I don't even know where to begin! Chris and I returned from a trip that will not soon be forgotten. I went through so many emotions and found a new perspective for life. The five of us experienced a trip of a lifetime. We left on May 11th at 7 p.m., arrived in Vancouver BC and had a 6 hour layover. We played a lot of cards and read a ton of magazines to help pass the time. Our flight to Hong Kong took about 12 hours, had a 2 hour layover there and then took a 2 hour flight to Cebu. Once we landed we had a 2 hour ferry ride to Leyte and then we could relax!

It is a beautiful place. The mountains are covered in coconut trees and the rice fields are spread over most of the ground. One of my favorite flowers is the orchid and everybody's front yard is full of them. Even though the scenery was breathtaking the people were even more beautiful. Coming from a completely busy and hectic lifestyle that I really enjoy I found myself in awe of such simplicity. Family is everything to them. Everyone has a role and they all take care of eachother. Even with very little material things they are content with what they have and rich in love.

After a 4 hour drive on a not so smooth road and a 20 minute boat ride we were in paradise, San Pablo. There are 5 hundred people that live here. Most of them have never left the island and have never seen white people. Electricity is run only when there are guests at the resort. There are no modern day conviences and life is about survival. Each morning fresh fish is caught, fruit is picked and I had no idea rice could be made into so many different recipes!

The snorkeling here was amazing. We went out every morning around 6 a.m., that is always the best time to go. It's like your in a whole different world under the water. Above is a blue starfish, we were very careful and returned him to his home after the picture!

The kids were so cute. I found myself just watching them play for hours. They all sing and dance and were quite the entertainers!

The last weekend we were there the town was having a fiesta. These people love to party! Chris got to help turn the pig as it was roasting. He thought this was pretty fun. There was a "disco" on Sunday night and we had a great time dancing with everyone.

The Philippino people are so warm and hospitable. They were much more generous than we deserved and took exceptional care of us. Our time there was very special.