Philippines: Week 3

My trip to the Philippines has come to an end, it all went by so fast. There have been so many experiences and places I’ve been that I’ll remember forever. The third week started out with a visit to my grandparents’ grave at the Holy Mary Memorial Park in Angeles City. I never was able to meet my grandparents on my father’s side, but it is nice to at least pay tribute to them by visiting their resting place.

As we were nearing Christmas we made sure to visit all the relatives we did not get to see in the previous weeks. We visited my mother’s side of the family again, this time I was able to see more of my other cousins. My sister’s husband is fond of playing basketball and was able to have a game with my cousins and other locals. Of course my mom’s side of the family put together another wonderful lunch and dinner. It was also interesting to have such fresh chicken, haha! We had a great time and I can’t get enough of their generous hospitality and kindness.

On another part of the week my sister, her husband and myself went on a two-day trip to Manila. We decided to save on travel costs and rode the local public transit bus that took us there. We ended up staying at the Hyatt Hotel which was first class and I was very impressed at the view of the ocean from outside our bedroom window. We took a stroll along the boardwalk along Roxas Blvd and caught a shuttle to the Mall of Asia. We ate at a Filipino buffet restaurant, visited numerous stores, and then caught a 3D IMAX screening of Tron, which was very cool. When we arrived back at the hotel we visited the music bar which was very hip and had a really cool bartender that gave us tours through their private club rooms and even hooked us up with free shots of Patron! The next morning we enjoyed a breakfast buffet at the hotel and lounged out at the pool, it was very relaxing.

The last day of our trip was Christmas day in which we had a big family gathering at my aunt Aida’s beautiful house in Villa Teresa, Angeles City. Once again I met family members I’ve never met before but was happy to meet and had lots of food. Christmas is an important time of the year for family and so a lot of other relatives who live outside of the Philippines were able to attend the celebration which made it all the more special. Being around so much family warms my heart and I will miss everyone.

The next morning we set out for the airport and I said my goodbyes to my parents. I got the same flight out of Manila as my sister and her husband so we said our goodbyes once we arrived in Beijing, after which I continued my journey alone and was able to reflect on my whole trip during the long flight home.

This year has been a really exciting year for me as so much has happened and I’ve experienced so much, all the while being able to capture such great moments with my new hobby of photography. This will be my final post of the year and I think it is a great way to end it. I look forward to all the new experiences and photos the future brings and I want to thank everyone who visits my page, without you I would have no reason to do any of this!