Family Reunion in Shanghai China March 2005

Over the Easter Holy Week break, Ray’s mom, sister, brother-in-law and nephew flew to Shanghai for a week long tour of China along with our family. The first night, we just got our bearings and laid low so that the group coming from the US had a chance to adjust their biological clocks after the 20-hour trip through 14 time zones. We did walk out Nanjing Road, a long international shopping area that stretches from People’s Park (near our hotel) to the Bund. With all the familiar western stores and restaurants with their English language signs in addition to all the Chinese characters (or Hanzi), we felt both at home and on the other side of the world.

We had set up some tours through an on-line website and had our own English speaking tour guide and private tour bus. When we left the hotel the first morning, a large 25-passenger coach bus was waiting for us. I questioned if others were going to join us, and found out that it was just us! We had a full schedule of places to go and see and plenty of room to do it with.

We visited many temples and gardens. The temples are large and filled with burning incense. Offerings that are made at the altars include money, script (pretend money) and food. The temples were very wide open and busy as people were moving in and out on their own schedules.

We also visited YuYuan Gardens, which is both a garden area and shopping area. The garden area behind the gates is full of trees and vegetation. In front of the garden area is a large pond that is criss-crossed by bridges and walkways. This whole area is surrounded by a popular tourist shopping area where you can by souvenirs such as pearls, local handicrafts, china dolls, and clothing.

One of the famous areas in Shanghai is the Bund. Bund means bend and it is literally the bend in the Yangtze River. On one side of the river is the old town (Puxi) and includes many building built in the early 1900’s. At night they are lit up and you would almost believe you are somewhere in Europe. The other side of the river is the new side of town (Pudong). Most of it has been built since the early 1990’s when the first major bridge was completed. The intent was to relieve some of the congestion on the older Puxi side. While on the Pudong side, we went up into the Oriental Pearl TV tower and got a great bird’s eye view of the city. Although it was a little smoggy, we could see a long distance, and could really understand why this area was called the Bund as the river makes a very large 180 degree turn.

One of the lighter moments occurred during one of our evening activities when we went to the Shanghai Center Theatre at People's Square to watch the Shanghai Acrobatic Troup. We were there early and had some front row seats, so I wanted to get some photos of our family waiting for the show to begin. I went up beside the stage and stepped into an area that was cut open in the stage and immediately fell from view. I had stumbled into the orchestra pit! I emerged to a nice ovation from the people in the audience.

Another highlight of the trip was our day tour to Suzhou, which has been called the Venice of China, as it is a city built in and around the waterways. It is about 100 kilometers from Shanghai to Suzhou, and took about 2-1/2 hours to get there. We stopped at one of the rest stops and had our first exposure to the eastern trough toilets. From that point on, we never let a western toilet go by unused.

Once we arrived, we boarded a flat bottom boat for our trip through the canals. Sometimes, there does not appear to be enough room to fit a pair of boats past each other in the canal. There are boats, both power and manual boats, tied up all along the route as people live right on the waterways. We got out of the boat and walked down one of the streets paralleling the waterway and entered Tiger Hill. Tiger hill is a man-made burial mound with a height of about 120’. The most visible landmark here sitting on the top the mound is the Tiger Hill pagoda, rising another 160’ feet above the mound. It is also known as the Suzhou’s Leaning Tower as it is tilted a little over 3.5 degrees (about 10’ from center line at the top). There are also waterfalls and walkways going up and down Tiger Hill which made for an enjoyable stop.

Our last stop was at the Humble Administrator's Garden. This was a beautiful garden area that included foliage, historic buildings and a large pond area with many walkways to allow for reflection and tranquility. One interesting sign that we was on the way in said "No Naked Fires". We thought about it for a while and determined it meant no open fires, but enjoyed the translation

Due to the road construction between Suzhou and Shanghai, our 2-1/2 hour trip became over a 4-hour trip going back to Shanghai. Thank goodness we were not driving and we had a lot of room in the bus. It seemed like there was one stretch of about an hour were we moved less than a mile, keeping a large billboard in site for a very extended period of time.

