The Philippines

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Boracay

During Chinese New Year, we took a 25-day break from China.  We traveled to a beautiful place with white sand, good food, and English-speaking people:  The Philippines.
Our first stop was a week of relaxation on the beaches of Boracay.

We stayed at Casa Camilla and spent most of our time on
the beach here.

venturing onto the high seas one afternoon

just relaxing

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Puerto Princesa

After Boracay, we flew over to the island of Palawan, a little more remote, and full of beautiful scenery.  Our first stop was Puerto Princesa.

About to climb a karst mountain

up on top

this is how we got down, zip line

We took these boats over to the famous
underground river

the obligatory sign picture

strange area where a monkey and a
monitor lizard were hanging out

about to enter the cave beyond

the cave was impressive, Julia was in charge of
shining the light around

coming back safely

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El Nido

After a trying 6-hour ride in a van up the island, we arrived in the little town of El Nido.  It was a bustling town full of locals and travelers that had electricity from 3pm to 6am.  You could always hear the sounds of generators and chickens, but off the coast was an amazing archipelago of 45 small islands.  Each had its own caves and beaches.

the best way to get around town - a tricycle

a beach restaurant in town

just an amazing place

high above "snake island", a sandbar in the background

Julia floating

hanging around

exploring the islands

a new best friend

We stayed for a couple of nights on this little island beach.  There was only one other cottage with 2 french people.
We had our own private chef who cooked delicious meals for us.  Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

a view from the little beach

during the days we took trips around to the smaller islands

some amazing scenery

and great seafood

a place I hope to visit again

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Manila

Last stop was the big city for a few days.

jeepneys everywhere

around the old Spanish walled city

the wall itself

taking a little pedicab tour

riding a jeepney.  Does anyone know where this thing goes?

definitely a colorful place

Hong Kong

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Hong Kong

After a few weeks in China, we had to make a visa run to Hong Kong.  We stayed a few days and made the best of it.  A beautiful Chinese city that's clean and organized, a rare treat.

Almost there, crossing the border from Shenzhen, China

A great bowl of street noodles.

Up on Victoria Peak

On top of the world

We stayed across the bay and took the Star Ferry

Riding the Star

The beautiful bay at night

The rain seemed to make the streets light up more

visiting a local temple

lanterns at the temple

a street market view from the trolley car

riding the double-decker trolleys around

Xiamen China

A view of Xiamen City from one of the mountain parks

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Xiamen

Xiamen is the beautiful seaside town where we live.  It's a popular tourist destination for Chinese because of the setting and relatively low pollution.  It's been a good place to live despite some challenges.  We haven't travelled around much, so this is what we've been doing.



Our district, Xinglin, from the bay

We went to an amusement park one day with some of our students

We got to see the American Women's Beach Volleyball
team play, Julia's heroes



Philip's crown fell off while eating some candy, so we went
to the neighborhood dentist

This is part of a show put on by the elementary school for
Sports Days, a big nation-wide sports competition.



Some middle school kids playing a group game

The kids really prepared for this.



We found a little bit of home in an Everything's 10 Yuan Store

Dueling groups of wedding photographers vying for the best shot



We were invited on a boat ride around the bay one day.
Philip took the wheel.

We went to this little island.  That's our district in the background.



Julia and our friend Deborah took a turn
navigating the high seas.

There's a huge boating industry here, mostly
centered around the giant port where much of
the worlds granite passes through.



Our Halloween costumes

Julia won a giant TV that we sold to buy an electric bike.



Our district's little "downtown".  Yes, a McDonalds, and a KFC

Of course you can drive on the sidewalk.



admiring the woodwork

One of the more famous temples in the area



A big complex of pagodas

MMM BBQ sqid on Zhongshan Road



On Gulang Yu, a small island nearby

Just some pig parts for sale on a table.



Chicken feet and fish

Some people we work with in the International Department