Spring Training

Ray went to a Twins spring training game today. He was in Florida for business and it just so happened the Twins were in Clearwater playing the Phillies.

The Phillies play in Bright House Networks Field, which is a very nice 3 year old stadium. It has a grass berm seating area in left and right field, which is where he sat. Enjoying the game on a grass field, with the sun shining, a cold beer and hot dog is the way it is supposed to be. Both bullpens are out in left field, and above the bullpens is a large tiki bar. After the game, there was live entertainment at the bar. A large concourse above the main seating area gave plenty of room to wander during the game. A very nice facility

Johan Santana was on the mound for the Twins, but got into trouble in the fourth. The Twins had scored early and had a lead of 2-0 after one and half innings, but ended up losing 8-5.

Current Political Climate

There has been a lot of news coming out of the Philippines recently regarded attempted coups, military command stand-offs, a declared state of emergency and the like. So far, we have not been adversely affected by the actions.

We live about 10 miles SW of the EDSA shrine, which is ground zero for the protests and actions. It is a shrine commemorating the People Power Revolution of 1986 which overthrew the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. It was done without bloodshed and was a peaceable transition. EDSA is the name of a main thoroughfare through Metro Manila and the center of the marches back in 1986. The current president was put into office through a second People Power Revolution (EDSA II).

On Friday February 27th there were extra roadblocks going into Manila on the expressway. We stayed around home on Saturday, but Ray went to the airport in the afternoon to pick up tickets and LeAnn went in the evening to catch her flight back to the states and everything seemed very normal.

The following was put together by a friend at work and probably best summarizes the political climate here in the Philippines.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) declared a State of National Emergency in the Philippines late last week, amidst coup threats, street rallies and civil disturbances. The various opposition groups have since failed to muster a crowd to mobilize another People Power that in the past had unseated Presidents. It usually takes the confluence of forces of the Catholic Church, the Business sector, the Military and the middle class civil society to spark a successful people power. It does not look like this will happen anytime soon. Most probable reason is that these groups have not identified one credible and qualified successor to GMA. Thus, it's a wait-and-see situation for most Filipinos.

Attempts to unseat the President is not foreseen to cease anytime soon. Various opposition groups and some ranks in the military --- united solely in their rejection of GMA (accused of cheating in the last election) but divided in their political agenda --- will continue to agitate and mount destabilization moves. While most of the actions are confined within Metro Manila, the Philippines will continue to grab the global headlines for political unrest.

Filipinos have learned to ride the tide of political upheavals in the country since the time Marcos was ousted (1986). They brace themselves for the expected --- the coming and going of rumors, threats and attempts of a coup. Anyone familiar with the terrain of Philippine politics gets used to it.

We will keep you posted as to any changes or further developments.

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

Today, we went up to Clark Field (a former US military base, now an industrial park and private airport about 2 hours north of the house) to attend the 10th annual Philippines Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. It was 4 day activity, with the first balloons having a sunrise take off each day, and ending with a concert starting at 8PM. We ended up getting there about 10:30. Mariah was not with us as she was in Japan at the season ending tournament with the Brent basketball team

Activities included military vehicles and aircraft that you could climb up in and around, various food vendors, a mini bazaar, and a carnival. Throughout the day, there were events happening on the airstrip. These included power hang gliding and power parasailing. The power parasails had a large motor and propeller on the back of the pilots seat and could do some fantastic manuevers.

One of the most enjoyable events was a balloon popping contest. Pilots would approach the strip and signal for the release of a helium filled balloon, and then aim for it and try to hit and pop the balloon with their propeller(s). It took great flying to hit the balloon. One pilot had 3 hits out of 4 attempts.

There was radio controlled plane and helicopter show. The helicopter was able to fly backwards and upside down. The amount of control was incredible. The Philippine Army skydiving team made a grand entrance into the center of the field.

Throughout the day, kids and adults were flying kites in the open area next to the airstrip. There were kites of every imagiable shape and color, from 18" bird kites to 10' wide delta kites with multiple streamers. Some precision kite fliers were flying 3 kites together and played chase and tag, but somehow kept them from getting tangled.

