unwritten

Manila: City Life for a City Girl

While in Manila I got in touch with my “city girl” side. You know what that means - shopping galore! But of course I also basked in the city culture, food, and atmosphere of the area, as well as my family ties to Manila.

I stayed in the house of Christine Dayrit, travel writer for the Philippine star and co-owner of Miladay Jewels. It was a great way to learn about how people in the area live, not to mention she was a wonderful host!

A Visit to Lolo’s

In Tagalog, the word “lolo” means “grandfather.” On my first day in Manila, I actually left the city for a three-hours drive to Lucena, the province in which my grandfather lives. I haven’t seen him in many years (almost 11, I think) and I was a little apprehensive, but when he walked outside of his home to meet us, I felt as if things hadn’t changed.

We sat and talked for a while and ate lunch in his kitchen. The food was delicious - sliced beef, shrimp, pancit, and rice. For three hours, we talked and I told him about my life and showed him my photography. Although my time was brief, I am so glad that I got to see him. Truthfully, I choked back tears as we left the house, both out of happiness and of wistfulness.

Sonya’s Garden

A beautiful detour averted my sadness, as we stopped in Tagaytay at a beautiful bed and breakfast known as Sonya’s Garden. Located in the mountain region, this stunning collection of cottages is situated in the middle of a colorfully landscaped haven. We had a healthy dinner in one of the main dining areas then walked around. (Unfortunately, my camera died and I couldn’t take photos of the latter half!) The cottages are two-story houses with wonderful, internationally- inspired design. This place feels like home with its personalized accommodations and fabulously-cooked meals. I only wish that I’d had more time to spend there!

Shopping

The next day, our friend Carlo took me shopping at one of the various malls in Manila. Well, it turns out, all of the malls are connected, enabling avid shoppers to *literally* “shop til they drop.” Here I tried on clothes and shoes from various familiar brands such as Lilly Pulitzer, Longchamp, and Michael Kors. I felt right at home!

But of course, when it came to purchases, I had to stick strictly Filipino. I ended up buying a dress from the major department store here, Rustan’s, which is somewhat the Filipino equivalent of Saks Fifth Avenue or Bergdorf Goodman. I also bought a beautiful handcrafted silver ring and some pearl stud earrings from a souvenir store.

The Welcome Home Party

On Monday evening, Christine threw a “welcome home” party for me at her sister’s house. It was a marvelous time! With catered Thai food, a hired pianist, and many distinguished guests, it was truly an exciting affair. They even found a violin for me to play! What joy. Of course, the guests were thrilled when I played tunes ranging form Massenet’s Meditation to “Pump It” by the Black Eyed Peas. One of the guests, Bum, was so excited that he did an interpretive dance to my playing!

What a lively crew. I had the time of my life meeting Christine’s family members as well as seeing my own - my Tita Leah and her husband and daughter joined the party! I haven’t seen them in over ten years and I was elated when they walked through the door. The party truly accomplished what it was meant to - I felt welcomed by everyone there.

(Special thanks to the Dayrit family, Tita Leah, and everyone who was there, I had a fantastic time!)

In A Nutshell

Before coming here to Manila, I didn’t really know what to expect. I guess I was really apprehensive about seeing the people I hadn’t seen in ages, but I’m glad I got to experience the more developed side of the Philippines. In a lot of aspects, it’s much like America, with its sophisticated shopping scene, lavish high rises and busy lifestyle. The city girl or city boy in everyone will easily come out in this lively, busy city - with its various activities, you’ll never run out of things to do!

Maribago: Melodies of Memories

Although I only spent one full day at this resort, it was so wonderful that I felt it deserved a post of its own. 

The Bluewater resort system is owned by Julie Alegrado and her family, close family friends of ours, so we’ve basically been visiting Bluewater Maribago since I learned to walk. The resort’s luxurious amenities have only improved from time to time, making the resort a place that my family loves to visit each time we come to the Philippines. Boasting three pools, a high-end spa, and many delicious eating options, it’s no wonder that the resort attracts visitors from all over the world to its sandy shores.

Our room was a beachfront cottage with a skylit bathroom and a very comfortable bedroom that opens to the ocean. The minimalistic yet classy design really added a feeling of luxury and comfort to the room.

A quick walk from the room brought us to The Cove seafood restaurant, where we ate dinner with the General Manager and the head chef on our first evening at the resort. Lining the restaurant are various tanks with live fish, prawns, and shellfish taken right from the ocean. Delicious, fresh seafood dishes were brought to us by the generous staff members in the restaurant’s waterfront gazebo. It was truly a magical experience.

After our dinner, I received various spa treatments at the resort’s Amuma Spa. They offer massages, facials, body wraps, you name it! I decided on the Peligo Wrap, which is a body wrap composed of various local fruits native to the island, as well as the Glow Facial. Both worked wonders on my skin and all of my tensions melted away. It reminded me of my first manicure, which coincidentally I also received at Bluewater Maribago Resort when I was just eight years old!

The next day, we took a tour around the resort, photographing the pools, the exercise room, the spa, and other various amenities that the resort offers. We saw the pool where I took a photo with my dad - that same photo hung in my living room for years. We visited the pavilion where we threw Uncle John a birthday party back in 2001. But the most wonderful moment was meeting the owner herself, Julie Alegrado. She told me about how close she is with my grandparents and how she visited them in Camiguin before. It was beautiful being able to share stories and memories with her!

