We haven't had a lot of computer access since getting to the Philippines, and we're leaving for China tomorrow, so again - down and out.
I've met the rest of Andrew's family here (it's large, and we keep running into more) and they've been taking turns giving us the grand tour of Manila and Pandan (which is where Andrew's grandma, "Lola" here, was raised). We've been to the world's smallest volcano and an old American navy base, the Ayala and National museums, Fort Bonifacio, Greenhills, Quiapo, Pandan and Boracay - the list goes on.
So, an abbreviation - these two weeks have been sandy beaches dotted with early morning fishermen; chaotic traffic where stop signs are "merely a suggestion"; riding a horse not bigger than me, Jeepneys, balut, shopping for XXXL (which is my ego-crushing shirt size so far in Asia), lapu-lapu, lechon, halo-halo, freshwater pearls, ube ice cream, rice fields and caraboa and banana trees, and I've never eaten so much seafood in my life (which I guess doesn't say much, what with growing up in the Midwest. but still.)
Important to note, perhaps - in Boracay (for those of you not in the know, read: white sand beach) we went snorkeling and watched the sunset before settling in to watch the inauguration at 1 a.m..
We head for China tomorrow - and tomorrow night, spend our night in our new apartment in Beijing! More on that later...
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I had to Google almost everything in the 3rd paragraph. I'm disgusted (balut is "fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell."!) and intrigued (beans in desert? and purple yam ice cream), but mostly just jealous - can't imagine a world with sand and sun right now!
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side I bet you can find pants you don't have to hem! :)