Sagada

Around Easter time the Philippines shuts down for a couple days and people enjoy a national holiday called Holy week. With the extra time off given to us a group of 11 volunteers went up to the Northern part of the Philippines called the Mt. Provence and visited a town called Sagada. It was absolutely amazing. At one point while driving to Sagada we drove over a 7,000 ft mountain pass. I had to buy a sweatshirt at one of the towns because it was so cold. The air was dry and clean, there were pine trees covering the mountains, and some of the mountains had been turned into rice terraces.
In the town of Sagada itself there is a rice terrace that is over 800 years old. On one of our adventures that week a group of us hiked down a mountain through a small village and across the rice terraces to get to a beautiful waterfall. We spent a good part of the day swimming in the pool, climbing around the rocks, jumping off the rocks and enjoying the refreshing mountain atmosphere.
Another day we hired a tour guide to take us into a cave. We spent 6 hours crawling around on our bellies through tunnels, wading through water, climbing up and down ropes to get where we needed to go and marveling at the formations inside the cave. It was an amazing experience.
When we weren't enjoying the natural aspects of Sagada we were walking around the little town looking for food. There was fresh made yogurt available. And I'm not just saying this because I haven't had yogurt in 8 months, but this really was the best yogurt I've ever had. It was so smooth, creamy, sweet and delicious. I think more places back home need to make fresh yogurt and serve it as part of their menu. It's the best thing I've put in my mouth in this country! There were also some pretty good cinnamon rolls at the bakery. They were the size of a hub cap. Yes, I had my own. Twice.
After our week in Sagada I went to Manila for a conference with my counterpart that I work with back in Pambujan. It was very exciting to her, because it was her first time ever being on a plane. I'm sure it was a nice treat being in a hotel room with a/c! I know it always is for me.
There should be a little more to come soon. My dad and sister are coming to visit in a couple weeks. We are super excited to have the chance to hang out. Good times!

Shannon

It happened, I'd been nervous and anxious about Shannon's visit for months. I knew the months leading up to her visit that her visit would change things. I knew they would change for the better either way things went. It was a pretty sureal feeling watching her get off the airplane. I'm not sure I really knew how to react. But she came out, we kissed, and I heard a bunch of people in the background go "Aww!" Cheesy, I know, but that's how it happened. We spent the first week of her time in a place called Alona. Which is on an island called bohol. there are white sandy beaches, bars lining the beach, and lots of little boats sitting out in the water waiting to take people scuba diving, snorkeling, dolphin watching or just a ride. There were also many other things to do on island, but we found it so relaxing to just sit and enjoy each others company and really didn't get out that much. We enjoyed the nice air conditioned room, pool and restaurants close by. After that week we took a day of traveling to get back to Pambujan. She was greated with lots of open jaws, hello's and mabaysay's. It was so nice to have her company in my house. It brought out life that I didn't know excisted. One of the afternoons I left her at the house so I could go for a run. When I returned, half the street was standing in front of my house, kids were yellin, jumpin, and fighting for a good spot so they could get up close and listen to Shannon. In all her wisdon and glory, she was spreading some good western culture. Half of the kids thought that Shannon's name was Awesome. All the kids were jumping up and down yelling "Rock On!" and I think Shannon had Justin Timberlake blairing to set the mood. That night a small group of boys had picked enough flowers for all the mothers in Pambujan and gave them all to Shannon. The entire night we heard the boys out front "Aute Shannon, Aute Shannon"! We'd go out front and there would be another boquete. I'm not going to lie. I was a little jealous, I never got flowers when I first got into town. The whole street seemed to light up while she was in town, and since she has left her positive energy has remained. Kids and adults are still asking about her, and I'm sure they will be talking about her for years to come. More adventures to come! Pictures too!