Milking cows and planting rice

Left Villa Kiana in the rain after a small typhoon the night before. We were met again by Mike, the farmer who is responsible for about 44 cows. Mike  is trying to increase milk production by cross-breeding local cows with Holstein (65 %)  We were surprised to hear that  98% of the milk drunk in the Philippines  is imported mainly from New Zealand.

We were greeted by two calves, one only born two days ago .They were separated from their mothers and bottle fed with the highly nutritious mother’s milk full of  cholesterol, apparently to avoid injuring the mother’s teats? Milking by hand was next on the plan. We all had a go and managed to fill the bottom of the bucket. The cows are fed at 5am and in the evening producing about 12ltrs each.

Snacks are a big thing in the Philippines -- this time consisting of rice cakes with raw sugar and coconut flakes-yummy!

We walked over to the rice fields passing ducks, geese, chicken, turkeys, cows and carabaos.

The fields had been ploughed and after a lesson in extracting the rice seedlings from the soil and water and bunching them, we were ready for planting. We lined up and tried our hands at random planting and next, at line planting. Feet stuck about 50cms in water with the soft soil underneath and the odd frog hopping along was a really enjoyable experience. We even began to sing whilst the rain was falling on our backs, being wet from the bottom and the top. However, planting all day might be a different story!!

By the time we got back to the Eco-Village, we had dried off and were ready for lunch.

A wonderful meal consisting of rice, grilled milk fish, tuna, and squid, salad, okra and potatoes was served on banana leaves. In the lunch break, we had a go at target shooting with bows and arrows, football, and basketball.

Next on the agenda was a visit to the village nursery. We were greeted by 3-6 year olds singing the “Bahay Kubo” song and introducing one another.

For the backyard gardening, we split into three groups and worked alongside he locals preparing the soil, planting corn, mung beans, sweet potatoes, and runner beans. The lady whose garden we worked on had lost her husband due to lung trouble after the eruption from Mt. Pinatubo and is bringing 11 children up on her own. She said that she will be thinking about us when she is working in the garden- and so will we.

Down to the river for a quick swim – the current was really strong . Nandos our daredevil swam across in the extremely fast running river to meet the local children…

Back to the Eco-Village kitchen where we were shown how to make cheese and bread rolls.

Try it at home: 3ltrs milk; half a cup of white vinegar; half a cup of salt. Bring milk to the boil and strain off liquid. Once milk is curdled, drain into containers. Spread on freshly baked rolls, top with jam or sugar.

After a slow jeepney ride home and tea, it was time for the Czech National Night. The quiz kept us on our toes and we tried the herbal alcoholic drink and traditional wafers.

On reflection, everyone felt it was a really good day.  We learned new skills and enjoyed meeting the children and local people. We came home content, tired, and dirty.

-- Sue Rigg and Ursula Iredale (Great Britain)