Visit The Chocolate Hills In The Philippines

When I was planning my trip to the Philippines I knew the Chocolate Hills located on the island of Bohol was going to have to be one of my necessary stops.

A day before leaving for my island hopping adventure we found out that my tickets had the wrong last name on it.  The travel agent my cousin used had changed my last name from Cortez to Cruz and they refused to change it.  We panicked.  Thankfully my cousin had a brilliant idea!  In the Philippines you can get onto a domestic flight with a photo employee ID.  Yes this is totally illegal, but we made an employee ID with my brand new last name.

The catch?  I spoke no Tagalog, and there was no way they would believe that I worked in the Philippines once they heard my American accent.  Thankfully my aunt was traveling with me and she said, "Let me do all the talking!"  Well, it worked, and I got onto 4 flights with my employee ID.  The only minor blip was when my aunt was speaking with the flight attendant, another airport employee approached me speaking in Tagalog.  I pretended to have a nasty sickness, shook my head, pointed at my throat, and projected the most convincing cough I could muster.  Per my family's strong request, I had to be a mute for my "safety."

When we arrived in Bohol I felt an immediate rush of humidity.  I am not used to humidity, and I had spent a month in chilly China beforehand.  As the day progressed, I only started to feel worst.

When we arrived to the Chocolate Hills I was welcomed by 214 steps to the observation deck.  I  wanted to cry.  The last thing I wanted to do was exhaust my already exhausted body.  I pushed through the pain and quickly climbed up.   

The Chocolate Hills consist of 1,260 grass covered limestone hills scattered over 20 square miles.  During the dry season the grass turns brown making the hills look like mounds of chocolate.

As soon as I saw the Chocolate Hills, I had a quick surge of energy, lasting a short 5 minutes.  Then it was back to feeling yuck, and then it started to rain!  Humidity + Rain = ULTIMATE MISERY!

On the other side of the observation deck were ramps to hike back down to the bottom.  The views were just as beautiful.

I felt so defeated as I got back into our van.  My aunt assured me that food would make me feel better, so we went on our river cruse along the Lomboc River.

I ate a few bites of food, and then had to place my head down on the table for the remainder of the cruise.  Everyone else around me were singing and dancing, and I felt like death.  I was kinda jealous at all the fun they were having.

When we reached the resort I started having chills, spiked a fever, and then began the worst, nastiest coughing spell ever, combined with some shortness of breath.  My aunt asked reception if there was a hospital in town, and they said that we would have to leave the island in order to reach a hospital.  I am pretty sure I had pneumonia.  Thankfully, before leaving for my island hopping trip I had stocked up on antibiotics.   Despite having to stay indoors during my stay on a beach front resort with a PRIVATE BEACH (WAHH!), I slowly began to feel better.

Even though I felt like I was on my death bed, I still adored Bohol, and it had so much to offer beyond the Chocolate Hills. 

...and now I want some Chocolate.

Date Accomplished:  March 27th,  2012

Enjoy A Hot Pot Meal In China

Hot Pot is like the Chinese version of fondue, minus the big pot of chocolate or cheese. 

A metal pot is filled up with simmering broth and placed in the center of a table.  The broth is filled with a variety of noodles, veggies, and meat.  Once cooked, the pieces are plucked out with chopsticks and dipped with a sauce.

The Hot pot has been around for more than 1000 years originating from Mongolia and gaining popularity during the Tang Dynasty. 

There are two varieties I was eager to try, the Mongolian Hot Pot, and the Chongqing (Sichuan) hot pot.  One with a subtle broth, and one with a spicy broth.

I had hired a local guide, Cathy during part of my stay in Beijing, and I asked her if she would take me for some hot pot.  It was a blessing to have her along for the ride cause she helped me buy things off the street like these candied hawthorn berries...

Don't mind that I wore everything I had in my luggage to keep me warm!   Also to save you a few bucks, skip the candied hawthorn berries.  It was DISGUSTING!

A Mongolian Hot Pot was exactly what we needed to warm our insides after a day of walking around in the blistering Beijing cold.  It was also inviting when they decorated our dips with a smiley face (see the bottom left of the above photo).    We ordered a variety of veggies, noodles, and meat.  We placed the noodles in first because they took longer to cook.  The meat cooked surprisingly quickly because they were thinly sliced.

