9784/25
Yes - 9784 miles and 25 hours travel time to get here -
a seaside lot we purchased in the Camotes Island from a friend. And it is all worth it!!!
We left the US on the 12th for Thailand and stayed in Bangkok for 4 days. We stayed in a hotel along the Chao Praya river. As expected, the fruits were wonderful - camachile, mangosteen, rambutan, lanzones, rose apple/macopa, papaya, pineapple, jackfruit, pomelo. I felt like a kid again when nanay and my aunts will come home with basketful of these tropical fruits. Ed and I looked for and had chicken in pandan leaf and water chestnut in coconut milk, both family favorites. We even managed to ride a tuk tuk while staying at the Davis.
We headed to the Philippines on the 17th and took the 5 AM flight to Cebu. We discovered that the pump boats going to the Camotes in the morning were not running because of the Feast of the Sto. Nino (Infant Jesus) and we had to take the Fast Jet that leaves in the evening. We had a whole day to experience one of the best fiesta in the Philippines in honor of the Sto. Nino. There were streamers, balloons and people everywhere. We visited the Mactan Island site where Ferdinand Magellan landed and placed a cross when he discovered the Philippines. The church was jampacked and there were thousands of people attending the mass. It was a great day.
It was late evening when we got to my friend's house at Camotes. The first thing that greeted me were the sound of the waves against the shore and millions of stars against the dark sky. We slept listening to the waves. It was very quiet when we woke up the next morning - the tide had receded and left starfishes, shells, corals, and other marine lives for us to see. We are building a bahay kubo on our lot site - just let us know when you want to decompress and you are all welcome when the hut is done.
We went back to Cebu City on the 20th and participated in the Sinulog Festival, the second biggest Mardi Gras in the Philippines. We danced to the Sinulog beat during the parade and sampled Cebu delicacies - sweet rice with chocolate wrapped in banana leaves, pinasugbo, tamarind candies. A discovery - chicken in pandan leaf is a Cebuano dish. We are surely coming back.
Los Banos will always be home for Ed and I. We stayed with our good friends, Totong and Ruthie, and visited our lot where we will have our retirement house. My sister and her husband had it fenced last year.
Totong and Ruth also hosted a pot luck dinner with Ninang and Ninong Perez plus our IRRI friends - the BJulianos, Mandacs, Resurreccions, Mercas, Calderons, and the "boys" who helped us in our research experiments (Mang Femy, Oca, Emer, Ben).
One of the highlights of our trip was meeting Vangie for lunch during our last day in Manila. Vangie and I had passed a lot of milestones but we remained great friends. She was my maid of honor and was always the serious student among my Diliman barkada. All of us would be heading to Cubao for ice cream and spaghetti while Vangie would be heading to the library.
A sad note during our trip - my cousin Myrna has terminal cancer. Please pray for her.
And as I finish this blog this morning, guess what I saw in my window?
Lake-effect snow!!! WELCOME BACK!!
a seaside lot we purchased in the Camotes Island from a friend. And it is all worth it!!!
We left the US on the 12th for Thailand and stayed in Bangkok for 4 days. We stayed in a hotel along the Chao Praya river. As expected, the fruits were wonderful - camachile, mangosteen, rambutan, lanzones, rose apple/macopa, papaya, pineapple, jackfruit, pomelo. I felt like a kid again when nanay and my aunts will come home with basketful of these tropical fruits. Ed and I looked for and had chicken in pandan leaf and water chestnut in coconut milk, both family favorites. We even managed to ride a tuk tuk while staying at the Davis.
We headed to the Philippines on the 17th and took the 5 AM flight to Cebu. We discovered that the pump boats going to the Camotes in the morning were not running because of the Feast of the Sto. Nino (Infant Jesus) and we had to take the Fast Jet that leaves in the evening. We had a whole day to experience one of the best fiesta in the Philippines in honor of the Sto. Nino. There were streamers, balloons and people everywhere. We visited the Mactan Island site where Ferdinand Magellan landed and placed a cross when he discovered the Philippines. The church was jampacked and there were thousands of people attending the mass. It was a great day.
It was late evening when we got to my friend's house at Camotes. The first thing that greeted me were the sound of the waves against the shore and millions of stars against the dark sky. We slept listening to the waves. It was very quiet when we woke up the next morning - the tide had receded and left starfishes, shells, corals, and other marine lives for us to see. We are building a bahay kubo on our lot site - just let us know when you want to decompress and you are all welcome when the hut is done.
We went back to Cebu City on the 20th and participated in the Sinulog Festival, the second biggest Mardi Gras in the Philippines. We danced to the Sinulog beat during the parade and sampled Cebu delicacies - sweet rice with chocolate wrapped in banana leaves, pinasugbo, tamarind candies. A discovery - chicken in pandan leaf is a Cebuano dish. We are surely coming back.
Los Banos will always be home for Ed and I. We stayed with our good friends, Totong and Ruthie, and visited our lot where we will have our retirement house. My sister and her husband had it fenced last year.
Totong and Ruth also hosted a pot luck dinner with Ninang and Ninong Perez plus our IRRI friends - the BJulianos, Mandacs, Resurreccions, Mercas, Calderons, and the "boys" who helped us in our research experiments (Mang Femy, Oca, Emer, Ben).
One of the highlights of our trip was meeting Vangie for lunch during our last day in Manila. Vangie and I had passed a lot of milestones but we remained great friends. She was my maid of honor and was always the serious student among my Diliman barkada. All of us would be heading to Cubao for ice cream and spaghetti while Vangie would be heading to the library.
A sad note during our trip - my cousin Myrna has terminal cancer. Please pray for her.
And as I finish this blog this morning, guess what I saw in my window?
Lake-effect snow!!! WELCOME BACK!!
posted by edalicia | 6:36 AM
2 Comments:
Welcome back! I guess you're not over the jet lag yet. I'm sorry to hear abot Tita Myrna. :(
It sounds like you had a fabulous time -- especially with all the fiesta in Cebu! Your island property looks beautiful! We will pray for Tita Myrna.
Leah
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