Amy and Terri's Travel Blog

We've Come Full Circle

2009-01-08T23:32:00.006-07:00

December 30, 2008 (Salt Lake City, UT): On December 13, 2008 Amy and I left for a 2 1/2 week vacation to the Philippines. We weren't sad to leave the newly fallen snow behind. Our flight was delayed two hours while the runway was plowed and the plane was de-iced.

Leaving for the Philippines

Plane being de-iced

We spent two weeks in the Philippines enjoying the warmth and beautiful scenery.

We had two layovers in Hawaii!

Forty hours after we left Naga, Philippines, we arrived in Salt Lake City! We were happy to be on the ground but not very excited about the all the SNOW!

Hello Hawaii

2009-01-08T21:54:00.006-07:00

December 29, 2008: (Honolulu, HI) Wow! Our Monday seemed to go on and on forever! We packed a lot into our 40 hour day!

We arrived in Honolulu about noon and once we collected our luggage and made it though customs and immigration, we headed to the nearest airport courtesy phone and started calling car rental agencies. See, we didn't want to torture ourselves by hanging out at the airport for our 10 hour layover in Hawaii. We thought we would be smart and rent a car. After calling four or five rental agencies only to discover they were all sold out for the day, we jumped on our chance to rent a car for less than 10 hours at the rate of $139.00. To give you a comparison, the car we rented on our flight over, which we used for over 20 hours, only cost us $34.00. But it was totally worth every penny!

After visiting Pearl Harbor (see Terri's post about Remembering The Sacrifice) we headed to Waikiki for some food, shopping, and one last chance to dip our toes in the ocean! Guess where we had dinner? We opted for good old American food at The Cheesecake Factory. No more Lechon thank you very much! Although I was tempted to order a Mango smoothie!

Here' are a few photos of us (looking rather haggard, tired, and travel-worn) at Waikiki beach.

The sunset was amazing!

And yes, it started to rain! (As you can tell from the water drops showing up on Terri's photo below.) For crying out loud...

It was fun to see a Christmas Tree and decorated palm trees too.

And finally, our last picture in Hawaii as we waited in the Airport gardens for our flight home to begin boarding. Please note...this was our last chance to wear short sleeves. Goodbye tropics as we head home to cold and snow!

Hurry Up and Wait!

2009-01-08T21:50:00.004-07:00

December 29, 2008 (Manila International Airport, PI): Our flight out of Manila was at 7:50 pm. We had arrived in Manila at 8:30 am. That makes for an 11 hour layover!!! We would have been happy to play in Manila, see the sites, and spend our last pesos on cool Filipino artifacts! But we had one major problem...our luggage!!! They wouldn't let us check our luggage in at the airport more than three hours before our flight.

We tried to kill some time by visiting the Manila LDS Temple and the American Cemetery. We had to pay the taxi driver 200 pesos/hr (okay, so that's only $4/hr) to wait for us at the sites (with our luggage). From what we had been told, traffic in Manila would be awful and it could take as long as an hour to get to and from the sites we wanted to visit. Well, that was not our experience, we were back at the airport by noon. We pulled our luggage into a small restaurant and sat down on the MOST uncomfortable chairs I've ever sat on! The next 5-6 hours were going to be very LONG!

We ordered our last mango shakes and then ordered another!

I borrowed Amy's ipod and watched Transformers while Amy read (though I caught her sleeping). The hours crawled by!!! And the chairs were still very uncomfortable!

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting.

Finally the time came to check in and guess what we did....we WAITED!!! It was an awfully long line! We had our passports checked at least seven times and had 100 stickers put on our luggage. On the other side of security there were stores to shop at and things to look at. Why couldn't we have done our waiting on THAT side of security? At least we weren't sitting any more. About 30 minutes to boarding time we headed to the gate. We bought dried mangoes with our last few pesos and (after having our bags scanned and our passports checked AGAIN) sat down to WAIT to board the plane. And we waited, and waited, and waited. Our flight was delayed nearly an hour.

It's amazing how tired out can get from doing nothing. As soon as the plane took off we were out cold! Fortunately, we got some sleep on the flight to Honolulu!

Remembering The Sacrifice

2009-01-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

December 29, 2008 (Manila, PI): This trip has stirred up a great sense of gratitude for all that we have! Those feelings were stirred again as we paid a visit to the American Cemetery in Manila. I have to admit, I don't know a lot about World War II. But what I do know is a lot of people sacrificed their lives for freedom!

The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City in Metro Manila, Philippines. The cemetery is 152 acres and has a total of 17,206 graves, it is the largest cemetery in the Pacific for U.S. personnel killed during World War II, and also holds war dead from the Philippines and other allied nations. Many of the personnel whose remains are interred or represented were killed in New Guinea, or during the Battle of the Philippines (1941-42) or the Allied recapture of the islands. The headstones are made of marble which are aligned in eleven plots forming a generally circular pattern. On rectangular limestone walls are inscribed the names of 36,282 of the Missing who gave their lives in the service of America and who rest in unknown graves. Carved in the floors are the seals of the American states and its territories. (Wikipedia)

Liberation of the Philippines

Names of the missing

Rows of marble crosses

The grounds are meticulously kept

"Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God" (inscription on the cross).

I was fascinated with how perfectly straight the rows were.

December 29, 2008 (Honolulu, HI): After a LONG wait in the airport and a LONG flight to Hawaii we weren't about to sit in the Honolulu airport for 10 hours!!! We rented a car (see Amy's post "Hello Hawaii") and headed to Pearl Harbor. Arriving at Pearl Harbor at 2:00 pm made it too late to get tickets for the boat ride over to the USS Arizona Memorial. We were disappointed but figured there was still a lot to see. As we stood there trying to decided what to look at first, a worker approached us and asked if we had just arrived. We said we had. She then confirmed our situation, "You're too late, the tickets for the boat are were gone early this morning." She then continued, "You'd like to go, wouldn't you?" We said yes and she pulled two tickets out of her pocket and gave them to us. We paid $5.00 for the Audio tour, which walked us through the museum and gave us details about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

USS Arizona Mural

USS Arizona Model

Model of the USS Arizona Memorial

USS Arizona Memorial in the background

Our first glimpse of the Memorial from the boat

At the boat dock

Names of those who are entombed in the USS Arizona and their shipmates who gave their lives in action on December 7, 1941.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

USS Arizona Remains

Battle Ship

USS Arizona Marker

USS Arizona flying the flag

Hello Manila

2009-01-08T21:00:00.005-07:00

December 29, 2008: (Manila, PI) We arrived in Manila at about 8:30 a.m. Below is a great photo from Terri's window seat of our approach to the city. Notice how blue the sky is? No rain! Why does it rain almost every day of our vacation, except the day we leave?