The Mongolian Hot Pot was good, but I love my spice so I was super keen to try the Chongqing hot pot.

So during our stay in Chongqing we were treated with a free hotpot meal.  We were able to split the hotpot with one side spicy and the other side a wimpy traditional hotpot.  Guess which one I tried?  The one completely saturated with Sichuan chili peppers OBVIOUSLY!

I love spice, but I will be the first to admit that it was NOT easy!  I add sriracha sauce to just about everything, but this had my mouth on FIRE.  When I get Thai food I usually get a 5 or 6 on the spice scale, but this was easily a 10 on the scale!!  It was still really good, but only with a few Tums tablets as a chaser!

Date Accomplished:  March 2nd, 2012

Float In The Dead Sea

Floating in the Dead Sea was one of the experiences I was looking most forward to while traveling to Jordan.  It looks like any ordinary sea, but in actuality it is quite different.   The salt content is so high that it is almost 9x saltier than the Ocean.  Because of its high salt content it makes it difficult for animals to thrive in the waters, hence it being called the Dead Sea.  The Dead Sea borders Jordan to the East and Israel to the West.    It is 34 miles long, and 11 miles wide.  It is also 400 meters below sea level, and the lowest point of land on Earth.

Because of the high salt content it makes it a bit too easy to float....

Before floating in the Dead Sea make sure you don't have any open cuts, and avoid shaving a few days before your visit.  Also do not get the water into your eyes!  My friend was unaware of this and decided to dive in.   It was one of those moments that you can replay in slow motion as my friends and I, and 2 local Jordanian guys were screaming "Nooooooooooooooo!" as he dived in head first.  The shocked look on his face when he emerged out of the water was priceless.  Needless to say he learned his lesson.

My friend took our photos, and somehow I managed to get ZERO photos of me floating in the Dead Sea.  But some of my friends did it with so much more class that I had to share their photos.  The water felt oily on my skin, but don't be fooled by the calm looking waters. The waves were pretty intense and had us swishing all over the sea.

Then it was time to look like this.....

Because of the high salt and mineral content the dead sea mud apparently has many healing properties.  For a few dollars we paid to rub this black mud all over our body.  It BURNED!! 

We took turns helping each other paint this stuff on our bodies, and we laughed and giggled the entire time.    This was probably the best part of the ENTIRE experience. 

We turned into Dead Sea Mud Monsters, and the Dead Sea version of the Incredible Hulk.  We had caked so much of the mud on us that it took 15 minutes to dry in direct sunlight!  My face was burning, but I patiently waited for the mud to dry.  As the mud dried our bodies became stiffer and stiffer, and I really began to feel like a Monster.

Once the mud dried we had to PAINFULLY walk back into the Dead Sea.  The Dead Sea floor was VERY ROCKY, so it was one of the most painful and unexpected ways of exfoliating the soles of my feet.  It took us another 15 minutes to wash most of it off our bodies.

There was a shower up a hill that we washed the remaining mud off our bodies.  Actually the shower had the slowest trickle, so my friend found a hose and hosed us all down like dogs!  I found small remnants of mud still on me the following 2 days!

If I were to do the experience again I would not apply any of the mud on my face.  The burning feeling I felt on my face was in fact my face being burned!  There was a small dry red patch on my upper cheek that lingered for a few days.

At the top of the resort sits huge beautiful pools.  When we first arrived we didn't understand why ANYONE would want to go into the pool if the Dead Sea was just a few feet away.  Well we understood it after our Dead Sea experience.  The pool was just more relaxing and pain free than the stinging waters of the Dead Sea!

Date Accomplished:  April 4th, 2013

Visit The Forbidden City And Tiananmen Square In Beijing

Tiananmen Square is a large open area in the city of Beijing adjacent to the Forbidden City.  It was built in 1651, and has grown 4 times in size since its original design.  In 1974 after the leader Mao passed away, the people built a mausoleum under the square.  There his body lays embalmed and open for public viewing.   Seeing Mao's body didn't really tickle my fancy, so I skipped out on that.

The square is most popular for the number of protests and demonstrations that have occurred on the square. The most famous occurring in 1989.  Students went on hunger strikes and occupied the area for several weeks, and at the end of the debacle hundreds to thousands of protesters were killed.  The media often referred to it as a "massacre."  When people are being randomly shot,  being run over by military tanks, and being burned alive, I think the media has every right to call it that.

