The Cubicle is empty!!!

Yesterday, Rommel and JoJo hired two vans to take us around the sights in the island. 

 We first met Rommels family at Bohol Tropics and exchanged pleasantries.  Then we headed out.

Our first sight is the blood compact sight.  This sight is where the conquering spaniards made a blood compact with the natives, but later reneged and destroyed pretty much every city they went and started colonizing the natives.  There is a statue commemorating the event.  This sight is located between the city and my grandmothers house.  The view from the statue is spectacular.  The ocean and the islands.

Our next stop was Baclayon Church.  Which is the second oldest church in the county.  The first being in Manila.  This is somewhat of a big church but old.  It’s starting to show it’s age.  Very nice interiors with beatiful relics. 

After a long drive thru the mountains and man made forests, we finally got to chocolate hills.  Just because the hills are named chocolate hills doesn’t mean you can just jump in and start eating chocolate to your hearts content.  On the contrary.  It’s named chocolate hills because in the dry season it is brown and the landscape looks like a thousand of heshey’s kisses was dropped from the sky.  We did see more than a few of the hills but it was pouring when we got there and did not climb the 200 steps to the viewing platform.  We ate lunch and headed back to the city.

 On the way back, we went to the floating restaurant area and also to see the tersiers.  The tersiers are the worlds smallest monkeys.  They’re about the size of one’s own palm.  They are so cutesey like that the women just go ga-ga over them.  They’re interesting to see thought as they are very shy.

 We then just had the wedding rehearsal and dinner was great.  Great filipino food and got to meet more relatives.

Overall a very tiring day as I crashed.  I think I’ve finally gotten over the jet lag thing.

Until next time, “bahala na.”

PS- Is it snowing back home?

I can’t believe how lucky I’am sometimes. Not a month from returning from a monthlong vacation in Europe, that I have a chance to travel to the Phillipines Islands. The country of my birth. It saddens me that Maria Sue cannot go as she has used up her vacation time and could only go for a week. A week doesn’t really give you much time enjoy your time in the Islands. She’s passing on this one for a later trip to the Phillipines where she’ll have more time. Sooner or later (sooner rather than later) she will go. I really want her to see the Phillipines.

The main reason I’ll be going is for the church wedding of my sister JoJo. They will be married in the Island where my mom grew up. And that is Bohol. It will probably be in the church that she attended when she still lived there. Most of all, I will be seeing Lola (my maternal grandmother) for the first time in 29 years. The last time I saw her was on our summer vacation before leaving for the US back in 1976. Jimmy Carter was just elected President of the Estadas Unidos. Time flies and can’t wait to see all the relatives. Probably all hundreds of them.

Got my shots for the trip. I got a Hepatitis A and T(dap). T(dap) covers like three other sickness. I needed the Tetanus shot since my last one was in 1997. I cut myself running into a fence while playing softball.

Also got the tickets. Found a good deal on yahoo.com on a recommendation from my new brother-in-law Rommel Aguilar. All in all, the tickets cost less than the ticket price for our Euro trip.

Outbound travel time covers 22 hrs over 8600 miles. I leave from Madison-Chicago-Hong Kong-Manila. Inbound travel time covers 20 hrs over 8300. Itineray is Manila-Tokyo-Chicago-Madison.

I will be gone from Feb. 2 and return Mar. 2.

Day to day Itinerary is flexible at this point. Relying on Mom and Dad for the first 2-1/2 weeks for stuff to do. I will probably travel alone for 1-1/2 weeks. Hopefully some relatives will have time off for vacation and show me around.

That’s it for now. Can’t wait to go!!!

jimbing………