6 month photo shoot

Eva was a little sleepy for her 6 month photo shoot, but you would never know it from these photos! I’m afraid that Eva might be subject to monthly photo sessions.

Mommy land

Since Eva came into our life, I have entered a whole new world of my own- mommy land! This life is filled with play groups, baby classes, and pool time. Not a bad life!  Two days a week, Eva, yaya and I attend play group with other expat moms and their babies who are living in the Philippines. It has been such an interesting experience getting to know moms from around the world- Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Germany, Australia, Canada, Norway- to name just a few! Each play date is hosted at one of the members houses. Mostly it is a time for moms (and some dads) to have some adult conversation and share tips such as where to buy the best baby food, baby clothes, toys, etc. It is so much fun to watch the babies from play dates grow up and start playing more together. Eva is the baby of the baby play groups, but really enjoys herself! I think she may even be learning some things from the other babies. We also started to attend a baby music class with one of the moms from play group. It is a lot of fun to dance and sing and just have fun with Eva! Plus I think I may secretly be trying to get her to become a violin virtuoso.

Mountain Climbing

Daddy seranading Eva

Memorial Day Weekend

For the recent 3 day weekend, we headed to Coco Beach with two other families and their kids. It was our first “local” trip, meaning it did not involve a plane trip. We took a bus bright and early Saturday morning and then boarded a small boat which took us to a beautiful private island called Coco Beach. The beach is located at Behija, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. Once we arrived I completely forgot about Manila, the crazy traffic and the poor air quality. We had entered a little paradise with crystal clear water surrounded by hills  full of coconut palms. And there was a constant ocean breeze! All of the bungalows in Coco beach are made with natural materials, so the resort blends seamlessly into the natural surroundings. These little weekend trips are perfect reminders of what the Philippines is all about!

Toilet talk

When traveling in Asia or for that matter, in most “developing nations” , the frequent topic of conversation often revolves around bathrooms (or Comfort Rooms as they are called in the Philippines). Most of the time the conversation arises because the travelers are debating whether or not their level of urgency outweighs the overall “conditions” of the bathroom area. As we have found in our travels, “toilet” is a very ambiguous term. It could mean anything from a hole in the ground to a super-high-tech sit-down model with a control panel that looks like the cockpit of a plane complete with heated toilet seat that plays fur elise, automatic seat-warmer, a blow-dryer for your bum, etc……

While  Brian and Jen were visiting us in Manila,  and since they happen to be traveling around the world for the next 8 months, they felt it was of upmost importance  to create a bathroom rating scale that would quickly capture and communicate the overall condition of the bathroom areas they came across. While here , they were in the preliminary stages of creating the rubric. It is still a work in progress, and any input is welcome, but this is what they have created thus far:

0= a hole in the ground or a trough
1= a bowl in the ground with “foot prints”, (also know as a squatter) no flushing mechanism, requires scooping and dumping some water into the bowl
2= a raised bowl without seat, no tank or flush, scooping water
3= a raised bowl with seat, no tank or flush, scooping
4= a standard western toilet, without seat, flushes
5= a standard western toilet with seat, tank, lid and flushes

A separate scale is for cleanliness:
F= extremely dirty probably decide you don’t actually need to use the bathroom when you see it to
A= spotlessly clean and pretty, think fancy hotel bathroom

And yet another scale for smell (this was recently added as we discovered cleanliness does not always equal good smelling and vice versa)
0= gag or vomit inducing smell, decide you no longer have to use the bathroom
3= average public restroom smell
5= delightful smell, like the Venetian

And finally a scale for running water, toilet paper and soap
F= none of the above
C= some of the above
A= all of the above, with no touch sensors

Found on pedestrian paths throughout Manila and they're pink!

Only in Manila

Only in Manila would our favorite chill out spot, the place where we like to go to relax and unwind….be the hospital. I know how strange this must sound, but the new hospital- St. Luke’s Medical Center, is an oasis of calm in an otherwise very busy and crowed city. The hospital is more like a 5 star hotel!  Even the lobby is beautiful – complete with a pianist playing a grand piano, an abundance of staff in every corner to assist you, an oyster bar, and tea time!!

As it turns out as over-protective, hypersensitive parents to a new baby, we have ended up visiting the hospital more times than I would like to admit! Last weekend we started off our Saturday morning with an unexpected trip to the ER. Eva was practicing her crawling on the living room floor and her buddy Maya the pug was right by her side. Then the doorbell rang. Maya sprang up from her spot, jumped over Eva (Maya appeared to have underestimated her girth) didn’t quite make the jump and ended up knocking Eva down scratching her face with her claws. So immediately I see blood and a crying baby and we wasted no time getting into the car to St. Luke’s! A few shots later, Eva was all patched up and doing much better. The staff was amazing and were able to help Eva right away. We then proceeded down to the lobby where all 3 of us relaxed with tea time (we also ran into another work bud hanging out at the hospital so we aren’t the only ones!) . Yet another example of how Filipinos are experts at making the most out of a bad situation!

Pythons, Monkeys, and Lady Boys…oh my!

Bohol Bee Farm

Jen and Brian left the Philippines last week to continue their around the world adventures. Next on their list is Hong Kong, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. We miss them already! During their last week Jen and Brian island hopped and glamped around different hot spots in PI. Matt, Eva and I  rejoined them in Bohol last Saturday morning. Flying was just a tad bit different with a 5 month old compared to our first flight when Eva was just 2 months. She did a great job on the plane, it just required mommy and daddy to do a little more entertaining. Luckily, Filipinos love babies, so we also had a lot of help in that department!