Nowadays, apparently the square is used as a meeting place for some locals, although I don't see how you can find anyone in the vast sea of people.  It's like finding a needle in a two ton haystack.

A view of the Forbidden City from Jingshan Park

North of Tiananmen Square is the Forbidden City, and it is faaaaaar more impressive than the Square.  Built during the Ming Dynasty and housing 24 emperors over a course of hundreds of years, the Forbidden City is located in the heart of Beijing. 

The Forbidden City consists of almost 1000 buildings, and nearly 9000 rooms!  Imagine having to clean that place!  I have a difficult enough time with my 3 bedroom home!  The city is also surrounded by a high wall and moats.

It is mind boggling to think that the Forbidden City took only 14 years to be built considering how massive it is.  La Sagrada Familia in Spain has been under construction since 1882, and even with modern technology it will still take an approximate 15 more years to complete!!  The manpower to build the City was an apparent million hard working souls!

Walking through the city was majestic.  The ornate construction of the buildings, and just the sheer size of the place would make anyone stop with awe.  Most of the city is off limits, and you are not allowed to see much of the interior of the buildings (besides going through the buildings to get to the next square).  Even though most of the city is restricted it still took 3 hours to walk one end to the other.

If you are a history buff, I suggest getting the audio guide or hiring a local guide.  The buildings do start to look alike otherwise; and getting a history lesson of each help in deciphering the buildings.

Date Accomplished:  March 5th 2012

Try Balut In The Philippines

If you have a weak stomach I encourage you to skip this post in its entirety.  

I rarely talk about my failed attempts on my website, but after trying to attempt this list item I completely lost interest and officially tossed it off the list.

Balut is a fertilized duck embryo.   It is a delicacy in the Philippines and my relatives love to eat it.  I like chicken, so I thought I would be okay eating this.  After all, I ate bugs in China.

I hope no one got sick looking at the photo, but don't say I didn't warn you!

My first attempt to eat balut was at a restaurant my aunt and uncle took me to.  They were serving Balut in an Adobo sauce.  I made some lame excuse that I wanted to try it the "traditional way". First Failed Attempt!

A few days later my aunt went to a market and bought a few balut eggs.  She told me that we would eat it as a snack on the way to visit my dad's hometown. 

I asked her to crack the egg shell for me, and when I turned around I saw the photo above.  Yucccccckkk.  The more I looked at it, the more I knew I couldn't eat it.  Any ounce of desire to complete this item was out the window.  I made my final decision to not eat it when I saw its feathers!!  I am a pretty brave chick when it comes to eating odd ball foods, but this is something I will not try! 

It's not a good sign when balut appears on shows like Fear Factor and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern!  Has anyone else tried this?

Date Accomplished:  NEVER....and officially off the list!  Good Riddance!

Take A Calligraphy Class

I have always been interested in calligraphy, and wanted to learn how to write my name in Hanzi (Chinese lettering).   While traveling in Yangshuo, China, I had an opportunity to take a calligraphy class. I have (at least I think I have) fairly nice handwriting so I thought this class would be a walk in the park.  I was wrong.

We went to Mr Young's studio to take our class.  He was an awesome teacher, and was very patient when I got frustrated and on the verge of giving up.  He first taught us how to hold our calligraphy brush, and how to dip our brushes into the ink pot.  This is an art in itself. 

We first learned how to write the numbers.  Mr Young did this so that we could learn how to draw the basic strokes.  Once we graduated from the numbers, Mr Young wrote our names on our calligraphy sheets.   We then made every attempt to replicate his writing.

I tried to white out that bottom bit, but thought a mustache would be a better alternative.  What do you think? 

At the top of the sheet is Mr Young's version of my name, and the bottom portion is mine.  It was pretty difficult, and it gave me a greater appreciation of anyone that knows how to write in Chinese.

The biggest plus of taking this class was that later in the evening while shopping the Yangshuo markets I decided to get a hand carved calligraphy stamp of my name.  I was able to proof check the artists work to make sure he wasn't ripping me off by writing a different name! 

Date Accomplished:  March 22nd 2011

Top 10 Things In China That Made Me Say WTF!

