Baguio
I was 10 when I last visited the Philippines with my family. This photo was taken in Baguio, a beautiful town in the highlands of the Philippines. I'm told this city has changed drastically for the worse due to poor city planning. Local Filipinos used to get away and travel to Baguio which is situated at a higher and cooler altitude. Today, much of the pine trees have been cut to make way for industry and the sought-after cooler climate is now hot and polluted. This is my grandfather's house where my oldest cousin currently lives. When lolo made coffee on the stove, he would re-use the coffee grounds by adding a new layer of coffee to the old stuff in the pot. And my grandmother, who spoke Spanish fluently, used to smoke her cigarette backwards!
My parents misplaced my passport coming home and I got left behind by myself in Manila for another week. They finally found it in one of their suitcases when they arrived back home in Hawaii.
I spent that last week going to school with my twin cousin (not pictured), getting all muddy while cutting across rice terraces, watching Raiders of the Lost Ark 5 times at the Shoe Mart mega mall, drinking Sarsi soda from plastic bags, eating all the yummy filipino food and tropical fruits, riding the famous jeepneys, feeding pigs, climbing gigantic trees, and watching the caribou cross the streams. As a parting gift, my Tita Leni gave me a Nintendo Game and Watch (Octopus) to keep me company on the 18-hour plane ride home.
I'm hoping to visit the Philippines for my next journey either this year or next.
(I miss that purple shirt. I picked it out because Belinda Carlisle wore one just like it in the Our Lips Are Sealed video that was on heavy rotation at the time on MTV.)
Baguio
I was 10 when I last visited the Philippines with my family. This photo was taken in Baguio, a beautiful town in the highlands of the Philippines. I'm told this city has changed drastically for the worse due to poor city planning. Local Filipinos used to get away and travel to Baguio which is situated at a higher and cooler altitude. Today, much of the pine trees have been cut to make way for industry and the sought-after cooler climate is now hot and polluted. This is my grandfather's house where my oldest cousin currently lives. When lolo made coffee on the stove, he would re-use the coffee grounds by adding a new layer of coffee to the old stuff in the pot. And my grandmother, who spoke Spanish fluently, used to smoke her cigarette backwards!
My parents misplaced my passport coming home and I got left behind by myself in Manila for another week. They finally found it in one of their suitcases when they arrived back home in Hawaii.
I spent that last week going to school with my twin cousin (not pictured), getting all muddy while cutting across rice terraces, watching Raiders of the Lost Ark 5 times at the Shoe Mart mega mall, drinking Sarsi soda from plastic bags, eating all the yummy filipino food and tropical fruits, riding the famous jeepneys, feeding pigs, climbing gigantic trees, and watching the caribou cross the streams. As a parting gift, my Tita Leni gave me a Nintendo Game and Watch (Octopus) to keep me company on the 18-hour plane ride home.
I'm hoping to visit the Philippines for my next journey either this year or next.
(I miss that purple shirt. I picked it out because Belinda Carlisle wore one just like it in the Our Lips Are Sealed video that was on heavy rotation at the time on MTV.)