Sunburned in Asia...chilled in Schipol...

Fotos were in Singapore. Still warm and winding...

When I arrived back in Holland, it was cold and a freezing week. Can you imagine how it feels, when you just came from a sunny 30D island?

We flew via Singapore. We still had about 4 hours transit time, so utilized it going around the Merlion city. Singapore is overwhelming in terms of shopping. Malls are skycrapers and shoppers are just crossing and buying mad anywhere. No wonder it's now become the shopping hub of Asia.

My tropical smile ended up when I landed in Schipol. Even a frowning face drawn in my face when some in my bagage was confiscated. Well, just take it off from the record, I brought something that is out of Dutch taste. Ummmm...some of them was already screened out at Changi airport in Singapore. Anyways, I walked out and had chilled ankles. I was just wearing a summer jacket :-( to think that it was still winter in the flatland. I thought that I had much heat absorbed from the solar. Hahaha! It didn't help but we arrived home sound and safe.

It was friday morning. I had jetlag. I wasn't able to sleep in the plane. We even ended up drinking cocktails while on board but sleep was too far away to reach. The next day was a party of a friend. We still managed to show up. Then it was sunday, for church. I was there to ask prayer for my exam on tuesday. God helped me out. I passed my exam as what I've said last time...

When we were away, the weather in the Netherlands was also very bad. It was stormy, wet, windy and very very cold. Even when we got back, we still had our share.

Then, I was just lucky. It did'nt snow but then just when I got back, it snowed. I got chance to enjoy it again.

These pictures were took just at the nearer park of our neighborhood. See? How pret I was? Snow bum :-) Well, at this time, my sunburn was just healing.

Retro: Fly to the Philippines part 3

What I did more and where I was during my visit? As what I remembered until now, I was always in the swimming pool with my husband most of our mornings. During my first weeks, I stayed with my parents and eventually moved to a hotel when my hubby arrived.

We went to the beach in Davao City with my family.
We played bowling with friends and we even had the chance to visit my college campus. It was great seeing it again.

I went out from this College year 1999.

We ate in different places, some are new to me and others are familiar. We managed to arrange our schedules and even have sometime to spend time in our own.

Once I took a jeepney just to go around the city while hubby was enjoying his own time alone. I was really reminiscing but then in some point I became poignant when I was caught in between of 15-20 minutes traffic jam. I just walked out and mumbling how terrible it was. I walked along the avenue and felt my watery-skin. Omg! I sweated. I was consistently looking where to get airconditioning...there I saw a shopping mall at the end junction. I rushed to get in to cool down. Though I was reluctant to stay there longer. I missed malls but I had a weird feeling of discomfort. I couldn't walked fast inside of the mall. I did but then I realized that I looked odd. I looked like being chased in the midst of peoples' staring eyes. People walk so slowly and flauntly. Blamed it to the cold season of the West. I ended up going back to the hotel and waited hubby for our dinner date.

We visited few restaurants that are owned by Dutch. One was the De Boerderij (The Farm). It's a country-style resto-bar. They have a lot of burgers to choose from. We had a great time there and had a chance to talk the owners (by a filipina-dutch couple). It's located along McArthur Hi-way, Matina, Davao City.

Another restaurant owned by a Dutch entrepreneur is De Bonte Koe (The colorful cow) at Rizal Street. They have interesting menu but I preferred to eat something that I can't eat in Holland. So we did'nt eat a complete meal there. We just liked to check out those places and we're curious how it looks...if it's just gezellig (cosy) as in Holland :-) Indeed it was.

It was our great surprised to know these places. There are only few foreigners in Davao and surprising to learn that there are two Dutch-inspired ones. The mentioned restaurants are good and they are great to spend time and money for.

We went to movies. We watched My Big love and I ended up a translator to hubby. 27 Dresses was also a catched. We visited a Children's Home Foundation that provides care and shelter to children.

It's funded by a Dutch organization here in Holland.

Everytime we went back to our hotel, we're tired...then tried to plan the next day...(Dutch way :-) Thanks that we had an accomodating hotel for our 12 night-stay in The Apoview .

We had a good but tiring time during our visit in the Philippines. All at once, we tried to spend time with families and friends. The next visit might be more of vacation but for now, we're thinking for a real vacation. I'm still planning where but I feel that I have to. After my visit in the Philippines, I think I need to unstress...:-)

Retro: Fly to the Philippines part 2

It took me a while to post this entry. This might be long overdue but I would still like to recap my visit in the Philippines as part of my journal here. When I arrived back in Holland, I was so busy with my exam. Believe it or not, I did it again. I passed and now I'm ongoing to the next module, and hopefully I will be finished in the late summer.

To add from that, just after my exam I jumped to a new parttime job to add to my exploration here while digging up the labor market. I'm working now in a museum of Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles , worldwide famous of producing handmade earthenware (named after the city of Delft where I live) like the Delftblue porceleineware. I work in the brassierie...maybe anyone of you will bump into a cup of coffee with a Dutch apple taart, then just say hi to me :-), when you pay your bills later.

We're approaching the city of Mati. We drove a long-way round to hit that island in my back.

Where we are? Ok, let's go to my pinoy getaway. Since, I was busy with family and friends visit, I even tried to explore a bit of my childhood province, Davao Oriental. There, I plunged to the crystal-blue water. We crossed the island of Waniban by boat. A small island fronting Masao beach, in the far-east end in the city of Mati.

We're in the island of Waniban. Fronting is the Masao beach where we departed.

My family. It's not obvious that they were excited :-)This island is not yet well-explored by the locals and tourist alike, since of it's high end location. It's nice to spend a whole day here. The boat is chartered at a reasonable price.

When I was like 6 years old, we used to come here. This once a port, where ships docked for loading of timber. We used to buy chocolates and ice creams in the ship. But now, the port is empty since the logging industry was closed. Nowadays, local fishermen sell their catch here. This bay is sometimes used as a shelter port for fishingboats whenever there's typhoon.

Before I left for the Netherlands, I used to work in this province. Somehow, this place is closed to me. I grew up here since my tender years until we moved when I was 10 yrs old. In my mid twenties, I went back to this province to work. I have families here though some are quite distant relatives but I used to see them and introduced myself as daughter of Maria or granddaughter of the late Tibo. Everytime we saw each other, they said I looked different, that made self introduction never ends.

Nevertheless, I did not ever forget to mark this place as one of my destination whenever I get back home. My hubby came here for the third time. He liked this place. Davao Oriental is just quite with a natural beauty of tranquility. Beaches, forest, and the natural curves of the mountains are what we like and I surely miss. Whenever, we decided to build our nest in the Philippines, this province is gonna be a top choice for our future paradise.

After a short weekend there, we drove back to Davao City and eventually, had a short stop in Panabo City where my parents live.

Next post is anything about of my trip. See yuh!