Anyway, we took our time getting to baggage claim--we weren't in any big rush since our flight to Hawaii didn't leave until 7:50 p.m. When we arrived at the baggage carousel, all our fellow passengers and their luggage was gone! Only our three bags were left--looking a little forlorn and forgotten! We wish we had a photo to show you, 'cause we had a good laugh about it.

So, what do you do with over 10 hours to spend in Manila? Unfortunately, not a whole lot while you're dragging around three huge and densely packed suitcases! From the airport, we hired a taxi to take us to a few sites around Manila. FYI-It cost us 1300 pesos to have our taxi driver take us to the Manila Temple and the American Cemetery, wait for 1 hour at both sites, and then drive us back to the airport. That's about $28.00! Not bad, eh?

The next few pictures were taken at our first stop--the Manila temple. We had also wanted to do some souvenir shopping at the CTR store across the street, but like the temple, it was closed on Monday! RATS!

The two gentlemen in the bottom left corner of this next picture are Brother Peter & Dr. Alexander. Brother Peter is the temple gate guard who accompanied us as we checked out the temple. Bro. Peter has hiked to the top of Mt. Everest. How many people can you say you've met who have hiked to the top of Everest? .And Dr. Alexander is the doctor and missionary assigned to help with health issues for all the missions in the Philippines. We had been in the car a couple of times when my parents talked to Dr. Alexander about health concerns with their missionaries. It was fun to put a face and name together.

Here's one last photo of us at the temple. The grounds were beautiful, the weather perfect, and the visit well worth it! I was disappointed our timing was off and we couldn't go in to do a session. We would have had plenty of time! But it was fun to visit this temple with Terri--my temple buddy!

Goodbye Naga

2009-01-08T20:12:00.009-07:00

December 29, 2008: (Naga, PI) Okay, it's really January 8th. Today was the first time since Terri and I got home that we've been able to get together and finish our blog. We have a few more blog postings to finish out the last day or so of our trip. Aren't you glad you checked back?

Before I get to the part of leaving Naga, let me share one of the Smith family Christmas traditions. We always set out a puzzle and work on it through the holidays. My mom made sure we kept up the tradition, even half way around the world in the Philippines. I'm amazed she had the forethought to ship over (last June) a puzzle I'd given her a while ago...1,000 pieces of Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night painting. Let me tell you, it was NOT any easy puzzle. And we couldn't leave the Philippines until the puzzle was done! Hmmm...I'm suprised my mom didn't hide a few pieces. Anyway, between Terri, my mom, and I, we finished up the puzzle on Sunday night.

Sssshhh! Don't tell my mom, but I'm going to have this picture of sea shells we gathered at the beach made into a 1,000 piece puzzle for Christmas next year!

So, we left Naga early Monday morning. For the last time I closed and locked the gate at the mission home and had one last glimpse of the Christmas stars above the driveway. I have fond memories of being with my dad at the Naga Market when he bought these for my mom.

At the airport, we said our (tearful) goodbyes and took pictures like out-going missionaries--under the departure sign.

And then took one last picture of my parents from the window of the terminal. I get the feeling my folks have posed for this kind of photo many times--and will do it for 16 more transfers.

I know it's a blurry picture, but I loved the last blown kiss goodbye. Yes, I will admit, I cried! So, maybe this blurry picture is appropriate, because my vision was a bit like this through watery tears! After all, this kiss goodbye has to last me 18 more months!

And then we were on the tarmac and boarding our Cebu Pacific flight to Manila.

It was fun to see the airport employees wave goodbye.

And then we were up, up, up and away on our way home. Here's one final bird's eye view of the Naga area. See all the rice fields?

Hello from our Layover in Hawaii

2008-12-30T00:48:00.006-07:00

December 29, 2008: (Honolulu, HI, USA!) Sorry, there are no photos for this blog. We're using an Internet station we found in the Honolulu Airport and have no way of uploading photos. We've been traveling for almost 33 hours...and only have 7 hours left to go. Hooray! But, we are glad to have had a break here in Hawaii and spend some time outside of the airport.

We have pictures and stories to share about our time in Manila and we'll post pictures of the things we've done in Hawaii too. So come back to our blog and read about the end of our amazing adventure! Here are a few teasers...

Brother Peter who climbed Mt. Everest
The Manila Temple
The American Cemetery in Manila
8 hours in the Manila Airport (fun!)
The rental car rate for 6 hours
Visiting Pearl Harbor
Dipping our toes in at the Waikiki Beach
Arriving home to snow!

Flip Flops

2008-12-29T19:00:00.005-07:00

A couple of days before we left for the Philippines, Amy told me I needed to bring a pair of flip flops for the shower. Just my luck, I had donated my flip flops to DI two weeks earlier and no longer owned a pair. Try finding flip flops in December! Any store I happened to be in I looked for flip flops, but didn’t have time to look everywhere. I came to the conclusion that I could buy a pair of flip flops during our 20 hour layover in Hawaii. Well, luck was not with me! The only flip flops we found were at the airport and cost $38.00. I decided to pass!

As it turns out, EVERY BODY sells flip flops in the Philippines!!!

Filipino Children

2008-12-29T08:00:00.001-07:00

December 29, 2008: The faces of Filipino children are beautiful. Here are a few examples...okay, lots of examples. But they are all so cute it was hard to pick out just a few.

Meet my friend Mariah. I met her at the Naga Stake YM/YW Christmas Presentations. We became instant best friends! We had great fun even if she couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak Tagalog. I wanted to pack Mariah in my suitcase and bring her home!

This is Maraih's cousin. At four he is already a wiz at playing games on the cell phone.

This little girl was a RIOT! She was dancing and clapping and having a blast at the Naga Stake Activity.

We met this little girl in the post office. She wouldn't smile for Terri no matter what we did.

Filipino style scooter.

These girls were so excited to get their picture taken and thrilled to see themselves on my camera.

These guys were a hoot! They kept saying "Hey Joe!"

This is Danielle. She is Rosemary's daughter and quite the favorite at the Mission Home.

This little boy is Tess and Sandy Lopez's nephew Gab. He was so cute!

Imagine some strange white woman sticking her head out the car window and taking your picture. No wonder she's hugging her dad so tight!

These kids were out gathering bananas. The girl is holding a banana heart.

It's hard to get them to smile. This was one of the few smiles we got.

I know you can't see his face, but this kid was great! He was busy at his task of cutting bamboo with this huge long knife. I was amazed he didn't cut off a toe in the process.

Sometimes the kids are a little shy to start with.

But, once we started taking pictures of one kid, all the others would come out to have their picture taken.