The highlight, was of course the hot air balloons. About a half dozen launched about a mile away, drifted over the airstrip, and tried to throw a waited streamer into a target in the middle of the field. One came within about 5 feet of the target, and another within 2 feet. A couple of balloons were so far off, they couldn't even take a shot. Not bad for guessing what the wind would do.

After the landing, another half dozen balloons were inflated for the night glow. They remained inflated for about a half hour after sunset and would light up the interior of the balloons with their burners. They were really spectacular. Most of the balloons were standard round ones, but one was rectangular (a box of Whiskas cat food) and another was shaped like a rolled up newspaper.

Kara's First Time on the Golf Course

This week, it was Kara's first chance to get out on the golf course. We returned to Royale Tagaytay on Sunday morning. The course was not nearly as busy as last week, with only about 5 groups out on the course, and we were the only foursome. A little nervous on the first hole, she pushed it off to the right, but as the holes went on, she because more and more confident and stated to get them down the middle and close to the greens.

Most of the holes range about 110 to 150 yards from the red, so it works out great for the kids. They also get a chance to hit off uneven lies and from the grass. Up until now, she had only hit from tees and mats at the driving range. That is the most difficult transition. On a couple of holes with water hazards, she laid up to the front of the water and had the confidence with her irons to hit it up and over the water.

We played two 9 hole rounds today, and Kara came away with a couple of bogeys thanks to some nice straight drives and excellent chipping. Both the kids spent some time after the round on the putting green. That is one area that we don't get much of a chance to practice because the driving range near the house does not have a putting green. Their only putting experience came from putt-putt golf (and their yearly escapades at Pirates Cove in Brainerd), so they were adjusting to real grass.

Both the girls have enjoyed their golf experiences and would like to go again. We hope they have been introduced to a game they can play for many, many years

Happy Chinese New Year-Kung Hei Fat Choi

We want to wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year. There is a significant Chinese-Filipino population here in the Philippines, and there are many celebrations taking place here, especially in Chinatown. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. Various foods with special meanings are consumed, such as whole fish, to represent togetherness and abundance, and a chicken for prosperity. The chicken must be presented with a head, tail and feet to symbolize completeness. Noodles should be uncut, as they represent long life.

Shooting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, every door in the house, and even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out.

On New Year's Day, you are not suppose to wash your hair because it would mean we would have washed away good luck for the New Year. Red clothing is preferred during this festive occasion. Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future. It is believed that appearance and attitude during New Year's sets the tone for the rest of the year. Children and unmarried friends, as well as close relatives are given lai see, little red envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted, for good fortune.

The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors. Chinese New Year is actually a 15 day celebration with different people (such as family, ancestors, in-laws, or friends) or gods honored on different days.

Hailey's First Golf Outing

After many practice sessions at the driving range, Hailey had her first outing on an actual golf course on Saturday, Jan. 28. Ray, LeAnn and Hailey went to Tagaytay Royale, a par 29, nine-hole course about 1-1/2 hours from the house. Normally, this course and clubhouse is nearly deserted, but on Saturday, there was a private tournament going on the golf course and a wedding in the clubhouse. There were people everywhere. Fortunately, the last groups had already teed off for their second round of the tournament, so we were able to get on and play.

Hailey felt nervous as she teed off on the first tee, but that eventually subsided as she made good contact and stayed mainly down the middle. The caddies were a great help and really had a good time watching Hailey play and giving her some tips. She had some very nice drives, with a couple approaching 100 yards. Being a short course, she was able to make her way down the fairway fairly quickly.

As the day went on, she started to get under the ball with her irons on the fairway. She said it was so much different than hitting off the mats at the driving range. Her best hole was a bogey in which she was just off the green in two, putted the 3rd shot close and made about a 5 footer. She didn't try the sand at all as we gave her a free drop out, but eventually she will have to try to get out on her own.
We finished 9 holes with lots of smiles, so we asked her if she was ready for more, and she said she wanted to go on. We had about an hour of daylight left, and were able to get 5 more holes in. Normally, this course is lit for nighttime play, but the lights have not been working since sometime in December. We asked when they may be getting fixed, but could get no commitment.