March 18th, 2013

Last year around this time I was traveling around China, and truthfully, it was a bit of a culture shock.  These were a few things that made me go WTF......

1.  Glasses With No Lenses-  The first time I saw this was when I was in an elevator filled with Chinese teeny boppers, I looked up at the girl next to me and noticed her lense-less glasses.   The elevator opened up only to find another group of teeny boppers with similar frames. This became an ongoing joke.  So one day while we were out shopping in Shanghai, we found several stores selling lenseless glasses.  We decided to buy a few (after bargaining of course) to "embrace" the culture.

2.  Public Ear Cleaning-  While traveling in Chengdu, China we were approached by men with rusty sticks with cotton like poofs at the end of them (that's what she said).  "Clean, Ear" they yelled.  I was familiar with the practice since I had seen it on an episode of No Reservations.  I somehow talked my friend Rance into doing it, and the look on his face says it all!  The unsanitary rods were placed into his ears, and with a metal instrument they would tap to cause a slight vibration ringing. 

3. The Beijing Nightmarkets- In Beijing, they have dedicated night markets specifically for selling edible bugs.  I even ate one.  It wasn't exactly the bugs that made me say WTF, but it was some of the other things they were selling like Sheep Penis!

4.   Chinese Hitch "Hiking"- While taking a hike in Emeishan I was surprised at the amount of men offering rides up and down the mountain.  The Chinese definitely do not dress to hike.  I saw many women wearing high heels, and fancy dresses as if they were ready to go to the clubs.  Then I saw a man in a full suit and dress shoes taking a ride around the mountain as if he were royalty.  Really people?

5.  The Lack of Western Toilets- Savor that picture, because western toilets can be a rare site in China.  In China, the most popular type of toilet are squat toilets.  It is basically a hole in the ground.  Some places (like in train stations) the "toilet" was a long flowing trough!  So in other words you would know exactly what your bathroom neighbor was doing because it would swim by your stall!   Some bathrooms didn't even have stalls or doors!

On overnight trains the squat toilet would "flush" right onto the tracks.  There was never toilet paper, and rarely could I find soap by the sinks.  At one place I stayed we had a blackout in the communal bathroom.  I had enough practice that I was able to use the squats in the dark with a flashlight in my mouth, and toilet paper and hand sanitizer in the other.    When I arrived in Hong Kong I almost wanted to kiss the first western toilet I saw!  I will NEVER choose a squat over my beloved porcelain throne. 

6.  The Constant Gawking- My previous post about this subject says it all!  The photo above was on an overnight train.  We were surrounded by curious stalking locals like this!

7.  Sichuan Opera- I cannot believe I paid to watch this.  It was one of the most bizarre and random things I have ever seen.  The Sichuan Opera was a collection of various acts, with the acts ranging from acting, very high pitched singing, music, face mask swapping, and even a shadow puppeteer.

8.  The Chinese Version of Online Dating (minus the online part)- While walking through a park in Chengdu we noticed groups of people looking at pieces of paper attached along a line of bushes.  We found out it was like online dating meets old school personals.  Some of the "profiles" even had photos. My friend Emma may have found the man of her dreams.

9.  Public Transportation-  Don't let our smiles deceive you, inside we were terrified! I have never hated public transportation more than I did in China.   The pushing and shoving was insane.  I always had a fear of not being able to get on or off, and being left behind.

In Beijing my friend and I were almost separated while taking the subway.   We were attempting to get off the train when a barrage of impatient people sucked us back in.   We started yelling, and eventually someone that was outside successfully plucked us out.

The subways were always overcrowded, and often times we held onto each other since we had little to no space to hold onto anything.

Taxis in some areas were also very unreliable.  In Xi'an, a taxi driver tried to charge us an extra bogus fee that was not even on the receipt.  We didn't want to pay him the extra amount, in retaliation he refused to open the trunk until we gave him more money.  Because of this incident I ALWAYS have my luggage with me in the back seat.  This proved to be a life saver when I had a massive fight with a taxi driver in Hong Kong that ended with me being dropped off at a random hotel and throwing my bag out of the back seat.  The situation could have ended worst had I placed my bag in the trunk.

