The Phillipines, or "how old are you?"

Highlights:

• Visiting our relatives in Angeles City
• Relaxing on the white sandy beaches of Boracay
• Gliding over green fields in an ultra-light airplane
• Visiting the great malls of Angeles City. A local passion...
• learning about the Filipino passion for Karaoke
• Watching thousands of huge (4-6 foot wingspan) fruit bats fly from the island of Boracay to the mainland at dusk every evening
• Meeting the warm, friendly and curious Filipino people who would often ask "How old are you" or "what's your religion?".

The main reason to visit the Philippines was to see our family- my step dad's brothers and sisters, his father and his partner, Riza. They live in Angeles City, which is an old American Air Base and still home to many foreigners. They have a lovely house, and were the most hospitable, generous hosts. We really enjoyed meeting Riza and the kids, who were so sweet and full of energy. We met the entire Manalese clan, including their 90 year old great grandmother, and cute baby cousins. We visited the SM Mall, which is an assault to the senses in many ways. The biggest shock to Scott and I was the large amount of armed guards present. Want a hamburger from the fast food joint Jollibee? Please walk past the large guard armed with a 12 gauge. Bags are also searched upon entering the mall, and there is definitely a feeling of personal security. This is a place where families have bodyguards, houses have security systems worthy of the Pentagon, and you slightly worry about being kidnapped.

Riza treated us to a trip to Boracay, a lovely island with beautiful white sandy beaches. We hung out on the beach, ate well and had a few drinks. Her friend also took us under his wing and he and his wife picked us up from the ferry, showed us around and were genial hosts to us the entire time we were there. They also treated us to a delicious lunch at their house where we felt very pampered.

We also had fun watching Filipino TV. It turns out there's not just 1 Karaoke station on TV, but at least 2! Turn on the TV, and sing along.... Scott's favorite channel was the 24 hour domino-castle building channel. It's pretty self-explanatory: a guy builds domino castles on this channel, sometimes around his friend's chair.

We had a slight culture shock here: both of us weren't so used to quick questions about our age from strangers. For instance, at the security X-ray machine in the airport, the attendant asked Scott: "How old are you?". It was also our very first exposure to bargaining, a skill which we are still trying to hone. Don't want to pay the amount quoted for the taxi, hotel room, dinner or drink? Bargain.

The highlight of our trip was definitely getting to know our family here and just hanging out with the kids.