trip report in pictures!

[Honey]

actually, i didn't know where to post this and since it involved a trip, i figure this would be the place, hehe! i hope you guys don't mind.

i don't enjoy typing a lot so allow me to show you my recent trip to the Philippines (after 9yrs in the states) in pictures!  Bear was very kind to let me go home for a quick visit.  the airfare was too high we couldn't afford to go as a family  .  anyway, i'm not done posting all the pics yet so chk the link every now and then.  thank you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bearhoney143/collections/72157624905402851/

[robert angel]

Thanks for the great picture report. My wife and of course her family, live in COMVAL, but at age 16, my wife and all her younger siblings go (well, one has yet to  graduate and turn age 16) go to the 'Big City" of Davao City and when we visit, we split our time between the more exciting Davao and the more relaxing COMVAL.

Those pictures bring back a lot of memories. We like the new Peoples park, but also have romantic memories of the old Magsaysay Park. It looks like the statues at Peoples Park need a good cleaning, or maybe some paint, but I am sure it's still a great place to walk and relax.

Is that Bluejazz beach on Island Garden of Samal? We usually go to Paradise Beach, and it's just as pretty, but sometimes gets a little crowded and the water is as clear and pretty, but there are rocks that can hurt the feet a little, in some places.

At least, all the Island Garden ofSamal Beaches seem cleaner to me than most Cebu beaches.

We love Eden Garden's Nature Park too. It's a long taxi ride and we usually pay a taxi driver for the day, becuase we don't have a car in town.

Did you eat at Banoks or Jacks Ridge? The foods look yummy!

Anyway--hopefully next time, your husband can go too. We're saving up and hoping the airfares don't get too high next June--July so we can go back to Davao--COMVAL and hopefully Bohol, where my wife's family is orginally from too--we'll see.

Respectfully,
Robert

[Jeff S]

Hi Honey:
Thanks for the post and great pictures! Looks like you had a lot of fun. I bet Bear was disappointed having to stay home and work.

- Jeff

[Honey]

@Robert:  yes that was bluejaz. it's actually beside paradise island.  i've been to paradise before so i decided to go to bluejaz this time.  so much has changed in the 9yrs that i was gone.  i can't even recognize the streets anymore.  Eden was nice. it was my first time actually.  it's sad we didn't really get to walk the whole place. we rented a van for that day but they only allow it in a few places.  i didn't get to bring my family to Banoks or Jack's ridge this time but we've all been there before i left them 9yrs ago.


@Jeff:  Bear took 2weeks off from work to babysit the other 2 boys. hopefully, in a few years, we'll be able to save for the 5 of us to go.

[z_k_g]

Very nice pictures!!  Very nice of you to share!!

Zulu

[fathertime]

Thanks for sharing the pictures and say Hi to the Bear for me!

Fathertime!

[whitey]

Thanks for the pics ... you've got a good eye with the camera.  And somebody likes food ... I'm starving now!

[piglett]

Honey i sure hope you gave Bear a big list of chores to do while you were away.
no point in him just sitting around for 2 weeks .....he he he 
how many pictures did you end up taking?
i think i had about 500 by the time i got back on the plane.


piglett

[thekfc]

Great pics. Thanks for sharing.

When we were in Bohol, we meet a couple from Canada, The lady was returning for the first time after 20 years & it was the son's first trip.

My wife have family members in Long Beach who haven't been back in years, glad to hear that you went back to visit home & the family.

[Honey]

thank you for the compliments on my phtos  . 

@piglett: i took almost 2,000 photos and a few videos as well but i'm not going to post all of that.  i'm already getting tired of resizing and marking them, lol!

[Dave H]

Hi Honey,

Great pictures! Congratulations on a well deserved homecoming! Maybe your family can move to the Philippines and Bear can run all of his systems by computer from here. 

Dave

[Bob_S]

That's great Bear was able to let you and the kids go back to visit family.  Times are tough, so I know it is not easy.  While my mother-in-law is still alive, I want my little girl to be able to go visit her so she will have some memory of her.  And so far we've been able to do it each year (though I've had to borrow against my home equity credit to do it), but this year I probably won't be able to join them.  Our family economics just don't make it possible right now.

