And so it begins…
![IMG_5789[1]](http://irunyourun.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/img_57891.jpg?w=470&h=358 "IMG_5789[1]")
While this chapter of our lives comes to an end…
![IMG_5798[1]](http://irunyourun.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/img_57981.jpg?w=470&h=470 "IMG_5798[1]")
And I’m still not ready to say my goodbyes.
![IMG_5782[1]](http://irunyourun.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/img_57821.jpg?w=470&h=358 "IMG_5782[1]")
Tag Archives: philippines
Boracay!
As I mentioned before, as we are getting ready to leave the Philippines (in 25 days!!!), I was sad that we had never been to Boracay, the most famous beach in the country.
Stories of crowds and the partying atmosphere might excite some, but actually kept us from going there. Personally, I hate crowded beaches – I like my space, my quiet, my peace. To add to that, tickets to Boracay are just as expensive as international tickets, so we chose to go to places like Hong Kong, Taipei, Jakarta, Shanghai, Brunei, Kota Kinabalu, Seoul, Bangkok, (etc, etc) instead.
But splurging for a 5-star stay at the Shangri-la in Boracay sounded like the perfect way to end our time in the Philippines, plus an easy first trip with a newborn!
Ellie did great on her first plane ride, I nursed her on the way up and down, as everyone recommended in order to keep her ears cleared, and she slept the rest of the time.
We got to the resort, and immediately fell in love…
The view from our room didn’t hurt…
We spent the next few days at the private beach in front of our room, the water and sand were gorgeous!
And as Karl and Ellie took a few naps at the beach, I was able to explore the grounds and check out the pool (which oddly enough, was heated, so it was super uncomfortable in this sunny weather…).
I also visited the other private beach, which was much smaller, but being next to the pool, also much busier…
But from there we could see amazing sunsets… (No filters needed – actually, for any of these pictures, everything looks exactly as it did on my camera!)
Traveling with Ellie was great too! I wore her on my Beco Gemini, which instantly makes her pass out, so we were able to go out to dinner every night, and she was completely oblivious to it! (I’m getting really good at eating above her head…)
And to add to my joy, Ellie loved being on the beach!
And she loved the water too!
(Except when Karl held her…)
We took advantage of the free shuttle and checked out the “real” Boracay as well…
But around the beach area, and specially the boardwalk, it was all so noisy and crowded, we were relieved we decided not to stay there!
The only hard part of the trip was leaving this behind…
I’m so happy we went to Boracay, and despite the extra expense for the flights and to stay at the Shangri-la, it was absolutely worth it! The place was paradise, and it was a super easy trip with a newborn too (after all, Ellie wasn’t even 8 weeks!).
We have one more trip scheduled before we leave, spending a weekend in Puerto Galera (which involves a drive + boat), and I ended up scheduling a trip with the girls from MADS back to Siquijor – 6 moms, 7 babies, 1 yaya. Now THAT should be interesting… Stay tuned… I’m also hoping procrastination to pack will give me a chance to finally catch up on all the trips I’ve taken in the last few months and failed to blog about!
Filed under Asia, Foreign Service, Philippines, Pictures, Travel, Travel Review, Traveling in Asia, Trips!
50 Days
We’re officially in the “leaving Manila” countdown. In 50 days, we will hop on a plane with our baby, dog and cat, and say goodbye to this place that has been our home for the last 2 years. A place we might never come back to.
We arrived as newlyweds with our pets (Lily was still tiny at 5lbs!) and will be leaving with a 3 month old baby…
I have very mixed feelings about leaving. 6 months ago, I couldn’t wait to get back to DC, the fact that my pregnancy hormones were flying high, also meant that my patience for the Filipino-way (“wait a while, ma’am”) was at a minimum.
Since then, I have made incredible friends through the MADS playgroup, and know a ton of other moms with babies around the same age as Ellie, and it would have been SO much fun seeing them all growing up together! Plus, since our baby was born in the Philippines, it now holds a special place in my heart as well.
We still have a lot to do. I know I want to do some shopping prior to leaving (sorry, Karl…), and I am off to Divisoria for what will likely be the last time next week. Hope to add another trip to Greenhills soon too!
There is still a lot of sorting to be done (what comes with us? What goes in the air shipment to DC? What goes straight to Brazil and we can live without for a whole year?). We need to sell our car, I need to start going back to the gym if that Marine Corps Marathon goal will become a reality, the pets and baby need their last immunizations (both due in a few weeks), baby still needs to be put on our orders (so she’ll “exist” to the State Department) and once that’s done we can finally book her ticket.
I am going to miss this place, and I am going to miss living in Asia. I truly hope we come back one day (not necessarily to Manila – I hope we get to live somewhere different, because that’s part of the experience, no?). I am going to miss exploring new countries and exploring the Philippines beautiful islands.
Now that I have a little over a month to go, I am not ready to leave. I am so not ready. And it breaks my heart that Ellie might never get to see the place she was born in.
I’ll be leaving the Philippines in 50 days. But a little part of my heart will be left behind.
Filed under Asia, Foreign Service
Boracay: Booked!
Every Filipino I meet outside of the Philippines, or anytime I chat with one locally, I always get the same question: “Have you been to Boracay yet?”
Yes, we have traveled extensively in the Philippines, visiting Bohol, Cebu, Moalboal, Coron, Siquijor, Apo Island, Subic, Mt Pinatubo (still need to blog about these last two…), Batangas, Tagaytay, El Nido… Considering we’ve had less than two years to travel around here, I think we did pretty well.
But despite El Nido being gorgeous…
The diving in Apo Island…
…and Moalboal being spectacular…
Hiking Mt Pinatubo being an unique experience…
…and Bohol having the famous tarsier monkeys…
No one ever asks me if I’ve been to any of those places. Nope, they’re only interested in knowing if I have been to the famous white beaches of Boracay…
I was convinced we were going to leave the Philippines without stepping foot there. I do hear mixed reviews: I have friends that love it and been multiple times, and others that hated how crowded the beach is (and I am not one for crowded beaches). And when I’ve been to other white beaches here, like Malcapuya Island during a beach hopping boat trip in Coron…
…I had no immediate desire to go to Boracay, a place I can’t ever find a good fare deal for.
But I still felt like we couldn’t leave the Philippines without checking that box. Who knows if we will ever be back here?
So in late April, Ellie will be going on her first plane ride, and spending a weekend with us at the most famous beach in the Philippines… And as it’s our first trip with baby, and our last trip here, we went for a bit of a splurge: we’ll be hanging out at the Shangri-la!
It wasn’t cheap by any means, but after I found out they offer resident rates, the prices became much more affordable (though still a huge splurge). But after staying put since NYE in Australia, when we usually travel at least once a month, and considering we’re dragging a newborn around for the first time, this sounds like the best way to end our time in the Philippines! Plus, it will be a great way to travel with baby AND relax (we even splurged for the seaview room, in case we need to be cooped up in the room, at least we have something nice to look at).
Now let’s hope I can make Ellie be just as much as a water baby as her mom… I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t grow up to love the beach like I do!
Filed under Baby, Foreign Service, Philippines, Pictures, Travel, Traveling in Asia
