Last few weeks in The Philippines

Time flies, I feel like we just got here and now we are leaving and never coming back!!! Well, if I have it my way, we are definatley coming back..but I am sure not anytime soon!!

Alot has happened in the past two months, we have been working hard and it has really paid off, enough that Ryan and I will now be sent out on our own to U.A.E, ( Dubai and Abu Dhabi, starting Jan!) very exciting!  The Philippines proved to be a very humbling experience, it will be interesting to see the difference between the Middle East.

Of course with our luck something had to go wrong and it did...plenty of times..mother nature was not on our side!

Aside from working hard, we've been really lucky being able to enjoy tourist stuff as well, a good excuse was when Brooke came to visit!!  For our last 2 weeks in the country, Ry's sister joined us and it made our stay so much better.  To be able to share an experience in another country is amazing..we hope that more people will come out.

Of course with our luck something had to go wrong and it did...plenty of times..mother nature was not on our side!  With typhoon season in full swing, we decided it would be a great idea to visit Tagatay, a small city outside of Manila with the world's smallest volcano, one problem, we don't know that a typhoon is on it's way and we set out very early in the morning....no turning back!  You would think that Chris, our secretary/friend and now tour guide, would know since he is a local, but he is just as excited as we are to climb this volcano!  We get to Tagatay and it is raining, well not quite, actually STORMING!!!  Raining so hard that it was scary at times.   Despite this, we were still very optomistic, convinced that it was " the eye of the storm" that it would pass....so we decided to wait, we were still determined to take the 40 minute boat ride across to the volcano and then do an hour hike!

To kill time while the rain passed we went to eat at Sonya's Garden a very famous restaurant, known for her beautiful garden and excellent food, she is a favorite among Govt officials and tourists.  Tucked away off the beaten path...dirt roads, horses and and friendly locals walking by...Sonya's is absolutely beautiful, like a sanctuary, it takes you away from the chaos of Manila and is truly country living in The Philippines.  The garden is not just a garden, it is stunning, with beautiful canopy style beds and bridges and trails, it is the perfect place to explore...that is if it's not storming!!!

The food is excellent, everything is made fresh, organic, from the garden, it is picked right before it is put on the plate!  Salads, bread, with an assortment of sppreads ( fresh anchovi paste, salsas, pesto, peppers...) Pasta with fresh sauces, vegetables and then to top it all off, Sonya's chocolate cake with a taragon tea.....simply amazing!!   What makes it more than amazing is the ambience, you are sitting surrounded by roses, white drapery, greenery, it's so peaceful and you can only imagine the beautiful scent in the air!!  I can see why so many people from the Philippine's and all over, have weddings and receptions there ...it was one of the most romantic venues (I could see the nervous look on RY's face!!!)

After the meal we all sat and talked about how wonderful it was, Chris told us that this was a place that they would come for a really special occasion, the last time he had been was 10 years ago...by the way it was exactly the same ( he even remembered the dishes/menu.) Well you would think that it would be a fortune, transplant this place in Toronto, or up north, we're talking upscale dining and prices to match......here in The Philippines, 50$ US total for all of us, including tip...unreal!!!

After having one of the most memorable meals of our lives, with umbrellas in hand, we took a tour around.  It was pouring, but we managed to get into the greenhouse, where they were setting up for a wedding, we visited the garden, a worker was picking taragon for the tea, and lettuce for the salad...it was charming!

Even after hours at Sonya's garden, we were still in "the eye of the storm"  we headed to another restaurant.   On a cliff overlooking the volcano (which we could not see due to the fog, it was impossible to see anything across the water!!)

We sat and had drinks at an outdoor/indoor local lodge, where it was packed withh tons of people eating authentic food, like adobo and big bowls of soup with huge bones....the wind and rain was coming down hard, yet everyone seemed to not even notice, just laughing, singing, musical band playing!!!

Really, it felt like something out of the titanic, you know when everyone is going down, but the musicians are still playing....this was a serious storm, it was a typhoon and we seemed to be the only ones concerned!!!!  We decide to wait it out and finally head home realizing that it was not our day!!!  When we get back to work the next day, our first interviewee tells us that we are nuts for going to Tagatay that there was a warning of the typhoon,very dangerous....well we learned a valuable lesson watch the weather network!!!

Craving Sonya's Garden and really wanting to see the Volcano, Brooke and I convinced Ry and Chris to take us to the volcano again...so we did, 2 days later it was deja vu...back in the car, back at Sonya's and now on a boat across a river to an island with no electricity and a bunch of sketchy locals, that want our money!!!

