The impartial editor of this text says: This text is randomly merged from two texts Ju and I, errrrr Ju and Marten have written in the last few days. As both texts were meant to reach the respective group of frieds of one of the two, and as this group is partially the same anyway, we decided to just shuffle. Blue is Marten, green is Ju. Okay? It like that hardback issue of "the never ending story" or originally "Die Unendliche Geschichte" by Michael Ende, where the text was printed like that, depending if the action was set in Fantasia or the real world. You decide which is which at this point. Probably very few of you know what i am talking about, but i know my sister does. Schoenen gruss an dieser stelle.

Better late than never. Been planning to write you all dearest ones some lines for long time now. Feels good to sit and type.

Meus queridos brasileiros y vasta variedad de nacionalidades hispano-parlantes, this will go in English, for sheer practical reasons…

When i just arrived I had started writing you a letter with some first impressions here in this far east, hand written in my stylish german leather pocket notebook, a fine wedding present by the way. Then it was abandoned, but I’ll take it from there. You might feel you heard some of that before, all that being stunned at the natural beauty of this place, and not only from Marten’s notes, but I tell you, if you were here you would also go on about that...

So, i'm here, Baler. Took me some time to believe it. Specially when the first filipino i met was a guy called Archiebald Brillantes. Isn't that name coming directly from some Garcia Marquez story? He was the guy who attended me in the airport in Manila, as i had one piece of lost lugagge. I was treated so well didn't even have time to worry about that, turned out it was only my trolley and later it was delivered all the way to Baler –250 km but exhausting 7 hours by 4x4, if you're lucky. Archie was a good representative of his brothers and sisters: they have surreal names, broad smiles and amiable ways. Good start (later if i remember i could send you a list with the names of the fishermen we work with, the most curious mix of native, spanish and english).

Didn't see much of Manila (looked like Sampa from some angles), we shot off to Baler. I was anxious and curious to see it. About the road, all I can say is that it made me change my mind about my previous belief that "he who drives in Sao Paulo drives anywhere". Apart from that i was impressed to see a volcano for the first time, even from far away. They have this intriguing shape of an eruption on earth, all symmetrical. But more exciting was to get to Baler after crossing the stunning Sierra Madre that keeps the province of Aurora cut off from the world. The spot where Baler is located really knocks you off your feet: green palm trees everywhere, beach surrounded by mountains and smoothly ordered waves, pretty bridges over the rivers that cross town. Of course downtown is a bit hectic and hot, in other words has this feeling of chaotic urbanization so typical of the cities in the so called 3^rd world (i shouldn't use this unPC term, specially working with development, but it remains good for description...), but beauty still wins.

Work started intensively, especially because my boss was here for the first 2 days so we had a crazy schedule of meetings, visits, long talks. The first days i experienced some cramps in the stomach at the massive responsibility of leading a team already assembled and working, in a country I have no clue about, where they speak a distant language and the girls go swimming in their clothes (oh yes, a bikini is a very rare sight here, quite a downer). I had some sleepless nights and all, half dreaming of things like me driving a motorbike with no breaks to a place i had never been before, and basically worked, thought and talked about the project, missed Marten and you, and cursed the Spanish for having catholicized this country to an extent that girls coming out of the water in wet clothes are considered morally less harmful than a trivial bikini (and ain’t that a sexy image), as this simply prevented me from having a vitalizing swim alone in the deliciously warm pacific ocean. It’s a funny situation women face here, they’re emancipated enough to be politicians (the president is a lady) and have professional lives, still macho dominates; and being a girl alone around here is not easy at all, specially with western looks that don’t help going unnoticed. It makes you smile when the kids wave at you and call out “hey joe” and laugh, but it's not so nice when you just want to have an anonymous meal reading a book.

Then Marten arrived, we found a lovely house with a nest of golondrinas (andorinhas, swallows), the project started to flow more smoothly as I got to know the team and the whole set up better – still loads of work and good share of stress but more inspiration and less cramps – there were some waves around, we bought a motorbike whose name is “hey joe” and went snorkeling and swimming in bikinis (with my beloved man around feels less exposed, still we look for the empty places, which is not so difficult). Some amazing snorkeling around here, unbelievably colorful. A welcome change of mood, even though the initial days also had their share of magic.

Our house is formidable. We share it with the kids of the project (a really cool crew by the way) but we also secured our privacy, which means having the whole second floor for us, and that consists of a 40m2 open terrace – massive chill out platform - spreading over the beach (well a few meters away, there’s still another house in front, but it’s a ground floor only), two rooms with a sort of porch space in the middle where we sleep many nights under the mosquito net and candle light, and a nice splash toilet on the side (you come sandy from the beach and just splash yourself - bucket shower – and clean the toilet at the same time). Just right. You've probably seen the photos, it feels so good in this place. At night you can starbathe and when the moon is full it rises from the mountain on the right with a majesty and a yellow color that simply makes you stop doing whatever it was that you were doing. And the golondrinas are the sweetest thing, they had 2 babies and now the couple sleeps outside the nest, clinging on the wall, as the babies make noises out of tune.

