Dec. 4/11
Dear Family and Friends:
I am so looking forward to leaving for Hong Kong in 24 hours. Totally Philippine-ed out! Way too hot and humid here. Even in the countryside during what they say is the coolest season, and even it is only 25 degrees but with the humidity, it feels like 45 degrees to me!!!
I can’t see myself coming back to Philippines again but I don’t regret my decision to have come this time. I did enjoy my time with my Mom, my auntie #7 and my cousins, Danny & Peter. I admire what cousin Peter is doing for love and therefore, am glad that I was able to share his special day and show my support.
I am excited about settling into our TINY but newly renovated condo in Hong Kong, a place to call home for the next 33 days. Traveling is getting really tiring. We have been on the road for the past twenty-five days, visiting seven different cities and living out of suitcases.
In the Philippines, we spent the first five days in Manila and the next five in Urdaneta City – a small town 150 km north of Manila (4 hours driving). The people in this town are super friendly. Cousin Peter’s wedding took place in the Urdaneta Garden Resort. We originally planned to stay twelve days in the Philippines but cut it down to ten because of the extremely hot and humid weather. Our bodies simply are not used to such heat, and air conditioning wasn’t available anywhere.
The wedding was small but very beautiful. I totally admire my CBC cousin, Peter, for going out of his way to come back here and be willing to live in a rural community with such extreme heat, for a few months, simply to be with his wife. I can’t say I would do the same even if I met my Mr. Right here. The “magic of love” is so inspiring. 🙂
This country is over-populated. There are 100 million Filipinos with 10 million living abroad, leaving 90 million living in the Philippines. This is triple Canada’s population, living in a space equivalent to Vancouver Island. Can you imagine how crazy traffic is in Manila? The traffic in China and Hong Kong is nothing compared to the traffic! Metro Manila has over fifteen million people and three million of them are informal settlers.
Other than Peter’s wedding, the highlight for me in the Philippines was definitely my first experience in a “fish spa” in Manila. Among the seven who went, I was the only one who was scared. It took me fifteen minutes to lower my feet into the pond so the fish could nibble on them and remove the dead skin. At first, it felt ticklish but after thirty seconds, it wasn’t too bad although by the time I was done, I felt as if I had just finished a hot yoga session. Probably because I was sweating a lot in the beginning out of fear. Lol. Deon liked it so much that he is requesting we go again. I am so grateful to George, a brother of my close friend, for spending the day with us and taking us for this experience. I am so glad that I met George and have a feeling that our friendship will continue in the future. (Thanks Monjie for introducing your brother to me!)
While in Manila – we visited:
1. SM Mall of Asia which covers five hectares and is the largest mall in Asia. It has a skating rink, bowling alley, arcades, Imax, movie theatres, etc. The mall is very pretty looking but there is nothing special about the shops.
2. Resorts World which, in five years, will become a “mini Vegas.” Right now, there’s just a hotel and large casino.
3. Ocean Park which, like our Aquarium, has dolphins on display.
4. Star City is an amusement park with rides and shops. This is also where the “fish spa” is located.
5. Chinatown is very old and not pretty, neither is the food authentic.
6. Rizal Park is like our Stanley Park though smaller. It took us ten to fifteen minutes in a horse-drawn carriage to see all its beauty.
7. Intramuros is a historical place and the oldest district of Manila where the Philippine national hero was imprisoned. A Spanish fort is located here. (We didn’t see everything as it was too hot and humid.)
I thought it was crazy when I learned that there are 72 dialects in China with its population of 1.3 billion (1/4 of the world’s population), but it’s even crazier in the Philippines where there are 92 different dialects for its 100 million people.
We visited Baguio City on Dec 2/11. This is the coolest city in this country. A lot of wealthy people bought houses here as a “heat escape.” It is 2500 feet above sea level and took us a little over an hour, on a very winding road, just to get from the bottom of the mountain to the top where we found that it was indeed very cool and nice. The total drive is two hours from Urdaneta City and around six hours from Manila.
The last place we visited is called “Hundred Islands.” Due to global warming and the ocean rising, in 2006, one of the islands sank so there are now only 99 islands. We were only able to land on 3 of them. The first one we visited is called “Quezon” named after one of the former president. The second is called “Children’s Island” and the last, “Governor’s Island.” On “Children’s Island,” we enjoyed an amazing potluck lunch prepared by the new bride’s mom. Deon really enjoyed swimming in the salty South China Sea. The many islands, in a multitude of shapes and sizes, seen side by side, are very beautiful. The sandy beaches are very white and fine and the water was so clear that many people were snorkeling.
I was told The Underground River of Puerto Princesa is one of the new “Wonders of the Natural World.” It is a 45 minute flight from Manila and apparently has beautiful fine white-sand beaches, gorgeous clear water, and is renowned for its salt sea pearls. There are also places for snorkeling and scuba diving. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it there this time.
The last time I was in Hong Kong was 24 months ago. I have never liked the city because it is so crowded and I find the people unfriendly. But, then again, I have never stayed in Honk Kong longer than 4 days, and so am excited that I will be here for 33 days and have the time to get to know the city better before I leave for a four-week volunteer teaching assignment in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Jan. 7/12.
That’s all for now!
Cheers!
Amy & Deon
Originally posted on Amy’s travel blog: TravelwithAmy.ca