Don't you just love her expression?

Or how about his? This is Bo Bo. We met him at the Mayon Rest House when he and his friends tried to sell us some fruit.

This is Bo Bo's friend.

This little girl was getting the family's water for the day.

These were children at the airport when we arrived.

This video is sideways, but it's a fun clip of kids trying to say "Amy Elizabeth Erminetrude Annie."

Our Final Day in Naga

2008-12-28T06:48:00.006-07:00

December 28, 2008 (Naga, PI): We've been so busy the past two weeks running from here to there, trying this and that, and having one adventure after another. We're exhausted! Church wasn't until 1:00 so we had a slow start to the day. We attended the Naga 2nd Ward and were greeted warmly. Amy took the opportunity to attend Young Womens while I attended Relief Society. We are grateful for the reception we have received here. We will miss the people we have met!

This evening we had a real treat! The Naga 2nd Ward YSA and missionaries came Christmas Caroling. Here is a picture of the group that came.

They brought their beat box and tambourine, which added to their beautiful voices. Amy wanted to give the beat box a try, so one of the girls show her how to tap out a rhythm.

Here is a video clip of the group singing.

We will be heading to the airport at 6:00 am tomorrow morning. We are nearly packed. We are sad for this experience to come to an end, but we both have responsibilities back home. We have a 10 hour layover in Manila and if all goes well, we will make it to see the Manila Temple! We then have a 10 hour layover in Hawaii and will try to make it to Pearl Harbor. By the time we reach Salt Lake City, we will have been traveling for 40 hours. I'm tried already! lol

I am grateful for President and Sister Smith and their hospitality! They have made this trip an experience to remember and cherish. We wish them the best!

Saturday is a Special Day

2008-12-28T04:29:00.010-07:00

December 27, 2008: One of our favorite things here has been the mangoes. Rosemary started our addiction to Mango shakes the first day we were here. Since then, we've had Mango shakes at every opportunity. Then, last Sunday, my mom made us Mango Crepes! Well, there really isn't anything better, I can tell you! So, it was one of our last meal requests and we had them for breakfast on Saturday. Yum!

We realized Friday night that Saturday would be our last shopping day in Naga before heading home. So we arranged for my dad to drive us down to the Naga Market for some last minute souvenir shopping. My dad dropped us off at the corner and said, "I'll park on the Horse Street and meet you there when you are finished shopping." So, off Terri and I go to do our shopping-buying little gifts for the folks back home-and maneuvering our way through the maze that is the Naga Market. Here's Terri standing at the entrance to one of the maze hallways of the market.

A little over an hour later we were done and it was time to find my dad. The only problem? I didn't know where "Horse Street" was. So we circled the block where we'd been shopping thinking maybe he had found a parking spot in the area. No luck! Tricee drivers kept offering to drive us where we needed to go and I was just about to say, "Let's go back the Mission Home" when Terri suggested we walk down one more street. Ta-DA! We see a horse-drawn cart! "We must be on horse street!" And just a few more feet down the street, parked and hiding behind a Jeepney, was my dad. Whew! He had been getting nervous when it took so long for us to show up (uh, yeah, we were shopping!) and called my mom to tell her we were lost. Next time we'll take a cell phone!

The day started out with sunshine, but by lunch time, it was looking pretty overcast and was windy. Our afternoon activity was spending a few hours at the beach at Pasacao--the one we briefly visited on Christmas Day. We spent a few hours just taking our time enjoying the ocean air, eating some lunch, collecting shells, dipping our toes in the water, and visiting with Elder and Sister West. Here's a great photo of the Wests relaxing in the Nipa Hut.

Here's the Wests and my parents relaxing in the Nipa Hut.

And here's Terri on the beach.

And us in the water. That's about as deep as we went because it was so cold. But we got wet with the rain.

After lunch Terri and I walked down the beach collecting shells. We found some really great ones-interesting colors, fun shapes, various sizes.

At one point, the beach curves a bit and there is a huge collection of shells and coral. Most are pretty small and as we were looking at them, we realized they were moving! There were hundreds of little itty-bitty crabs in tiny little shells all crawling over the beach. We took my parents down to explore and guess what my dad discovered? They may be little, but they sure can pinch! Here's a few photos of the shells and the little crabs. Here's a photo of my dad holding a little crab.

We ended the day at the Naga Stake YM/YW activity. The theme was "Voices and Graces" and each unit (7 wards & 2 branches) gave a presentation of song and dance. The first thing we noticed when we arrived was all the different types of vehicles in the parking lot--Jeepneys, Tricees, Motor Scooters, bikes, and just as we arrived a big open bed truck arrived full with members! The cultural hall was already packed with people too. The presentations were pretty good. I was amazed at the talent and willingness of the youth to perform. Here are a few photos from the presentations.

Camaligan Branch YW after their performance. We Tweety and Twinkle Lopez on Christmas Eve

(they're the two wearing jackets).

One of the wards singing Christmas songs.

From Rail Skate to Slip and Slide

2008-12-27T20:45:00.013-07:00

December 26, 2008: It was raining very hard Friday morning, but we weren't about to let that stop us from the adventures we had planned. From day one President and Sister Smith talked about the "Rail Skate." They would say, "We've got to go ride the Rail Skate!" Do you know what a Rail Skate is? Neither did we!!!

This is a Rail Skate!

The Rail Skate rides the rails (rail road tracks) and is powered by a motor. I'm not sure how the contraption stays on the rails or how it works, but we were about to find out.

Amy, Sister Smith, and I took the front seat on the Rail Skate. There were no seat belts, no lap bars, and nothing to hang on to. Would we need such things?

And what happens when another Rail Skate is coming from the other direction?

I think most people who ride the Rail Skate do so to get from one place to another. Us crazy Americans were just going along for the ride. Want to join us?

The Rail Skate was a lot of fun. Have you ever ridden Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland where the train runs crazy out of control? Well, besides the ups and downs, that's kind of what the Rail Skate was like, only there was nothing to keep us in our seats!

Friday afternoon we went to Consocep Falls to see a waterfall. It was raining pretty hard! We needed our umbrellas and I even put on my jacket.

The steps were covered with moss and VERY "slippery when wet!"

The hike was beautiful, but treacherous! We were slipping and sliding all over the place. It's a good thing there were hand rails, and I'm glad I had my hand on one. Otherwise, when I slid off this step, I may have ended up at the bottom of the stairs. Ouch!

This is where I slipped!

My leg all scrathed up! Ouch!

See the small waterfall in the background? Amy decided to take a swim! What was she thinking?!?

And it was COLD!!! Don't you love that face?

We found a cool tree house where we ate lunch. It was nice and relaxing and we had a beautiful view of the rain forest. It's amazing how many different kinds of plants we could see.