In addition to the historical sites, we also made a few stops at local factories that allowed you to watch craftsmen at work, and then of course purchase their wares at the end of the tour. The silk factory was one of the most interesting tours. We watched how the silk was unwound from the silkworms cocoon and then turned into thread and eventually fabric. The conjoined cocoons are pulled apart rather than unwound and are actually used to make the interior of silk comforters. We got to stretch some cocoons over a bed-sized frame. A comforter is made up of many layers of stretched silk. Although very light, they offer tremendous warmth.
With the completion of the Shanghai portion of the trip, we loaded up and headed to Beijing.

Pagsanjan Falls February 2005

Pagsanjan Falls is a beautiful 60ft high water fall at the end of a 1-1/2 hour canoe ride in a shallow dug out style canoe. In order to get to the falls, two boat men paddle, pull and push you up the river. Together with Luc and Christine and their family, we boarded our canoes at the Pagsanjan Falls Hotel. We all strapped on life vests and were almost immediately surrounded by locals selling their wares. These included pop, water, carvings and hats. Even though the sun is intense on the open river, within about 15 minutes we were between the cliffs and did not see much sun after that. It was cool between the cliffs and with the water splashing on you.

We were actually towed up river in a convoy of about 5 boats until we hit the first set of rapids in the cliff enclosed area. At this point, the boatmen jumped out of the boats and started to work us up the river hoping from side to side and pushing off the rocks with their bare feet. It almost appeared like a 2 lane expressway as canoes were moving both up and down river.

There were a total of about 15 sets of rapids that we had to maneuver through. The boatmen were working very hard, and they made sure you understood that (they do work for tips). This included a lot of loud huffing and puffing, and immersing themselves when they came to deeper calm areas in the stream. Along the way, the scenery was gorgeous. There were mini waterfalls coming down the cliffs. There were areas that the runoff was being collected and used for washing cleaning.

About 2/3 of the way up was a rest stop that you could buy food, drinks, clothes and souvenirs. There was also a pay toilet, but we had no takers. As we got closer to the falls it got quit crowded on the river as a lot of people were already heading back. We had to wait our turn as groups came downstream before groups could start going back upstream. In some places they had wedged pipes across the rapids to make it easier to ramp the canoes up the river.

We finally could hear the falls and came around a bend to a beautiful site. There were people and canoes everywhere. We made our way to the drop off place where we got out and our boatmen then backed out and went down stream to wait for us to return. There is a large pool at the base of the falls, and you can take a bamboo raft across the pool and under and behind the waterfall. We probably had about 2 dozen people on the raft. The raftmen then pulled the raft across the pool by pulling on a rope hand over hand.

We went directly under the falls and got our free hydro massage. There is so much water movement and pressure that it is difficult to actually get your breath. We got off the raft and went into the shallow cave behind the falls. We then swam in the pool behind the falls and went back under the falls, but not at the center of the falls. Returning on the raft, we were pulled off to the side to get a different view of the falls. We signaled out boatmen and they came and picked us up for the trip back down the river. The downstream leg took about half the time as it took to come upstream.

Once we entered the open area of the river, there were people wading out in the river and many on some decorated barges. It ends up that there was a local festival going on while we were there. The people on the barges and those wading out were spraying and splashing all of the boats. So even though we had dried out, we got a little wet again. The worst part was not having our cameras put away when the splashing began.

We enjoyed the adventure and would recommend it for all to enjoy. It highlights the beauty of the area. This was an area where the movie Apocalypse Now was filmed

2004 in Review

December 19, 2004
Maligayang Pasko or Merry Christmas,
We are back in Minnesota for the holidays after almost a full year in the Philippines. We have all enjoyed the experience, but at the same time, it makes one appreciate the country and life that we have here in the USA!
The experiences the family have embraced and endured range from good food to strange food; good weather to bad weather: friendship to loneliness, security to fear; beauty to dilapidation.
We have experienced may new foods, and although the preparation and presentation may not be what we are used to, we have found some new favorites. At our company picnic this year the main course was lechon, which a spit barbecued whole pig. It is presented whole and then cut and chopped up as you eat it. The heads are saved for a later delicacy. We have become big fans of lumpia (local egg rolls). The seafood is very good and fresh there, although we are not big seafood eaters. The fish is served whole, (as opposed to filleted), so that takes some getting used to. The local wet markets are where you can go to get fresh meat and fish, all displayed in raw form. It is an olfactory and visual experience to go to these markets. We also are able to get a taste of the imported goodies from IA (Blue Bunny ice cream) and WI (Johnsonville brat at the local warehouse club.
We have lived through a couple of new natural experiences, in the form of earthquakes and typhoons (or hurricanes as we know them). We had 2 large (5+ on the Richter scale) that could be felt in our area, although we only felt one of them.
As you may have seen or read, the Philippines were hit with some serious typhoons in November and December. Four storms passed through within about 3 weeks, and the cumulative affects became disastrous due to the build up of moisture in the ground. Landslides on the hillsides swept away trees and mud wiping out entire villages. The most severe storms passed about 100 miles from the house, and we lost power for 8 hours one night, so we played games by candlelight.