Hei! Its the lost kids again!

Sorry everybody for being, like, lost.

Since college has started, the lines are always blocked, using the internet basically makes me much more angry here than it should. But, wow, check out that flashy 360 degree view down there! behind where i am standing is, as you can see, a zone of mangrove, growing on dead coral, and then comes more shallow coral area, and then comes Cemento Reef Break, the best (known) wave on this part of the coast. And that hut-looking thing in the bushes is actually an amazing house made of bamboo stalks, with a big wooden terrace, that is for rent if you know the owner. This one goes out to Rodrigo and Ainoa. Looking very very forward to your company and spending time there with you.

Then there’s the house in Cemento Reef, right next to Baler beach. Oh this is the kind of place where words always seem unfair. So Marten has made this 360 view photo that says it all. And you can all stay there when you visit us!! When I got here I just wanted to move there, but then everybody discouraged me as it’s a bit out of town, privacy and safety can be a problem, also the owner didn’t seem very happy to just rent it out for us, as she rents it but also uses it. Don’t ask me why she doesn’t live there, instead she lives in the noisiest and smokiest street in town (piece of cake compared to Manila but quite stressful for Baler standards). Small town things. Good thing we can rent it on weekends and whenever we feel like it. We’ve already spent some seriously magic moments there and we’ll probably play many more games of chess in that white sand. Not to mention the big attraction, the super amazing mega wave that shapes up in the reef just in front, after you cross an area of rehabilitated baby mangroves. We still haven’t seen it for real, but the running word is “one of the best waves you’ll ever find”. The only problem is the reef, I’m not sure I'll have the balls to face it with my utterly amateur boogie surfing, or maybe I surprise myself. Marten feels ready, he can't wait for this wave to come (out of season now). And ride it with respect as he says. And reach that harmony between man and nature, sliding over the reef under the crystalline water. Goose bumps.

Speaking of natural beauty, just for a change, last weekend we had another adventure, the first motorbike off road for real. And the Yamaha showed what she is made for. Marten surprised himself with the driving skills to pay the bills, also inspired by our friend Mark and a local friend, who were leading on another bike and facing every obstacle, which means a torn sandy and stony upward road and equally stony rivers. And i also played my part in the back seat, holding strong, helping the balance and above all trusting my driver with love. Quite thrilling. The destination, that justified every bit of tyre, was the Motherfalls. One fat string of water falling from aprox. 15 meters, creating this pool of transparent green water where you can jump into, surrounded by high walls of mountain. The water falls wich such power it rises wind and splashes drops all over, creating rainbows everywhere you look. Then you go close swimming against the current and feel this inflow of energy, water, wind, movement. Forget about jacuzzi. Absolutely renovating and relaxing. A sad note goes for the hydroelectric power source they're building right down the fall. We all wondered if there wasn't another way.

...shuffle shuffle...

And the other day i was stopped for an interview and autographs by a few teenage girls, after this celebration thing where the Senator Angara, the most powerful man in the area, whose family is like a monarchical clan in a supposedly democratic country (they have all sorts of political positions), and who had an influence in getting the spanish cooperation here, mentioned the project and pointed me out as the representative of the spanish cooperation and the friendship between the countries and stuff like that. I stood in the middle of the half crowd and probably blushed, and the whole town knows me now. Well they probably knew me before, now at least they know what i'm doing here. So the girls asked me for this interview for their school newspaper. They asked me what was my favourite color and if i liked the Philippines and the food here. Then I tried to tell them that we are working to improve the lives of the fishermen and their families, by teaching them how it's possible to make a living out of the natural resources in a way that preserves them for the next generations, and so the first thing we do is help them have their communities united and organized, and all these things we are doing. But they didn't seem so interested, it was more exciting just to feel they were talking to some sort of celebrity (!). My friends from the project started calling me Britney Spears, with teenage girls fans. Well I don't blame the girls. It's not so easy to see how fascinating this project is. Which is another thing we have to do, convince all these people that are not directly involved with the project that there's hope for this place not to become Manila bay, but it depends on themselves...

The team t-shirt. I know it looks like Absolut Vodka. I am not a bloody designer now am i?

Marten is helping a lot on this, communication, making logos and the documentary (we are now working on the shooting plan and it's all very exciting). He wasn't there during this "official" presentation episode, but obviously everybody knows him too, and not only because he is big, has blue eyes and is documenting the project, also because he is upgrading the local skateboarders (maybe 20 kids, 2 of them brave girls) to new standards of skateness. He brought a few skates and shapes and stickers from London and will organize a "skateboarding jam" during the town fiesta, where they will be given as prizes, and right now they are all together building a small ramp that will double their skating possibilities, currently restricted to a flat square and a few obstacles in front of the Municipal Hall. The kids are all in awe. And the rest i'll leave for him to tell..

