On Our Way Home...

It has been over two weeks now since we left the Congo and we still haven't made it home to the US yet.  Instead, we've made our way to Michelle's childhood home, the Philippines.  Michelle's parents, Ron and Alice Watters, are missionaries here and they live in Quezon City in Metropolitan Manila.  It has been an incredible vacation and we still haven't had time to rest.  I'm sure that will come at some point but so far we've been having too much fun!

A truly grueling vacation

We arrived in Manila late on Tuesday, July 3rd.  Tired as she was, Soleil took time to try out her new stroller, an early Christmas gift from Grandpa and Lola (Tagalog for grandmother).

On Wednesday we got haircuts and went "malling".  On Thursday we went for a drive around the neighborhood Michelle grew up in and went to a discipleship group in the evening with Michelle's parents.  On Friday, Ron and I went to Corregidor, a famous WWII island battleground at the mouth of Manila Bay while Michelle visited some of the ladies from Alice's Partners in Ministry group at IGSL.  We finished up the day at another discipleship group.   

Riding in a "tricycle" through Quezon City

Ruins at Corregidor

Gun Emplacement on the Island

On Saturday we drove up to Subic Bay.  The primary attraction for the day was Zoobic, a little animal park.

Petting a Goat

"What is that?"

Soleil trying to shake hooves with a deer

Feeding the canaries

On Sunday we went to church and then went malling again.  What else are you going to do to get out the heat?

On Monday we boarded a Philippine Airlines flight for the island of Cebu.  Our destination was a beach resort on the north side of the island called Alegre.  We spent four days here playing in the sea, kayaking, snorkeling, eating and (in my case) getting a bad sunburn.  Well worth it.

When we got back from Cebu we had a day to get our clothes washed and head back to the airport, this time en route to Taiwan.  Michelle's parents were missionaries in Taipei before moving to Manila when Michelle was in first grade.  So we spent three days in Taipei sightseeing and touring their old neighborhood.

We got back to Manila at 3:30 this morning and back to the house by 5:30.  Despite the lack of sleep, the late nights, the early mornings and the constant traveling, Soleil has been a real trooper.  She has seemed to really enjoy this vacation and has been making friends everywhere she goes, whether it's

with a flight attendant on Philippine Airlines,

on the beach at the resort,

in the Taipei airport,

at the restaurant in Cebu

with a fellow hippo-lover at the zoo

or with a young pianist in Manila.

Today we visited the International Graduate School of Leadership (IGSL) where Ron serves as the Academic Dean and heads the Theology Department.  We have one more day left here in the Philippines and all that we have to do is to pack.  We leave Manila the morning of July 19th, touching down at JFK twenty hours later.