Your photos are so sweet of a great family get-together, and they will be important in years to come for your kids to remind them they are connected to a bigger world.

Take care of Bear (still living near Houston?).

[piglett]

Honey

I saw the pictures you took of the food you ate while back home & it made me think
what kinds of Philippine foods have you been able to find here in usa ?
my wife just love her white rice & fish.
i liked the larger red fish there in the PI, but not so much the smaller grey ones.
i am about 100 miles north of Boston i would guess that there would be a store there that would have some PL foods. I guess i'll have to ask one of the 2 or 3 pinays that are already living in my small town.

piglett   

[robert angel]

Get a big bag of jasmine rice for starters.  No 'Kano style' instant rice.

A 10 kilo bag will make her feel good--comfy. Most Filipinos love any kind of seafood.  If lobster was cheap, we'd eat that and she loves shrimp. Tilapia was a huge hit there long before it came to the USA, where it now outsells cat fish. Pork's cool--eaten more than beef and chicken's always a hit too.

DaveH and a couple others made a pretty comprehensive list of things--foods & things.

I don't know how densely populated it is from your place to Boston, but I'd thinks there's few Asian groceries between you and there. Try and get some of their special  vinegar and peppers for dipping foods.

That said, were probably going to drive about two and half hours each way to Jacksonville Florida, this Sunday, where with about 50,000 Filipinos, they have purely Filipino stores and everything is about 20% cheaper than here, plus they have a number of Filipino restaurants.  Definitely go back 5-8 months I think, we put out some pretty comprehensive--maybe overly so, lists in archives. maybe just enter 'lists' in search?

[thekfc]

Get a big bag of jasmine rice for starters.  No 'Kano style' instant rice.

You mean I cannot have my beautiful parboil rice & my minute rice? 

I remember the posts on the food comparison - I had it bookmarked but lost it when I switch computers. 

Remember these from Ray's:
~Clean the house. 
~Buy a sack (20 lb) of good rice (Thai Jasmine rice). 
~Take as much time off work as you can get when she arrives. Try not to leave her home alone too much in the first month or so until she starts to adjust.
~Buy some prepaid phone cards and encourage her to call home.
~Go out of your way to find some of her favorite foods and try not to feed her too much Western food at first. 
~About 2 weeks after she arrives, go to local SSA office and apply for her SS Card.
~His stir-fry beef and peppers recipe.

I have already gone to the Filipino markets in my area to see what they carry & Asian markets/grocery/food - I am surrounded by them.
We also have  a Jollibee restaurant nearby (but the food is not quite the same).

The only thing I am worried about is Ahya coming to NYC in the dead of winter & weather shock may come into play, thus we may not be able to go out much the first month or so.
But I am already collecting some winter clothes for her to get by - she will choose what else she want when she gets here..

[z_k_g]

The only thing I am worried about is Ahya coming to NYC in the dead of winter & weather shock may come into play, thus we may not be able to go out much the first month or so.
But I am already collecting some winter clothes for her to get by - she will choose what else she want when she gets here..

This is an understatement KFC!!   

Zulu

[robert angel]

You'd be surprised. My wife later told me how much she enjoyed the uniqueness of that first winter. She came here in January and actually liked it, although we didn't have the cold wet sleet and wind that I remember occasionally getting in NYC--only a sadist would like that.

Last winter--one of her greatest dreams came true--we finally had snow. It was like taking her to Disney World--she was totally over the top geeked up about it. like a 5 y/0 on Christmas morning...I think we still have snowballs in the freezer....

BUT--almost all Filipinas, after going through the first summer here, and then feeling the slow onset of fall into an increasingly cold and raw winter, like winter less, and the loss of day hours isn't something they're used to, making it worse. they don't notice that as much at first.

Then after surviving that second winter, they'll swear that second summer is hotter and worse than anything back in the Philippines, because it started to warm up, then got hotter and hotter, creeping up to the point where it felt like it was choking them.

That said, Filipinos are the most adaptable people I've ever met to various cultures and climates and I'm sure your babes will be fine. Really, you're probably over worrying!

[Ray]

The "weather shock" theory again?

