South Drive Manor Baguio

... 5 ton car ferry instead. Never-the- less
, we suddenly had our hearts in our mouths, when we viewed the fist boat as a rusty old sea bucket moored at the pier. Fortunately, this was not our fate as this was really not our boat, but the "Aria Winona"was hidden behind just out of our view. This was a magnificent vessel but alas also had a dysfunctional toilet, in as much as, I would have had to squat down at an angle that I could just not ...

And so, with high hopes of swell and amazing waves, JB and I set off, ready for La Union. 
The market was great, got some fish and stuff, made some great food... 
I have about 4 weeks left in the Philippines and so, what better time to do things I have never done?!
We managed to get a surf but all the promises of a rated swell from Magic Seaweed, Wetsand etc. were empty. JB ...

... c*rd *stig! *moy d*ing tuloy kAmi p*gpunt* s* LAPU-LAPU SHRINE..dun d*w si* dum*ong nung m*g *-eyeb*ll sil* ni M*gell*n... Centuries *go!!! Sbr*ng historic*l ni*. T*pos, Dum**n ng MCDO p*r* m*gt*ke out ng meriend* *nd e*rly dinner... P*gd*ting ng *irport ng 5pm..del*yed dw *ng flight n*min!!shet!!10pm p* dw!! **nt*yin p* n*min *ng cr*ft g*ling DAV*o!!*nung pets* n*!!! e k*so, n*lib*ng k*mi d*hil *ndun si DJ DURANO..*rtist* si* s* MY GIRL nil* KIM CHUI *t Ger*ld.. *y n*ko ...

... here than anywhere else in the Philippines, but still.... There is a field there where once a year you can go to pick strawberries. My wife said she used to love going there when she was still living in Baguio. We had just missed the picking season.

... Philippines, which were magical indeed!...We spent the next evening at Nani's and left the following morning at the crack of dawn with our trusted driver Orland!... Dan mapped out our route and possible sights to visit, and it quickly became a jammed packed adventure with day trips and a ton of driving, as we only had 6 days with Stephen and Helen...Our main destination was Bagiou, as it was where we met our dear friends Mark and Isreal (son of ...

... her 4th birthday. In classic Filipino style there was a big party, with all the usual dishes; pancit (noodle dish), fruit salad with cream (reminded my parents of the dish their mom's made), chicken and even roasted turkey. Needless to say a feast and my parents fit right in. In the Philippines it is socially/culturally normal to ask these questions when you first meet someone; How old are you? Are you married? How many kids do you have? ect. My Mom so loves ...

... a town 7 hours north of me, famous for their caves) came down to facilitate the training. We spent two days inside the most accessible cave making the necessary safety improvements, establishing a proper tour route and the Sagada guides taught my guides proper guiding techniques. This training was very successful and helped give my guides the confidence and skills they need to be successful cave guides. Being that they are all Ibaloi they still ...

... Mine View Park (full on tourist markets), Good Shepherd Convent (source of best quality jam, peanut and cashew brittle, Ube jam and other local delicacies), Tam-awan Village (recreation native village), BSU (Benguet State University (another source of local produce including strawberry conserve, peanut butter), La Trinidad strawberry farms (where you can pick you own when in season), Philippine Military Academy (with small museum), Baguio Botanical Gardens (nice ...

... destination. It is beautiful and so peaceful and relaxing!! It is about a 40 min. hike from the main road in Acop and once you reach the site there are endless hikes and rows and rows of organic vegetable terraces. As I hiked up through the lines of pine trees and tried my best not to slip on the pine needles (very slippery) I realized how blessed I am to be here and have this spot at my finger tips. Not to mention the fact I will get to be part ...

... took a tour which was interesting as we learned the history of US involvement with the Philippines, and then we were brought into a room for some kind of question and answer period with some guy who wasn't very important at all and had very little to share with us, so that turned out to be a bit of a waste of time. We got back outside to Sonny who couldn't get in because he forgot his ID and was now getting all antsy because he apparently had some intense itinerary for ...