One of the resort’s specialties is its theme dinners. On Saturday night, we went to Barrio Fiesta, an amalgamation of local cuisine, attire, music, and festivities!

Bluewater Maribago definitely holds a special place in my heart, and I hope to one day take my family here for the ultimate vacation! From the old memories to the new, one thing is for sure - Maribago Bluewater is a fabulous place for making memories and keeping them too!

Sumilon: A Swim with the Gentle Giants

Check out the article in the Philippine Star!

Never in a million years would I have thought I’d get an opportunity to swim with some of the oceans finest and most beautiful creatures - the whale sharks. These “gentle giants” are only found in a few places around the earth; Oslob, Cebu being one of them! During our whale shark excursions, we had the wonderful luxury of staying on Sumilon Island in the Bluewater Sumilon Resort.

The Resort

Bluewater Sumilon, located on the beautiful Sumilon Island, is located about 3 hours from Cebu’s airport. A quick, 15 minute boat ride gets you to the island from Oslob. The facilities are comfortable and tropical with their open air approach and the staff is very accommodating and hospitable. There are many activities on the island, ranging from traditional massages to kayaking in the lagoon to snorkeling in the clear waters. Additionally, there’s a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the wide ocean. Another unique offering of the resort is the “glamping” option, where patrons can sleep in tents with twin sized beds, fans, and furniture. It’s camping at its ultimate finest.

The island is surrounded by natural beauty. The water is clear and sparkling blue, which makes snorkeling a very phenomenal experience here. The island also has many rocky areas as well as a sandbar that changes with the tides, perfect for swimming or sunbathing.

The food offered by the resort is absolutely delicious, and when complemented by gracious staff, complete the fantastic dining experience at the resort. On our last night, we enjoyed a dinner on the island’s sandbar with a fresh clam bake over an open fire. The setup was absolutely beautiful - lights around a low table with a bonfire nearby, the sea breeze blowing through our hair as we conversed and laughed over softly playing music. Really, experiences like this are what memories are made of.

The “Gentle Giants”

Aside from the resort, the highlight of our trip was certainly our time with the whale sharks. We were afforded the opportunity to see these creatures not once, but twice during our stay in Sumilon. These animals are very giant, some as large as 35 feet, and speckled white. They primarily eat krill and other small animals, which are common in the waters surrounding Oslob and Sumilon. For around a year now, these “gentle giants” have been coming to the shores around Oslob, showing their lovely faces to guests from all over. I got the chance to feed one of these friendly faces named Fermin, who coincidentally was the very first whale shark to ever approach the original fishermen.

The opportunity to swim beside these mysterious creatures was really awe-inspiring and one-of-a-kind. This is one of the few areas in the world where this rare opportunity is afforded to tourists, and I would highly recommend the experience to anyone of any age.

The Experience

There’s only one way to describe my experiences in Sumilon: breathtaking. Between the transparent, shining waters of the island to the graces of the whale sharks, I am in awe at the wonderful memories I’ve made here. My strongest recommendation is that you make the trip to see the whale sharks for yourself; who knows, you might just find a new friend or two on the way.

Hey everyone! Week 1 in Guatemala was such a wonderful experience. We hiked a mountain at sunrise, met many locals, played soccer with some schooolchildren, carried water up and down a hill, and worked my mucles to the max. We’ve been doing a lot of good work here and learning how to live as the locals do here.

The lake is absolutely stunning. I think it might just be one of my favorite things about this place, just how expansive and constant the lake is in the lives of everyone here. It rains every day, but we are thankful for it because it keeps us cool.

We’ve been doing a lot of humbling work but it’s more rewarding than a lot of the schoolwork or chores I do at home. Every story I’ve heard from people here has amazed and inspired me and I’m really excited to learn more in this next week.

Hola de Guatemala! I’m having the most breathtaking experience here, and the scenery is absolutely stunning. I think the most amazing thing about my time here so far has been the people, who make up the rich and vibrant culture here in San Lucas Toliman. I’ll update with more about my experiences and journal entries as the week progresses, but for now, adios!

Hey everyone!

After spending some time at home and in Houston, where I go to school, I’m ready to head off to my first destination: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala.

Tomorrow I’ll be waking up at 6 AM to catch a morning flight to Guatemala. I won’t have access to much internet there, so I’ve queued up a bunch of travel-related photos and will be writing in a journal nightly. I’ll try to post whenever I can, so please keep following the blog so you can see what I’ve been up to!

In Guatemala, I’ll be participating in a wide variety of service projects and cultural immersion activities. Since Guatemala is a developing country, we hope to contribute to sustainable change and work on projects that will help people both now and in the future. We raised over $17,000 to make this trip happen, working some nights until 2 in the morning to raise every last dollar that we could. I’ve never been on a trip like this, and I’m really excited to make a difference in a place so far away.

Thank you so much for following the blog! I can’t wait to show you all (and see for myself!) where my travels take me this summer. I’ll be sure to take plenty of photos as well!

-KR