May 28 – Back to Thailand

So we get up early again…. Alu & Abel take us to the airport on their way to work…

The kids are better on this return to Thailand flight than they were getting out to PI. I suppose everyone’s just too tired to make trouble :o)
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... the miracle of flight...

And there's always the new toys...

This trip was way too whirl-wind. Next time I’ll take more pictures and make it home with more sweets :o) Thanks to Ate Christine I at least made it back with a couple of bags of assorted pastilles and a tin of turrones de casoy (love those!). Tita Oyen sent us home with 2 bags of pan de sal (which where ALL eaten by the next day).

I got to meet soo much family but didn’t really get to talk.

We’ll just have to be sure to come back again…

Thank goodness Khun Rin is waiting for us at the airport with the van. At the house, Cambric has a special treat. A birthday package from Virginia/Great-Grandmama Dot is waiting for him. All the kids benefit :o)

May 27 - Got kids? No! Got bird embryo? yep...

So we roll out of Tita Oyen’s place at about 5am again to make the 2 hour drive to the airport in Legaspi. This time Iza and her 2 kids are with us because the driver will continue on to take them home to Albay.



After we make it to Manila it’s off to Ate Christine’s house for Sunday brunch. MORE GOOD FOOD. This is NOT a weight loss vacation. I’m tickled to see that there’s no soda. I’ve been feeling bad about all the high fructose corn syrup I’ve been allowing the kids to consume.

Finally, we have the best ending to the trip. We leave ALL the kids with my cousins and Manay Nori and her girls. Tito Eddie and Tita Oyen take us to get massages. OOOOOHHHH YEAHHHHHH….. Geoff and I have adjoining rooms but we don’t talk…. I’m too into the massage.



THEN! We go to the grocery to buy beer and chicharron. Stop by the corner vendor to buy balut and pick up carry out bbq squid, pork and fish. When we get back to the house the kids stay inside while us 4 grownups drink, eat, chismis(sp?) and smoke….. ahhhhh. The best part is the conversation. I think it would be fun for Geoff’s family & Tita Oyen and Tito Eddie to get together to share political activism stories.

May 26 - Kids' FIRST beach experience...

It’s time for a monster breakfast and some PI equivalent of Sesame Street. I’m not sure when we’ll be going to the beach so I dress the awake boys in their party clothes for later. Ronan has a “Lolo” moment and asks Tita Oyen at the breakfast table, “Do I look good?”

I wash a few clothes in the bathroom sink while regretting that I didn’t leave the rest of the dirty clothes with Manay Nori in Manila. Because, after just washing a few clothes… I’ve decided that everyone can just get around dirty for the rest of the stay in Irosin :o)

Today we go to Tito Eddie’s beach! We’re getting dressed. Tita Oyen’s house-help is packing lunch and climbing trees to get fruit for the trip. One young man returns with guavas and evidence of attack by some sort of worms. While Tita Oyen goes looking for something to treat the welts we get to take a peek at Tito Eddie’s clinic. When he’s in town the folks starting lining up as early as 6am for the free clinic he runs out of the house.

So it’s off to the beach! The pictures ALMOST say it all. I don’t have lunch photos of the freshly grilled fish, the steamed rice, or the fresh-from-the-tree mango and guava. Oh! I almost forgot, there’s also buko(young coconut) from the coconut trees on the beach.


Turner Tries to catch fish in a bag. Later, girls keep bringing Turner fish to put in his bottle of ocean water.


Ronan prefers to stay in the sand

The best nap ever...

OK... THIS is the best nap ever...

Time to clean off that sand...



After the beach…
It’s dinner at Ate Carol’s house. Cool house! It’s only 3 years old. Of course… more wonderful food and Totoy’s wearing the juice of another watermelon. The kids are also having fun playing games in the yard. Felicia tries to run the show… her older cousins are very wonderful and patient with her. Geoff enjoys drinking out on the patio with the kuyas. Of course with drink, there must be munchies(pulutan). So there’s chicharron(pork rinds) and dog meat. Geoff and I try some… Not bad actually!

May 25 - Totoy's Birthday

By some miracle we make it to the airport as planned. I’ve packed all the dirty laundry since we’ve only brought a few clothes and we’re staying in Bicol for 2 nights.

We’re picked up from the airport by Tito Eddie’s trusted driver from his days as mayor. We stop by Graceland fast food for brunch and baked goods for the 2 hour drive to Bicol. The 4 kids split 3 breakfast meals: 2-longaniza sausage with rice and fried egg 1- hot dog with rice and fried egg. Did I mention that heart disease runs in the family?


