I wanted a "banca".  I get these fanciful ideas sometimes and I take them seriously because they result in the most interesting experiences.  Bancas are the traditional Filipino outrigger boats.  I assumed there must be a fishing village somewhere south of Manila where I could rent or buy one for little weekend adventures.

My fishing village was hardly idyllic.  Basically, it was a squatters village of makeshift houses built on stilts over Manila Bay in Cavite about an hour south of Manila.  The people were from the Visayas, the islands of Central Philippines.  They were very poor fishermen.

There were about 20 tiny houses joined together by bamboo walkways.  All the people were from the island of Samar and seemed to be related.  My presence was a source of great amusement.  The simple act of me walking on the bamboo walkways seemed to amaze them.  I guess they thought a foreigner would certainly slip through the cracks into the sea below.  I guess I did not  move with their cat-like grace, but there were no mishaps.

Lots of kids.  Whenever I am in a squatter settlement here, I am always struck by the fact the kids look like they are really happy.  Clearly money does not have much to do with it.  Sometimes I think I should take Mac and Maya out of this life of luxury here in our exclusive Makati village and let them grow up with the squatters.  Most of the kids seemed to be in school.  Some of the teenagers and young adults spoke very good English.

I did rent a banca -- a big 15 person one for about $7.  Probably a rip off, but I did not mind.  The people were so nice to me.  They invited me into their homes and laughed at their modest lifestyle.  The whole village accompanied me to the banca to see me off. 

The women seemed to be in-charge.  Three women, all related, two kids and one of their husbands accompanied me on my banca excursion.  Although their English was not great, they tried very hard to explain everything to me.

Frankly, the shallow waters around the village looked disgusting and smelled worse.  But these waters are apparently perfect for growing "tahong", a kind of mussel.  The men take bamboo rafts out into the water and sink 4 meter lengths of bamboo into the muck below.

After several weeks, mussels begin to grow on the bamboo and they harvest them.  They must be quite valuable, because all the tahong fields had little houses on stilts next to them with armed guards.

Well, the people in my Cavite fishing village were certainly nice, but life over Manila Bay hardly has the look and definitely not the smell of paradise.  I'm afraid that I am at least an airplane ride away from the fishing village of my dreams.  Do they have bancas in Bali?