It stopped raining and warmed up a little, but since the steps were still so slick, we didn't hike all the way to the falls. Better safe than sorry! The decision to not go all the way to the falls was made after President Smith slipped and fell and sprained his wrist. Like I said, it was slick!!!

We then found another beach! More beautiful scenery!

With the stormy weather, the waves were roaring in! Can you see Amy's head in the middle of the picture? Since she was already in her swimsuit, she's the only one that fought the waves.

President Smith sporting his new ace bandage.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-12-27T07:03:00.006-07:00

December 25, 2008 (Naga, PI): Christmas morning started early, like every other day around here! We had to get gifts out of the way to make room for approximately 70 people who had been invited for a Christmas open house at the mission home.

Christmas morning participating in one of Amy's Christmas traditions.

Visitor's that attended the open house introduced us to a new twist on Christmas carols by bringing along a beat box and a tambourine. It was fun to hear the Christmas songs with a new beat and a little jingle.

Once the morning visitor's left, we cleared the dishes and restocked the table for lunch with about 30 missionaries. The missionaries made a good dent in the food we had prepared.

President Smith offered to drive one group of missionaries home and let Amy and I come along for the ride. We drove through one of the most beautiful areas of the mission.

We made a stop by the beach after dropping off the missionaries. It was a beautiful day! The water was calm and the sun was shining. If you can't have snow for Christmas, you might as well have a beautiful sunny day at the beach!

Christmas was unique this year! I missed the snow, family, and friends, but it's not every day you can experience another culture's Christmas traditions. I hope that everyone back home had a wonderful Christmas day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Maligayang Pasko from Amy E.

2008-12-26T08:23:00.013-07:00

December 25, 2008: Merry Christmas from the Philippines! What a great way to spend the holiday...in a warm climate, with people I love, meeting new friends, and enjoying the blessings of the season.

Here are a few of the things we did on Christmas Day:

Opened presents--Santa visited the Mission Home despite not having a chimney
Had an open house for the friends of Pres. & Sister Smith
Sang Christmas carols with new friends
Ate food--some good, some not so yummy!
Had an open house for the missionaries of the Naga and Pamplona zones
Visited Pasagau beach
Attended the Naga 3rd Ward Christmas Party (and ate more food, despite being complete full!)

Here are a few photos and a video of the day.

My mom's elegant Christmas Tree

Terri and I got hand-woven place mats.

This photo is great because you can see my mom getting her new skirt and my dad checking out his new Orchids in the garden in the background of the photo.

The Christmas Open House spread!

Brother Willy with his daughters.

Gingerbread cookies, made by Rosemary. She didn't have a cookie cutter, so she cut them all out by hand.

Sister Gloria made sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves.

It wasn't my favorite thing to eat!

After the missionary open house, we drove the Pamplona Zone back to their area. We stopped at the Pasacou Beach on our way home. Wish we could have stayed--The sun was shining and the water was warm and clear.

We ended our very busy Christmas Day by attending the Naga 3rd Ward Christmas Party.

Amy's Sidewalk Spectacular Fireworks Display--Naga, Philippines!

2008-12-26T06:32:00.012-07:00

December 24, 2008: We were invited to spend Christmas Eve night at the Lopez home. Brother and Sister Lopez (Tess and Sandy) are my parents very good friends. The Lopez's were the ones who catered dinner for the missionaries at the North Zone Conference the first day we arrived. Dinner at their home was a treat! Here's Brother and Sister Lopez followed by a photo of our yummy food. Elder and Sister West are also in the picture behind me. They are the mission couple who replaced my mom and dad after they were called to be the Mission President and wife.

After dinner we had Amy's Sidewalk Spectacular Fireworks Display-Philippines! Brother Lopez lite off the fireworks I had purchased--it's a good thing he did because the fuses were kinda short. In the photo below, I'm checking out my big firework. Brother Lopez is standing to the left holding his "lighter"...a candle attached to the end of a long stick. I'm going to make one to use at home!

Here's the happy crowd of firework watchers! I'd say we had a crowd of over 100 neighbors to watch the show! At the end of this post are a few video clips of the firework displays.

After the fireworks show, Terri and I were able to take a pudjack ride.

And finally, we ended the evening at the mission home with some traditional Christmas Eve activies...reading Christmas scriptures and opening open gift, which just happened to be PJ pants, thanks to my sister-in-law Janelle.

Here's a video of my BIG firework!

Here's a video of the firecrackers!

Here's a video of the bottle rockets.

Christmas Eve Day

2008-12-26T05:35:00.008-07:00

December 24, 2008: Have we introduced you to Rosemary? She's one of three staff members who work at the Mission. Rosemary cooks and cleans, Willy is the gate guard, and Gloria does the laundry. On Christmas Eve it was Rosemary's birthday. There's a clue to how old she is in the number of candles on the cake, but we promised we'd keep her age a secret! This is the Mango-Chiffon cake we made and below is a picture of the gifts my mom gave Rosemary.

There were two little miracles associated with Rosemary birthday celebration. First, Terri bought the cake while we were at the grocery store in Daet. We were standing at the bakery counter waiting for my mom and noticed the yummy looking cakes on display. Terri decided it would be a fun thing to buy, since it was only 100 pesos. We had planned to have it for dinner after our trip to Daet, but we didn't...so it was available to have for Rosemary's birthday the next day. The second was the gift of the measuring cups. We went with my mom to Robertson's Department Store (the Filipino version of Target...kind of) and she decided to buy the cake pan for Rosemary's gift. Just as her purchase was being written up (if you ever have an hour, I'll try to explain the check out process at Robertson's) she decided to add the measuring cups to the purchase. Turns out, Rosemary (who wants to sell baked goods) didn't have measuring cups.

I know we've mentioned Brother Willy a few times. He's one of the nicest people we've met here! Here he is making his (now) world-famous Banana Pancakes. My parents were hosting two open houses on Christmas day, so we spent a lot of time preparing food for them on Christmas Eve. Brother Willy probably cooked up over 150 pancakes and and then cut up 12 pineapples. He was a trooper!

While Terri stayed at the mission home to help my mom and Rosemary with Open House preparations, I went with my dad to run a few last minute errands. Okay, if you think shopping on Christmas Eve is bad at your local mall...try shopping at the Naga Market!! The traffic was so bad, my dad ended up just dropping me off at the corner and having me do the shopping while he drove around the block. I bought 3 kilos of Dalandan (green oranges), 3 kilos of Princess Bananas, and 3 kilos of grapes and 100 pesos of fireworks (these were an impulse buy since the fireworks stand was right next to the Princess Bananas).

