Sunday - Canada bound

The trip home was uneventful. Glad to be home, but already miss my relatives back in the Philippines. More importantly, I miss the weather. It's only about 10 degrees here! And would you believe it?.....When I was done eating my dinner at home, no one came to take my dishes away! I had to do it myself! I really should have brought one of the maids home with me.

Well, all in all, it was a wonderful trip. Good people, good food, good adventures, and good shopping! Thanks Dad!

Saturday - last full day

I woke up at 3:30 in the morning to find that we had no power. Our air conditioning had turned off. Good thing I like it warm. But it wasn't too bad - with the rain came some cool air. They had turned off the electricity because it was getting really stormy and they didn't want there to be any electrical accidents. The storm passed through quick and they quickly turned on the electricity.....for everyone except the houses on our street. Apparently some wires had come down so we would be without power for a quite a while.

To cool off, later that morning Raymond, Issa, Church, Dad and I went to ATC. Dad got a facial and I got another manicure. We had pizza for lunch, left dad with his friends and headed back home. To help deal with the stressful situation of having no power (you can't see this, but I'm rolling my eyes as I type this), Issa called for a lady to come to the house to give us massages. So relaxing! So spoiled!

The power came back on that evening. To all those filipinos back in Canada who told me that I didn't have to worry about black outs in the Philippines during this trip, I say "Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

Friday - Villa Escadero

On Friday we received a storm warning. Another typhoon was coming close. So of course, what do us crazy Canadians do? We go to do another outdoor activity! Dad, Uncle Chito, Cecil, Inego, Mon, Church and I went to a place called Villa Escadero. Luckily this place was heading away from the storm. Not even a drop of rain while we were there.















Villa Escadero is this wonderful place where they let you eat in tables right beside a manmade waterfall with your feet in the water!























After finishing our food we headed to the swimming pools. Little Inego didn't speak English and I can't speak filipino. However we did find a way to communicate. We both love Michael Jackson and he knows the words to a lot of his songs. We spent a lot of time with Church in the pool dancing and singing Michael Jackson songs.

Right beside the pool there was a lake where you could sit on a raft and people would take you for a ride. We were having too much fun in the pool, so we didn't do that. We also didn't watch the show of the filipino dancers. Sorry people, moonwalking and singing "Thriller" beats everything. Another perfect day.

Back to Alabang

We drove back to Alabang and had lunch with my relatives. That night I went out with my cousin Pia, who is close to my age. We had tried to get together earlier, but she had fallen sick. She's a flight attendant so she had to go out of town for a while. Luckily she returned just in the nick of time.








It was great to see her again after so many years. We went out together for some fabulous Japanese food and talked the night away. Thank goodness for facebook, or else we would have felt like total strangers. It's nice having a cousin close to my age - most my cousins in Canada are much younger than me.

Wed - Aquarium and more MOA

Me and dad spent the morning at the Manila Ocean Park. It was neat to see the different animals at that place. They had lots of sharks and sting rays and a billion other Pacific Ocean creatures. And of course there was a little mall attached to the place. I had to do a little shopping to support the filipino businesses!

We had lunch at the Mall of Asia at Friday's (my choice) with Dad, Uncle Chito, Auntie Tessie, Violette and one of my dad's former classmates. After lunch my Auntie Tessie and I did a little more shopping. She informed me I had to pick out something for her to buy me. I always obey my auntie! I picked out the cutest little bag.






That night we met up with my Michael, Sara, Mavi and nanny at the Cafe Med in MOA. Again me and Sara split from the group and did some shopping at SM. I bought some more stuff for my nieces, as well as some belts and a pair of shoes for me. We went to a store called Calliope in the mall and I bought a couple of nice long sleeve shirts for myself. Another successful shopping trip!

Tues - Rizal Park and MOA

Today we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. Then me and my Dad walked to the Rizal Park, which was just a block away. Jose Rizal is a peaceful filipino hero who I learned a lot about during my university course on South East Asian Studies. It was quite the experience to see a whole park dedicated to him with lots of information about his life. We saw the exact spot where he was executed. I'm not really into visiting museums or learning about history, but this place really had an impact on me. It's amazing what people did for freedom.

Of course, the day wouldn't be complete without another quick shopping trip to the mall.

Monday - Hotel & Mall of Asia

Since the Mall of Asia (MOA) is so big (the biggest in Asia) and is so far from Raymond's place we stayed at the Bayview Hotel which was close to the mall. That was so I could shop in the morning, then go back to the hotel for a nap in the afternoon and then return to the mall for dinner and more shopping. I told you - I'm spoiled rotten!

The MOA was not as great as I thought it would be. First of all there was way too much walking! Also, although it has many stores inside, most of them are restaurants - apparently people in Philippines love to eat out. The stores that we have here in Canada like Gap are in there, but all the prices are way too high there. I recently bought a pair of Gap jeans for about $30 or $40 in USA, but in Philippines they were $60! In most of the filipino stores they sold mostly summer type clothes, nothing I could wear in the winter in Vancouver. But I do love shopping, so during my days there I bought lots of belts, socks and other accessories. So much fun!

Sunday - Another Family Reunion

Today we went to the house of my cousin Neil, his wife Maja, and their cute little 5 year old daughter Sabine. Neil and Maja used to live right by us in Canada, so it was really great to see them and meet the new addition to their family. All the relatives came to see us again. It was another great home for a big family party. They had a big covered-in area/patio with a big table and lots of seating. Right besides it was a pool for all the kids to play in while the parents talked.