10.  Chinese Justin Bieber-  And I was like Baby, Baby, Baby....Ohh.  Last but certainly not least, my last WTF was China's version of Justin Bieber.  This man boy was allllllll over snack bags!  We called him CJB for short.  We created our own little scavenger hunt while at grocery stores, we called it "Who can find CJB."

. . . . . . . . . . .

I leave for my trip to the Middle East and Europe tomorrow morning.  I didn't want to completely abandon my blog while away so I have written a weekly post scheduled to be published every Monday.  If I don't respond to your emails and comments it just means that I have limited internet access, or I am having waaaay too much fun.  I hope it's the latter.  I will be updating my Instagram TripColor feed as often as I can. See you in May! 

Practice Tai Chi

Dancers in Chengdu

Going to a park or large public space early in the morning to practice Tai Chi is all the rage in China.

Tai Chi is a style of Chinese Martial Arts, however, Tai Chi has completely modernized in China and has become more like Tai Chi aerobics!

The best way to explain it to you is to actually SHOW you.....


During an early morning in Xi'an, just before heading off to see the Terracotta Warriors, a few of us bundled up in some of our warmest clothes to practice Tai Chi with the locals. Our guide told us that the locals love to share their love of Tai Chi with foreigners, and would likely welcome us with open arms. She was right. The lady in the purple jacket in the video was so welcoming and cheered us on as we tried to learn the steps.

I felt like I was doing the Chinese version of the Cupid Shuffle and Electric Slide. For me, that's not such a bad thing since I am the first one up on the dance floor when these songs play at weddings.  As you can clearly see from the smile on my face, I had a fantastic time!

As you can imagine, a group of foreigners dancing Tai Chi creates a big wave of attention, and in a matter of minutes our once small group transformed into a flash mob worthy dance crew.

We did encounter one man practicing more traditional Tai Chi and decided to join him for a few minutes just so we could experience both popular forms.

I also just realized it has been almost a year since I left for my trip to China, and I have barely scratched the surface of all the amazing things I did while I was there!  When you write a life list blog, you know you are doing life right when you have so much to write about!

Date Accomplished:  March 11th, 2012

Ride A Bike Through The Yangshuo Countryside

I loved Yangshuo.  I don't care what anyone says, it was one of my favorite spots in China.

Not only did most locals speak English, but I was able to go shopping, and go to a restaurant and easily order food without pulling my hair out of frustration.  It is a bit touristy in the central area, and unlike other areas of China you will (gasp) see other Western travelers.  It's definitely convenient for backpackers with its abundance of western food, wifi in restaurants, and bars and clubs for crazy nights out. 

The Yangshuo countryside was serene and beautiful.  It's not on the 20 yuan note for nothing.....

A popular thing to do while in town is renting a bike and taking a ride around the countryside.  Thankfully, Yangshuo is relatively flat, so the ride itself was absent of any difficult degree of elevation.

We rented our bikes in town, and our starting point was this beauty.....

Beautiful, right?  I told you so.

Yanghsuo is along the Li River, and is covered with hundreds of green peaks.  We took several scenic stops, as well as a stop near Moon Hill (a large mountain with a hole in it, think donuts) since a few of my friends wanted to go hiking to the top.   I opted out on the hike, and decided to relax at the bottom of the hill at a local cafe sipping on a smoothie.  Yum, yum. We also rode our bikes through several farms, and even met a few of the locals on our ride.

The people were so lovely.  This lady was along the Li River trying to repair one of her nets.  I asked her if I could take her photo and she was so ecstatic to have her photo taken.

The day before our bike ride it had poured rain in Yangshuo.  Somehow, I decided it would be a clever idea to ride ahead of my friends for the half day bike ride through the countryside.  As I was going up a hill I encountered two HUGE mud puddles.

Right or Left?  Think fast CeCe!

I decided to maneuver my way around the mud puddle to the left, but I quickly began to sink and FELL in the MUD!  My shoe and pants were covered with mud.  The rest of my friends saw me sinking in the puddle to the left, so they went around the puddle to the right which would have been the much wiser choice.   

The photo above was taken after I had spent almost half an hour cleaning the mud off my pants and shoes, and after yelling at my friend to frame the photo so that my muddy attire would be cropped out of it!  Thankfully I found a laundry service shortly after the bike ride!