After 14 holes, we called it a day and stopped at Yellow Cab pizza on the way home for dinner. She is already talking about going again. Kara had wanted to join us too, but she had too much homework and a group project that everyone could only get together on Saturday afternoon. So it looks like we may back to Tagaytay Royale next weekend with the kids.

World Pyro Olympics and Hua Mulan Acrobats

World Pyro Olympics and the Hua Mulan Acrobats

On December 26th, we had a special outing with our family and house staff. We took Ray, Tining, and Elena down to the Aliw Theatre to watch the Hua Mulan Chinese Acrobats put on a performance of magic and story telling. The show was very good, although not very well attended, but that was good as we got very good seats. This time, Ray B. did not repeat his "disappearing" act he performed into the orchestra pit in China, but he still made sure he took a picture of the group in their seats before the show.

After the show, we went over to the Esplanade on the Manila Bay waterfront to watch the World Pyro Olympics. The festivities went on for 5 days with two fireworks show each night. Each show was put on by a different country. The show we saw was put on by Australia. Although we had only heard about it a couple of days before, and had not heard or seen any advertisements, it was very crowded. Traffic was horrendous getting into the waterfront area, but Ray R. got us in close and talked his way into a new parking spot. Two and 3 lane roads ended up with only one lane passable as everyone parked on both sides of the only open lane. As a matter of fact, they delayed the fireworks by about 30 minutes to give more people a chance to get on the grounds.

The crowds seemed to overwhelm the facilities as very few vendors were actually on site, so the ones that were there were very crowded or out of food. There were 2 stages with live music, although there was no music choreographed to the fireworks.

We decided to leave after the first show, which was a good move. On the way to the car, a Filipino asked, "Where are you from, eh?" I said we were from Minnesota, and asked if he was now living in Canada, which he was. We had a nice conversation as we walked to the car. We beat the traffic and ended up stopping for a late diner on the way home and actually saw the second fireworks show from there.

Our trip to Australia

Our trip to Australia.

Our latest adventure brought us to Australia in late December 2005 and early January 2006.

We spent 5 days along the Gold Coast just south of Brisbane mid way up the east coast of Australia. The sandy beaches spread literally for miles around here. While we were there, we went to SeaWorld for a day. We found it interesting that SeaWorld and the other theme parks are only open from 10AM to 5PM--hardly enough time to take it all in.

One day we got up early and went up to Moreton Island. It was a 45 minute boat ride from the mainland to the island. This is a sand island with high hills made totally of sand. Some people go sand boarding on the steep dunes. This is very similar to snow boarding, only done on the sand hills. Our day was mainly spent on the boat, with time for snorkeling and swimming and boom netting.

We have pictures of the Gold Coast area at the Yahoo Photos site: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bloom2511/album?.dir=e9ff&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bloom2511/my_photos

The snorkeling was done in an artificial reef created by sinking obsolete ships and barges. The day we were there, the tide range was very high (about 8 feet), so the tidal currents were very strong. This made the snorkeling very difficult as you were pulled along the ships very fast. We all got cut and scrapped up a little. Mariah got a deep cut in her knee which hobbled her for much of the trip. Because of the high current, the water was pretty mucky, so we could not see a whole lot of the fish and coral.

The boat then went into the grasslands area to look for dolphins, sea turtles and dugongs (a manatee type animal), and we got to see all 3. They do whale watching on these cruises, but it was the wrong time of the year.

Our last adventure on the boat ride was something called boomnetting. A cargo net is dropped off the back of the boat and you crawl on this with about 4-5 other people. You lay with your back down and head towards the front of the boat while it starts to speed up. You are then lifted up on the wake and froth behind the boat. It is quite the experience as your feet dig into the cargo net and your hang on with your arms behind you.

On New Year's Eve, there were fireworks on the beach area at 8Pm, 10PM and Midnight. Australia does up their fireworks with great passion. Sydney (and all of Australia) is world renown for being one of the first to ring in the New Year with great fanfare down on the waterfront

One of the highlights of the trip was our day at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. This was a walk through Sanctuary full of Australian animals such as crocodiles, kangaroos, emus, and koalas. The kids got to hold a koala, which are very clingy animals. When we first arrived, it was feeding time for the Lorikeets, which are colorful green parakeet type birds. If you wanted to be swarmed by them, you could hold a plate of sugar water, and they would swarm you and the plate.