After eating and talking, I took a nap. Then when I woke up Maya surprised me with a turkey lasagna, my most favourite non-filipino dish. YumYum!

This is the good life.

Saturday - the Chans

We met up with my dad's old golfing buddy Michael and his family. When I say old buddy, I mean long time ago he used to play golf with my dad. Him and his wife Sarah are actually about my age. They have the cutest little 1 1/2 year old daughter named Mavi. We went for sushi and then went to Greenhills Shopping Centre. Dad and Michael went for coffee, Mavi went home with the nanny, and Sarah took me around shopping. Most of the things I bought there things for my nieces in Cayman. I was talking to Monette who said I may be going there in February, which is perfect because that's when Rio's birthday is. I can do lots of little treasure hunts for them with the stuff I got there. Sarah also told me how to differentiate the factory over run American clothes from the fake brand name clothes. I got a pair of Ann Taylor pants for a steal! Nothing puts me in a better mood than a good bargain!

Friday - More Pampering - Oct.23

After resting yesterday from our big adventure (with only a little shopping) I went to the ATC (Alabang Town Centre) to get my manicure and pedicure. After spending so much time in the water I really needed one. It was so relaxing being pampered like that.

It's unbelievable how cheap it costs. I had 2 ladies both working on me for an hour! You'll never believe how much it cost....400 pesos! That's only $8! I gave the equivalent of $10 and left the salon. One of the workers followed me out, assuming that I had forgotten my change. She couldn't believe I was giving such a big tip to them. Yup, I gave them each a $1 tip - I'm quite the big tipper!

After that I went next door where my dad was getting a facial - yes my dad's a girly man! In the Philippines it's normal to see men getting pampered as well. While I was waiting for him, I got my hair cut. The guy took his time and did a great job and cost just a fraction of what it costs in Canada.

No wonder filipinos in Canada want to retire back in the Philippines. Canadian money goes so far here!

From Relaxing Paradise to Thrilling Adventure: Pagsanhan Falls

After a morning of playing in the falls, we had a leisurely lunch and then headed to our next stop: PAGSANHAN FALLS. This was nothing like the soothing Hidden Valley falls.....

My dad, Uncle Chito and I got in a big canoe with an employee at the back of the boat and one in the front. They hooked the canoe to a speed boat and we took off.

This place had the best scenery. High mountains on both sides covered with luscious green trees. And we kept passing these waterfalls that were so high it almost looked like they were falling from the sky! Beautiful!

Then we were unhooked from the speed boat and the 2 workers began to paddle up the stream. Our job was only to hold on for dear life!








They paddled us up the stream to the big Pagsanhan Falls. Every time we hit white water where there were lots of rocks the guy in the back would paddle while the guy in the front would use his feet to push off the rocks to steer us in the right direction. This poor guy was just a teenager! It was amazing! I would never imagine that you could go upstream in a canoe! We often had to stop so they could catch their breaths.






When we got to the big falls we got out of the canoe and onto a bamboo raft. Again, the only thing we had to do was hold on for dear life. You can tell by the look on my face that I wasn't exactly thrilled to be going!






























The falls were frightfully big! The guide took the whole raft through the falls and all of a sudden were inside looking out at the world through the falling water. We got totally soaked! It was amazing! I like the Philippines because all the adventurous things to do here consist of you hanging on tight and letting other people do the work!


The ride back was really fast. The water pushed the canoe forward and we were back before we knew it. What an adventure!

Oct.20 - Hidden Valley

I'm in paradise. Today we went to a place called Hidden Valley Hot Springs Resort in Laguna (the province where my parents grew up).

This place is so amazingly beautiful. There are 2 sets of falls that we went to. One is cold spring water, and the "hot" spring is about the temperature of a bath. The hot spring drops down to 3 pools. As you go lower down, the water gets slightly cooler. There are all these little falls you can sit under. The falls gave me an even better massage than the spa did! I could have stayed there forever.


Since it is off season, we practically had the whole place to ourselves. The only other people crazy enough to come for a vacation during typhoon season were other Canadians! We're not scared of a little rain! Luckily during out stay there it never rained - it was cloudy and the pools had tall trees all around it so I never had to wear sunblock. For me, this was perfect. It was cool enough so I didn't get hot at all.







We had a little cabin to ourselves with a bedroom upstairs and a bedroom downstairs. Me, my dad and my Uncle Chito stayed there. It also had one of the nicest bathrooms I've ever seen. Unfortunately I never got to use the big shower there. I know you're thinking "What? You never showered while you were there?" We spent all days in the Hot Springs. It's the first time that I can remember going swimming, drying off, and feeling clean afterwards.




This place is huge and all-inclusive, which means a lot of good food: breakfast, lunch, marienda (snack) and dinner buffets. Regardless of how many people are staying here, they always cook for at least 25 people. And there were only a handful of people during the meals. Therefore, I think it was my duty to eat at least 8 plates of food at every meal!

For part of the lunch, we were the only people there. 3 waiters for 3 people! Plus there was a singer and guitarist that were playing music just for us.

For dinner, we sat under the stars (sun goes down at 6) with the people playing soft music. One funny thing is they kept playing Christmas songs even though it was only October. I guess they were practicing for their busy season - December is when everyone visits the Philippines - no more storms, cool weather and Christmas parties. A little weird to hear those songs in October, but the food was good and I was tired, so I was fine!

Hands down, the best place we went to in the Philippines!

Sunday, Oct. 18 - Meet the family!

That night at Raymond's house there was a big family dinner. My dad has 8 brothers and 1 sister, which means I have about a million relatives!








































































































































So much food, so much people, so much fun!