Chocolate Hills, unfortunately no chocolate items in gift shop

Man-made Forest

Bohol is an island home to the world’s smallest monkey called the tarsier, “chocolate hills” ( mounds of brown limestone earth), and of course beautiful beaches and diving. We were surprised to find out that Bohol is also home to the largest python in captivity. But, even more surprising is that at this very same tourist spot, you will also find Ms. Lady Boy Bohol doing her animal show (video demo included to aid explanation) .

We were also able to visit the Bohol bee farm.Upon arrival to the bee farm, a swarm of Filipina ladies came and took Eva into their work areas. At first I was totally freaked out at the thought of complete strangers whisking her away. But this scene really is normal here! Plus Eva seemed to be having such a good time being the center of attention. So Matt and I enjoyed the little baby break . The bee farm  was filled with organic plants and veggies which also were served up at their gourmet restaurant. Jen, Eva, and I enjoyed relaxing on the deck overlooking the water while Matt and Brian went for a swim.   Eva enjoyed the attention and Matt and I loved being able to eat with two hands again.

Flower Salad from Bohol Bee Farm

View from Bohol bee farm

Our first visitors!

Our friends Brian and Jen have taken the next 8 months to  travel  around the world! So fun They are in the beginning stage of the trip and first  flew over to Australia, and then to New Zealand to start off their adventure.

Yummy seafood spot in Manila

Last week they arrived in the Philippines and we are so glad that they added us to their list of countries! To add to their adventure, they decided to get scuba certified while staying here. I had no idea how intensive of a process this was- it is no joke. They spent 2 full days in Manila attending a  private scuba class, followed by 3 intensive days of scuba at the lovely coastal peninsula called Anilao, Batangas. We just had to join them for the latter part of their experience.

Dive Superheros

Anilao is absolutely beautiful. It was about a 3 hour drive from Manila and Matt took the Friday off so that we could have more time to enjoy it there. It is apparently a very popular spot for diving and snorkeling. Brian and Jen said that the coral reefs were amazing and that they could see fish everywhere. Matt, Eva, and I enjoyed relaxing by the water. There was a constant breeze from the water, making us forget that we were in the height of summer. The staff there was also so friendly- they were all concerned that we did not have a nanny for the trip, so they took it upon themselves to entertain Eva and keep her occupied while we ate our meals. So nice to eat with two hands again!

Paradise in Anilao

Walking off the deck to scuba

The resort was located on top of a hill and consisted of a bunch of little huts situated along the hill. The views were amazing. There is a reef just off the stoney beach of the resort, so you could literally just walk off and see amazing corals and fish.

Glamping

So I had mentioned to Matt on several occasions that it would be fun to take a little camping trip to experience the great outdoors. After this discussion, it turns out that our ideas of camping are quite different. Apparently his idea of camping involves isolation, a tent, no bathrooms/showers, hiking, and perhaps “catching” dinner. Well…not my idea of a good time!

A sign that you are indeed glamping

As a compromise, we have gone on “glamping” (glamorous camping) trips for the past two weekends. I loved it! It was great to escape the heat and pollution of Manila and experience fresh air, cool breezes, and beautiful scenery. Best of all there were no wild animals to worry about, no tents, no strange smells from lack of showers/amenities, and delicious food that someone else caught and prepared.

People literally stayed in the water all day...no laying out here!

On our first trip was to Subic, which was home to the American naval base before they left the Philippines in 1991. Now it is a tourist destination and still home to some nice beaches, scuba diving/water sports , amusement parks and several casinos. We stayed at a dive spot which mainly catered to Europeans- it was kind of funny to see wiener schnitzel on a Filipino menu.:) The scene definitely had an expatriate feel to it.  We had a great time hanging out, people watching, and cooling off in the water. Eva seemed to be enjoying herself in the water and sand as well!

A very authentic Easter

A Guest blog from Matthew.

Jesus and the two thieves

A prudent decision was made to send Matthew (me) to the crucifixion and leave  Natalie and Eva in an A/C climate-controlled house, which contained no self flagellation or crucifixions.  A common site in the Philippines come Good Friday is the recreation of Jesus’ crucifixion.  I attended a crucifixion in Angeles City along with some friends.

That's not red paint

Upon arriving in town, we quickly encountered a stream of self-flagellating men, many of whom wore hoods to cover their faces.  The blood was definitely real.  After the group passed by, a member of our group pointed at my shorts and said “they got you.” I realized that penance blood had hit not only my shorts, but also my shirt, and most disturbingly, my hand.  Then it was on to the mount, where we had a front row view of the crucifixion of 3 individuals playing the parts of Jesus and the two thieves.  The nails were definitely real, and a common hammer was the tool to insert the nails into hands.  3 strikes of the hammer per hand and the crucifixion commenced.

Evil Roman, played by a Filipino with a mascara beard

In the first round, Jesus was played by an 80-year old woman. Apparently, her husband had been crucified the previous 15 years. After his death, she took over.  Nails were inserted and the crucified were left on the crosses for a few minutes before it was all over.  A second round brought 3 more crucified.  By this time, we were all hot and bloodied (well, not our blood) so we escaped out the back.  It was a unique experience.  Hard to describe, but both more and less gruesome than it appears in pictures.  Glad I went, but not sure if this will be an annual event.  I will spare you the videos…

ouch

Our quirky mall

While taking a leisurely stroll along the bayside of our mall-Mall of Asia, I got my camera out just a little too late for this one (just got their backs)! Mostly because I was in shock at seeing a mob of prison inmates heading straight towards us. Luckily, Matthew recognized them right away as some members of the “dancing inmates” (just the impostors I hope!)-ha. Leave it to a Filipino to make the best out of any situation. If you haven’t seen them, check out this youtube video: