This trip was in the making since we were married. I had always promised Kim that we would travel to the Philippines so I could meet her family and she could see them again, the last being being 14 years ago. Finally earning enough award miles on American, we took the plunge and booked our trip in August of 2011. The plan was to spend two weeks there, one being with family, and the other as our honeymoon, the one we did not take in January of 2010. What better way to spend a second year wedding anniversary?
We departed on Sunday January 15th, the day that the NY Giants played the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay. This is significant because Josh is a Giants fan as is Kim now so spending our layover in NY City was a treat in disguise. An eight hour layover allowed us to take the train to Austin Street and enjoy the local bars, spending time in an Asian fusion restaurant, a very Giants heavy sports bar, and finally to finish the game, an Irish pub. Giants ended up beating the Packers, and off to the airport we were again, boarding a 16 hour flight directly over the North pole to Hong Kong.
Landing in Hong Kong, we stayed a few hours, enjoyed nothing as everything was closed, and boarded a flight to Manila, arriving at 10am on Tuesday morning, the 17th. Pumped up for finally arriving, energy was flowing when John and Marietta Poole (Kim's mom & step dad)picked us at the airport with her uncle Joel's driver, Junior. I realized quickly that having a driver is key in the Philippines, especially due to the driving style prevalent in the country. It consisted of very few lines on the road and a mass of traffic going where they wanted how they wanted with minimal oversight that we find in the United Sates.
We departed on Sunday January 15th, the day that the NY Giants played the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay. This is significant because Josh is a Giants fan as is Kim now so spending our layover in NY City was a treat in disguise. An eight hour layover allowed us to take the train to Austin Street and enjoy the local bars, spending time in an Asian fusion restaurant, a very Giants heavy sports bar, and finally to finish the game, an Irish pub. Giants ended up beating the Packers, and off to the airport we were again, boarding a 16 hour flight directly over the North pole to Hong Kong.
Landing in Hong Kong, we stayed a few hours, enjoyed nothing as everything was closed, and boarded a flight to Manila, arriving at 10am on Tuesday morning, the 17th. Pumped up for finally arriving, energy was flowing when John and Marietta Poole (Kim's mom & step dad)picked us at the airport with her uncle Joel's driver, Junior. I realized quickly that having a driver is key in the Philippines, especially due to the driving style prevalent in the country. It consisted of very few lines on the road and a mass of traffic going where they wanted how they wanted with minimal oversight that we find in the United Sates.
Dropping our luggage off at our wonderful hosts house for the week, Jay and Carmi Navarro (Kim's cousin Carmi). They had a beautiful home and made us feel so comfortable and welcome, we truly felt pampered. We were quickly off to Sarah's after a welcome hot shower (Kim's Grandmothers place of business and home) we I had the opportunity to meet the rest of the family through the afternoon and into the evening. We did take one break though from Sarah's and that was to the massage spa, enjoying a one-hour Swedish massage after such a travel was so welcome, especially at the price of $5 US dollars :). As I soon found out that week, the American dollar goes far in the Philippines, especially towards services and retail goods.
Between Sarah's and 'the market', the rest of week one was spent shopping, meeting family, and truly enjoying time with family over cold beverages and traditional cuisine. Sarah's is an outdoor cafe, located at the edge of the University of Philippines, whose customer base consists of students from campus. Lively, festive atmoshpere blends into the sounds of the street and smells from the food stands every evening at Sarah's, making it a great place to relax.
Celebrating a fantastic Despadida for Marietta and John on Thursday evening, I had the opportunity to showcase my singing ability along with the rest of the family. A tradition when family visitors depart, the Despadida is a party with fantastic food, beverages, and true Filapina fun!
Uncle Joel and Aunt Cecile treated us to dinner Saturday night in the mountains, near their home. After a tour of their gorgeous home, we dined at Romeo's that had fantastic view of Manila. Another delicious dinner of Filapino cuisine - what a treat!
Off to the resort on Monday, Junior and Uncle Noel took us South, to the tune of a 3 hour drive to San Juan, where our resort Acuatico Resort was located. Through small villages and farming ar
eas, the ride was beautiful and so culturally enlightening. The resort was located on Tayabas Bay, just adjacent to the South China Sea. This 40 room little
paradise on the water would be our retreat for the next five days, just Kim and I, enjoying every minute of it together. The sun and water were warm, the fish colorful, cold beers and mixed drinks were tasty, and the peacefulness made our honeymoon fantastic.Uncle Noel and Junior picked us up at the resort, and after another great snorkel dive with Noels sea scooter, we travelled North to Tagaytay. Kim's great aunt Alma and great uncle Eddie hosted us at there home along with Kim's aunt Elena and Andy who were visiting from Vietnam. W
e had a great night with a fantastic dinner prepared by Alma paired with some Virginian wine brought by us. The evening ended with a quick trip to the casino with Elena and Andy, with Josh enjoying some Baccarat. The next day, we travelled across Taal lake to Taal island, where Tall volcano is located, the worlds smallest active volcano. A trip to the top was done donkey-back, revealing a beautiful view at the top with some fresh coconut milk as a reward. Our travels back were quite wet, as the wind was strong crossing the lake, blowing the waves overboard on our small craft.
e had a great night with a fantastic dinner prepared by Alma paired with some Virginian wine brought by us. The evening ended with a quick trip to the casino with Elena and Andy, with Josh enjoying some Baccarat. The next day, we travelled across Taal lake to Taal island, where Tall volcano is located, the worlds smallest active volcano. A trip to the top was done donkey-back, revealing a beautiful view at the top with some fresh coconut milk as a reward. Our travels back were quite wet, as the wind was strong crossing the lake, blowing the waves overboard on our small craft.
On from Tagaytay, our holiday was coming to an end. A fabulous despidido still awaited us back at Sarah's before our long trip home so the vacation was not over yet! Our despidida featuring camian style dining (eating with your hands) was a site to see. Laid out beautifully on long tables was a bounty of freshly cooked seafood and other Filapina treats and delicacies. The night featured great conversations, full stomachs, a trip to uncle Noels house to shoot pellet guns from the roof accompanied with some local wine, and a trip by Josh on his four-wheeler through the neighborhoods.
Back at the Manila airport at 5am on Monday morning, we arrived back in Norfolk Monday evening, having experienced a trip from Manila through Tokyo and Dallas, ending a 26 hour journey. This was not only our vacation and honeymoon, but it was truly a time to reconnect with family for Kim and an opportunity for Josh to meet the family. A grateful thanks to all who made our trip so wonderful in the Philippines, we look forward to seeing you all in a couple of years.