In general though, the weather there is very nice and very consistent. Our range of temperatures have been lows in the mid-70’s to highs in the mid-90’s. The monsoon (rainy) season provided consistent patterns of daily rains, but not all day rains. It has been quite a shock back here with the below zero morning we had today. As opposed to the 2 seasons of winter and road construction we have here, they have the wet season and the dry season.
We have met a lot of great people, literally from all over the world. So many people are in the same situation, here for a short period of time and then gone. It is nice to have someone to share the local experiences and frustrations. Being so far from the friends and family at home is difficult for everyone. We miss the get-togethers, annual events, birthdays, graduations etc. That is when it is most difficult to be so far from home. Thank goodness for the Internet, email and instant messaging. We can still be connected to the US in so many ways. The time difference can make it tough to communicate directly, so email works nicely.

We have done some traveling locally, but prefer to have some of the locals with us when we go to new places. Even though we feel generally comfortable, we are always aware of the surrounds and levels of security that exists in the Philippines. It can be unnerving seeing a guard at the local convenience store greeting you at the door with his sawed off shotgun at his side. The village we live in has 24 hour security and access control. Shopping malls generally have guarded entrances with full bag checks and frisking as you enter.

The Philippines has much natural beauty to enjoy. About 20 miles from the house is the Tagaytay area. It is a volcanic crater that has a lake (Lake Taal) in the middle. Then there is a volcanic cone in the center of the lake that also has a smaller lake in the middle of it. It is considered an active volcano, although it has been centuries since it flowed. They have recently issued warning about hiking in the area as there has been some increase in seismic activity, as a hike up the inner cone is a popular day trip.

Being an island, there are many beautiful beaches. The closest to us is about 2-3 hours away by car. We flew on an 1 8 seat turboprop) to another island (Boracay) in October with LeAnn’s mother Lois, sister Sue and brother-in-law John. It has a 1 .5 mile long fine white sand beach. We took a banca (outrigger) boat ride around the island, tricycle (motor bike with side car) inner island tour, snorkeled, relaxed, and greatly enjoyed ourselves.

There are over 80 million people in the Philippines and a high unemployment rate. You see a lot of poverty as people eek out a living. There is a lot of areas that are very run down, and there is very little money to improve conditions. Despite the living conditions, Filipinos are generally a very happy and giving people. Seeing the conditions makes us appreciate the life we have in the US.

Our summer vacation brought us to Phuket island in Thailand. It is an island off the west coast of the main land mass. Our photo was taken on an elephant ride during an island tour that also included a visit to a rubber plantation and a river canoe ride. We spent a day at the beach playing in the high surf. We then went back to the US, with LeAnn and the kids home for about 6 weeks this summer.

As for the family, we are all fine. Mariah is now a teenager, enjoying 8th grade in middle school and testing her independence as often as she can. She is still involved with soccer, trumpet in the band, and has become very active in the local youth group at church there. She has made some good friends there, many of them local Filipinos, so she has picked up some of the language, but especially a local accent.

Kara (10) is in 5th grade. She has taken up the clarinet in band. She is also playing soccer and joined the computer club at school. At home she is still a voracious reader, and likes jumping on the trampoline and swimming.

Hailey (8) is in 3rd grade. She is a night owl and keeps us on our toes all the time. She has continued soccer and has played in some local tournaments as part of the boys team. She likes to keep busy with a couple of friends in the neighborhood playing games and having sleepovers.

The kids attend Brent, an international school with about 700 kids in Pre-K through 12. It is about 20 minutes away. They have bus service to and from school, with activity buses an hour and 2 hours after school. With only having a single vehicle, that has been a great advantage for all of us.

