Inner Earth

Going Native

If you spend any significant amount of time on the island of Luzon, in the Philippines, you’re going to get rained on. The best explanation I’ve seen of why was covered in an article for LIP magazine written by John Miele back in 2010. Monsooner or Monlater, You’re Gonna Get Wet — Live in the Philippines

The chart John included in his article showed the rainfall distribution over the Philippines. It showed that in our area, the eastern slope of the Cordillera Mountains, the Cagayan Valley, and the Sierra Madre Mountains, rainfall is fairly evenly distributed year round. Some monsoons have also hit the area. Most expats tend to live in cities, suburban developments, and barangays. More or less, developed areas. In my case, I spend a lot of time walking or working in the countryside and mountains. Of course, that means getting caught in the rain sometimes. It also means moving through wet foliage, mud, and wading across creeks and rivers.

I’ve tried several different ways to stay somewhat dry in these conditions. When I was in the Army, many years ago, we were issued what we called “snivel gear”. These were items meant to keep you dry and/or warm in the worst of conditions. Naturally, the first thing I tried was a civilian version of the military wet weather suit. Even in cold weather, I never liked the wet weather pants. They were just too hot, sticky, and also were noisy when I walked. I have found that, in the tropics, the jacket is also hot and sticky. When I’ve used a rain jacket, I’ve gotten just as wet from sweating as I would have from the rain. One thing I haven’t tried yet is a poncho. I may try one in the future. From experience on military guard duty, I know they work fairly well for standing around in the rain. I’ve yet to try the civilian models, but the military ones do soak through after a few hours of steady rain. They also tend to get in your way when you’re doing work involving your hands. Not sure how that will work out.

One thing I do when traveling around is pay attention to how local people deal with local conditions. One obvious local method is, when it rains, take shelter. I recall hiring a crew to do some planting and fencing on our ranch. It had been raining hard every day for weeks. The first thing these guys did, before starting to work on the fence, was build a small thatched rain shelter. Then, they got to work. When the rain became a downpour, they adjourned to the little shelter to wait it out. I also pay attention to what folks are wearing. Out in the countryside, I see a few people wearing raincoats, but not many. That could be because of financial constraints, but it could also be that they’re just not practical. Most people just wear lightweight clothes that dry quickly once the rain stops. That’s the system I’ve adopted, with a few modifications. I’ll generally wear lightweight long pants and sometimes, long sleeves. This is mostly to protect my pale skin from the tropical sun. It also helps in the forest and overgrown places I often find myself in. Thin cotton seems to work best, jeans, not so much.

The other thing I’ve experimented with is footwear. Having lived all my life in a western, working class environment, I’m accustomed to sturdy, well fitting shoes and boots. Not so for most of the rural Filipino folks I come in contact with. For them, the primary outdoor footwear is “slippers”. Or, as we call them in the Southern US, “flip flops” after the sound they make while walking in them. On my first trips to the Philippines, my normal footwear was adequate for the streets and dirt roads I was walking on. Later on, we began to range farther afield, and I could see that I was going to have to change some things. Most of my footwear problems involved crossing creeks, rivers, and deep mud. I’ve hiked, backpacked, and camped many times in both civilian and military conditions. Most of the water crossing I’ve done has been in temperate or alpine climates. The tropics are a very different animal.

At first, I used footwear and techniques that I was accustomed to. I wore sturdy shoes or hiking boots and socks on my feet. When I came to a river, I found a dry spot, sat down and took off my shoes and socks. On the other side, I would find another clean dry spot to sit and tried to wash all the sand and grit from my feet, and dry them as best I could with the tops of my socks. Then, I laced my still damp feet back into my shoes and socks. This worked, except that I wasn’t always able to get all the sand and grit off. And damp feet inside shoes and socks are not the healthiest thing in the tropics. Besides that, I felt a little out of place. My Filipino companions simply kicked off their slippers, waded across, then squatted on their haunches waiting for me to finish fiddling with my shoes.

