Monday, September 10, 2012

Back in the USA!

Hi everyone!

Well... after a long, uneventful air trip, I'm back in the US.  Driving is so liberating.  I am working on my blog while listening to Vikings football.  Last night I had a very American meal cooked on the grill.  It feels great to be back - and will feel even better when I'm reunited with my family and my favorite four legged friends soon.

Overall, my experience living as an ex-pat in Manila was good.  I made lots of awesome new friends, saw a lot of really beautiful places, and was successful with regards to the work I was sent there to do. 

So let me just say:

I DID IT!!  I made it!  And it was good.

Thank you to everyone who supported me.  I will never forget the kindness shown to me by Filipinos, fellow ex-pats, Concurians, and my friends and family.
Memories xoxo

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That being said, I still have a few experiences I want to blog about.  Not necessarily in chronological order though...

My team put together a fun farewell party for me that included swimming, games, food, singing, and of course plenty of alcohol.  Here are some pics from that!
Some of my party people! Taken in front of Alphaland, where the Concur office is located.
Mel, Precy, me, RC, Dice, Meneth and Pam
Dion and Mikel joined the party too!  So did Dice and some guys from IT.  Yay!
Dancing the night away!    
RC, me and Dice.  Fierce.
The day before I left, my team and I had breakfast together.  I should mention that gifts started coming my way - it is a custom for Filipinos to give departing gifts.  Everyone was so thoughtful, and now I have plenty of items to remind me of my time in the PI.

Charm, Wella, Joanna, me, Precy, RC, Pam, Mike and Mel in front of my daily lunch spot
I hope to see everyone in the Philippines again - I would love to go back for a visit and I would recommend the PI to anyone looking for a tropical paradise vacation.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Bohol, Philippines!




That's Brandon behind me

Hello faithful followers!  Sorry it's been a while, but life here hasn't been all that exciting lately.  However, my travel cronies and I took a trip, and I am compelled to share the adventure with you!  It was me, Darina, Mikel and Brandon - who recently arrived here from Minnesota.
This time we flew to an island south of Luzon, called Bohol.  It's a very green island and looked gorgeous and untouched when we flew in.  It rained most of our first day there.














We had a reservation at the Bohol Beach Club where we could also get different tours of the island.  The rate included breakfast each morning, which was nice. I wasn't a fan of the food , but everything else was pretty awesome.  There is a bar, a restaurant, a dive shop, tour options, a little store, a few pools... everything you need!

The first night, we checked out the bar and restaurant scene.  There was a live band so we listened to that for a while.  After that we explored the area - the Beach Club is huge, and there are other adjoining resorts when you walk the beach so we stumbled around the island until pretty late.  That was not well thought out, because we scheduled a day-long tour for early the next morning... Haha! Here are a couple of shots of us having fun, and of the resort areas.
Beach. Cloudy..
pool area


This is really a real place!  Stunning
Walkway to our rooms

Brandon listens to tunes...
Darina and I laugh about something :)




















The next morning was sunny and we had a tour that included seeing tarsiers, a place called Chocolate Hills, and a river cruise with lunch.  Our tour guide was very informative and pleasant.  She told us that tarsiers can be prone to suicidal tendencies when stressed out.  You used to be able to handle the tarsiers, but they stopped allowing it.  Tarsiers are not social animals like their other primate relatives.  Also, they do not have peripheral vision.


Next up is the Chocolate Hills.  The Chocolate Hills form a rolling terrain of haycock hills – mounds of a generally conical and almost symmetrical shape.  They're so cool, and there are so many!  We had to climb a flight of 214 stairs to get to the viewpoint.  It is breath taking.


 Does anyone else think of the song "My Humps" looking at these?  Maybe it's just me.......
After we went back down the 214 stairs, we were whisked away to the Loboc River, where we were serenaded with music and fed a buffet lunch.  The river is brown, but the surroundings are lush and very green.  When I closed my eyes, I  felt like I was back home in WI on my parent's boat.  Only it was humid, and the music is different...





 An added treat during the cruise was a stop at a dock where we were entertained by a group of children and adults who put on a song and dance to thank us for visiting the river.  I'm told that your Filipino childhood is not complete if you didn't learn the Tinikling dance- a traditional Filipino dance where they do fancy footwork over bamboo sticks.  I love it!  Check it out:
 
The last stop was the Blood Compact Monument.  The Sandugo was a blood compact, performed in the island of Bohol in the Philippines, between the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna the chieftain of Bohol on March 16, 1565, to seal their friendship as part of the tribal tradition. This is considered as the first treaty of friendship between the Spaniards and Filipinos.  
 That evening was quiet, and our dinner also included being serenaded with music.  They sang a few songs to us in Spanish.  I quite enjoyed it!
 
