The Philippines

We are headed to the Philippines!

 It is our last destination for this aimndustwanderlust adventure.  We are excited to explore the North part and South islands of the country. For me it will be a special trip because I get to see where my family came from and learn first hand more about my Filipino culture. The customs, morals, way of life I was taught and wild superstitions I grew up with from my parents and grandparents will make more sense to me. I will have a deeper understanding of everything and a bigger appreciation for them.

Our route will be Manila to Banaue (rice terraces) to Vigan (Spanish cobblestone city) to Laoag (father’s hometown) to Coron (island) and end in Palawan (island). 

In Laoag I plan on visiting my dad’s family home, meet some relatives, and see where my grandparents lived.  I have been texting with my dad and I can feel his excitement for us. He even wants us to meet the mayor of his city. I just wish my mom, dad, and 3 brothers could have joined us for this last leg of the trip.  We always have been talking about going to the Philippines together.  I know one day we will all go.

On another note, honestly, I am also nervous about going to the motherland because of these reasons:

1.       I am Filipino & can’t speak Ilocano/tagalog

 I learned I pass as Thai and Cambodian on this trip. The locals start speaking to me in their native language and I just smile and say English and I am Filipino.  It’s funny because they smile and say “Awwhh, Philippine… you have Thai/Cambodian face”.  At the end of our stay in Thailand a lady started yelling at me because I didn’t understand her.  That was the most frustrating part.

So now what am I going to do in the Philippines???!! I joked with Dusty and said maybe I should tell them I’m Thai.

2.         I have a white fiancé

Dusty and I call it white on rice when we spot an Asian and a white couple.  I never thought traveling as an inter-racial couple could be so entertaining and sometimes frustrating.  We constantly get very long stares, close face stares, smiles, giggles, waves, small talk, and guesses of what we are.  I am sure Philippines has many “white on rices”, I just don’t want to deal with it….

3.       Too much research

The more I research about the Philippines the more stressed out I get. I had to do research about traveling from Manila to the north and staying in Manila. The reviews got me a little worried. Manila sounds crazy with traffic and may be unsafe.  I also heard it’s a very disorganized compared to other the other Asia countries, but the other parts should be safe and in the end everything works out. The trip has been going amazing, maybe it’s just nerves since it’s the last 2 weeks. So from now on I won't do any more research and enjoy the last 2 weeks of freedom.

Our flight to Manila isn't until 10:30P.M. and we arrrive 2:30A.M. We checked out and plan on having a pool day.  The hotel we are staying at let us hangout and use their pool and shower until then.  This is probably one of the top hotels we stayed in. The staff is nice, they have a pool to cool you down in this 1000 degree heat, rooms are clean, and they give free tuk tuk rides into the city. (Botique Cambo Hotel)

Anyways, wish us luck as we travel to the Philippines! It's crazy it is our 5th country of our trip. We are getting anxious to reunite with our families and prepare for other upcoming life adventures in America!

-Aimee