After shopping at the Naga Market, my Dad drove us over to the LCC mall to see if we could find pearls and other souvenir type things. We had to park clear down the street from the LCC, so we took a Pudjack to get back to the car. The poor Pudjack driver was exhausted after pedaling us back to the car.

Before heading home we stopped at a bridge to watch the boats come in.

And here is a Rail Skate transporting chickens and other goods from the Naga Market to outlying areas. More about the Rail Skate to come!

It's Raining, It's Pouring!

2008-12-25T18:44:00.009-07:00

December 23, 2008 (Daet, PI): Tuesday morning we got up early and headed to Daet, which is in the Northern part of the Naga mission. Our drive took us through the mountains (in the rain) where there was a change of scenery. We drove some distance without seeing any dwellings along the side of the road and very few people. On occasion we would spot a giant tree like the one in the picture below.

At the church we found the Daet Zone gathered for Zone training and interviews with President Smith.

While President Smith did interviews, we decided to go shopping. Along the way we spotted the one and only traffic light we've seen since we arrived. President Smith told us the traffic light works from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. When I asked why, he said, "Because that's the hours the man who operates it works." I think the traffic light was causing more problems than it solved.

When we pulled up to the shopping center we were surrounded by little boys saying, "Merry Christmas! Give me money!" The windows on the SUV are tinted and the boys in the picture below were trying to see who was inside.

Amy was pretty excited to see that Twilight is even popular in the Philippines.

Sister Smith dropped us off along the road to do a little shopping on our own. It was raining! No, it was POURING! I'm not sure the umbrellas helped much. We found a great little shop with some fun items to purchase.

We also found ourselves in a market similar to the Naga Market. It had all of the same stuff...like flip flops and more flip flops! The deeper we ventured into the market, the narrower and more closed in the aisles became. It became a little too tight for our comfort so we found an exit. When we emerged, the rain had stopped.

Fruit and vegetable stands outside the market

We found this man who was selling jewelry made out of wire. We were rather taken with the designs and had him do our names for us.

While we were waiting for our names to be created with wire, Filipino children gathered around us. We talked with them and asked their names.

We hired a tricee to take us back to the church.

Experiences Typical Tourists Would Never Have

2008-12-25T02:16:00.019-07:00

December 22, 2008 (Naga, PI): When traveling, I love to experience things most tourists never have a chance to experience. I enjoy meeting the people, seeing their homes, trying their food, and seeing how they live their lives. Monday was full of experiences a typical tourist would never have! We started the day off with a shopping trip to the Naga Market. President Smith told us we could find anything we want (or don't want) at the Naga Market. Along with all the flip flops, hand bags, cell phone covers, flip flops, brooms, woven mats, used clothes, flip flops, fruits, vegetables, and did I mention flip flops.....you can buy your meat! Plug your nose for the following pictures. I tried to hold my breathe but I couldn't make it through the meat department fast enough!

Anyone want some meat?

How about some...sausage?

Skip the next picture if you have a weak stomach. This is a chicken split right open with all it's innards intact, including developing eggs. Ewww!

How about fuchsia colored eggs? A favorite food here is duck eggs with a developed embryo called Baloot. We decided to pass on it.

You can pick from a variety of flowers and make your own bouquet if you'd like. Much better than the meat department, right?

Sister Smith had dropped us off while she went grocery shopping so we had to catch a Jeepney back to the mission home. This one wasn't as full as the previous one we had ridden, so we were able to take some pictures.

The Naga Zone missionaries invited us to join them at the Mariano's home for lechon (roasted pig). I think my arteries are clogging! This was the third time having lechon. The Mariano family joined the church four months ago. They used to hide from the missionaries until one day Sister Mariano said, "Why are we hiding from them?" They welcomed the missionaries into their home and have been a great addition to the ward since joining the church. Sister Mariano was so excited to have us in her home! We had to walk through rice fields to get there. The Mariano's have a cement home and considered themselves "rich" when they had a vehicle. As a result of a death in the family they had to sell their vehicle, so now they are not "rich." What a humble people these Filipinos are!

Walking through the rice fields

The lechon still cooking

A family friend chopped the top off of coconuts so we could have a drink. It was delicious!

We ate the fresh coconut, which was also delicious!

We paid a visit to the pump before leaving. Here President Smith pumps the water for me so I can wash my hands.

President Smith and Amy as we hiked out of the rice fields.

What an adventure! We had such a great time visiting with the Mariano family. I dare you to try to find a tourist excursion that would compare with an experience like this one! Not only did we enjoy the company of great people, but we had real honest to goodness Filipino food, sat in their home, walked through their fields, and caught of glimpse of life as a Filipino.

Monday evening we went shopping again. This time we were in search of Orchids! President Smith has been admiring the Orchids they have here, so Sister Smith decided Orchids would make a great Christmas gift.

The local Nursery

Orchids!

I'm still unsure what Ube is, but we had Ube ice cream after dinner that night. From what I understand, Ube is a root. Google calls Ube a purple yam. The ice cream was VERY purple!!!

Sunday-Day of Rest-Whew!

2008-12-24T03:36:00.009-07:00

December 21, 2008: Sunday was a much needed day of rest, although we still did a bit of traveling and site seeing. We went to church about an hour away from Naga at the Pamplona Branch. They have a brand-new building which will be dedicated in the next few months.

Here are the primary children at the Pamplona Branch. I wish I had a picture of the Young Women. I spent a few minutes visiting with about 6 of them. There are 12 YW in the branch...the same number as in my ward.

Hey, have you wondered where we are staying? Here's a picture of the Naga mission home. My bedroom is the second floor window on the far left of the picture. Terri's window looks out at the big green tree to the right of the picture. My room is above the gated driveway where Brother Willy guards the mission home. Every night little kids gather at the gate and sing Christmas songs & beg for money or food.

Sunday night we went down to Panganiban Road and viewed all the neighborhood creches on display along the side of the road. Apparently there is a competition for the best nativity creche. Here's most of the ones we saw. Which one do you like best?

The cool thing about these creches is they where mostly made of native material. For example the one above is made with bamboo. And the one below has the faces carved in coconuts.

And this one is made from straw and grasses.

This neighborhood used recycled water bottles and bicycle tires to make the fence area at the front of the nativity.

This creche is from whiskey bottles (the tent part) with lights inside. The Mary, Joseph, & Baby are actually made out of the whiskey bottle caps.

This creche was at the gas station and was made out of random car stuff. For example, the gifts from the wise men are oil cans and bottles spray painted and covered in glitter. The gold decorations on the blue area of the creche is actually car parts. And check out the decorative star made out of oil bottles spray painted gold in the photo below.

