A Costal View of the Philippines

December 20, 2008 (Tiwi Road): After being on the road for several days, it was time to head back to the mission home. Instead of returning the way we had gone, we took the Tiwi Road home. The Tiwi Road runs along the Eastern Coast. The vegetation is so dense we had to keep our eyes glued to the window so we wouldn't miss the occasional glimpses of the ocean. Here are some of the sites we saw along the way.

Leaving town we passed this creche made out of straw.

View of the coastal line. We drove around the land seen in the distance.

President Smith pointed out a little island they had taken the missionaries to for a Zone activity.

All along the road we saw these little dwellings. We waved at the children and tried to get them to smile for us. Some would call out "Merry Christmas" others would just stare.

Filipinos utilize everything they can, even the guard rail along the side of the road. We saw clothes hanging all over the place. Unfortunately, they were all getting wet in the rain.

A small boy bathing in the stream.

It was a wet day! It was pouring when we got out have a look at this lookout point. Blue skies would have made a prettier background, but this is experiencing the "real" Philippines.

The small object on the water is a boat.

A beautiful shot of the rice fields along the coast.

We scared this little boy as we came around the turn. He was "long-boarding" Filipino style down the hill. It looked like he was having a great time until we showed up.

This is one of my favorite pictures with the coconut palms, the rice fields, and the ocean all in one shot. The overcast sky has been typical of our trip.

Big banana leaves are used as umbrellas. See the machete this man is carrying? They all own machetes and they use them for everything. I even saw someone gardening with one.

The Tiwi Road was a beautiful drive! We can't possibly post all the pictures we took along this drive, but we hope you enjoy the ones we have picked to share.