LIFE IN THE TROPICS WITH THE FILIPINOS | LIFE ON THE ISLAND OF MINDANAO PHILIPPINES | ISLAND LIFE

The road to a successful life is not always straight. For most of us, it is bumpy and disastrous. For now, we are just enjoying the adventures that road brings us.
Today we are traveling to the nearby city of Tagum. To get there, we need to ride a multicab. There are also minibuses and buses to the town.
The first stop is the Gaisano Mall.
We went straight to the supermarket. It's very big.
We bought some groceries and got back in the multicab to go to the market.
The market in Tagum is also big and the prices are cheaper than in Mako. There are lots of fruits and vegetables.
The ride home was a bit tiring because of the heat. But that's the reality for most Filipinos. Despite the hardships, Boria told that he is still glad that we were able to move to this amazing country.
Today is mom's birthday, so lunch will be special.
I made a salad, cut up some fruit and baked a sticky rice cake.
Our drinks are gin mixed with apple juice. We toasted to a wonderful life, happiness, health and wished mom more birthdays.
After lunch, Mom and boria walked up our street.
Mako is not a tourist spot, so people are often surprised when they see Boria and mama. They wave and smile at them.
MAMA: Nature in the Philippines fascinates and surprises at every turn. I love that it is perpetual summer here. The vegetables and fruits are different all year round. But I still can't get used to the fact that it's always warm here. I took my jacket from home and realized that it's just getting in the way.
I like the way Filipinos treat us. They are kind, they try to help.
Many people already know me at the market and in the store. They are always happy to see me.
I was shy to talk to them at first, but now we are like friends.
They explain to me several times if I don't understand something, or if I don't have to explain, they take me where I need to go.
They themselves are very shy when you take their picture. Especially the girls hide their faces and always laugh.
Our neighbors' boy often addresses his mother as "mama". It makes me so happy to hear that word here.
I was very afraid to come here, but now I feel good here because the children like it here. Only I miss my daughter, who lives in Russia. I wish she would come here.
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At the top of the hill is a big orange building. it's the Mako Municipal City Hall. From here you have a breathtaking view of Davao Bay.
Unfortunately, there is no basketball game today. There is a local dog meeting here.
Suddenly the calmness was broken by the shrill howl of a siren.
Sirens are heard all over Mako at certain times. Louie tells us that these sirens tell the time.
In anticipation of the holidays, people are installing lights here. This tunnel will be decorated with hundreds of glowing stars.
They return home in a great mood. My husband told that they will come back here again with me.
Life on the island is quiet and unhurried. But the Filipinos are not idle. Today they are pulling the pulp from the new crop of coconuts.
There are many coconut sprouts scattered around on the ground. The chickens are having a feast.
He brought some candy and handed it out to the kids.
When a ripe coconut breaks off from a palm tree, the bud of a future palm tree appears inside. It is like a precious pearl that is born in a seashell. The coconut embryo absorbs all the most valuable nutrients from the coconut water and pulp.
We continue to explore Mako. Near where they sell balut, Filipinos build holiday decorations out of bamboo. The highway is very dusty, so we turn off onto a small road. There are coconut palms growing along the side of the road.
Next to the fish ponds, we saw some bamboo houses. It's so quiet here.
Before we left, I didn't miss the opportunity to smell the flowers.
The chickens are getting ready for bed and are nestled comfortably in the coconut palms. We hurried home too. It gets dark quickly in the Philippines.
In the morning, we smelled smoke and Boria hurried to the barn.
Making coconut charcoal here today.
We are glad that there are many trees near the house. Sometimes some very beautiful birds come here, like this heron.
Our plants are growing every day. To find natural fertilizer husband and I went in search of a cow or carabao.
We were lucky: not far from home we spotted what we were looking for.
The light tunnel they saw with a few days ago is now complete.
Teenagers are playing basketball, so we decided to stick around for a while. The game looks professional. The players are wearing matching jerseys of their team. There is an announcer, a scorekeeper, referees and even a photographer.
For us, moving to the Philippines was one of the best decisions we've ever made. Life has been tough, but as long as we're together, we'll overcome anything. And we look forward to seeing what the future holds for us.