We rode into a tiny town that welcomed us with real juggling monkeys, and then found a small restaurant that served locally grown food.  I always love supporting the small, independent restaurants.  We didn't have an opportunity to chose what we ate, everything we were fed was based on the food they got in the local markets.  The owners were so proud of their food and constantly  watched us eat searching for signs of approval.

We started becoming pretty silly (aka we were in the brink of lethargy and exhaustion) the last hour of our ride.  For instance we had the brilliant idiotic idea of taking the photo above while going uphill.  Look mom, no feet!   Do you know how difficult it is to ride a bike uphill without pedaling?  Phew, thankfully we had our ugly helmets to protect us from cracking our precious craniums.    Luckily there were many downhill slopes following this shot that allowed us to sail through the Yangshuo countryside.  It was my favorite part of the ride.

After our half day bike ride our bums felt like they had been whipped by a wooden paddle a good one hundreds times.  The following day I had a TWO hour massage and asked the masseuse if he could massage my butt. Yep, my bootie.  I sure hope he didn't think I wanted a "happy ending." 

Besides a very sore bum, the ride around the countryside was beautiful, peaceful, and exactly what I needed after a month in the polluted, crowded cities of China.

Date Accomplished:  March 20th, 2012

See The Terracotta Warriors

Me hanging with some fake terracotta warriors

The Number 1 reason people flock to Xi'an is to visit the famous Terracotta Warriors (sometimes called the Terracotta Army).  It is one of the greatest archaeological excavations of modern time.

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago (210 BC)....the first emperor of China pissed off a lot of people.  In order to protect himself during the afterlife he created an army made out of terracotta that would be buried with him.   It took over 700,000 workers in a span of  37 years to finish building his army.

In 1974 a group of farmers discovered the warriors while digging a well near Qin Emperor's Tomb.  One of the farmers was Yang Xinman, and I met him. In order to please the tourists, the surviving farmers all take turns sitting in the souvenir shop taking photos and signing autographs.

In all, there are three pits.  Inside these pits live 8,000 life-sized warriors, 130 chariots, and nearly 700 horses. 

• Pit One is the largest and most impressive of the bunch.  It houses long rows of thousands of warriors.
• Pit Two has more cavalry and infantry units, and still very much a work in progress.
• Pit Three is the command post with the high ranking officers, and the smallest of all the pits.

After taking a loop around Pit One you have the option to pay to have your photo taken in front of the pit.  The photographer attempted to bamboozle us out of an exuberant amount of money.  So naturally, we threw a fit.  The guy wouldn't budge with his price, so we walked away and created our own group photo.

We grabbed a young Chinese man walking by who spoke no English.  We then shoved our camera in his hands, and asked him to climb on a bench and take several pics of us.   I felt sorry for him for a second, but remembered the Chinese and their fascination of randomly taking photos of us.  We were probably the highlight of his day life. After taking our photos he scurried away with a big grin on his face.  I don't think he will ever see such a large group of ridiculously good-looking people again.  Just sayin.'

After that things got a little silly.  I don't know if the bitterly cold air was numbing our brain cells from functioning properly, or we had a severe acute case of ADHD. 

All jokes and silly photo poses aside, it was a pleasure to see such a huge part of Ancient Chinese history.  Despite the IMAX movie (if I could even call it that) being a huge letdown, the museum was a great way to see the warriors up close and to learn more about the history behind the warriors.

It's no surprise why The Terracotta Warriors are often referred to as the Eight World Wonder.

Date Accomplished:  March 11th 2012

Destination Uncovered: Chuandixia & Lingshui // China

August 16th, 2012

About a 2-3 hour drive away from Beijing are the UNESCO villages of Chuandixia and Lingshui.  If you have extra time in Beijing a trip to the ancient villages are worth a peek. My friend Elizabeth and I took the trip with a local guide, Cathy, and hired a driver for the day.

Our first stop was Chuandixia.  In the summer, the locals drive from Beijing to the village to get away from the chaos of the city.  We were the only tourists in the entire town.  The snow made it a challenge getting up and down the uneven ancient steps, and I even slipped at one point with my camera falling out of my pocket.   I blame it on the nonexistent banana peel underneath the snow.  Just sayin'.

