So, Rich and I may be the laziest people on the planet! We started out the Memorial Day weekend by thinking of all the fun things we could do and all the things we were going to get done. We didn't do any of it! We were the epitome of the word "loll," which surprisingly comes up a lot in my crossword puzzles. (Nerd alert!) Normally we would have gone to Tropic with my family for some small town fun, but this year all my siblings had other things going on and with the gas prices, we decided to stay home and get things done around the house. Mainly we just stayed home. We did go to Indiana Jones, which was good but weird, and we did watch a lot of Friends, but the house is just as messy as it was at the beginning of the weekend. One great thing was that we took the 11x14 picture from our wedding to get framed, so now I can create a shrine to us on our wall! Last night we had a barbecue with my family, which was so good! We had so much food--thanks to Erik there was every kind of meat imaginable! And I made potato salad for the first time ever! I'm so domestic!
So, this was a post to say that we're boring, but well rested!
May 26, 2008
May 13, 2008
The Return of the King, er, and Queen
We got back from our fabulous trip to the Philippines on Sunday night. Late. I was so ready for my nice, cozy bed, especially since I couldn't seem to sleep on the plane home. My sister, Dawn, is so sweet and picked us up from the airport, and once we got home we speedily unpacked and then fell into bed.
We're still recovering from the jet lag, but I think we'll probably survive. The trip was wonderful and full of fun and different activities. Here's the play by play, though shortened a bit (yes, this is the shortened version).
May 4: Arrived in the Philippines, finally! Got ready and headed to church. Ate some dinner, and then went to bed v. early.
May 5: Drove 7.5 hours to Banaue, which is an area that has all these amazing rice terraces all over the mountain valleys. Supposedly it's the eighth wonder of the world, though I'm unsure if this is a worldwide decision or just something the villagers came up with to feel more important. At any rate, it was pretty amazing! (see pics above) Driving in the Philippines is an adventure all by itself. We had Benny, my parents' driver to navigate, but still, there were times were I was sure I was going to die. We saw a man riding a caribou! Kids loved waving at us! I used a toilet that didn't have a toilet seat! That night we were able to see some sights at Banaue, but again, we went to bed early. I would like to point out here that going to bed early will be a common theme. No, we're not boring, it just gets dark really early in the Philippines, and we would get up really early. So give us a break. Geez!
May 6: We GOT UP EARLY and hired a jeepney to drive us up the mountain to an area called Batad, which is a village in the Ifugao area that has spectacular rice terraces. For some clarification, a jeepney is a mix between a bus and a jeep. Rich rode on the top of the jeepney up the mountain, and I was brave enough to try it for a bit. Once we got to the very tip top of the mountain we started walking back down the other side. I'm not sure what we were thinking, but in the end, the trek was worth it. The beginning of the trail consists of about 400 stone steps precariously carved out of the side of the mountain. You think that this is easy, and it is, but remember, you have to walk up these steps and at the end, your calves will scream "I hate you!" with every step. But I digress, the view along the trail was beautiful. We actually hiked down quite a ways. One of the best parts of the hike down was when we got to a viewpoint house and there was a little boy sitting on a chair right on the edge of the cliff and singing. We couldn't understand what he was singing, so my mom asked Benny, because he speaks Tagalog, what the words were. Benny said that it must be in the local dialect because he couldn't understand. Then after a few moments, Benny, laughs and says, "Oh, he's saying 'Give me candy.'" I know this may not be hilarious to you, but this little boy was darling and his little sing-song voice was just so cute. There is a picture of him in the slideshow below. After the viewpoint house we decided to be brave and walk down to the main village, clear at the bottom of the valley. To do this we had to go down more steps and had to walk along the rice terraces. This attempt was stalled, however, when we came to a terrace that just had rocks sticking out of the side of the hill, like the steps to the ship on "Flight of the Navigator." We decided that we wouldn't try this way and would save our remaining energy for the trek back up. This ended up being a wise move, as I think I died a little bit on the way back. Rich was blazing the trail while my mom, dad, and myself were trying not to keel over. Benny stayed at the back, I think to catch Dad if he decided to teeter back at any point. The end of this epic journey is happy however, because we all made it and were only sore for the next few days.
May 7: Today we drove back to Manila, and, once again, I thought I might die.