Ja. I must tell you about the skaters of baler. Surely it seems that skating and surfing is all i ever think about, ..which is not true, as this week is the first week of every-day-shooting for the first edition of the projects documentary, a 15minutes didactical version that is to be used as presentation material and involves being eaten by sharks while untangling myself from a fish-net at 15ft depth without airbottles....and infact is.going to be a lot of work in the next weeks,... but thats another story.. because i must tell you of the skaters of Baler. Not only do the local kids here pride themselfes with the fact that Baler was the birthplace of Phillipinean surfing, the town also sports what is probably the only skateable patch of concrete for literally hundreds of miles around, ....just there, in front of the town hall, is a beautiful 35 by 20 meters square, smooth as ... whatever it is that you would consider appropriate of being used as a metaphor in this context.... and actually hit by skateboard wheels every night by a humlble (obviously humble, thinks we, that we have at least 3 or four parks or spots to choose from at any given moment) but faithful group of 20 or so:

º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸ SKATERS OF BALER. º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸

here are two of the newcomers to the community (the project´s Marc and myself, still with my british/swedish tan that i got on Sami´s wedding), marveling over a present, that is so much more important than the good people of 243support, who gave it to the BalerBoys could ever imagine (Bboys and girls actually, infact, every tenth skater is a girl in baler!!!! How about that for a sexually maedival, catholic country!!!). Lets call them BalerKids then. Is that how you spell "maedival" at all?

(and me, i am reigning supreme with the one that says "kill" (yeah) and those fine soft white wheels that i found in the bag....)

So the story is quickly told, i got to know the kids here, and especially after meeting the two older guys Eric and ToyToy (both of which have wive and kids...and are younger than me...) it was clear that there are two things mising. Boards for the kids that didnt have any (and just stand by the side of the square, hoping someone might lend them theirs) and something that isnt flat to skate on. Now, an amazing Month later (how about that for a country in which traditionally the things dont get done!!) we have four complete setups and shiploads of wheels and extrabits waiting to be given away, an absolutely amazing wooden kicker, another wooden bank in the making, and three weeks to go until the LUKSO HAPPY jam, Balers first skateboard competition/jamsession hits town.

(Lukso, means jumping)

Ja, its true, zome tscherman engineering vas involved, but basically the credit goes out to some kids that really really like skating, some in the UK and some right here. It would be interesting to have a hit-counter on our 243 website actually, as the kids here are so 243ed-up that they even write this magical combination on their shoes with markers. What does it mean? Thanks Dave, Lucas and Tony from London. You might find your names might be carved into stone at the square if you ever make it down here.

1,5ft high, 5ft long, and a luxurious 4ft wide, with a very gentle transition. THE SHIT!!! Could do with a bit bit more space, for landing.

I just came back from some swimming and walking on the beach by myself, i met these kids that me and Marten had met before, they saw us one day in the water, we had kissed an innocent kiss and the kids went crazy, they shouted "another kiiisssss" and laughed, laughed, maybe 10 altogether jumping in the water. The kids are the best. Then they saw me today and asked me "watsiorneime" as usual, when i said Julia they remembered it and asked me where was Marten, which i found quite sweet. These filipinos and their morals, they see everything on TV but never live, people don't kiss in public, the girls on TV wear bikinis but not on the beach. What they do live is singing. It's a philippine obsession, singing in the videokes. It's a great character trade i think, except when you watch it in the TV shows (as you might have deduced, TV here is outrageously bad, filled with crap reality shows ,well not different from the rest of the world i guess, but always a punch in the intellect). But on the singing, last week we had Mark's birthday party and we drank coconut vodka (it's tasty) and sang many songs with Jimi (our super community organizer) playing the guitar. Then finally for the first time since we're here, we went to a videoke, here next to our house, with sandy floor. And we had a great time, Marten made a heartly performance of "Sexual Healing", Rolli (the other community organizer, a very passionate little man) let his voice go on Bon Jovi, and we all clapped.

And looks like in august we'll have our first visitors, Rodrigo and Ainoa from barcelona, we already have many plans in mind!!! And hope to receive many more.

Well then. Enough of it already. What else? We went to a waterfall called Motherfalls (just a hundred meters upriver from the Babyfalls actually) on our Motorbike and it was scary driving. Must send photos. Damn. Pointless two lines. Aint feelin it no more.... I lost it. Its because i am hungry and have already spent all morning in front of the computer. Will walk over to the bay´s inn and see if they gots some food for the P.

.....who loves you, and you know it.

If you dont know what all that ranting was about, go to www.243support.com would you please.

Take care yall,

Its funny, i know the list of recipients is long, but somehow i really have a feeling for who i am writing to, ..kind of ....the people i care about. That doesnt seem to make sense if i say it like that, because of the sheer quantity of it all, and the fact that some of you dont even understand everything exactly (as if it mattered) in english, but you know, papa P is going to thirty and has met a lot of very good people along the way, that he cares for.

Anyway.

Getting melancholic here, sorry

Must be .... life.. or something

take care of yourselfes

and those other guys whose names you actually manged to remember over the years.

From very very far away,

In a one-horse open sleigh

Drink a lot, then dont pay

Hip hop hurray

Yours, P

Well came out quite long after so much silence... Hope the next won't take too long. Think of you and miss you all.

Muitos beijos e abrazos fuertes.