Guys, this should be the least of your worries. Yes, she will need warm clothes, but she isn't going to die from cold-shock!

Pig, if you want readily available Filipino foods, move to SoCal. Here in San Diego, within a 10-minute drive, I have 3-4 major Filipino supermarkets, 7-8 Filipino bakeries,
probably 2-3 dozen Filipino restaurants & turo-turo (fast food joints), etc...

There are 3 Jollibees in our area, but their food is mostly over-priced garbage. But I do occasionally have one of their peach-mango or banana-langka pies though...

Ray

[thekfc]

I think we still have snowballs in the freezer....

Really, you're probably over worrying!

I think that I am. 

[Jeff S]

The "weather shock" theory again?

Guys, this should be the least of your worries. Yes, she will need warm clothes, but she isn't going to die from cold-shock!

Pig, if you want readily available Filipino foods, move to SoCal. Here in San Diego, within a 10-minute drive, I have 3-4 major Filipino supermarkets, 7-8 Filipino bakeries,
probably 2-3 dozen Filipino restaurants & turo-turo (fast food joints), etc...

There are 3 Jollibees in our area, but their food is mostly over-priced garbage. But I do occasionally have one of their peach-mango or banana-langka pies though...

Ray

ROFL. Yeah - the last thing you worry about around here is the availability of Asian food.

[robert angel]

I dunno---But where Piglett lives:

It's colder than the shady side of a banker's heart!

Why in fact--it got so cold that Mr. OLeary got up in the middle of the night and made coffee in his pajamas!

Don't worry though, we're going to send Mr. OLeary a coffee pot....

'Jokes' Stolen from legendary weatherman, Sonny Elliot, who after piloting a B24 in WWII, getting shot down and surviving 18 months in a German POW camp, went on to deliver the weather on TV and radio for in Detroit for 63--yes 63 years--he just retired this year. His often sexy, over the top and under the table humor was something else....

[z_k_g]

I dunno---But where Piglett lives:
It's colder than the shady side of a banker's heart!

That's pretty COLD!

NH or Maine in the winter!!  She better get ready!!

Zulu

[piglett]

I don't know how densely populated it is from your place to Boston, but I'd thinks there's few Asian groceries between you and there. Try and get some of their special  vinegar and peppers for dipping foods.

there are probably 700,000 people in the southern part of the state so i would think there would be some kind of foreign food markets. probably a quick search in yellowpages.com would confirm this.

I intend to take Marily ice fishing the 1st winter she is here. I think that she will really dig catching fish from under the ice on a frozen pond.

i told her that intend to teach her how to drive once arrived & her 1st question was
"can we paint the car pink?"
i told her that as long as i had to drive the car too that it just couldn't be pink 


piglett

[robert angel]

Geeze Piglett,

I dunno about this ice fishing thing. Live anywhere near a bowling alley? You drinking schnapps up there, bud?

Most Filipinas are, aside from being absurdly romantic, are so logically practical that their thinking evades my cluttered mind.

I think after having bought more than our share of five pound bags of frozen tilapia in a climate controlled Walmart, that if I took my wife out ice fishing, she'd last maybe five minutes and want to beat me senseless with Gordon's frozen fish sticks....

Anyways, I never caught anything more than small fry when ice fishing and with my luck, I'd finally hook a biggun, only to find out the hole I spent an hour augering thru 8 inches of lake ice was too small to bring the damn fish up and out of. 

Meanwhile, the heat and weight of the snowmobile behind me, would probably be melting a hole of it's own, sending it down deep and leaving me, looking like the dang Michelin tireman in my snow suit--STRANDED! My feet feel numb just THINKING about it!

[piglett]

no no no you must have been doing it all wrong Robert.
1st you need a bobhouse
2ND start a small fire in you woodstove
3rd because it's a really small building it quickly reaches well over 90f in there so open up the door.
4Th please wait till there is a lot more than 8 inches of ice before you decide to walk out on to it.
     (2 feet is good & 3 is better)
5Th we have power augers, this leaves much more time for fishing & also drinking 
6Th i have caught fish over 2 feet long & they always fit through the hole no problem

piglett 

[robert angel]

Piglett--

Ya'll youngin's have it too easy! Back in 'the day' we didn't have 'bobhouses' and the 'real men' reached down into the hole and caught the fish bare handed!

