When we found out that we were going to live in the Philippines for a couple of years we wanted family and friends to come visit us.  And our first guest was my brother (that our children call Rah Rah) who arrived December 3 and stayed with us until January 10.  He got a first hand experience to figuring out how to live in  the Philippines with us since we were still very new to living here.  He was with us while we were living in our serviced apartments and then helped us move into our condo.  Rah Rah has traveled with us through Europe and also done his own traveling with friends through Europe, but this was his first time in Asia and in a developing country.  I think he enjoyed his time in Asia and we all LOVED having him visit us.

 

 

 

 

 

Having visited the Philippines several times over the past two years, we knew that there would be a lot of fun family activities waiting for us once we moved here.  Looking back over the first two months since our arrival it’s amazing how many trips and memories we’ve made in such a short amount of time.  Below is a summarized list with links to photos documenting our experiences.  (linked photos are also displayed at the end of this post)

During the past two months, we……

• Met cousins for the first time in Manila, and went to the Ayala Triangle Light Show together
• Flew to Cebu City – stayed at the Shangri-La on Mactan Island, activities included paragliding, cultural dinner show, sun bathing
• Flew to Thailand on a business trip (two weeks after arriving in Manila, so the family didn’t join me)
• Flew to Cambodia – 3 days / 2 nights (hastravel.com package), visiting temples in Angkor Wat (with Robbie) (here we realized that Kalani, at 8 yrs old, has vacationed in 10 different countries!)
• Flew to Dumaguete – met up with new-found cousins for the first time and took the
• Ferry to Siquijor Island for Christmas, activities included:
  • Sports (basketball and volleyball with cousins)
  • Family picnic at Salagdoong Beach Park
  • Village Disco (outdoor late night dance, no age limit — toddlers to grandparents were dancing!)
  • Cantabon Cave Crawl
  • Cockfighting
  • Randomly meeting relatives for the first time as we drove around the island (1st cousins, 2nd cousins, cousins of cousins)
  • Cambugahay Falls (swimming and diving)
  • Butterfly Sanctuary
  • Enchanted Tree
  • Capilay Springs
  • Open ocean fishing, from a small motorized boat (Banca)
  • Christmas dinner at our cousin’s (Jacqueline Cento) new house (where we witnessed a traditional Filipino house blessing)
  • Stayed at the gorgeous FireFly Cove
  • First typhoon hazard – missed our return ferry to Dumaguete due to the storm (which worked in our favor, we had a lot of fun with the extra day)
  • …and just enjoying catching up and getting to know our relatives!
• Drove to Anilao, Bantangas to hang out on the beach for a day and snorkel with sharks
• My front-top-right tooth fell out while eating… 6 times!  (Manila 3x, Thailand 2x, Dumaguete 1x) (A new permanent crown is being fabricated next week)
• We attended the amazing CR Christmas Party (and I had the pleasure of participating in our department’s skit)
• Attended Halloween and Christmas parties for our apartment complex
• Church Activities:
  • Attended the branch Christmas party/dinner
  • Invited to dinner by five different families in the first two weeks (+2 more invites from co-workers)
  • We both spoke in sacrament meeting
  • Tia was called to teach primary
  • Matt is the new branch clerk
  • and of course, Saturday morning basketball
• Played in the work-league basketball tournament (3rd place) (we also do pickup games 1-2x a week)
• Mason had his first professional haircut (he did great)
• Enrolled Kalani at the International School of Manila (ISM) (she loves it)
• Watched the Mall of Asia fireworks show
• Added 30+ Facebook friends (relatives and co-workers)
• Relocated / moved twice (Houston -> Ascott Makati, then Ascott Makati -> Rockwell)
• Witnessed some amazing random public performances
  • Kids doing Gangnam Style in the mall
  • School kids performing Cats in a parking garage
  • Professional concert in the middle of Mall of Asia
  • Russian Circus at ResortsWorld
• Tia’s brother Robbie visited for six weeks, so in addition to much of the above, he was also present for the following activities
  • Chinatown
  • American Cemetery
  • Rizal Park
  • PBA Playoff Game (PBA is the professional basketball league)
  • Eating Balut
  • New Years Eve Fireworks – aka World War III
  • The King and I, performed live at ResortsWorld
  • Shopping at Greenhills, Divisoria, Market Market, Glorietta, SM, Greenbelt, and more
  • Taal Volcano (tour to the crater rim)
  • Dampa Seafood Market (2x)
  • Dinner at the Hobbit House (followed by Midget Boxing)
  • Watched the movie, The Hobbit (with friends from work)
  • 3D Art Museum

 

…. and as if that wasn’t enough, over the next few months we’ll have three separate extended visits from friends and family (Nate and Laura + 3 kids, Ryan and Sarah + baby, and Felicia, who will accompany us to Thailand on a combined business trip + vacation)!

Photos from the links above:

When we found out that we were moving to the Philippines, many people told us to take advantage of living in that part of the world by traveling to “nearby” countries.  Every person that has been to Cambodia told us that out of all the Asian countries they visited, Cambodia was their favorite.  I must agree that it was pretty amazing.  However no one told us how HOT it would be, and we even traveled in December when it was cooler than other times of the year!

We booked a vacation package through HAS Travel and we were very happy with what we received.  They were there to pick us up at the airport in an air conditioned van.  All of our dinner and lunch reservations were made through them, they paid for any fees, and they were always on time and very friendly.  We only stayed in Cambodia for 3 days/2 nights, but we were able to see some amazing sites.  We visited at least 6 temples, bargain shopped at the local markets for souvenirs, ate a variety of food, stayed at a 5 star hotel, and didn’t kill each other.  Overall I would say it was a successful vacation!

 

 

More photos of our Cambodian vacation here.