...1st We stop by Lola Puring’s other surviving sibling, Lola Muring, on our way to Bicol. Her eyesight has faded; it is her sacrifice, she says. With everyone working and unable to accompany her, she’s unable to go to mass on Sundays. But, she explains that the priest says she’s excused. We also meet one of her apo, Minky and her son who’s 1 ½ years old. My Tagalog is less successful in this visit. But that’s OK. We continue on our drive to Tita Oyen and Tito Eddie’s place in Irosin.

...2nd We make it to the house in Iroson. Wow! What a house! Almost a week later I just realized that we forgot to take pictures. One of Tita Oyen and Tito Eddie’s 7 kids, Miguel, is there. He’s been working with the recent elections, hanging out with friends and awaiting our arrival. Then it’s back to med school once the semester starts next month.

...3rd We go to my cousin Ate Pinky’s house for lunch. I LOOOVE the BBQ pork. Totoy is wearing almost an entire watermelon. Again, I forget to take pictures… I think the trip is starting to wear on me.

...4th Miguel drives us to Bulusan Lake. The kids try to fish… doesn’t really work out for them.

...5th Miquel takes us swimming at the Cold Springs...
"Cold Spring Swimming.... No Thanks"

...6th Miguel drives us to Masacrot Spring Resort to go swimming in the hot springs. There are signs posted: No bathing or doing laundry. :o)

Ronan like the Hot Springs


Our social butterfly/fish.

...7th We go to my cousin Sheila’s house for dinner and a birthday party for Totoy. I’m stunned! There’s balloons, a cake, lumpia, hot dogs and marshmallows on sticks, more bbq pork, more puto! And more and more! The kids have a great time. Ate Carol, Kuya Renzo, and their girls(who’ve been running around with us and playing ya-ya) are there. Iza and her 2 Joepeth and Faye are there. Ate Pinky is there too with her family(which includes her own Miguel). We get to meet Sheila’s oldest, Grace but the baby/toddler Bea is already asleep.
…8th It’s back to Tita Oyen’s house where she’s still in meetings. The family flops… eventually.

May 24 - We just HAD to hit the Shoemart

I’m beyond pooped and sleep in. By the time I make it downstairs at around 7:30am T-boy & Ro have eaten breakfast and have been showered and dressed! I love the whole Ya-ya thing! They go off with Tito Eddie to take Tita Oyen to the dentist. We get more of our laundry done by Manay Nori. In the meantime I’m obsessing over getting the names of all my cousins correct. Especially the kambal, Aggie and Inna. I’ve already mistaken Aggie(or was is Inna) for Alu, who isn’t even one of the twins. Once the big boys are back with Tita Oyen from the dentist we head over to see Tatay’s condo and go shopping. Tatay’s condo is what we expect. Organized by Tatay and treated with religious images by Inay :o) We have lunch in the food court. Kids have McDonalds (with Shrek 3 toys); Tito Eddie Tita Oyen and A.K. have KFC; Geoff and I have salad from Wendy’s. Yes, we’re still in the Philippines, not The Mall in Columbia. After walking a kilometer or few we make it out of Shoemart with toys for the kids from Tita Oyen and Tito Eddie (Jeepney, Calesa, Tricycle, Coconut wine for the big kid) and among other things, I’m able to find one of the things on my shopping list… an image of The Last Supper.(This might be funny if you’re Filipino)

May 23 - Just TEN stops today :o)

There’s puto for breakfast! We’ have one HAPPY Turner…. Because, as Turner’s telling us, “We’re in the Philippines and that’s where puto comes from.” But in addition to the puto there’s Tito Rudy’s special sinangag, cereal, isda(that’s dried and crispy) and more and more…

Geoff and I are leaving the older 3 kids with the 3 Ya-Yas of Ate Maita and Ate Karin. Totoy & I ride with Tito Rudy and Ate Karin and Geoff rides with Carlito. It's great time. I get to talk to my Ate Karin. Ate Karin and her husband(who environmental work has been published) are trailblazing environmentalists. I got to hear about their organic banana plantation (it was paid high praise by south american banana experts... cool!). Their next hope is to make their way to New Zealand.

… 1st, go to Taal to see Inay’s Ate Lourdes who’s husband recently passed away. It takes a few askings to find the house in the neighborhood without house numbers or street signs. Geoff is tickled with Inay’s Ate Dora. We have Coke and crackers and I have my first try at speaking Tagalog. Lola Dora understood me! I’m tickled with myself :o)

....2nd We visit Ang Basilika Ng Taal
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....3rd We have a most fabulous lunch.
...4th, We visit the site to where Tatay’s parish is being moved.

