Getting out of Manila

Halo Halo

I guess I did not write about Saturday…we went in the morning to a local bible college graduation where Stephen was going to be singing in a “ManChoir”…but due to traffic we did not get there in time.   Such is life….we went home and watched a performance of the song they were singing on You Tube :)  After we left the school where Stephen sang we went to get some Halo Halo which is a very typical Filipino dessert/snack.  To be honest I could not tell you all the things in it…coconut…. evaporated milk, fruits, tapioca balls, jellies, and Ube (a purple fruit) ice cream and some other things.  Its not really one of my favorite things to eat...but its one of those things you have to do if you come to visit.  Roger enjoyed his and I shared it.  It was way to sweet for me to eat much of it but it was refreshing and cold. 

Rice drying on side of road

In the afternoon we played some games and Rita had arranged for a lady who gives massages to come to the house so for about $5 I got a nice hour-long massage.  Rita and Shannon both had one as well.  I could get spoiled with that.  We also were able to Skype in the afternoon with Lucas and Jamie and see Sam and Sophie…I can’t wait to see them in person!

Scenery on road to Rizal

Sunday was a long day.  We went to church in the morning.  Enjoyed the service a lot (all 2 hours of it) and seeing where the Read’s go to church….came home and ate a quick snacky lunch and then loaded up the car to head to Rizal for the conference.  The ride up took 3 hours and the scenery was beautiful as we went up some mountains and around Laguna de Bay that is a huge lake south of Manila.  There were fields of rice and hillsides of banana trees and mango tree orchards along with coconut trees everywhere.  And along the way was the typical look of small settlements with shops along the road selling the fruits and veggies, Halo Halo stands…rice drying on the side of the road (actually on the road) on sheets of plastic… and the occasional horse rider with baskets on the sides of the horse carrying things to the shops.  It all felt more familiar to me than the crowded city and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!

Street scene in Rizal

We arrived at Rizal Re-creation Center (RCC) about 3 PM and registered and got in our rooms before the first meeting at 4:30.  We had time to walk to the small town of Rizal nearby looking for some flip-flops for Stephen and it was a great way to see a typical small town with more traditional homes and shops.  As we walked we collected a following of children who were very helpful in leading us to the different stores that might carry the flip-flops.

Stephen, Rita, Steve and Shannon at RCC

This organization (that the Reads are with) is not a large one and has a family feel about it…lots of kids running around and relaxed meetings.  The grounds of the place we are staying are beautiful with palm trees all over the place and lots of green grass.  They have a large variety of activities you could do…a large chess game, coconut croquet course, basketball court, beach volleyball area, softball field and 2 swimming pools …one with an amazingly fast and long water slide.  Yes I tried it out and it was a blast!  The mornings are normally meetings and afternoon free.  There are activities planned for the afternoon but they are optional. 

On walk to rice patty's

Yesterday (Monday) afternoon some of us decided to go for a walk through the town and out toward the mountain we could see in the distance.  After a few blocks of shops the road narrowed and was only populated by an occasional house.  Then the road turned into a dirt path…at times just a horse path just narrow enough to walk foot in front of foot.  It was so pretty to be out in the country a bit and see all the different trees and flowers and rice paddy fields.  Some were beautiful bright green and others golden and some were being harvested and dried.   We walked about 40 minutes , crossing a mountain stream and on past a few more homes and across a few fields.  The homes were so simple but for the most part clean and well kept…often with laundry hanging or rice drying in front.  One place we walked by there were several people washing clothes (I imagine it might have been kind of a laundry business) in water from a canal.  They were pounding them with big paddles (like I used to see ladies do in the river when I was growing up) and then they laid them on the grass to dry or over bushes.

Spider found on walk

On the way back the guys stopped and asked some Filipino guys if they would help them knock a big spider down from the tree hanging above their roof…the guys were very friendly and helpful (as Filipinos usually are) and got the spider down.  It was really a funny scene to be honest as grown men “played” with this spider and tried to figure out how close they could get to it without disturbing it to much.  That ended quickly when a woman told us it was poisonous and would cause a high fever if you were bitten. 

Rice Patty's - harvested and being harvested

We had such a good time on the walk and I was so glad we got to go and just get a glimpse of the Philippines I remembered growing up.

When we got back there was a softball game starting up but Shannon and I decided to go to the pool and enjoyed cooling off.  The water was cold but felt great after you got used to it.  And the water slide was amazing…as I already said.


We ended the evening playing games and going to bed early (nothing new there). 

Yard in Rizal Re-Creation Center

Yard in Rizal Re-Creation Center