Day 4 - Guimaras to Bacolod

October 2 - We had made arrangements ahead of time to leave Guimaras this morning but when we woke up we weren't sure if we were going to be able to. There were strong winds so the water was really choppy. After breakfast it seemed to get a little better so we left. It was a very bumpy ride and we kept getting sprayed with water. I'm not going to lie - I was a little scared. I just held onto the boys tightly and tried to help them feel a little more secure.



We made it back safely and then had to catch another boat-a supercab - to Bacolod. We made it to Bacolod before lunch and after checking into our hotel -The Business Inn - we walked over to the Bacolod Mission office that was right around the corner. We ran into a few Elders and talked to them for a bit. Nate had fun talking to the missionaries about how much the mission has changed in the last 10 years. We also made sure to get their recommendations on places to eat. We eventually decided on a place called Bob's that had been around for 40 years or so because we were told they had paninis. I know, not exactly Filipino food but we had been having nothing but chicken so it was nice to have something different.

After lunch we went to an animal park where they have endangered animals from the Philippines. Just around the corner was the Negros Museum (they don't allow you to take pictures there but but it was a cool little museum).

We figured we had dragged the kids around enough so we took them to a park where they could let out a little bit of energy. Where ever they went there were crowds of little girls following them. Jonas doesn't mind, he is getting pretty used to it but Liam I think tries to get away from them.

After the park we went to SM mall. It wasn't there when Nate was there before so he wanted to see it. We got some breads and chips to take back to the hotel and have for dinner (so healthy!!). We went outside to catch a taxi and could not find any! It seemed so crazy because in Quezon City where we live there are always taxis lined up waiting for you. After about 40 minutes we finally found one and went back to the hotel. Then Liam and Jonas were able to have their first bath in the Philippines!

It was so nice. There was a window from the main room to the bathroom where the tub was. So while Nate and I figured out what to do the next day and where to stay for the rest of the trip the kids got to have fun without me hovering over them and spraying them off with the shower head. I think this was our busiest day yet!

Day 3 - Guimaras

October 1st - we woke up early again and took a little walk around the rocks by our little hut. It was a nice morning walk with more great views.

our hut

After the walk we got ready for playing in the water so we didn't have to come back and do it after breakfast. We were pretty sure we would be playing in the water all day! Turns out the only other guests at the resort were going on a island hopping boat ride that day and left shortly after breakfast. That meant that we had the whole beach to ourselves for the day (until just before dinner). We had so much fun swimming, boating, snorkeling, playing, napping and relaxing. At one point I took Liam and Jonas out on the little boat while Nate was snorkeling. He ended up swimming out to where we were. He told me I should try it. I was kind of nervous about it. I have never snorkeled or even swam (all the way) in the ocean before. I know how to swim just fine but there is something about being out there where something unknown could attack me. I guess I feel like I would be too vulnerable out there. Eventually he talked me into doing it and I have to say it is one of my new favorite things to do! We saw tons of fish - the kind I've only ever seen in pet stores. The colors and shapes of fish and coral were amazing! We also let the boys try. It was difficult to get the goggles around their little heads and then to get them under the water with their life jackets on but they both loved it and said they did see fish.

Later in the day it started to rain. We figured it would be getting dark soon so we went back to the hut to clean up and rest a little before dinner (they served dinner at 7:30 every night which was really bad for us! One night Jonas fell asleep before dinner and we had to wake him up to go back down). After our little "quiet time" it stopped raining. We didn't want to waste any precious daylight so Nate went back out snorkeling and I took the boys back out in the boat. This had to be my favorite day of the whole trip!

Day 2 - Iloilo to Guimaras

We woke up early, had breakfast downstairs in the hotel and then left to catch our pump boat to Guimaras.

It was a nice, short, crowded boat ride. Luckily we were the last ones on and got to ride on the front where we had great views of Guimaras as we came to it.

As soon as we got off the boat we were surrounded by people asking if they could take us to our resort. Luckily we had arranged ahead of time to have someone take us. It is always a little overwhelming to have 20 people in your face talking to you and then have to choose one of them. In just a few minutes we were on our way to the resort.

After an hour or so ride in the microcab we had to catch another smaller pump boat to the resort because it is only accessible by water.

After arriving at Baras Beach Resort we had our welcome drink -coconut juice straight from the coconut. Our hut itself was just a basic one room place with a bathroom and cold shower but the view from our hut was fantastic! When you sit on the porch all you can see are islands and water.

We didn't waste any time getting into the water. I normally don't go swimming at the beach. I like to play in the sand and relax but I don't like getting in the water higher than my knees. Here the water was the perfect temperature and very shallow until you got far away from the beach. It was also in a little cove so we didn't get many waves. The kids were able to play and have fun without us worrying too much about them getting too deep or taken under.

After our long day of traveling and swimming it was nice to sleep in our mosquito net covered beds.

Day 1 - Manila to Iloilo

We have been wanting to take a trip out of Manila and see some of the places Nate served and play on the beach. We spent a couple of weeks figuring out where we wanted to go and how to get there but things kept getting in the way of booking the flights. One Sunday we realized if we didn't do it right away we probably wouldn't get to do it at all so we booked the flights for Tuesday morning. We took so many pictures, had so much fun and saw so many places (6 islands in 8 days) that I am going to have to do a post for every day. Here is day 1 (September 29).

Our flight left at 8:50 am so we had an early drive to the airport. On the way Liam got sick and threw up. I didn't have any plastic bags to hand to him so I had to give him the rubber floor mat. We were worried this worried that this was going to be a long flight/day/trip if Liam was sick but that was the end of it.



We arrived in Iloilo at 9:35 am and caught a taxi to the Sarabia Manor hotel (you couild tell at one time it was a nice place but it needs some updating - it was fine though). After getting out luggage put away we caught another taxi to a museum in Iloilo.


It didn't take us long to look around and pretend we were soldiers and then we went next door to the tourism office to talk to them about what the best place is for chicken inasal (very important stuff), the different sites to see in Iloilo and Guimaras. Nate served in Iloilo but this was his first time there as a tourist so we weren't sure where to go. They recommended a place called Breakthrough for lunch.

We caught our first jeepney together to the restaurant (Nate has ridden them tons but this is the rest of our first time).

The restaurant was right on the beach and the food was good.

Next we went to SM mall. It seems kind of lame to be going to the mall on our vacation when we have so many malls to choose from in Manila but we wanted to get a few things before we went to Guimaras where we wouldn't have easy access to stores. While we were there we tried to find a play land or something for the kids to do to get some of their energy out. They had been pretty good all day and we figured they deserved it. We couldn't find anything so settled for some little rides. While we were getting tokens and figuring out which ones they wanted to ride (there was an area of about 20 rides) Liam tripped over my foot. His hands must have been in his pocket or something because instead of putting his hands out he landed right on his face. One of his front teeth was bleeding and felt a little loose. We got him calmed down, let them ride their rides and then got him some tylenol. After the mall we just went back to the hotel and went swimming, had dinner and then back to our room to relax and figure out what to do the next day. By the end of the night Liam's tooth looked a little better and didn't seem to be hurting him anymore. (I am still not sure if his tooth will turn that grey color or not. When I look at it it seems to be a different color to me but I could be imagining it. I read that it could take 2-3 weeks for that to happen).

Liam and Jonas ready for bed. The whole trip they had to share a bed. We had hoped they could have their own bed sometimes because a twin isn't really big enough for Jonas and anybody. We had to put chairs on either side of them to make sure they didn't fall out of bed.

