Holiday in the Philippines...One goal for living our life abroad is to travel whenever the opportunity arises, spending our money on experiences instead of on possessions. For our first 3.5 week holiday vacation, we chose to venture to the Philippines, visiting Cebu, Mactan, Bohol, Panglao, and Pamilacan (5 of the 7,000+ islands in the archipelago). After many nights of reflection and discussion, we would rate the trip 3.5/5, with the good winning over the bad. We saw very old monuments. Cebu is the oldest city in the Philippines and is famous for housing the original cross planted by Ferdinand Magellan in the 16th century and the relic of the Santo Niño. The latter was a gift given to Juana, the wife of the chief of the indigenous tribe on Mactan island, by Magellan. The doll, which is said to have walked at night and to have offered rain during times of drought, is now encased in glass and its replicas exist on nearly every altar and in every business and home that we visited. We took a boat ride to the tiny island of Pamilican where we enjoyed a Filipino barbecue, built sand castles, and found sea stars. We visted nature reserves for tarsiers and butterflies. We ventured out in Carmen, Bohol and discovered vast acres of magical Christmas lights in public spaces which few foreign travellers ever see. We learned how to cut a mango Filipino style and how to navigate every form of public transit (tricycles, multicabs, jeepneys, busses, motor bikes) and do it without getting over charged. We twice swam in an underground cavern fed by fresh and salt water. We met amazing people and Rosa experienced the intensity of 3 brief but beautiful friendships. I rested my brain and was able to read 2 whole books and not think about work. We revisited and pondered what we value in life and what we feel is essential as a family. Yet, due to the impact of man, the islands were overcrowded and polluted. The public transportation was very busy and we spent almost as many days in traffic, in transit, or waiting for transport as we did venturing out and exploring. As there is no public infrastructure for waste management, every beach was litered with trash and on more than one occasion we found poop when searching for shells. Seeing the trash drove home the importance of reducing and reusing plastic, as it swims in the ocean, rides the tides, swells up in the soil, and can be seen everywhere you look. Our last 3 nights were spent at Natura Vista on Panglao Isand which is an eco-tourism retreat seeking to find solutions to such problems through composting, growing and promoting organic farming, and repurposing trash through decor, planters, and lighting. As western-looking tourists, we felt as if we were walking pesos. Everywhere we went people tried to sell us goods and services and absolutely everything had a price tag (from the helpful guidance of the young boy who showed us the way to the short hike to a beautiful Chocolate Hill vista). While the motive is completely understandable, it impeded our ability to make true human connections and was frusterating to deal with. But all in all, our vacation was more good than bad because it made us reexamine what we value. It reiterated the beauty hidden within the imperfection. It made us confront the effects that humans have on the planet.
And, when all was said and done, we returned to Korea with love and gratitude for the abundant hikes, the free public beaches, parks, and activities, the diverse and healthy cuisine, and the excellent and efficient public transportation. |
AuthorHi, I'm Sarah, or Sarita as called by many. In an effort to cultivate multicultural empathy and deep respect in our daughter (Rosa), my husband (Brian) and I sold everything in order to embarked on a journey through life. Archives
November 2018
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