This was our favorite creche made out of white plastic, white lights, and tree branches spray painted white. It was very simple and beautiful.

And check out this awesome star made out of sea shells. I wish I had space in my luggage to bring one home!

Errands

2008-12-24T03:12:00.008-07:00

December 20, 2008: We had a few errands to run once we got back to Naga. One was visiting the local dairy to get fresh milk. Here's my mom visiting the "Gosner's" of Naga.

We also ran down to the "corner" fresh fruits & vegetable market with my dad so we could get mangos for our dinner on Sunday (Mango Crepes). While we were there Terri bought some Star Apple for us to try. When we got back to the mission home we had to look up on the internet how to eat the thing! Thank goodness for the internet, right? Anyway, here is Terri cutting and eating the Star Apple. I had some too. It was good...but a little slimmey.

Bawal--Forbidden!

2008-12-24T02:51:00.004-07:00

December 20, 2008: On the way home to Naga we stopped and did two things that are "Bawal" or forbidden for missionaries (But not fathers and mothers, I guess). The first...the CWC or Camerine Sur Wakeboard Center.

Apparently, this is a place missionaries really want to see...but there's maybe a bit too much skin and distractions. But we sure enjoyed it...despite the cold weather and rain.

The second forbidden activity for missionaries? Fireworks! We went out of our way so I could buy fireworks. See the big package the woman on the right is holding? That's my BIG firework. We also got some large bottle rockets (as a sample) and a smaller firework. I'll take pictures when we light ithem off on Christmas Eve so you can all enjoy them too!

A Costal View of the Philippines

2008-12-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

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.

A Zipline in the Philippines? Yes!

2008-12-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

December 20, 2008 (Legaspi): On our continuing journey north, we drove up Lignon Hill to get a vista view of the Legaspi/Tabaco area. The hill was under construction. They are creating an "extreme" outdoor activities area with a zip line, rock repelling, and paintball--just to name a few. The first part of the zip line run was open for business--it had just been "blessed" the day before. For 100 pesos we could take a ride--well, Terri could take a ride. In the nicest way possible and without trying to offend or embarrass me, Eric, the developer explained that the zip line had been built to hold the average Filippino and so for safety reasons, I couldn't ride the line. I was rather disappointed...but thrilled to watch Terri take a ride. She was the fourth foreigner to ride the 160 meters long zip line which has a 150 meter drop.

Here's a picture of Eric at the entrance to the activity area.

Ready?

...Set...

GO!!!!!

I love this photo because you get to see my parents trying to capture Terri's zip line adventure on video. The video is posted at the bottom of this entry.

As we were getting ready to leave, there was a group of YSA's standing in front of my parents Ford taking pictures. I guess they really liked the car (why? It's a Ford?). They were really excited when we showed up so they could get a picture of the Americans with the car too. Anyway, my dad struck up a conversation with them, which then turned into an opportunity to share the gospel. It was a highlight of the day to see my dad do missionary work!

Headed North Back to Naga (in three parts)

2008-12-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

December 20, 2008 (from Sorsogon to Legaspi): On Saturday morning we left Sorsogon and started back to Naga. Along the way we stopped to take photos of some interesting things that caught our eye.

Christmas Stars decorating the roadside in one of the small communities between Sorsogon and Legaspi. Stars are a big part of the Christmas decorations here in the Philippines…they are all over.

In fact...Here’s a giant Christmas Star we saw in on town made out of cigarette advertisements.

We saw this tree house along the road. I guess that’s one way to avoid the floods! Notice the palm frond shingles being sold. They use these shingles to thatch the roofs of the homes here.

And one of the little shops along the road was selling these cute rocking horses. Wish I could fit one in my suitcase to bring home.

Okay, so I was curious about cell phone coverage, since I hadn’t noticed a cell phone tower since arriving. I asked if the towers were disguised as palm trees. Apparently they’re just hard to see because of all the vegetation. So after I’d asked my folks had great fun pointing them out to me along the drive.

We saw this beautiful waterfall on our way to the Cagsaua Ruins. Terri practically had to risk life and limb dodging traffic to get the photo.

In February 1814, the Mayon Volcano erupted. The community of Cagsaua sought for refuge inside the church and then consequently lost their lives when the church was buried by rock and lava during the eruption. We visited the ruins. The tower and second floor of the church has been excavated and was being cleaned when we visited. The scaffolding is made out of bamboo.

In this next picture, Terri is framed by a window which was on the second floor. It gives you a perspective of how big the church was.

And I am standing on the roof of another portion of the church...which has now become a garden area. If you stand still too long in this place, you're bound to grow green.

For just a few minutes, the cloud coverage around the Mayon Volcano blew away and we were finally able to get a great photo of the top. You can also see the path of the last lava flow. The Mayon last erupted July-September 2006.

From the Beach to the Top of the Mountain

2008-12-22T03:28:00.000-07:00

December 19, 2008: After all the glimpses of the ocean we had had from higher ground, we finally reached water!

Our first close up view of the ocean in Bacon.

From the Sirangan Beach Resort we were able to get to the beach. However, the wind was blowing pretty hard and the waves were crashing against the rock wall in the picture below. I decided to step down a couple of stairs to get a better picture of the Smiths with the Beach Resort in the background.

This picture was taken just moments before I was drenched by a huge wave. Apparently, President Smith said to Amy, "Get your camera ready, she's going to get wet!"

Amy took this picture just after I was drenched.

Amy, feeling brave, stepped down on the beach to take a picture of her feet in the sand.

And then a big wave got her before she could get back up the stairs.

Amy looking at sea shell crafts at Rizal Beach.

Terri looking at sea shell crafts at Rizal Beach.

Caribou at work preparing rice field for planting.

Field full of workers planting rice.

We returned to Sorsogon to rest a bit. Amy and I decided to walk down to an Internet Cafe and email family and friends. Later that afternoon we took a drive up to the Bacman Geothermal Production Field. About 20% of the Philippines' energy is Geothermal energy (energy derived from heat stored in the earth).

Unfortunately, we were not able to take a tour of the facility, but it was still a beautiful drive up the mountain.

That evening we drove out to the pier to see the sunset.

On our way back to Sorsogon after a full day of activities.

Home Away From Home

2008-12-22T02:21:00.000-07:00

December 18, 2008 (Sorsogon, PI): On Thursday and Friday night we stayed at the Sta. Clara Ridge Inn in Sorsogon. My parents call it their home away from home because they stay there at least twice a month when they are in the Sorsogon area to do missionary and district interviews.