I’ve tried other types of footwear on subsequent visits. Rubber rain boots are clunky, clumsy, and rubbed blisters on my feet. Slippers, or “flip flops” didn’t work well for me either. The little piece that fits between your toes irritates my feet if I wear them longer than a few minutes. Lately, I’ve had better luck with the slippers that have a piece that goes over the top of your foot. My wife, Marlyn, also got me a pair of lime green crocs from the flea market. Crocs are those molded rubber shoes with holes all over them. Both of those worked fine for crossing water, but wouldn’t stay on my feet on the steep hillsides of our ranch. By far, the most successful footwear for me has been sandals. The ones I used finally came apart in the mud on my mother-in-law’s farm. I think that was from hard usage and the fact that we got them in the bargain basement. This summer I’ll be on the lookout for a pair of good quality sandals.

So, here’s what I’ve come up with so far. Lightweight cotton clothes help keep you cool in the heat. They also dry out rather quickly when the rain stops. The caveat to that is getting rained on late in the day in the higher elevations. When the sun goes down, the temperature drops but the air stays humid. It can go from over 90 or 100 degrees to the mid 60s. It will take longer for your clothes to dry, if they do at all. You’re in no danger of freezing, but it feels uncomfortably chilly. The best thing is to change into dry clothes or get inside out of the breeze. I’m still experimenting with footwear. On our next trip, I plan to use sturdy sandals for the water crossings and steep hills of our ranch. Over the instep slippers, or possibly the croc style should suffice for around town. The main thing is, that while my previous experience is valuable, I need to be able to adapt my thinking and practice to fit local conditions.

24 comments

    • Pete,
      There is a sandal made by a company called Keen. It’s there H2 brand. Its made for going in water and walking on trails. Has good traction when wet, fits good. has protection from odor, machine washable, durable for walking trails and comfortable. Comes in variety of colors. Goes for about $100.00. I have 2 pair and happy with them. Hope that helps you. Take care

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      • Good info on those Keen sandals. They look good, although $100 price tag is a little step. If anyone is interested, Payless Shoes, thru out the PH major malls has a pair of sandals that look the same as the Keen Clearwater CNX model. I am not sure if the quality will be the same, however they look ok to me. Also the price is around 1,200 pesos which is not too bad. Good article, brought back memories of my old Peace Corps days.

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    • Gary, that philosophy will work for me now. In my younger days, I got frostbite and hypothermia from playing he-man in the cold, Fall, Winter, and Spring rains. In the RP I can just shake it off like a duck!

      Take care,
      Pete

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  2. Hmmm, interesting article about footwear. I have a problem with my feet, and need to wear orthotics and shoes that are not too loose fitting. Guess I’ll need to proceed with caution when roaming the PI countryside.

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    • Hi Jamie. Regular shoes have worked just fine for me in all the normal walking I’ve done around town and in the barangay. It’s the “off road” stuff where I have to adjust my thinking.

      You should be fine. You may look into a shoe with ventilation because of the heat.

      Take care,
      Pete

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  3. Pete, the Fernando Amorsolo painting that depicts rice planting –

    http://volcanism.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/fernando-amorsolo-planting-rice-with-mayon-volcano-1949/

    is an iconic image of rice planting in rural Philippines that is forever seared in my mind. This pastoral scene is repeated as well in barrio Salaza (Palauig, Zambales) of my youth. Early in the morning during the rainy season, men and women farmers congregate with their carabaos in front of my aunt’s sari-sari store as an assembly point before they headed out to the fields. They were a happy bunch, as I recall, cracking jokes and chattering in Ilocano. The women, pretty in their tapis as Ilocana women are, smoked cigars with the lighted end inside their mouth. Some of the men carried guitars, and bolos around their waist. As protection from the rain, they wore “salakot”, a head gear made from woven bamboo strips and rain jacket made of straw. I forgot what it’s called. The jacket is hip length and flares out around the waist like a petticoat. It has no armholes, and is worn like a poncho. It is secured around the neck with a drawstring. The jacket protects the upper body from the rain, but not the thighs and legs. They were all barefooted.

    Before you return to the Philippines, I suggest you visit a military surplus store, like Sunny’s Surplus Store in Bethesda, MD. At such stores, you will find almost everything you need for camping and roughing it outdoors.