May 8: Today we got to see all the trash in the Manila Bay! Truly an amazing part of the Philippines. Promise. We rode a ferry out to the island of Corregidor, which was the site of one of the most important battles for the Philippines during WWII and the place where MacArthur left the Philippines. Once this island fell, the rest of the Philippines was turned over to the Japanese. The island is pretty much exactly as it was after the US reclaimed it in 1945. It's amazing that they let you climb all over the ruins and go right into the old bunkers. Our tour guide really made the tour. I love history, especially WWII history, and Armand, shared all sorts of interesting facts and some little-known stories. There is a tunnel on the island called Malinta Tunnel. It's super long and all inter-connected, and while the show through the tunnel may have been a bit cheesy and over dramatic, it was quite the experience to have them recreate the shaking and noise the real inhabitants would have felt as they were bombed. I definitely was not made for war! I really enjoyed this entire day. On the way home we stopped at the pearl market. So many pearls! So many decisions! I got some beautiful necklaces that I'm really excited about. I can now say I own real pearls! Does this make me 50?
May 9: Today's activity was so much fun and so different from anything I'd ever done. We went to Pagsanjan Falls. You get a canoe-type boat and two boatmen to ferry you down the river. Rich and I had our own boat and my parents had another. When a tight space between rocks came in the river, the boatmen would get out and run along the rocks pushing off and pulling the boat. Crazy! Being on the river was like a scene in a movie where the camera pans down on the boat in the middle of the Amazon. There was jungle on either side of the river that went straight up. It was so pretty and peaceful and quiet, excepting the cat call signals of the boatmen to let other boats know we were coming up through the rocks. Once we got to the halfway point, the boatmen graciously stopped to allow us to buy them a chicken leg and a drink, though one of our boatmen decided he would rather have us buy him a cigarette, to each his own, but if I didn't think I would die from eating that chicken, I would've taken that! Once we were back on the river and to our final destination, Rich and I decided that we would pay the extra little bit of money to ride on the bamboo raft and go directly underneath the falls. It was crazy! I'm still not sure what we were thinking, but it sure was fun! This day was such a great adventure and something we both really enjoyed.
May 10: I now own china! Love it! We went to the Noritake factory and picked out some fine china. I think this really does qualify me as 50 years old, but I DON'T CARE. I've always wanted china, and we will use it, and we will show it to people, and these people will like it. er, um, sorry, back to the itinterary. We visited the American Cemetery in Manila, and, Wow. The feeling there was just sombering. It was touching to see all the names on the walls of the people whose bodies were never found, and the backdrop of all the crosses and Stars of David for the people whose bodies were discovered was also just awing. It just made me very grateful for the sacrifices that others have made so that my life can be the way it is now.
May 11: We shall return! Maybe. Idk. But MacArthur made it back to the Philippines so perhaps we will too! The flight home was not good. But I did watch many, many movies, so I feel like I'm all up to date on the current cinema.
Okay. Sigh. We're done! I've put together some lovely slideshows. I hope you enjoy all the sights as much as we did!
We're still recovering from the jet lag, but I think we'll probably survive. The trip was wonderful and full of fun and different activities. Here's the play by play, though shortened a bit (yes, this is the shortened version).
May 4: Arrived in the Philippines, finally! Got ready and headed to church. Ate some dinner, and then went to bed v. early.
May 5: Drove 7.5 hours to Banaue, which is an area that has all these amazing rice terraces all over the mountain valleys. Supposedly it's the eighth wonder of the world, though I'm unsure if this is a worldwide decision or just something the villagers came up with to feel more important. At any rate, it was pretty amazing! (see pics above) Driving in the Philippines is an adventure all by itself. We had Benny, my parents' driver to navigate, but still, there were times were I was sure I was going to die. We saw a man riding a caribou! Kids loved waving at us! I used a toilet that didn't have a toilet seat! That night we were able to see some sights at Banaue, but again, we went to bed early. I would like to point out here that going to bed early will be a common theme. No, we're not boring, it just gets dark really early in the Philippines, and we would get up really early. So give us a break. Geez!
May 6: We GOT UP EARLY and hired a jeepney to drive us up the mountain to an area called Batad, which is a village in the Ifugao area that has spectacular rice terraces. For some clarification, a jeepney is a mix between a bus and a jeep. Rich rode on the top of the jeepney up the mountain, and I was brave enough to try it for a bit. Once we got to the very tip top of the mountain we started walking back down the other side. I'm not sure what we were thinking, but in the end, the trek was worth it. The beginning of the trail consists of about 400 stone steps precariously carved out of the side of the mountain. You think that this is easy, and it is, but remember, you have to walk up these steps and at the end, your calves will scream "I hate you!" with every step. But I digress, the view along the trail was beautiful. We actually hiked down quite a ways. One of the best parts of the hike down was when we got to a viewpoint house and there was a little boy sitting on a chair right on the edge of the cliff and singing. We couldn't understand what he was singing, so my mom asked Benny, because he speaks Tagalog, what the words were. Benny said that it must be in the local dialect because he couldn't understand. Then after a few moments, Benny, laughs and says, "Oh, he's saying 'Give me candy.'" I know this may not be hilarious to you, but this little boy was darling and his little sing-song voice was just so cute. There is a picture of him in the slideshow below. After the viewpoint house we decided to be brave and walk down to the main village, clear at the bottom of the valley. To do this we had to go down more steps and had to walk along the rice terraces. This attempt was stalled, however, when we came to a terrace that just had rocks sticking out of the side of the hill, like the steps to the ship on "Flight of the Navigator." We decided that we wouldn't try this way and would save our remaining energy for the trek back up. This ended up being a wise move, as I think I died a little bit on the way back. Rich was blazing the trail while my mom, dad, and myself were trying not to keel over. Benny stayed at the back, I think to catch Dad if he decided to teeter back at any point. The end of this epic journey is happy however, because we all made it and were only sore for the next few days.