When we checked into our room, we had an unexpected visitor (or three). Okay, I did zoom in a bit on the photo below...but I had to since I was clear across the room when I took the picture. I was not getting any closer to the thing than I had to! Victoria, the hotel receptionist grabbed a Walis Tingting (broom), and smashed the first two. Then we discovered the third (and biggest one) in the bathroom after she left. Let's just say I had the creepy-crawlies all night long!

Our room was on the top right...you can see our room window in the off-white section.

It was a room with a view! Coconut groves in the far distance. Rice fields in the middle distance, and a beautiful ornamental garden with a Carp & Tilapia fish pond. The building to the left is a home being built by the brother of Tony--the Sta. Clara Ridge Inn owner.

Was the Sta. Clara Ridge Inn OUR home away from home? Well, maybe not the first night (with the spiders) or the next morning either. Terri has a story to tell about her shower.

Friday morning I woke up about 4:00 am (going to bed at 8:00 pm may have contributed to that). About 5:15 I decided to take a shower and get ready for the day since I wasn't able to go back to sleep. The showers here have hot water on demand. Well, THIS shower DIDN'T have hot water at all! It had the hot water unit, but no matter what nob I turned or which button I pushed, I could not get hot water. Sheesh! This was going to be a chilly way to start the day. I warned Amy of the situation and climbed into a cold shower. Attending Zone Conferences and meeting the missionaries had already brought back a lot of memories. A cold shower would be one more reminder of my own mission way back when! While Amy was showering I heard a big laugh from the bathroom. Then she shouted out, "I HAVE HOT WATER!" No fair! Apparently, Amy wasn't happy with the little trickle of water coming out of the shower head so she changed the setting and voila! She had hot water. When we told her dad about the shower he said that the water won't heat if the water pressure isn't high enough. Now we know!!!

Look Who's Talking

2008-12-22T02:19:00.000-07:00

If you haven't figured it out yet, we use different fonts when either one of us posts. Terri's posts are in a standard black font. Mine are in a smaller blue Arial font.

From Legaspi to Sorsogon

2008-12-21T23:50:00.001-07:00

December 18, 2008: After the Zone Conference we left Legaspi and headed south to Sorsogon. The drive was beautiful...

...for the most part. President Smith told us to get our cameras ready because we were coming upon a "Breath Taking" site we wouldn't want to miss. Well, we had a good laugh as we took pictures of the city dump!

There were fields and more fields and more fields and more fields of rice!

And people and people and more people and more people walking on the road.

The area about 10 feet off the main road is considered "public" property and people have their little shack homes built right along the road. They walk in the street, they play in the street, they live in the street...so driving on the street can be a bit of a challenge. Plus, you add the big transportation buses, the Jeepneys and Tricees and Pudjacks and random Caribous wandering down the road and it's quite the traffic jam. Added to the traffic mess is smoke! Just at dusk time the residents will start small fires along the road. They burn their garbage from the day and because everything is so damp all the time, the fires are quite smokey. So, imagine maneuvering through people, vehicles and smoke right at dusk...it's not the best time to be on the roads. My dad, who is sometimes a scary driver on the roads at home is perfectly skilled, capable, and confident on the roads here. With just a tap or two of the horn the road magically clears. There have only been one or two moments when I had to close my eyes and pray! Here's a great shot out the front of the windscreen of all the people on the road.

We arrived in Sorsogon just after 5:00 p.m. Here we are at the entrance to the city. We stopped to take a picture of an "Egg Plant", so more on that later when we post about the Flora and Fauna of the Philippines.

Don't you think this building is funny? There's a rest stop on your way into Sorsogon with this "Crab Shack".

Terri captured the evening sky perfectly in this next photo. This is looking out over the bay in Sorsogon.

On Our Own - Amazing Race Style

2008-12-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

December 18, 2008 (Legaspi, PI): At home it's hard to crawl out of bed before 7:00 am, but here we wake up between 4-5:00 am. It's getting a little old! After a nice breakfast of curried squash and garlic rice (I think Amy had an Omelet), we headed to the church building in Legaspi to attend another Zone Conference.

Legaspi Chapel

President Smith needed a cell phone charger and decided that Amy and I were the only ones that could skip out on the Zone Conference. Our mission was to get on a Jeepney (public transportation), get off at the Pacific Mall, find and purchase a phone charger, and return to the chapel unscathed. When we asked the Elders for directions they were a little sceptical of our abilities to get around on our own, but pointed us in the right direction.

These are Jeepneys

We headed out on our great adventure without a guide and walked to a main road. Amy turned to a couple of girls and said, "Pacific Mall?" and the girls pointed us to a Jeepney that had just pulled up. We boarded the crowded vehicle and handed over 15 p and told the driver we needed to get off at the Pacific Mall. Getting there wasn't all that bad except I didn't really have much of a place to sit, so I squatted most of the way.

The orange building in the middle of the picture below is the Pacific Mall. The church is to the right, but is not shown in this picture.

We wandered through the mall and eventually found a phone charger (though it turned out to be the wrong one). We decided to walk back to the chapel and get some fresh air and exercise even though the Elders told us it was too far.

The streets of Legaspi on our way back to the chapel.

We made it back to the church in time for lunch.

A little bit of Italy in the Philippines

2008-12-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

December 17, 2008 (Legaspi, PI): We stayed at a four star resort/hotel in Legaspi--what a treat! The Hotel Venezia was a little bit of Italy in the Philippines. From the balcony of my parents room, we could see the Mayon volcano.

We had dinner at the hotel--delicious food!

Decorated for Christmas! (In a Filipino style!)

4 star amenities--bathrobe and slippers, feather duvets, big soft beds!

Reading the morning paper.

On the Road Again - Tabaco and Legaspi

2008-12-21T04:12:00.000-07:00

December 17th: Early to bed, early to rise...I'm not sure that meant 4:00 am. We feel we've adjusted pretty well to Philippine time, but we are a little tired of waking up at 4 am! Mid-morning we hit the road to Tabaco where President Smith needed to interview missionaries. The scenery along the way was amazing! A highlight on this trip for Amy was the firework stands. She had her eye on a huge package of fireworks to set off on Christmas Eve.

Fireworks! Lots of FIREWORKS!!!

Bananas growing along the side of the road.

We stopped to get some bananas, 45 p ($1.00) got us a whole stem!

Caribou (water buffalo) wallowing in the mud.

Rice drying on the road.

Coconut groves and rice fields.

The Mayon Volcano (last eruption Sept 2006)

We stopped at an observation point-Rest House-on the Mayon. The view was incredible. From the observation point we could see the ocean. We met a 2nd year priest-in-training for the Catholic Church. His name was Norman, he was super friendly, and we had a good visit with him.

Looking back at the Mayon. It's a little hard to tell the difference between the smoke and the clouds. More on the Mayon yet to come.

