Raver Ria: March 2007

*WARNING: This is a half arsed post... I got lazy... I will end up posting more pictures than words....enjoy anyway... i hope*

I was very concerned going on this holiday because for the first leg of the trip it was only my sister and I, and I was paranoid that shit might go down like crazy taxi drivers kidnapping us…. thank goodness nothing did. Everyone gets paranoid when girls/ women go on holidays by themselves….. safety is always an issue that comes up, among other things.

The other concern was that Tim would join us, on our last holiday together 2 years ago my sister and Tim didn’t really have good dynamics. Personality conflicts and them bitching to me about each other did my head in. And I feared that it would happen again. But to my surprise it was actually smooth sailing. I guess they got to know each others behaviours and personalities more clearly after that trip.

Meanwhile, I did actually fulfill my “to do” list for the Philippines. Normally when I set a few goals or tasks I more than likely fail to live up to them. Let’s hope that these actions resonate in uni assignments.

Well we flew with Philippine Airlines….aaaahhhh good old PAL you can always count on being on time… haha yeah right…. 9 times out of 10 you are guaranteed to have a delay. I have yet to meet someone who has never encountered a delay on their international flight. PAL shouldn’t stand for Philippine Airlines; it should be Pilipino Arriving Late.

Luckily my Auntie Ying called PAL before she left home to pick us up.

We stayed with my Aunt in Las Piňas. She is so funny my Auntie, She is one of those ladies who would take you under her wing and treat you like her own child. She really is a kind woman. But there was a saga going on in her house. Which we all thought was quite funny. She has 3 female katulongs or helpers. We later found out that two of them were lesbians, and they were doing some funny business if you know what I mean, or as my Uncle puts it “guitar playing”. Shit hit the fan because my auntie didn’t want anything like that going on in her house. She didn’t mind if they were batting for the same team, just as long nothing sexual was happening.

The three girls are no longer there because they pulled a shifty. The two lovers left for a holiday back to their home town. And the third ran away and followed them. It was like a soap opera.

Cebu/ Bohol:

Cebu is a nice little place and I enjoyed the day tour. We got to visit quite a few historical sites. I love history, I cannot get enough of it. It was one of my favourite subjects in high school. I always forget how historicallyand culturally rich the Philippines is. I did not get to learn Philippine history in school, you sort of do that in your own time.

Anyhow, I love seeing all the artifects from the 15th, 16th & 17th century. It is truely amazing how these relics have lasted over the years, especially architectural structures. I was blown away.

Bohol was cool as ice. I wished we had an overnight stay there. Maybe next time. The tarsiers freak me out. It is weird how they are suicidal when you take them out of their natural habitat. I was able to feed one of them, but I felt so bad for them.... They are nocturnal, i wanted them to sleep and to be left alone... i hated being in the enclosure. There were so many tourists touching them (which is not alllowed) and camera flashes (which is also not allowed) going off left, right and centre. I think all that touching, camera flashes and being awake 24/ 7 has f*cked them up psychologically.

Dipolog:

My sister and I went to Dipolog again to visit my uncle. He took us to Pinahon island, which is owned by the municipality. Staying there does not cost much, you only give a donation. So if you wanted to you could give 1 peso. It normally takes 2 hours to get there, but for us it took 4. The water was very choppy and the banka was getting smashed by the waves, which was hella fun we were getting tossed up in the air..eheheh…. Come to think of it, it was actually quite dangerous… half the people on the boat couldn’t really swim and there were no life vest… It ended up being 8:oopm when we arrived at the island.... the light house was broken, so we were standed at sea for about an hour.... i was scared shitless....

I love Dipolog. It is such a beautiful place. I really recommend people to visit this beautiful coastal town. I love it how seafood is cheap….yummo!

My uncle and sister... the crazy boat ride to Pinahon Island