Day 61

Just another quiet Sunday. I can hardly wait until I can go to church. According to the church web site, there is not even a branch here on Siargao. The nearest ward or branch is in a own called Surigao on a larger island to the west of us.

Karen told me that the animal that pulled my cart yesterday wasn't an oxen. It was a carabao, which is a kind of water buffalo. These animals are the main muscle for the farmers here. They are everywhere. I see them being used to plow the rice fields, hauling supplies and wood, and pulling carts with crazy American tourists. It is the national animal of the Philippines.

I can see why they are called water buffalo. If there is any water around, they like to go wallow in it.