In Tabaco we went to the ATM to get some money. The exchange rate here is 48 p/dollar. We browsed the little tourist shops which are full of hand-made bags and purses. Amy wanted to do a little "market research" by trying the cheese-mango ice cream. It was pretty good!

Amy tried to buy garlic roasted peanuts. There was a bit of a language barrier and it took awhile to get what she wanted--one of those foreign country experiences to remember.

President Smith had more missionaries to interview in Legaspi so on we drove taking in more scenery!

North Zones Christmas Conference

2008-12-21T02:26:00.000-07:00

December 16, 2008 (Naga, PI): After getting our luggage (finally), off we went with my mom and dad to the mission home. We had just enough time to see our rooms, put down our bags, eat a quick bite of banana pancakes (thanks Rosemarie...more about her in a bit), and then head off to the Naga Ward building for the North Zones Christmas Confererence.

It was fun to shake hands with all the missionaires. Wow! They all looked so young! But their testimonies are strong and the light of the gospel radiates in their faces! It was interesting watching my parents interact with the Elders and Sisters--as their mission president and mission mom. It's fun to see them in this role!

After the Zone Conference and because of Christmas, there was a catered lunch--Bring on the Lechon (whole roasted pig)!

And for our entertainment? Presentations/skits by each of the zones. The talent was definitely diverse--some more entertaining than others. Here are the Polynesean Elders & Sisters performing for us.

Here are the Elders and Sisters doing a gift exchange. The gifts they gave had to be less than 10 pesos...and they were very creative!

Hugging my folks!

2008-12-21T02:08:00.000-07:00

December 16, 2008 (Naga, PI, about 7:15 a.m.)

We arrived in Naga and I was feeling pretty emotional about seeing my parents. "No crying 'Sister' Smith!" But then the excitement won out and I couldn't stop smiling as I hugged my mom and dad! Horray!

Seeing them is the whole reason for this trip!

P.S. Just so you know, my hair is going to look like this (or worse) the entire trip! There's just enough curl in my hair to go frizzy in the humidity.

Manila Here We Come!

2008-12-21T00:44:00.000-07:00

December 14, 2008: After checking in at the airport we found we had quite a bit of time before our flight was to depart. We were going to need some pesos (Filipino money) for our hotel in Manila, so we visited the money exchanger. The exchange rate we received was 43 pesos per $1.00 (that wasn't a very good exchange rate). Holding 1,000 peso bills felt like a lot of money, but 1,000 pesos is equivalent to about $20.00. We were anxious to be on our way to Manila! The 11 hour flight was long. We watched movies, read, ate, wrote, took naps, ate, stared out the window, and ate some more. We arrived in Manila after 7:00pm on Monday, December 15th (over an hour late). I think we missed a day somewhere!

Immigration and customs was quick and easy. A representative from the Manila Airport Hotel met us and helped us get a shuttle to the hotel. Amy and I were trying to figure out what a standard tip would be. I asked the hotel representative what was customary for tipping in the Philippines. We were then informed of the exchange rate and told that tipping was "whatever you feel from your heart." Well, that didn't help! Amy gave the man 20 p. On our way up to our room we determine she had just given the man a 50 cent tip. Oops! So she gave the boy that carried our bags to the room 100 p ($2.00). Within minutes of being in our hotel room Amy's father called. In order to get a better answer on tipping, Amy ask her father what was customary. He said 5 p is pretty standard. Some little bag boy just got a fortune! lol

We crashed by 8:00 pm and were up at 3:00 am. By 4:30 am (December 16th) we were at the airport ready to catch our flight to Naga.

This is about all we saw of Manila

Leaving the Manila Airport

The coastal line by Manila

The view coming into Naga (1 hour flight from Manila)

The Naga Airport

The Naga Airport was very small and the runway was very short! We hit the runway and bounced, squealed to a stop, and found ourselves in Naga! There was no baggage claim carousel. We had to wait behind a gate as they brought the luggage in and unloaded it right in front of us. We were happy to be on the ground and ready to explore the Philippines!

Cram it all in!

2008-12-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

December 14, 2008 (Hawaii): We started early the next morning (up at 5:00 a.m. & checked out by 6:15 a.m.) so we could cram in all the sites we wanted to see. First...the Hawaii temple.

The BYU-Hawaii.

Did you get a Christmas card from Terri or a Post Card from Amy?

Here's where we mailed them early Sunday morning.

Then we vistied "Temple Beach" and enjoyed the sound of the

waves crashing up on the shore...

...digging our toes in the sand...

...and getting our feet a bit wet in the ocean.

We took a drive around the North part of the island and then

down through the middle, past pineapple fields.

And stopped for a good walk in the sunshine along a beach near Wikiki.

Before boarding the plane bound for Manila...an 11 hour flight!

See you on the flip side--or maybe I should say "Filipino Side"!!!

Hawaii!

2008-12-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

December 13, 2008 (evening): Yup! There it is...Hawaii!

"80 Degrees, partly cloudy, with rain," was the captain's announcement

as we landed in Honolulu.

Hey, I'll take rain with 80 degree weather

over snow and freezing temperatures any day!

We had a 20 hour layover in Hawaii before heading on to Manila. The plan was to arrive in time to attend a Luau at the PCC, but with our delay in SLC and an hour drive to the north side of the island, it was too late to attend the Luau. Plus, there had been torrential rainstorms the day before in Laie--19+ inches of rain!!! We drove through some mighty deep puddles (small lakes?) on the way north. And when we arrived, discovered the power was out at all the sites we wanted to see! The power was not out at McDonald's or our hotel (Laie Inn), thank goodness. So after eating dinner we called it an early night with hopes for clear skies and sunshine in the morning!

Leaving the snow behind!!!

2008-12-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

December 13th we woke to cold and stormy conditions. Though it wasn't snowing in Utah County when we left, we hit snow by the point of the mountain. We boarded the plane on time, but after sitting there for an hour, the pilot informed us that we had been waiting for the plows to clear the runway.

Then he said, "It won't be long now, we are 20th in line for take off." 20th? Are you kidding me? Little did we know, we weren't just waiting in line for take-off, we were waiting for the plane to be de-iced.

Two hours late, we finally left the snow behind and headed to Hawaii where we would find warmth and sunshine! (or so we thought!)

The Philippines

2008-12-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

The Philippines consist of 7,107 islands. The total population is 88,574,614. The total area is 300,000 sq kilometers. We are visiting the Bicol Region, which has a population of 5,109,798. The major crops in this region are palay, corn, banana, jackfruit, coconut, and pineapple.

We are hear visiting Amy's parents, President and Sister Smith. President Smith is the mission president of the Naga mission, which has 12 zones and approximately 150 missionaries.