After 5 days of relaxation and mainly beach and water time, we went to Sydney. Sydney is a city of about 4 million people on the southeast corner of Australia. We used the public transportation system to get around the city with ease. From the airport, we got on an airport link train to take us to the central station, where we caught another train to the Kings Cross area and Potts Point, where our hotel was.

Here is a link to some of our other photos of the Sydney area: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bloom2511/album?.dir=1e70&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bloom2511/my_photos

When we got to the hotel, we went up and down multiple flights of stairs to get to our room, which was on the ground floor in another area of the hotel. This was an older hotel that had appeared to have been multiple other entities in the past. It was interesting that that evening, when we went out to dinner, we chose a restaurant call the Pig and the Olive, and it was run by Filipinos! They had been residents of Sydney for about 18 years.

The next day we got on the Sydney Explorer, which is a tour bus that runs every 20 minutes on a 2 hour loop through the city with about 30 different stops at popular tourist locations. You can get off and back on at any of the stops. It gives you a good overview of the city along with easy access to the places you want to see. Our first stop was the Circular Quay, which is the main ferry terminal. It is also where the Opera House, the Rocks area and the Harbor bridge are located. We had a good time exploring and taking pictures of the many landmarks that Sydney is known for.

Our one trip outside of Sydney was to the Blue Mountains and the 3 Sisters area, which is considered the Grand Canyon of Australia. Unfortunately, we had the only poor weather of our trip that day, and it was totally clouded over and fogged in, so we really saw nothing.

Another day of exploring brought us to the Darling Harbor area, and visit to the Sydney Aquarium. The tanks of the large aquarium taking are actually floating in the harbor. Their displays were wonderful and included a walk-through aquarium full of sharks and rays that would glide right over your head.

From there we went to Paddy's Market, which is a Thursday through Sunday market specializing in clothes, accessories, souvenirs, and food at discount prices and set up for bartering. It was set up in a former parking garage. Regular stores are still occupying the areas above the market area.

Our last full day was spent on another hop-on, hop-off tour bus called the Bondi Explorer which looped around the eastern side of the city and the beaches and coastal area. Most of the day was spent on Bondi Beach, one of the most famous beaches in the city. The waves were huge and many people were out surfing. Being from the midwest, we have such a good time playing in the waves at the ocean.

Happy New Year

Our World Wide Adventures

Our World Wide Adventures.

We have been very fortunate to have opportunities to see a lot of the world since we are living in the Philippines. Some of our travels have included the Boracay and Palawan in the Philippines, Phuket in Thailand, Sydney and the Gold Coast in Australia, and Beijing and Shanghai in China.

We have learned so much about how others live, work, and play.

Just a few pictures as we get started on our new creation.

2005 Christmas Letter

Maligayang Pasko or Merry Christmas,

Hello once again from the Philippines. We did not expect to be writing our Christmas letter this year from the Philippines as our original plan was to be home last summer. However, plans do have the tendency to change (especially over here) and Ray will be staying on with Advantek in the Philippines for an extra year (until July 2006). This was due to the fact that early this year, Advantek decided to transfer all of its MN manufacturing to Asia.

The girls have all kept very busy this year with various events and activities. Mariah (14) is now a freshman in high school. Last spring she got braces on her teeth, and is very excited about the weekly changes she sees in her smile. She has stayed involved in soccer, volleyball and band, and is also playing basketball this year. She has even played in some of the varsity basketball games, and may be traveling with the varsity team to the year end tournament in Japan in February. In band, she switched from trumpet to tuba, partly because it would be easier to play with braces, and also to help round out the sound of the band. We were very proud of here last spring when she received the Lawrence P. Martin award for the most conscientious outgoing middle school student at the all school award ceremony.

Kara (11) started middle school (6th grade) this year, so she was adjusting to the changing of classes and teachers for every subject. She has enjoyed the variety that middle school offers. In band, she is playing the clarinet, and has just started practicing for the middle school drama production next spring. She has taken an art class after school. Along with this, she is looking forward to soccer starting next spring. She has started to go to the driving range with mom and dad to hit some golf balls on occasion. She moved right out of the junior clubs in LeAnn’s old clubs.