    Here is for you and Marlyn to keep you going until you return to Ilocandia. This song was played over and over before the start of the Flores de Mayo procession and dance sponsored by my mother on the eve of the Salaza fiesta, the 15th of May 2000. It was her final gift to the barrio of Salaza.

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    • Thanks for those links John. The traditional rain cloaks you describe sound very much like tha same garment, made of cedar bark, worn by the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest of America.

      The rice field workers I’ve seen during rainy season have been wearing plastic trash bags over their clothes. Some few wear the traditional conical hat. I don’t think they could be convinced to go back to the traditional grass “poncho”.

      Take care,
      Pete

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      • The cedar bark cape worn by Native Americans does look similar in design to the rain gear I tried to describe, Pete, but, of course, the Filipino version is not made of cedar. I tried to stretch my memory back to those days of my youth in Zambales to see if I can visualize the material it’s made of. I know I previously said it was made from straw, but it may have been made from palm fronds, too, or even bamboo. Not sure. You’re the museum guy, so, maybe you can research it further, or ask your in-laws about it. I am positive the older folks in Cagayan will remember the rain gear I speak of since Ilocanos of Zambales originate from the Ilocos region.

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      • Palm fronds make a lot of sense to me. I’ve seen them woven into beautiful designs. I found images of Japanese straw raincoats. But they didn’t match your description. Looked more like something the Wizard of Oz scarecrow might wear. Then I found this guy.
        Natural rain coat

        Does that look familiar?

        Take care,
        Pete

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  4. Normally I prefer to wear a Toyota Land Cruiser on my feet It keeps me cool and dry. But failing that I prefer crocs. They come in many styles both shoe and boot including specialist work ones. They are also used by the U.N. in programmes to prevent feet infection and the spread of worms, which can enter the feet in wet conditions,
    Army surplus or hiking boots are normally too heavy for use in the tropics even the leather and fabric ones tend to rot in a short time sandals tend to be sweaty and the glue tends to come undone when subject to water.I carry a couple of pairs of crocs and a first aid kit and treat any scratches or cuts straight away.If my feet get wet I just wash them and put on a dry set of crocs. Oh yes on real crocs that decorative rubber strap is a back strap if you use it the crocs will not slide from your feet
    Take care in them mountains and remember your crocs

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    • Hello Corjo. I tried a pair of crocs. Granted, they may have been knock offs, we got them second hand at a flea market. They worked great for most of the terrain. They were great for crossing streams. The problem I had with them was on the steep hills in our pasture. If the shoes were dry, the strap kept them on my feet. If the shoes were wet, my feet slipped out and the shoes slid onto the side of my feet. Not a big problem if I was just walking around. But, once we’re moved in, I want to concentrate on my farm chores rather than keeping shoes on my feet. So far, good quality sandals seem like the best option. Though, maybe I can try some real crocs.

      Take care,
      Pete

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  5. Like I have been thinking, you must become the spoon… or in this case, the Filipino. Simply observe and adapt to what they do. They’ve been living it forever, so it makes sense that they would know the best way to get about town and country comfortably.

    Good article. I have already purchased my “sturdy sandals” and love them already. I don’t like them for an all day outing, but they’re definitely good enough for me to get around in easily.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Hi Pete I move around a lot from the boat to the rocky shores. I wear my sandals a lot but if I have to walk afterwards I carry the flip flop so my feet can dry.

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  7. I got a pair of those expensive crocks 2 or 3 years ago as a gift and really liked them. I took them of outside of my house in Colorado and left them in the sun for a few days. When I went to use them I found they were a lot smaller and warped. If you get a pair don’t leave them in the sun by them selves.

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  8. Which is why when the first rainy season comes along in my first year in the PH (15 years from now) that I’ll leave my flip flops aside and go barefoot (to keep my flip flops from getting destroyed, or even losing them if you have to make your way through mud). Doing this will be instrumental in toughening up the soles of my feet, to my eventually becoming a year round barefooter.

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  9. Ow I wish I could hike with you sometime so you can see me walkin through the forests, muddy fields, thorny grasslands barefooted 😂 . I got a pair of rubber boots here kept here at MGM that I couldnt use. They were large. Bought it last summer during my OJT anyway I like readin’ your story and makes me smile 😊

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