.

One of our members visited a school. The kids were, apparently wonderful. Learning materials were very short. There is a need for ''story books." Something to think about. The mind is starting to run over with information. The trip is a challenge but great fun and a terrific experience. The hospitality of the people is overwhelming.