The Philippines

I was able to spend Thanksgiving break in The Philippines and I loved it! I flew into the capital, Manila and spent about half a day there. I spent the rest of break on Boracay Island.

The Philippines  is a county in Southeast Asia and its population is approximately 94 million. The country has two national languages, Tagalog and English, but there about 170 different languages spoken throughout the country. The Philippine islands are an archipelago of over 7,000 islands. I was able to explore one of those islands, Boracay. More on this in a bit.

Boracay Island

 After a half day with the kiddos and a faculty luncheon and work afternoon, I finished packing my bag (yes, just one!) and went down to the hill to wait for the airport bus.

Waiting for the airport bus with the Roth family and Hillary

My roommate, Kristen has taught me how to travel light. If you know me, then you know I overpack--even for weekend trips. Somehow though, I influenced her inner-diva to come out and her backpack was heavier than mine!

Kristen's bag on the left, mine on the right

Just one bag!

I traveled with Hillary and the Roths.  They all met while teaching at an international school outside of Manila and are familiar with the country, so they helped me plan my trip (it's nice to have world traveler friends!)

Margie and Joren

After a four hour flight, we made it to Manila and we're ready to sleep!

Thanksgiving morning was spent sleeping in, getting crepes with Hillary and touring the Makati area, a sub-city within Manila.

 After crepes, I headed back to the airport and got on a tiny 20 passenger plane to Caticlan, which is the island where you can fly into if you're heading to beautiful Boracay Island:)

Boracay airport!

Boracay is approximately 315 km south of Manila. Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards various times. In the 80s, the island became popular with backpackers and since then, it has gradually become a cosmopolitan tourism destination and a major tourist destination in the Philippines. 
One of the port's of entry for Boracay Island is the small town of Caticlan on the mainland. Outrigger boats, known as bancas, leave every few minutes from Caticlan's jetty port. Then it's just a short boat trip to Boracay.

Bancas to Boracay

White Beach  is the most popular area on the island. Not only is it a lovely stretch of powdery white sand against azure water, it's also the commercial center of the island. The long beach is divided into three sections. 

White Beach!

On Friday, I went to a school on Caticlan island to help out with story-telling and feeding the children. Prior to my trip, Margie had given me information about BoracayforChrist, an organization that was started by a teaching couple. They have various ministries throughout Boracay and Caticlan and offer education and food to the children.

The rest of the trip was spent drinking lots of papaya, mango and pineapple smoothies, eating a lot, getting massages and enjoying the great view!

Here are a few more pictures of beautiful Boracay: