Filipino getaway

We got back not too long ago from a week-long trip to the Philippines. We hoped to escape the relentless rain we’d been having in Seoul, but tropical storm Glenda arrived in Manila a couple hours after we did. It turned the streets into rivers and put a bit of a damper on our plans for exploring Manila. We did manage to squeeze in a visit to Ilium market before we left to do a bit of shopping though. It was a bit easier to get around and shop there because almost everyone speaks English (though not always real well!).

For those of you who have been to the Philippines, you know about the Jeepneys (old army jeeps converted into bus-like vehicles) and the tricycles (either peddle or motor bikes wish a side car) that crowd the streets. They are all colors of the rainbow and covered with random phrases like God bless this trip, Wear Pink Panties, Love one another, Back off, friend, etc. They sure are an interesting way to get around!

From Manila we went up north into the mountains of Kalinga to go white water rafting. It was my first time and we had a blast! While there we also explored a small cave and waited outside it to watch the bats come out to feed. There must have been millions of them, and as they filled the sky it looked like black streamers fluttering in the breeze. It was a pretty incredible site (especially because we could watch from a distance at which I knew I was safe!). It was also nice to spend time in the fresh mountain air, surround by green (a nice change from the gray of they city we’re used to).

After a couple days in the mountains we went to the beach. The Philippines has tons of wonderful beaches (the country is made up of over 7,000 islands!) and we decided to check out Alona Beach in Bohol. We stayed at a beautiful beachside resort. They had a gorgeous pool too. It was great to read and relax and spend some time playing in the sun.

We had sort of an Amazing Race moment trying to catch flights to get back to Korea as we didn’t have much time (only 1 hour between landing and take-off) between our incoming flight from the beach and our outgoing flight to back to Korea. Not only were we short on time, but we had to get from the domestic airport to the international one, meaning we also had to retrieve and haul our bags with us. We made it, surprisingly, but we did a lot of running!