LeAnn does a lot of volunteer work at Brent School. Besides running the house, she is also taking water aerobics, and golfing. There is a large community of foreign wives who get together often for various activities, both social and service oriented.

Ray is kept busy with work both locally and with teleconferences back to MN in the evening. He still has found time to golf 2 times a month (all year long!)

Ray’s parents are doing well. It is a little quieter for John and Karren without 3 of their grandchildren close by, hut we are able to keep in touch. After celebrating her 100th birthday last January, Ray’s grandma broke her hip this summer and is recovering. Because of that, Nanny has moved out of her house and into a nursing home. LeAnn’s mom is once again making her annual trip to AZ to enjoy the nice winter weather. Lois got a late start this year after her trip to visit us. She is still golfing on the local course down there a few times a week. We hope that all of you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Boracay October 2004

LeAnn's mom, sister and brother-in-law came to visit us in October of 2004. While they were here, we decided it would be a good time to go the famous white sand beach on the island of Boracay. The white sandy beaches stretches about 2 miles. The sand is very fine, white and soft. It is a beautiful place to visit. Getting their was a great part of the adventure also. We boarded a small 19 seat turbo prop plane. Once the stewardess gave the safety briefing, she exited the plane and we were on our own.

Once we arrived in Caticlan, we were taken by van to the pier area where we boarded a banca. A banca is a local outrigger style boat with a long shaft propeller exiting the rear of the boat. They are very stable, but they are noisy. Our luggage was put on top and we sat inside an enclosed area. The banca brought us right up to the resort and we unloaded in about knee deep water.
We stayed at Willy's resort, which is located right beside Willy's Rock, the only outcropping along the whole beach. It makes for a good reference point when you are either out in the ocean or walking down the beach. A shrine has been built on the rock and it has steps up to the shrine. During high tide, the rock is totally surrounded by water, but at low tide it is easily accessed without getting wet. The high tide laps right up to the edge of the hotels, but at low tide there is a full 200 feet of beach. During low tide, people set up volleyball nets or play football (soccer).

We decided to take a tour of the island, and decided the best way to do it was by tricycle. The tricycles are small motorbikes with sidecars attached. They can hold 5 or 6 of the locals, but when we came out, they decided 3 per tricycle would be about right. The roadways are narrow and the houses and buildings go right up to the pavement. We went down to the southern tip of the island and then up to the top of Mt. Luho. We weren't sure if we would all make it up the hill as the motorcycles were struggling to get us up. As a matter of fact, we traded one of our tricycles for a larger one after the first leg of our trip. As we were approaching the Mt. Luho, the driver of one of the tricycles signaled a kid along the road and then he hopped onto the back of the tricycle. It ended up he jumped on in order to help push as we went up the mountain.

From the top of Mt. Luho, we had a great 360 degree view of the island including the beaches on both sides and the golf course in the middle. At the top, we had to climb about another 200 feet to get to the top. LeAnn's mom was a trooper and made it to the top. At the top, there was a small canteen with drinks and snacks. This is where we saw the pet monkey in the tree. I think I found a second career--I should get a tricycle and start a service back home in the states.

After touring the interior, we went on a banca boat tour around the island. The water was warm and we stopped and did some snorkeling. The snorkeling is an a national park area, and the rangers were out in small outrigger canoes collecting the 20peso snorkeling fee. Also while we docked, vendors came up selling coconut and jewelry. We all enjoyed our time in the water and the beautiful coral and fishes.

We saw some blue coral and blue starfish. Their wasn't a lot of brightly colored coral or fish in this particular area, but there was a lot to look at. There were many sea urchins, some crabs and clams, and many small fish. There was probably a lot of things we just never saw because of the natural camouflage of some many sea animals.


A couple of relaxing days and evenings on the beach made for a wonderful vacation. Massages and manicures/pedicures are a very popular afternoon or evening activity, especially after a full day of adventures and activities. Most of the restaurants put tables out on the beach area for beach front dining (as long as the tides are cooperating) Also, some of the locals build some very serious, large and beautiful sandcastles.

Our trip home was every uneventful as we took the banca, tricycle, van and turbo prop plane back to Manila. We were so glad that LeAnn's family was able to come over and visit and see some of the sights of destinations of the Philippines.