Two or three feet of ice? Man that's thicker than I remember--and I remember those exciting days when we'd nervously go out early in the winter to 'test' the ice and that electric excitement as we'd hear the sound of 'crackkkkkkk...' under our feet and suddenly remember our childhood prayers!

[Honey]

@piglett: if there is a filipino store around, she'll find a lot of things that will make her happy there, hehe!  sometimes, thai (or other asian) markets have a lot of fishes that we have in the Philippines.  she'll find the pork meat with skin there too.  i always find it weird why American grocery stores don't cell the pork with skin, haha!  

regarding the weather, i have filipino friends in boston who said they wear 3-4layers of coats in the winter and this one lady is not the normal filipina size so if your wife is skinny, she might need 5-6layers.  i got here in the winter and even though houston didn't have snow that year, i was freezing!  Bear got me a very thick coat but trust me it wasn't enough!  i felt like i was trapped in a freezer and i could hardly breathe.  

anyway, i've finished uploading all the photos from my vacation.  if you would like to take a peek, here it is again, http://www.flickr.com/photos/bearhoney143/collections/72157624905402851/.  thank you for viewing!!!

[thekfc]

Where piglett is at gets much colder than us here in NYC and I think that Marily will need about 6+ layers 

I remember when we went to Baguio City, it was in the upper 70s/low 80s & Ahya was wearing a light jacket because it was "cool" 

I am getting ready for when she come, I already have some cashmere & wool stuff ready for her & will pick up more when I run into a slickdeal.

Food, I am not worried about, you can get just about here in NYC. Piglett is way up north in Upper New England & the selections are not as plentiful for him.

Once again, great pics Honey, thanks for sharing. And viewing your pics reminded me where I did save my X-mas pics from last year. Ahya say the pics & love them - now she will get to see the "sites" in person.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24445255@N03/

[Jeff S]

You must have to tow that bobhouse thing pretty fast to keep it from sinking. It's never work where I fish in January:

[Ray]

San Clemente Is.? Or Catalina?

[Jeff S]

Backside of Catalina - The palisades. I get to San Clemente Is. too.

[piglett]

You must have to tow that bobhouse thing pretty fast to keep it from sinking. It's never work where I fish in January:

ya you need atleast a 300 horse inboard for it to stay up on top of the narrow runners that are under most bobhouses. Maybe i should try adding a big wide belly pan under the bobhouse, that way i could downsize my boat motor.

[piglett]

regarding the weather, i have filipino friends in boston who said they wear 3-4layers of coats in the winter and this one lady is not the normal filipina size so if your wife is skinny, she might need 5-6layers.  i got here in the winter and even though houston didn't have snow that year, i was freezing!  Bear got me a very thick coat but trust me it wasn't enough!  i felt like i was trapped in a freezer and i could hardly breathe.

Where piglett is at gets much colder than us here in NYC and I think that Marily will need about 6+ layers 
I remember when we went to Baguio City, it was in the upper 70s/low 80s & Ahya was wearing a light jacket because it was "cool" 

well in the winter i like to keep it about 80f in my kitchen, this may sound hot to some but trust me after coming in from the -10f temp outside it feels really good. I will make sure that i have a couple of extra cord of good dry firewood on hand so warm in the house will be no real problem. I have also found out if you go out 5 min. ahead of time & warm up the car once you jump in & drive off the heater will really be kicking out a whole bunch of heat so warm there will not be a problem either. However once she gets to her job i would probably expect her to want a nice warm sweatshirt & maybe even some thermal underwear.


piglett

[robert angel]

All that cold just makes getting into bed all the sweeter and those moments snuggling (or whatever) before you have to get OUT of bed, all the more precious...

[piglett]

All that cold just makes getting into bed all the sweeter and those moments snuggling (or whatever) before you have to get OUT of bed, all the more precious...

yup the good news is that i know exactly where Marily will be once it's time to bed down.
RITE NEXT TO ME
probably not much chance of her sleeping on her own side of the bed where it's cold


pig

[z_k_g]

Where piglett is at gets much colder than us here in NYC and I think that Marily will need about 6+ layers 

That's an Understatement! 