The floods

Saturday morning we had a Stake Primary activity. We met at our chapel at 8 and then were carpooling to another chapel where the activity would be. All 12 of us piled into one van and made our way over. It had been raining all night and was still raining but it didn't seem too different from other heavy rains we have had here. After taking us the church Nate went to get breakfast and was going to come to the chapel when he was finished. He was never able to make it back to the chapel because the rain got harder and the streets started to flood. We continued with the activity all indoors but when it was over we couldn't leave. They put on a movie and the kids (there had to be 100 of them there) ran wild in the cultural hall. Nate was able to make his way to a mall just down the street from the chapel and was stuck there for hours trying to figure out how to get to us. Eventually he went and saw a movie because it was clear none of us was going anywhere. For hours we watched the rain. When it would slow down some people would say, "If it stays like this for another 30 minutes we can leave", only to have it get heavier again. After 8 hours we were finally able to leave. This time we piled 19 people into the little van and headed back to the church where Nate was meeting me. It was dark by that time so it was hard to see the damage but at one point we went over a bridge where the water was right under it. I looked over a small village where the water level was to the middle of the house.

We were very fortunate and just had a little bit of water on our floors. I guess this is one time living on the 4th floor pays off. If only we could remember to close our windows when it is raining and we leave the house!

To top off my lovely day a 10 year old boy in our ward came up to me and asked if I was pregnant. When I said no he said I was a little bit chubs and needed to go to the gym. I would have been offended except I told Nate the exact same thing last week. It still isn't fun hearing it from someone else!

Finally a Fabric Store

Sometimes Nate has to go do something in another area of Manila and instead of staying at home for another boring day he will drop us off at a mall so we can at least get out of the house. A couple weeks ago before he dropped us off at a mall I checked online to see if there were any fabric or craft stores. I have decided to make a quilt out of fabric I buy here but haven't had much luck so far finding fabric stores. I thought they would be all over the place but they are not. Online there were about 4 stores that seemed like they might be good. Another problem I have been having is that most stores don't have websites so the name might sound like a fabric store (Prints & Plains) but turn out to be a clothing store. I had my list in hand the whole time we were walking around. I even had the location of where they were supposed to be. I found one yarn/embroidery shop the size of a closet that didn't have anything that interested me and the rest of the stores were no longer at this mall. We wandered around for a total of 4 hours until I noticed there was a lower basement level that you couldn't get to from all escalators. When we got down there I found a fabric store!! They had all of the fabric draped from the ceiling so I walked along and touched all of it and tried to figure out what I wanted to get because after 4 hours of walking around I was definitely getting something. Wouldn't you know as soon as we walked in the store Nate called to say he was done and we needed to leave as soon as we could to try and beat some of the traffic home. And my children that had been pretty well behaved the whole time (probably because we told them they could get a small toy if they were good) started going crazy as soon as we walked into the store. No, they did not earn a toy that day! I could hardly concentrate because they were running so wild. I think there must be something in the fabric that reacts with children's brains because I can remember them doing the same thing at Joann's in Illinois. The fabric was more expensive than I wanted to spend so I talked the lady into letting me get 1/4 yard pieces instead of the 1/2 yard she said was the minimum. I figured they would rather have a sale of smaller pieces than no sale at all. I managed to pick out 4 that I liked before Nate got there.


Here it is along with a couple other pieces I found since moving here. After putting it all together like this I realized that not of it goes together at all! Not sure what I am going to do. What I really need is a trip all by myself to a fabric store and at least 2 hours to look around and pick out more. It takes me forever to put stuff together that I like but I love doing it.

Sightseeing

Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife
We got to see a lot of native animals at this wildlife park close to our house. It was fun to see some things we had never seen before but also a little sad. Some of the cages were really small and had a lot of animals in them. The best part for me was walking around the park area. There was a pond in the middle and everything was so green and quiet for the most part.

When we walked to the far side of the pond there were a few houses like this built out of bamboo.

World Peace Bell

Quezon Memorial

A memorial to Manuel Quezon (former president of the Philippines). His remains are inside a mausoleum under the monument. There is also a little museum inside.