Simon & Regula Wright - October 2011

As you probably know, we closed Cakes & Connections in April 2000 and together with our cats, Cookie and Biscuit, moved to Switzerland. I don't know for whom the shock was bigger - me or our Filipino cats!

Our life changed quite a bit though we were fortunate that our respective skills were in demand in the "civilised world" and we both quickly slipped back into a so-called normal life - stress, getting up early, dark mornings etc. I am (once again) working for a bank in Zürich as an IT support contractor, Regula has several jobs in the social welfare area and has just started a four year part-time social work course. She and I separated at the end of 2003. Although I enjoy my work, I find myself frequently thinking "there must be more to life than this." It's about then that I think back to Moalboal; a moment later I remember that you can't turn the clock back . . . :-(

I had a bad motorcycle accident in July '04 and am just about recovered from that - however missing out on skiing this season was very irritating - and I'm looking forward to getting back on a bike very soon! I have been tempted to put some photos of the damage here . . . but I have thought better of it. No need to scare people that much!

I've just (November 2006) had the final operation to remove the "nail" holding my thigh bone together and the one making sure my forearm doesn't bend in the middle :-). Haven't done any skiing yet this season but might this weekend if the snow falls are sufficient. Cross fingers!

After four years here, Biscuit died in September 2004 aged 7. We're not sure why but the vet thinks that he had a long-term heart problem which finally became too much for him. Sadly missed by us and especially by Cookie, however we have a new buddy for him, a pink (sort-of) cat from the Italian part of Switzerland called Red. He's settling down pretty well and Red & Cookie are starting to play together.

I haven't updated this for ages but thought I should, if only to tell you about the third addition to Regula's collection of cats. Red went out one night in June 2006 just before a big thunderstorm and didn't come back. Normal things: searched high & low, checked the roads, vets, police, tierheims, neighbours, construction sites, put out leaflets. Nothing. Regula decided that Cookie needed another cat around so after about 2 months she found an older one called Nico that no-one wanted to adopt in a local tierheim and took him home. Within 4 days of that, someone found Red living in one of the woods between Pfäffikon and Hittnau. He was in pitiful condition, weighed just over a kilo instead of 4.5 kgs. and was nearly dead. He needed a few days of intensive care from a vet in Uster but is now fine again and has settled down well with the ever-expanding family.

I have been asked why I keep this site going when I have no further (official) connection with Moalboal. Well, the answer is that I spent four years working as a dive instructor there and then together with Regula ran a small business for a further four years. Moalboal is a large chunk of my and our lives and one which I will always look back on with great affection. Both for the place itself and also for the people that I met there: foreign residents, locals and visitors alike. I want to continue to help Moalboal in some small way and this is something I can do. If this site can assist a few people to enjoy Moalboal as I did by giving as unbiased as possible advice, then I am repaying some of the debt that I feel.