When it was time for lunch, Cathy went from restaurant to restaurant yelling from the entrance if any were open.  Because of the poor weather, and the lack of tourists, most of the restaurants were closed.  We finally found one "restaurant."  I use the word restaurant lightly because it was pretty much like having lunch at someones home.  Inside the "restaurant" was a bed, a few tables, and an old TV aka a Studio Apartment.  My seat was the families bed that had an old, tattered comforter that had poorly translated English quotes on it.  If you think about it, it's pretty much genius, you get the best of both worlds, eating in bed and sitting around the table with family.

We gave Cathy free reign to pick our lunch.  She ordered us a few things that were forgettable, but the Chinese pancakes were fantastic.  The family worriedly stared at us as we ate, looking for signs of approval, or maybe because they were still trying to figure out how I slipped on that nonexistent banana peel.

I smiled, nodded my head, and they looked relieved.  Yes, the clumsy American girl likes our food!  High Five!

The second village we visited was Lingshui, and again we were the only tourists.  Cathy asked us if we wanted to pay $3 USD to have a local of the village tour us around.  Our local guide was Mr Tan who grew up in the village and didn't speak any English, so Cathy translated for us.  The village has been featured in several Chinese movies, and has unfortunately fallen apart since Mr Tan was a child.

He took us around his entire village, his old school, the new school, and we climbed up a hill to visit an old 2000 year old tree that supposedly gives people luck.  On our way down I asked Mr Tan if he lived nearby.  He asked me if I wanted to visit his home.  I said I did.  For the record, I don't normally invite myself into strangers homes, but Mr Tan was a pretty cool dude. He was like a Chinese Mr Miyagi.  He took us to his home, offering us potatoes he had cooked that morning, and introducing us to his father.  The experience was $3 well spent.

The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square are places you need to see while in Beijing,  but you don't gain an insight of the locals like you do with a visit to the ancient villages.  It truly was a peek into their lives, and into their homes as well.  :)

Visit The Home My Dad Grew Up In

Because of the devastating floods in the Philippines, I thought I'd post about visiting the now partially flooded home and town my dad grew up in. 

A few days ago some of my relatives posted a picture on Facebook of the floods in Bataan (my dad's hometown)....

I couldn't help but laugh when I noticed that my uncle decided to only salvage a pair of shoes.  He's like a male Imelda Marcos.   I'm sure my cousin wasn't anticipating her Halloween pajama shorts to be blasted on the internet either.

I grew up hearing so many stories about my dad's hometown.  While most kids heard proper bed time stories about cats in hats, and green eggs and ham, I heard family stories, like how their was a female ghost dressed in white that would make a stop at the water pump every night, or how my grandma fled for her life and lost 3 of her siblings during the war.  No wonder I'm such a twisted individual!

 Carpooling brought to an entirely new level

The town was definitely in the 'country' and the house was smaller than I imagined, but then again when you're a child everything seems bigger.  If you took a child into a studio apartment in New York City they'd probably think it was a mansion.

The journey to my dad's hometown came with a few setbacks.  First off, my uncle was driving, who wins as the SLOWEST driver I know.  He also has a bladder the size of a newborn baby, which equates to 3 bathroom breaks during an 82 mile journey.  We also visited Bataan on the one day in the year that they close off the streets for an event called the Sinakulo.  It is an all day event where the locals reenact the Passion of the Christ.  My relatives made sure I was in the Sinakulo spirit....

I'll play Jesus Christ next year. 

We asked the traffic attendants, "Do you know where the Cortez residence is?"  "Oh you mean the mayors house?"  I'm related to the mayor.  Of course.  

I thought maybe telling them I was related to the mayor would give us a bit of an advantage, but this was no Las Vegas night club. We had to either wait or go around just like everyone else. Bah Humbug.  It took us another hour to finally arrive at my dad's house, which meant another pee break for my uncle.

When I arrived their was a table filled with home-cooked Filipino food.  I immediately went straight to the photo albums and smuggled a huge stack into my bag.  I visited my grandparents bedroom that had a view of a large field with water buffalos.  I saw younger photos of my beautiful grandmother who is fighting for her life right now with end stage cancer. I visited the room my grandfather spent his last few days. 

I even saw the water pump that I heard about as a child.  For the record, no ghosts were present, however I was a tiny bit hoping to quote "I see dead people" from The Sixth Sense.  Oh well, maybe next time.  :) 

Date Accomplished:  April 5th, 2012