Our boat docks up on to the sand and kids swarm us saying hello and begging.....than we are hounded to take a horse, the sun is setting soon, we have about 40 minutes before sunset....and going down in the middle of the night will not be easy. After big discussions, we decide, we're doing it, but hiking not taking a horse!! We set out up an unmarked trail with a tour guide we didn't really want...but by the end of it, are glad he came!!!

I start off really good, making fun of Ryan, (" hey big butts..u okay down there...")  who is far behind and Chris and I are power walking up this steep terrain.....half an hour later, Brooke and Ryan have now passed me, I am about to collapse and Chris is feeding me water.....what was I thinking!!!!

I am not an athlete, I've hiked about 2 times in my life, not only are we in a rush to get up this thing and down before sunrise, but it's a volcano, it is HOT, there are short intervals of wind, but not nearly enough.....I am struggling, big time!!

We are almost there, at one point I am ready to head down...Koreans on horses heading down are laughing at me....and I make it up the last stretch with Ry literally pushing me up.....we pass holes in the ground that are steaming and hot

a reminder that this is not an ordinary mountain, it is an active, yes ACTIVE, volcano!!!  Finally make it to the top....in the end worth the hike, but take a horse,it will save you alot of trouble!!!!  On the way down, it was night, it was scary...but we made it down....thank god for our tour guide, he cost 2 dollars...and I don't know how we would have got down otherwise!!!!

All in all an adventurous week!! Next week, we have 5 days off and have booked a trip to Boracay, to Nami Resorts....we can't wait!!!!

DEC 14 to DEC 18, 2006

The day before we are set to leave, we get a phone call, the resort, one of the best on the island, has been "devastated" by the typhoon that hit a few days ago!  There is no electricity, everything that is running is being powered by generators, which are only on for half the time, so no air conditioning...it is only 40 degrees outside...scorching hot...our much anticipated holiday sounds like a nightmare!!!

We decide to go anyway, our tickets are booked, how bad could it be?!

We get to Nami and it is bad, there are no guests, she blatantly lied to us, the beach looks rough, there is alot of damage!  The resort sits on top of a cliff and since the elevator is not working, we must climb about 100 steep steps to get to our room.  As much as the staff of 10 workers is trying to make it better, you can see the desperate looks on their faces as we are sweating profusely trying to eat our breakfast....we know we need to move, and move fast!!

Within an hour, we have made it back to our old friends at Ocean Club Boracay and have booked 2 rooms there. After checking out and getting our refund ( not a great way to start off the trip but it had to be done!) we are able to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings!!

The whole island is being powered on a generator and I think that they did pretty well!  Not having electriciy during the day sucks, as there is no escape from the heat, but it was back on by 6pm, sometimes 5pm( if we were luckY) so we managed.  We had great meals, shopping and beach time...but probably the funniest moment came when we are asked to do a photo shoot for the resorts, brochure and website!  Yes, Ry, Brooke and I are now resort models...Brooke joined us for an intimate dinner (free drinks and food for being models..haha), lots fake laughing and smiling, for one scene, than the others were shot in the presidential suite, with Ry lying across a bed and we are supposed to pretend we're honeymooners....next one on our balcony.....very, very funny..!  I especially liked it when Ry turned to me and said (in a very serious tone) , " Farah, don't worry this is your first time,,, I forgot that you haven't done this before...."   what a diva, this modelling was getting to his head....!!!  This is the first time we actually decided to do this, but throughout our time here, it's been bizarre how many times you get approached for casting/modelling....so please anyone that wants to pursue their life long dream...you can make it here...they love foreigners!

Well, after a big model shoot.haha, relaxing on the beach, hiking a volcano, working throughout.....we've had an amazing time here and it really feels sad to leave!!!   The Philippines is one of the most specatacular countries I have ever been to and it is a well kept secret....so I hope that other's can come visit this amazing country and it's beautiful people!

Hope to see some of you at home, while we are back for the holidays!  On Jan 31 we leave for Spain for a company retreat, at a secret location, for 6 days ( yes..very James Bondish...i know) we'll have a ton of stories I am sure...40 Europeans, and then there is Ryan and I!!!   After that, U.A.E, Dubai and  Abu Dhabi, for 4-6 months....if anyone wants to see the Middle East, now's the time....we'll definatley show you an amazing time!!!!

Happy Holidays!!!