Hailey (9) is now in 4th grade. She has her Christmas production next week, so has been practicing for that every chance she gets. She enjoys singing and dancing, and is trying to decide what instrument she wants to play next year. After school, Hailey has been taking a taebo class once a week. She has also been taking a computer class, where she has learned how to make PowerPoint presentations for special occasions that people have. She also likes to Instant Message with her friends all around the world when the time clocks line up. Hailey has also been joining mom and dad at the driving range

Because all the grades of the school are on the same campus, they all have the same start time and bus schedule. This is much easier than it would be back in MN where all 3 would be at different building with different start times. With their after school schedules, they all tend to ride different buses home and get home at different times.

We have been able to take some fantastic trips this year. Our Christmas picture is at the Great Wall of China. We spent about 10 days touring areas of Shanghai and Beijing last March and April. Ray’s family (his mom, (Karren), and sister and her family (Beth, Doug and Jack Bitney) joined us while on the trip. The contrast between Shanghai (new, modern, and cosmopolitan) and Beijing (historical, cultural) was fascinating. Although with the Olympics coming to Beijing, it is on a fast track to modernization. We rode through the old town area of Beijing in bicycle driven rickshaws, saw Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. One of the things that really catches your eye in both cities is the number of construction cranes and the changes that are taking place almost daily.

Karren and the Bitney’s then came down to the Philippines to visit for a few days and do some sightseeing and golfing. We all went down to Pagsanjan Falls and rode in dugout style canoes which are paddled, pulled and tugged up river to a beautiful 60 foot waterfall. After getting to the falls area, we took a bamboo raft under and through the falls. Depending on how many are on your crossing, the raft may be more under water than above water. Along with this we did some shopping and golfing before they headed back home.

Just before going home this summer, we went to Hawaii. Ray and LeAnn relived some of the places they had been on their honeymoon. We had a great view of Diamondhead out our hotel window on Oahu. Although out hotel was on Waikiki Beach, we spent most of our time exploring other beaches and locations around the island. Every beach was beautiful and special in it own way. We also went to Kauai. While there, we took a catamaran ride along the Na Pali Coast, which is one the most beautiful coastlines anywhere. We also did a lot of exploring of the many beaches around the island. Some were pounded by the surf, while others were very calm. The contrasts were amazing.

We have also been doing a little more exploring around the Philippines. In early November we went to an island called Palawan, which is south and a little west of here. Half the adventure is just getting there. We landed on a gravel strip which literally starts at the beach. From there it is 20 minute Jeepney ride to the pier where you are boarded onto an outrigger style boat called a banca for a 45 minute ride to the island. The snorkeling was just phenomenal, whether you were just off the dock at the resort, or in the lagoon areas, or out in front of the many islands dotting the area. We all went scuba diving for the first time, and also tried windsurfing. In the morning and late afternoon, the monkeys would descend from the hills in search of food. These were some new adventures for a formerly land-locked Midwestern family.

Through the Advantek plant in Shanghai, we found out that Tiger Woods was going to be playing in the HSBC Champions Tournament in Shanghai. We took the opportunity to go up and seem him play. The crowd was relatively small, so it was very easy to get up close to all the players. As a matter of fact, some of the groups had no one following them. It is very interesting and fun to see golf played at that level.

LeAnn went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with some of her friends from the booster club at school. They went over to visit a friend who had been transferred there over the summer. She got to tour the Petronas towers and spent a lot of time shopping and sightseeing.

We will end the year with a trip to Australia. We will be doing this instead of coming home for Christmas this year. We don’t expect to be any closer to Australia than we are now, so decided it may be our only opportunity to get down there.

Ray’s mom and dad are doing well, although we had quite a scare this spring and summer. After Karren’s return home from China, she was having some swelling in her ankles. After going in to the urgent care, she was admitted into the hospital for in depth testing and was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). This is one of the more treatable cancers, and after completing 6 months of chemo, she is doing very well. She also had very successful surgery to remove cataracts from her eyes. Grandma Nanny is doing well as she approaches her 102nd birthday next month.