... 5th, Mt Carmel church… there’s a public bathroom there.

... 6th, We visit Lola Puring and Lolo Maure at the cemetery. I’m an emotional blob. Ate Karin explains to Geoff that without the locked gates thieves try and steal valuables from the deceased.

...7th, We visit the monument to Tatay’s alma mater and the cathedral.

...8th, we make our way(through asking) to the home of Lola Bating(One of Lola Puring’s 2 surviving siblings) She is a HOOT! A retired teacher. She can talk :o) Geoff wants to ask a question. Ate Karin wishes him luck in trying to get a word in. It looks like she’s with her youngest, Totoy, and his wife and kids.
...9th, we head back to Tito Rudy and Tita Ning-Ning’s. Us younger generations are departing so we must say our final “good-bye”s to Tita Ning Ning. I’m in tears, Tita Ning-Ning’s in tears. We(16 of us) get in 2 cars(4-door sedans)

...wha? I thought Tito Rody was joining us? Geoff is able to untangle himself from the Honda Civic to say “good-bye”s and “thank-you”s to Tito Rudy. So… all the kids, the ya-yas and Ate Karin go the the mall to watch Shrek 3 while Ate Maita, Boo(her youngest) Geoff, Carlito, Totoy and I go have coffee(or milk) and grown up talk. We girls have the universal experience of trying to discuss the challenges of finding balance in one’s life while keeping 2 2-year olds from wrecking a coffee shop. Ate Maita's got her hands full with 4 kids. Not to mention all their activities and the Kumon School that she owns. To add to that, her husband works in a different area and can only get home about twice a week.

Next, we head to the mall to meet with the movie gang…

Okaaaaaaay, why is mall security carrying a double barrel shotgun? After asking, it seems that after some terrorist activity in the country… this is common… a customer service I suppose. So we reunite with the kids… Thanks to the cheese popcorn Turner’s once white shirt is now more orange than the sunset. A definite sign of a good time :o) Now it’s off to Jollibee fast food! We have burgers, spaghetti(it’s a Filipino thing), and orange drink… topped off with ice cream and punctuated with trips to the Jollibee play area. It’s a wonder that we didn’t have a single vomit episode!

We say our farewells to the sounds of the cousins and Tias singing Happy Birthday to Totoy (he turns 2 on the 25th). We’re off for the 1 or 2 hour drive back to Tita Oyen’s townhouse.

May 22 - Manila to Los Banos to Lipa... within 12 hours

We hit the Starbucks in the morning and have lunch at a pizza place at Eastwood Mall. I leave our dirty laundry with Manay Nori at Tita Oyen’s house… alleluiah!

Then, Carlito, the driver, takes us to Tita Minda’s place in Los Banos for a family reunion(Inay’s side). It was a bit of a challenge. We were suppose to meet up with someone at the gate to UP-Los Banos. Carlito's phone wasn't getting any signal.... We eventually made it... It was about a 2 or 3 hour drive(I can’t remember for sure, but on the drive we did see a chicken cross the road... I don't know why).
We stay for a couple of hours and visit with cousins, tias and tios.



Next, Carlito drives us the hour or so to Hapag restaurant(which is run by a childhood playmate of Tatay’s) in Lipa where we meet Tito Rudy, Tita Ning-Ning, Ate Karin, Ate Maita and all their kids. My kids are in heaven… they’re having SODA! We spend the night at Tita Ning-Ning’s in the same room I remember from our trip back in the 80s. Felicia sleeps with her cousins, Gigay and Ayla... Felicia's really enjoying the girl company. Overnight, the cats scream and the roosters crow… I suppose that’s technically morning… but it really FEELS like night.

May 21 - We made it to PI

Arrive at Manila at night. Tita Oyen, Tito Eddie, Alu and Abel pick us up from the airport in the Honda Civic and the pick up truck. Alu and Abel have respectively just finished a long day of lawyering and banking. They’re all surprised that we only have ONE suitcase.

May 20 - Getting ready for the BIG TRIP to PI

Anticipation… In the days before we leave I get teary eyed every time I stop and think about this trip. My thoughts are often of Lola Puring. Specifically, I remember her sitting in one of the black leather-ish chairs from the round dinette set. We’re in that bottle-neck area of Inay & Tay’s house that separates the living room from the dining room. From that chair, she sits bent over toward the floor as she’s teaching me how to tie my shoelaces.

I don’t know what the car situation will be so I’m packing light. One suitcase packed with 2 changes of clothes for everyone and a small bag of laundry soap for me to hand wash and hang as needed.