On Christmas day we arrived in Tacloban anxious to start our project and meet our host momma! We were picked up in a Jeepney from the dinky airport and carted to where we would be staying during our program, a neighborhood that the local Pinoy’s called Bliss. After a bumpy ride, we were dumped on a street corner and escorted down a little dirt street then into a tiny alley-way with a broken cement path. A quick left into a small gate and we were greeted with barks, licks, and an excited puddle of pee by our Homestay’s pup, Chuba! We entered Nanay Pipay’s home to find a beautiful Christmas meal cooked and ready on the table to share with us, and the most petite woman with the biggest smile standing there with open arms. She made us feel so welcome as we shared a night of stories and laughter, getting to know one another.
Her home was simple. An open living space with a kitchen, a room for her and her daughter, and a small room for us with a mosquito-net-covered bed and life-saving fan, closed off from the main room with a sliding curtain. There was also a “shower room” which consisted of a porcelain circle to do your business, and a large bucket of water with a scooper in it for “bucket showers.” Rub on some soap and dump some cold water on yourself- squeaky clean. This was how the whole town operated.
Getting to our project was no easy task, especially with the language barrier. A jeepney to another town, a short walk through a local market of madness, then a bike taxi to the project… about a one-hour commute to and from. That is if everything went smoothly ;).
The project entailed collecting nutritious foods from the market to cook for the sponsored children at the community center that “Volunteer for the Visayans” had created. Additionally, we were able to assist in crafting holiday games such as our personal favorite, the “egg game”, in which the ladies dangle a bag with an egg between their legs while the men dangle a bag with an eggplant between theirs…. I think you can figure out the rest.
Although our time with the kids was short, we were grateful to meet them, learn about their culture, and teach them a little of ours 🙂 As for Nanay Pipay, we will never forget her contagious smile, her infectious energy, and her stories about overcoming adversity and the life-threatening typhoons she had endured. She taught us lessons about life that we will carry with us forever.
With a few tears shed (Linds) and big warm hugs, we made our way to Boracay for some beautiful beaches and lively parties.
We arrived late at night to pouring rain and flooded streets, but sure enough, bars blasting music and floods of people walking the streets regardless of the weather. After a long day of traveling we were STARVING. We checked into our hotel and had our ear talked off by the hotel owner who ended up inviting himself to our dinner. Three of us stacked on his motorcycle driving down tiny alleys in the pouring rain…this was an experience in and of itself. Upon returning back to the hotel and getting settled, Nathan nearly had his head singed off by a short in the electrical outlet! There were FLAMES coming out of the socket from across the room. In panic, and pure exhaustion we switched rooms and lied in our new bed rattled with discomfort and nerves. What a night…
Our next day was bliss. Sunshine and the most beautiful white sand beaches you could ever imagine! The waters were crystal clear and the perfect temperature for swimming. Boats, jet skis, kite boarders, hair braiders, henna tattoo artists, handmade jewelry displays, junky souvenirs, ALL the beachy stuff you could possibly imagine. Stimuli overload.
We watched an epic firework show that night – about 10 stations set up in the water lining the 7km-long island. That night it began to rain again…then more rain…then MORE rain… it rained cats and dogs for the remainder of our trip! A few good meals, a nice pedicure, and one good beach day were all we really took with us from Boracay.
Praying for better weather, we headed over to Palawan, another Philippine island known for the spectacular “El Nido” tours. A short flight and a lonnnnnng swervy van ride through the middle of the night brought us to our hostel in El Nido. We woke up to rain…then more rain…then MORE rain… The coast guard called off all of the boat tours (the TOP attractions for El Nido and exactly what we came to do) due to rough waters and inclement weather. SERIOUSLY?! How bad could our luck get?!! Don’t get me wrong we made great use of our time by reading, enjoying couples massages, finding ourselves a nice grungy run-down gym, and trying out all the neighborhood restaurants… but boy did it rain on our parade.
We woke up HYPED on our last day there when we saw a glimpse of sunlight. Sure enough due to the past days cancelled boat tours, that days tours were fully booked. By suggestion of our hostel owner, we rented a motorbike and began our 30 minute journey north to visit one of the most famous beaches there, Nacpan. Within 20 minutes we had a flat tire…. then 2 more flats on the way home… nope, not kidding. Bear in mind each flat tire took about 10 minutes of gypsied communications and a subsequent 40 min to patch up the hole. Check out photos below to see how it was done. Palawan is somewhere we will 100% revisit in order to truly experience its beauty. We´ll just have to pray for better luck next time.
Although we made the best of it, we were sure as hell ready to escape the rainy weather. Peace out Philippines. On to the sunshine…
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