 The next day, we got up early again to go island hopping - boating and snorkeling, some of my favorite activities!  The snorkeling here was really cool - but we all got stung by little jellyfishes.  No big deal.  The water and the islands are so PRETTY.  I just can't believe how beautiful this place is, and that I saw it in person.  I'm so grateful. 
Our boat.  Much larger than we've had before!
Couldn't help myself... :)

Brandon jumps off
Mikel dives off



Second stop
This guy was selling seafood
Bohol was fantastic, I really enjoyed the activities, sights and accommodations.  For those of you interested in how something like this costs, it was about $325 per person for the flight and hotel for two nights.  The hotel rate included breakfast for all four of us for the two mornings we were there, and also one lunch.  It also included transfers to and from the airport.
The island tour was around $50 per person and included lunch.  I don't recall what we paid for the island hopping, but I'm thinking it was somewhere around $25 per person.  Food and beverage is extra, but still very cheap.  Once you're here in the Philippines, these island getaways are quite inexpensive! 

It's more fun in the Philippines!


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Boracay, Philippines

View coming in
Whenever I meet someone new here, they always ask if I've been to Boracay yet.  Well, a few weeks ago my travel pals and I took a trip to Boracay, Philippines!  Boracay is a small island known for some of the best beaches in the world.  It's an hour flight from Manila, and we took Cebu Pacific Airlines. Since the runway is so small at the airport, it was a prop plane that took us there.  It wasn't so bad :)
Eek!
Starting vacation off right!
Restrooms are called Comfort Rooms.  Or "CR" for short.





 Once we landed, there was a short van ride to a guy with a boat (arranged through the hotel) who takes you to the island.  It was just a 10 minute ride.  I chuckled at the signs on the bathroom doors that were in the small building near the boat landing --->

The guy with the boat.
Best travel buddies ever!
Once we docked on Boracay, then it was about a 7 minute walk across to the other side of the island to the hotel - The Red Coconut Beach Hotel.  The hotel is in a great location, offers great amenities and excellent service.  I definitely recommend!
Beach front, the hotel is in the background
The part of the island where the hotel is located is set up by boat stations, Stations 1, 2 and 3.  There is a sandy "sidewalk" along the beach that runs the length of the stations and this is where all the hotels, resorts, shopping, restaurants and bars are.  You can just walk up and down the strip and be entertained.  You'll be approached by lots of Filipinos trying to sell boat rides, souvenirs, sunglasses, hats, jewelry, pool cues (yes, pool cues - wth?!) and massages (which may or may not include a "happy ending").  Late at night is when the ladyboys come out, and they are not shy.  Just ask Mikel!  Hahaha!
Said walkway
Beachside massage, PHP300 I believe?  That's about $8



















That evening we just milled around, stopping at places that looked interesting.  It was great to step away from the hum of the nightlife and just sit out on the beach at night, looking at the stars and listening to the ocean.  It was bliss.

The next day we went island hopping!  It's my new favorite thing - as long as snorkeling is involved.  The water is full of life, and one of the small skinny fish come and poke at your fingers!  So awesome.  Sadly, I didn't have a waterproof camera, but here is a series of pics from the island hopping.
Our island hopping guide.  I forgot his name!

His cousins, the two looking at the camera are in their early 20s - they look like babies! :)

Manny Pacquiao's beach home, so I'm told.  HUGE, and really freakin awesome.

We stopped and had lunch here.  Yes lunch!  It comes delivered in a basket

....on a rope, from somewhere up on that cliff!  Fun!
Look closely - there are HUGE bats hanging from the tops of the trees!

Bat cave - oooOOOOooo.  The water is SUCH a beautiful color.

Best beaches, YES!
After our island hopping adventure, we "took a rest" (that's what Filipinos call it :) and then set out for some dinner.  I chose the restaurant this time and we ate at an Indian place called True Food.  We were seated at short tables with big pillows as chairs.  The food was great, and the atmosphere was so chill.  Awesome!
 When dinner was over, we found a big covered area where a band was playing.  The band let people from the audience sing with them.  This was good and bad... haha!  When the band took a break, the fire dancers came out!  These are effeminate, flamboyant guys who dance around with fire swinging from little chains.  They were quite entertaining and also offered audience participation.  As you can see, I didn't care to participate!  Darina didn't mind...

There was more bars with live music, more sitting on the beach looking at the stars, watching the moon, etc.  The next day we wandered up to Station 1 where we hadn't been yet.  Here are some pics from that stroll.


Looking at these again makes me want to go back!  I loved Boracay.