Adventures in the Philippines

I am sorry for neglecting all of you for so long, but I am finally taking the time to blog about my adventures in the Philippines.

Scuba Diving

I think that when most people think about Scuba Diving they think about how much fun it is, but it is a lot more work than I expected it to be. On top of that, it is rather terrifying. There are so many things that could go wrong and so many possible ways to die. And honestly, that is one of the problems. When you are nervous, you breath more heavily, so you use more air. The more air you use the more likely that you will run out of air. If you run out of air, you could drown. Now even though our dive instructor, who also happens to be our principal, has never lost anyone while scuba diving. There is that fear that you could possibly be the one exception to that rule.

Despite my fears, I am glad that I did it because 1) It is new and unique. 2) It is a wonderful way to see the Father’s creation. 3) I like to challenge myself.

Will I do it again? If the opportunity were to present itself to me, I would, but I am not going to pursue it again. (At least, I don’t think that I will.)

Seeing the Most Beautiful Place on Earth

I don’t know what the island was called, but I felt like I was stepping into a Postcard. I do not think that I will see anything more beautiful this side of Heaven

Going on Asia’s Longest Fastest Zipline

Not a whole lot to say about it. It was fun and beautiful and an adrenaline rush. But honestly, it was not as long or as fast as I expected it to be. Unlike Scuba diving, I would do this again without any coxing.

Paradise Island

We spent two days at a resort, and call me a major dork but I felt super grown-up. First of all, I had never been to a resort before. Second of all, I paid for it myself. The island was beautiful, and the food was good. Plus we had cable in our room, and for the first time in months, I watched tv. 

Stumbling Upon Traditional Filipino Dancing and Drumming

A woman on the fairy on the way back from Paradise Island told us about this place where people like to go and listen to live music, so we decided to go there for dinner. After cramming five of us into a taxi, making our taxi driver very nervous, we made it to Matina Town Square. When we asked about the music, someone told us that it did not start until 10, being teachers we go to bed at 10. Despite this disappointing news, we decided to eat dinner at a very cute little diner. After a delicious meal, we walked around the square to see what else was there. It was then that we stumbled on the dancing/drumming. We did not always understand what was happening, but our waiter explained it to us. So we sat there eating ice cream and enjoying a free show. 

Hiking in Eden

We hiked 4,058 meters, which is about 2.5 miles. Now that really does not sound like much, but it was the most exhaustingly beautiful hike that I have ever been on. The Philippines is very green and hilly/mountainy. It felt like walking in a fairy tale land. Usually, when I walk in the forest in the US, I think about Narnia, but the trees in the Philippines are much more impish. However, Laura Poast, I did meet a few trees who I am sure would be kindred spirits.

The bridges that we crossed were made of bamboo, and everything was so green that it was hard for me to get my camera to capture a single item because everything blended together.  (I am also not that skilled at taking pictures.)

While the walk was strenuous, I am so glad to have done it because finishing was exhilarating.

Swimming in a Waterfall

On my last day in Davao, we went up a mountain to a waterfall where we could swim. When we got up there it began to rain, so we swam in the waterfall in the rain. It was a bit chilly, but overall it was fun. The real adventure began when we headed back down the mountain in the pouring rain on the backs of motorcycles without helmets (don’t tell my mother). It was rather scary, but I was riding with Amy who was petrified. I spent the ride trying to calm her down. By the time we were finished, we were soaked to the bone. We could not have been any wetter. When we were trying to get back to the main road to get a taxi, we had to walk through this very narrow muddy road, and a Filipino man said to me, “Welcome to the Philippines. It’s the rainy season.” I don’t know why, but I thought that was hilarious.

                                                                                                      

Working at Kid’s International Ministries

After spending two weeks in Davao, I spent one week in Manila working at an Orphanage. But the beautiful thing is that it is so much more than just an orphanage. They have a girl’s home, a school, different studies, a feeding program, a beauty parlor, a workshop. Another wonderful thing is that it isn’t just a bunch of westerners coming in to help. It is designed to enable Filipinos to help themselves.

My favorite day there was when we went to a feeding and got to spend time with the kids. See my pictures on Facebook. 

Overall, I had a good time in the Philippines. Filipinos are among the nicest people in the world. I could not live in the tropics, but it was a nice place to visit.