Pig will have to keep here warm this winter!!

In my experience with cold weather, the best way to deal with it is go outside a LOT!!  Get your body acclimated and when you come inside its not so bad!!

But if you are inside all winter, it can be pretty uncomfortable and dreadful!!

Zulu

[thekfc]

That may be true to spend a lot of time outside IF it is not too cold but to have someone who have never been in weather lower than 75° spent their first winter outside a lot IMO is not a good idea.

We are not talking about 50° winter weather here - we are talking the weather in the northeast which at times can be brutal with single digits/below zero weather, blizzards, feet of snow, sleet, freezing rain, etc.
In the past few winters our low in NYC have only been in the single digits but places in New England have been -0° .
And to be out in that kind of weather a lot especially if it is your first ever winter or you are not use to it or you are not properly dresses, then ..........................

I think the best way is to gradually introduce her to the cold weather.

[Jeff S]

Everyone around here breaks out their down jackets and mittens when it plunges down into the 50s.

[thekfc]

Everyone around here breaks out their down jackets and mittens when it plunges down into the 50s.

Down jackets & mittens 
In the 50°s, some people up here are still wearing shorts. 

This winter you guys can have some of our snow, yeah, we will send some snow down to you guys in Mexi-fornia

[Ray]

This winter you guys can have some of our snow, yeah, we will send some snow down to you guys in Mexi-fornia

We have plenty of snow here within an hour dirve, but we don't have to shovel it off of our driveways and sidewalks.

One of the first things the wife wanted to do when she got here was to go up in the mountains and play in the snow. She was rolling in it and happier than a pig in s@#t.

Ray

[piglett]

I remember a couple of years ago we had a record amount of snowfall.
some people started to get rather worried when their interior doors in their house started to not open & close correctly. it turns out that having 3 feet or more ofwet heavy snow on your roof tends to start causing problems.
I ended up working for my worthless cousin (the reason why he is worthless is a whole nuther story)most of the winter. I don't know how many roofs we shovled but i can tell you that it was a bunch.
some people elected to not pay the $200/$300 and just left the snow rite where it was at , well that is until the roof started to snap & pop & very soon there after it fell in. I know of at lest 20 buildings within 20 or so miles of here that were neglected & their owners paid the price in the end. my understanding is the insurance company's got rather tired of writing large checks & started denying all claims involving caved in roofs.

pig

[Dave H]

We also have  a Jollibee restaurant nearby (but the food is not quite the same).

Hey thekfc,

They are probably not using "carabeef" in US restaurants!   In the Philippines, Jollibee advertises that the "Yum" is "Made with 100% pure beef!" Does that mean that the 1% of total beef that is used is pure beef?   OK...but what are the other 99% of the ingredients that make up a "Yum"? Are they also "pure"?  

"Jollibee refuses to release their Ingredients List"
http://www.msgexposed.com/jollibee-refuses-to-release-their-ingredients-list/

I wonder if the "Tuna Pie" is "Made with 100% pure tuna" Oh screw it...I don't what the "Peach Mango Pies"  are made out of, give me 3 to go!

Dave



It looks delicious in the advertisement!


I don't even are that they probably care not "Made with 100% real peaches or mangoes!"

[Ray]

Damn it Dave!

Did you have to post those photos of Peach-Mango Pies? Now I'll have to make a run down to Jollibee...

Don't tell anyone, but Jollibee's secret ingredient is sugar. Yes, they even put sugar in the meat.   

Ray

[Dave H]

Damn it Ray!

Now I read your post and saw the Peach-Mango Pies that I posted above it. It is 1:45 AM...oh well Jollibee Centro is open 24 hours and only 2 kilometers away.  


Nothing like sugar!

Dave

[Alabamaboy!]

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing!

[Dave H]

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing!

Hey AB,

You're welcome. OH you don't mean the Peach Mango Pies...you were referring to Honey's trip pictures!  Yes, they were nice pics!

Dave

[Jeremy.west]

hey flicker gallery is not working

[thekfc]

hey flicker gallery is not working

That is someone's personal gallery which they have taken down or made private. If I was in that person's show - I would do the same thing.