Southern Luzon

We live on an island called Luzon.  It's rather big, and will take us some time to explore all there is to explore.  However, we decided one day to go on a drive down south an hour and a half to a place called Batangas.  We were hoping to see the ocean and feel like we were on an island. . . that didn't happen!  Turns out Batangas is a crowded place that is not really a resort town.  For the resorts we would have had to travel a bit more to the east or west.  We drove right next to the water and could not see it because of the houses or buildings that were in the way of such a view!!  Disappointing.  So, we decided to make the best of it and take a scenic route home.  Not one full of water views, but more of the country side.  We were driving along when we found these creatures next to the road.

 It's a thing here to have sculptures like this done.  They are quite good and really fun to look at!  We have seen some super hero's as well in other shops, but never stopped to actually take a closer look.  I thought the dinosaur was truly unique and was tempted to get it to hide in the bushes/trees so as people walked up our driveway they would be startled by a dinosaur standing in the bushes/trees.  I really have the perfect place for it.  I'm still considering such a thing!  It would be so great.  A giraffe would work as well, i think.

This picture really shows how happy Andrew was.  He was mad I wouldn't let him sit on the elephant.  I just didn't think it was a good idea!

They have these spectacular wooden tables here.  Of course this shop owner wanted to take advantage of the foreigner and quoted me an astronomically high, almost funny price, but it gives me ideas for things to look for in the future.  It's so cool looking!

Yes, that is a pineapple inside of a lighted up globe that I'm sure is lit up at night. Why?  No idea.  Because they can?  I may have to drive back to see it at night one day.

 So that concludes the south loop we did.  I'm just starting to think of everyone else, so hopefully I'll get better pictures and more details about our adventures as I go!

Another day trip:

Just last Monday was a holiday here in the Philippines.  So since Josh didn't work, kid's didn't have school, we took off to tour the east side of the lake we live on.  We live right on the south end of it, drive on the west side of it up to Manila all the time, so we thought we would again see the landscape and see what we could see.

We found beautiful rice fields surrounded by mountains and hills.

And we found rice drying by the side of the road.  Many times while driving through these areas there are patches of rice drying on the road.  It's a flat and hot surface to dry the rice, so they do!

 We found plenty of fruit stands lining the highway or in small villages.

We found beautiful views as we drove up and down the different hills.

We even found a wind farm that made us connect with our time in the mid-western USA.  It was cool to see them take advantage of the wind they must get!  I wondered what it was like as the typhoon winds come through the area! 

This was one of the best views on our drive.  You can see the lake in the distance.  It was so spectacular!  Pictures don't seem to take the breathe away like the real thing!

Then we came to Manila.  It's heart wrenching to see the contrast.  The bridge was lined with poor huts, if you can call them that.  They get torn down at the slightest typhoon and get flooded whenever the monsoons are too heavy.  Going from the beauty the island has to offer, to the poverty the city has to offer, is really a contrast.

If I could separate the above statement from what I'm about to say with a bit more distance, I would.  But I can't.  

To end our 5 hour drive, we stopped off for the first time in over a year, at a Texas Roadhouse to eat lunch/dinner.  For me it was so nice.  I walked in and about started crying because I could smell the rolls.  Yes, I almost cried over the rolls.  We don't get up to Manila often as a family, but when we do, this small luxury means the world to us!  We do miss home.  My kids have felt the effects of this move more as we don't know how long we will be here.  We miss our family and our friends and in India we missed some of our comfort foods.  Well, it's nice that here, in Manila, we have some of our comfort back!  Even if it is just food.  We loved every minute of eating here!!

It's the little things that sometimes bring the most happiness!!

A few misc. items

So a few things we have learned since moving to the Philippines.

Hot Dogs are red.  If you are from Maine, this is normal.  Otherwise, it's just not!  However, each and every hot dog has a clear plastic wrapping over it which has to be removed before cooking. . . yes, I use the word annoying, while doing the removal of said plastic, often!

 My kids have become fish.  Jumping, camera slow-mo, funny fish!  It's nice to see their confidence in the water grow so much!  When we first moved here, Andrew wouldn't even go where he couldn't touch the bottom.  Now he is never there!  Once he decided he was ready, he never looked back!  It really is fun to see.

 We got another puppy.  We unfortunately had to re-home our loving goldendoodle when we left India.  It was just too quick of a move and too much to take on at the time.  So this time we went with a small fluff ball we call Chewy.  His name is Chewbacca, but of course we only say Chewy.  He is a Shih Tzu.  He will grow some as he is still young, but not nearly as big as our goldendoodle! 

 Addison started ballet.  Basically her only dance option here, but she loves it, so it's ok.  Isn't she so cute?!

 Oh yeah, the kids also love swimming in the rain. . . serious fish right here.

My daughter has style.  I loved her look so much this day as she was pushing this cart I just couldn't help but take a picture!

 Crab is cheap here.  This one was actually a bit spicy, so I didn't help try to eat it!

 This rainbow's lavender color was so clear, it was fabulous!! The pictures just don't do it justice.

Twins started 1st grade.

 They actually wear uniforms to class.  They arrived the week after school started, but it's a small school and everyone was in the same boat!

Evan and Brayden are going into 7th grade and 5th grade.  I'm homeschooling them, so we will see how they do!! 

Well, just a few misc. items I had to share!

Onto the PHILIPPINES!!

SO, We have moved to the Philippines!  I had promised more blogging when I moved to India, but it never happened.  I tried to at least give you a glimpse in one post, but that's all I can do or else I will never start on the Philippines and keep it updated like I would like!  SO, ONTO THE PHILIPPINES!!

I don't even think I took one airplane picture!  The move was crazy fast and not on our terms, really.  We got a great new job working for IRRI (International Rice Research Institution) in Los Banos in the Philippines.  So now we are here!  Our first impression of the Philippines was a positive one.  We had so many people come and welcome us and help us find our way.  We stayed in a guest house for about a week before our house was ready, and it was nice to be shifted to a new place once that week was over!  It was nice to feel the chaos of the move settle down once we got here.

One of the first things we asked to do for a fun day in the Philippines, was to go see the WWII memorial cemetery in Manila.  My cousin Jennifer had made a request to find a specific grave and we enjoyed looking for it and seeing the whole monument.                     

There were many maps showing the different battles and deployment of troops over the Philippines during the different years of the war.  I only put up a few here for a small look into what was displayed.

The impact this statement had on all of us was powerful.  It was such a peaceful reverent feeling looking at the thousands and thousands of names on the walls and then to see the crosses of actual men found really gave my kids a good sense of the magnitude of it all.  They were so interested to see all the names and find the special symbols by some of the names who were awarded medals of honor.

Around the floor of the monument is each states crest.  Of course we got Maine and Idaho pictured!

This is us in front of just one section of the cemetery.  It was so massive! (the blonde little girl was the daughter of our new friends who brought us here!)

I wanted to write more about each picture, but just scrolling through them seems enough.  It is a powerful place that I will insist anyone coming to visit here must go and see!

After our tour through the cemetery we had to go to a mall and feed the kids!

We actually fed them real food before we found this dollar cotton candy!!  It was so cool watching him make them all!!

Here is a couple panoramic shots of our new view from our patio.  We have green space! and a coy pond! and trees! and flowers!! and peace!

Our first couple of weeks in the Philippines gave us a lot to look forward to.  We really think we will like it here.