Philippines Trip
We are back safe and sound in the good ole USA. Well that is what I used to say every time I came home from a third world country but not this time. I was actually very sad coming home from this trip and I wish I could have extended it about a month or a Life Time. Let me first start by saying that Brian's Family is incredible, we were treated like part of the family and shown such a unforgettable time. We got to see a part of the Philippines very few visitors get to see. In a 8 day trip we saw the rich the poor, the mainland and the mountains and the beach. We golfed and drank and ate so much great food. We had massages on the beach and at Country Club Spas, We ate Shabu Shabu, Sushi, Chinese and and tons of local dishes. The fruit we ate was fresh as I have ever eaten, Pineapple right out of the fields, Coconuts right out of the tree, Mango and little bananas. Since a few of my posts did not make my site I will give a quick run down of the entire trip:
We flew in Friday morning and got picked up at the airport by Brian and his Father, we went back to there condo in the financial district and went down by the pool and had lunch with his sister Mei. After lunch we had a massage at the spa in the building, we then went and got ready for dinner and met more of Brians Family at a Chinese restaurant at the Fort. Brians wife Anna Lisa and Mei joined us and after dinner they left for the Airport to head home. We went for drinks after dinner with Brians Cousin Janelle and her Fiance John aka Jackie Chan. We then went out with Uncle Sezar for more drinks and a fun first night in the Philippines. The next day we went to driving range to hit golf balls and get ready for our trip to the mountains. After hitting some balls with our ball girls we went for 2 hour foot and back massage that was so relaxing all four of us were sound asleep for nobody knows how long. We went back to the house and relaxed and then went to dinner followed by hanging out with John and Janelle at No-vu at Green Belt. We partied pretty good and for some reason at about 1am I asked everyone what day it was nobody knew and when we figured it out it turned out to be my Birthday, very funny and we all clinked glasses and continued the good time.
The next morning we went to the mountains and golfed and after gold we went to the Tsai Log Cabin on the golf course and had a huge BBQ/B-day celebration. This was all a huge surprise for me and this huge family treated me and celebrated as if I was part of the family. We ate cake and food and drank and were treated to a great magic show buy another one of Brians uncles. So much fun and as you can see by the pictures it was crazy and good times. The next morning we woke up early and played the harder of the two courses, we ate breakfast in the clouds and teed off around 8:30. This was the most spectacular courses I have ever seen, it was carved into the top of the mountain, we had 4 caddies and score keeper and had such a nice round. After the round we showered and got another massage and relaxed and then went back to the house. We had a beer and some coconut and then headed back to Manila. On the way home we stopped at Duty Free to get Rice and Canned goods and candy for the poor. We then got cleaned up and went out for Shabu Shabu and ate more food than I have ever eaten. After Dinner we walked outside and guess who was there, Cousin OJAY of the famous O family. We got in the car and went out with Ojay drinking till late night. We had such a good time with Ojay and just like everyone he took such good care of us and made us feel so safe and welcome.
The Next morning we woke up and drove with Brians parents and and few aunts to visit a village they have built for the poor. This is the second of two they have built and when I say this was an amazing experience, I can tell you words cant come close to explaining what they have done and they let us be a part of it. wow there and 1st thing you see is the Sign Tsai Village and you know right away that they have done something amazing. We spent about a half a day there and got to see what it was all about and hear the stories of how they have changed so many lives. They have built homes for around 50 families and they are part of a huge group that is helping the homeless and the poor. We also got to meet a British guy Dylan Wilks, Dylan is the main speaker and driving force for this organization they are part of. GK Bayanihan Build is what it is called. We bought alot of food and Rice and candy and handed it out to the many families and kids that were there. You can see how nice it is for the Tsai's to see there money go right to work and helping real people, this was such a highlight of the trip and my life.
We went out to dinner with the family again and Ojay joined us and gave us our plans and tickets for the trip we were going on in the morning. While we were in the mountains we decided to go away for a quick trip to Boracay. After dinner we went out with Ojay and his brother and had another fun late night of drinking. We left bright and early for Boracay and it was the 3 of us and Cousin Janelle, John could not join us. We flew to Boracay and the one day trip turned into two days. We had an awesome time, we ate and drank and hung out on the white powder sand beach. We got massages and sun and listened to reggae on the beach drinking crazy strong tropical drinks.
I am missing alot of other things we did but last couple days we just as fun. We spent the last night with Ojay and went back to Greenbelt and had dinner and them Cuban Cigars outside. We finished the night singing Karaoke.
All and all this was the best trip ever. Everyday all we could say is WOW it cant get better and everyday did. I could name a million reasons why I cant wait to go back. I could see myself moving here someday and striving for the life that Mr Tsai has created for himself. Well I will Dream about the Philippines and plan running away someday to and living the life of Riley. Pictures are up and cut down from 600 pictures to around 150. Enjoy and I hope this post is not too long