LeAnn’s mom is also doing well. She is back down in Arizona for the winter, and still playing golf regularly on the sand course just outside her park.

As our travels have allowed us to see more of the world than we ever expected, it certainly helps us appreciate what we have, both as a family and as Americans. The world is large, but it is true that is getting smaller due to the ability to instantly communicate around the world. Even though we are physically separated, we are able to stay in touch and keep up with what is happening back home.

We hope that you take time this holiday season to spend time with your friends and family.

Palawan November 2005

Palawan is a Philippine resort island about an hour flight south of Manila. It is one of the few non-volcanic islands in the Philippines. Off the coast of the main island are hundreds of smaller islands and limestone outcroppings rising form the ocean. For anyone who has been to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota, it reminds me of that area on a much larger scale.

We stayed on Miniloc Island, part of El Nido Resort. To get there, we flew in a small 12-seater from Manila to El Nido airport, a private, dirt runway airport used by the resort. At the airport, we were greeted by a local group of singers who rode up in a cart pulled by a carabao, the local cow. We then rode in a jeepney about 15 minutes to the local pier. We were then split into two different boats depending on our destination—the green life jackets for Miniloc and the yellow life jackets for Lagan. The same company owns both locations and you can go back and forth between them if you would like to utilize any of the facilities at the other location.

A few years ago there was a kidnapping of foreign tourists at one of the Palawan resorts (not the one we were going to), so a high level of security was provided, although it was discreet, at least as Philippine standards go. The security personnel met us at the airport and accompanied the group on the jeepney and to the resort. They carried their guns in gun cases rather than out in the open.

We boarded our banca and sped off to the resort admiring the large cliffs along the way. The birds that inhabit this area (swiftlets) build nests that are valued for use in making bird's nest soup. The birds will swoop down very near you, but avoid making contact through the use of echolocation, much like bats. The water is a beautiful teal color and very clear.

Arriving at the resort, you are greeted by the staff that are waving and singing to welcome you. The resort is set in a well-protected cove. There are some huts that are built out on stilts out on a pier next to the cliffs. Our huts were nestled against the cliffs at the backside of the beach.

One of the first things we did was go down to the pier to watch them feed the fish. The number and variety of fish in this area was incredible. After watching them feed the fish, we immediately went to get some snorkel gear to get a better a look. With the clear water and abundant food supply, there were always fish around. These ranged from small zebra fish and “Nemo” clown fish the very large jack fish and an occasional sea turtle. The jack fish would change color based on their state of aggression. When calm they were silver in color, and when being fed or in a frenzy, they would turn black.

Around the bend from the cove was a couple of lagoons. They had well protected entrances and so the water inside was very calm. We had taken kayaks over to the lagoons and spent a wonderful couple of hours paddling around, swimming, and snorkeling. We paddled back into the deepest reaches of the lagoon with shear cliffs rising from both sides of your kayak.

One of the boat trips took us to a cave filled with bats, although they were pretty quiet when were there in the morning. From there we went to snake island, so named for the shape of the island and its long sand bar, and not because of reptile inhabitants. We swam and snorkeled on the sand bar and ran across some very large starfish. We hiked to the top of Snake Island and had a wonderful view of the main island of Palawan and all the surrounding islands.

Our next stop was lunch. A full lunch buffet awaited us in a large thatched roof building built on one of the larger and flatter islands for the resort guests. The area right off the beach had some fantastic snorkeling. We saw so many different kinds of fish, including a puffer fish caught by our guide, and clams imbedded in rocks and coral. The sea bottom was a nice mixture of sand, rocks, and coral. With a gentle current, we worked our way down the beach for a few hundred meters. I could have done that all day.

Back at the resort, we tried our hand at a few new activities. One of the most exciting was everyone’s first scuba dive. Although we had done a lot of snorkeling, none of us had ever scuba dived before. We all did a 10-minute introductory buddy dive where we went down about 15 feet. This was done right off the end of the pier, so it was very easy to “take the plunge”. Everyone enjoyed getting right up close to the deep coral and fish. We all got to pet a clown fish that was living in some soft coral.

Back on the topside of the water, we tried wind surfing. This was an activity that seemed easier the lighter or smaller than you are. Ray had minimal success while Hailey was going from end to end of the cove. Another adventure was going out on a hobie cat (a small catamaran sailing boat). The wind was not too strong, but we sure picked up some speed in the lightweight boat. We were all just passengers as none of us had any sailing experience. We split up and went out in 2 shifts, as the boat was not big enough to hold all of us at once.

When we woke up in the morning, the monkeys had come out of the woods and were scavenging around between the huts and out on the beach. The employees would chase them off whenever they saw them, but the kids enjoyed watching them and thought they should be able to stay around.

We took a trip to Lagan Island to see the other area of the resort. This is a much newer building, but is set up in a similar fashion. While there, we all took palm leaves and made outselves sun hats. They start soft and green, but after a few days, they become stiff and started to turn brown.

The sunsets are usually beautiful due to the many small islands and some thin clouds. We went out late one afternoon to enjoy a combination fishing excursion and sunset cruise. We were fishing at over 100’ of depth with heavy duty monofilament line and pieces of cut fish and shrimp. There were no poles, just a spool to wind and unwind the line on. When you caught something, you pulled up the line hand over hand until you got to the fish. We did not go home empty handed as we caught a few fish while we were out enjoying the gorgeous scenery.

The last morning we headed out to a secluded island for some pure relaxation and a picnic lunch. At the appointed time, a boat pulled up with a bamboo table and chairs, hot meals and cold drinks. They set everything up and left to allow us to enjoy the meal. We were situated under an outcropping with plenty of shade. When it was time to head back, we were picked up and whisked back to the resort and prepared to reverse our trip back to Manila. However, becasue of the tides being high when we left, we were able to go a short distance upriver directly to the airport, eliminating the jeepney ride through the countryside. We would put Miniloc on top of our list as the most beautiful and relaxing place we have been.

HSBC Champions Golf Tournament Oct 2005

Ray and LeAnn visited Shanghai in October of 2005 to watch part of the HSBC Champions tournament bringing together winners of both the Asian and European tour events for the year. The big draw, however, was Tiger Woods. He was invited and given a large appearance fee to be part of this tournament. We thought it would be a nice opportunity to see him play without have the super sized crowds as in the US.

We attended the 3rd round on Saturday. The weather was overcast with some occasional drizzle, and a little cool (at least compared to Manila!). The SheShan course was in great shape and very green and lush. It has huge clubhouse that was off limits to most of the crowd during the tournament. The course is pretty wide open and fairly flat. With the soft greens and calm conditions, there were lots of opportunities for birdies. The 17th hole was tough par 3 across a wide gully. It was playing over 200 yards from the back tees, but did not end up swallowing up too many golf balls

We heard estimates that there were 3,000 to 4,000 people in attendance, and probably 1/2 to 3/4 followed Tiger all the way around the course. We wondered around and watched him some and the other golfers also. If you were a couple of holes ahead or behind tiger, there would be a couple of dozen people watching at a particular hole or group. It is fun to watch professional golfers up close and see the power they have when they hit the ball. One thing you don't always get a feel for on TV is how big some of these guys actually are in person. Another is how much time they spend studying the green before a put. TV usually cuts in just as they are over the ball ready to putt, but there is large amount of time spent before looking at the put from many angles. David Howell ended up winning the tournament, and Tiger came in second.

It was different at the tournament, because they allowed cameras and phones on site. I took some video of and a few golfers, but the did try to prevent a lot a camera usage.

The last time Ray had seen Tiger Woods it was at the US Open in Minneapolis and the crowds numbers around 30,000. So no matter what hole you were at or who you followed, you always seemed to be behind somebody. It was much easier to watch this tournament.

When we arrived in Shanghai, we took the Magnetic Levitation (MagLev) train from the airport to the subway station, and then the subway into Peoples Square near our hotel. The MagLev train floats above its tracks through the use of electromagnetic force that simultaneously pushes and pulls the train down the track. It reaches a speed of over 265 miles per hour, but is a very smooth and comfortable ride because it is floating.

We also made a couple side trips to YuYuan Gardens and picked up a few china dolls and of course a quick tour of the Fashion Market for some souvenirs.