May 7: Today we drove back to Manila, and, once again, I thought I might die.
May 8: Today we got to see all the trash in the Manila Bay! Truly an amazing part of the Philippines. Promise. We rode a ferry out to the island of Corregidor, which was the site of one of the most important battles for the Philippines during WWII and the place where MacArthur left the Philippines. Once this island fell, the rest of the Philippines was turned over to the Japanese. The island is pretty much exactly as it was after the US reclaimed it in 1945. It's amazing that they let you climb all over the ruins and go right into the old bunkers. Our tour guide really made the tour. I love history, especially WWII history, and Armand, shared all sorts of interesting facts and some little-known stories. There is a tunnel on the island called Malinta Tunnel. It's super long and all inter-connected, and while the show through the tunnel may have been a bit cheesy and over dramatic, it was quite the experience to have them recreate the shaking and noise the real inhabitants would have felt as they were bombed. I definitely was not made for war! I really enjoyed this entire day. On the way home we stopped at the pearl market. So many pearls! So many decisions! I got some beautiful necklaces that I'm really excited about. I can now say I own real pearls! Does this make me 50?
May 9: Today's activity was so much fun and so different from anything I'd ever done. We went to Pagsanjan Falls. You get a canoe-type boat and two boatmen to ferry you down the river. Rich and I had our own boat and my parents had another. When a tight space between rocks came in the river, the boatmen would get out and run along the rocks pushing off and pulling the boat. Crazy! Being on the river was like a scene in a movie where the camera pans down on the boat in the middle of the Amazon. There was jungle on either side of the river that went straight up. It was so pretty and peaceful and quiet, excepting the cat call signals of the boatmen to let other boats know we were coming up through the rocks. Once we got to the halfway point, the boatmen graciously stopped to allow us to buy them a chicken leg and a drink, though one of our boatmen decided he would rather have us buy him a cigarette, to each his own, but if I didn't think I would die from eating that chicken, I would've taken that! Once we were back on the river and to our final destination, Rich and I decided that we would pay the extra little bit of money to ride on the bamboo raft and go directly underneath the falls. It was crazy! I'm still not sure what we were thinking, but it sure was fun! This day was such a great adventure and something we both really enjoyed.
May 10: I now own china! Love it! We went to the Noritake factory and picked out some fine china. I think this really does qualify me as 50 years old, but I DON'T CARE. I've always wanted china, and we will use it, and we will show it to people, and these people will like it. er, um, sorry, back to the itinterary. We visited the American Cemetery in Manila, and, Wow. The feeling there was just sombering. It was touching to see all the names on the walls of the people whose bodies were never found, and the backdrop of all the crosses and Stars of David for the people whose bodies were discovered was also just awing. It just made me very grateful for the sacrifices that others have made so that my life can be the way it is now.
May 11: We shall return! Maybe. Idk. But MacArthur made it back to the Philippines so perhaps we will too! The flight home was not good. But I did watch many, many movies, so I feel like I'm all up to date on the current cinema.
Okay. Sigh. We're done! I've put together some lovely slideshows. I hope you enjoy all the sights as much as we did!
May 1, 2008
And Off We Go
Rich and I are off to the wonder of the Philippines tomorrow. We are super excited for our new adventure and will share highlights when we get back, or even, if you're lucky, in real time. No promises though, we have a v. busy schedule.
Wish us bon voyage and best wishes! Peace out for a week!
Wish us bon voyage and best wishes! Peace out for a week!
They Grow Up So Fast
Don't worry, when I have human children, I'll remember to talk about them and to share pics of them.
I promised updates about the tulips, and while I actually was taking pictures of them during their growing up years--er, days, I never posted them. And now, meh, so much effort. So suffice it to say, if I had posted pics you would have gasped in delight.
I promised updates about the tulips, and while I actually was taking pictures of them during their growing up years--er, days, I never posted them. And now, meh, so much effort. So suffice it to say, if I had posted pics you would have gasped in delight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
