Day 8: Through the Jungle

Well, if we were feeling sheltered from the real Philippines in our St. Francis/expat bubble, today we left that all behind and drove four hours through the jungle to the ocean-side town of Real, Quezon Province. It was so saddening to see people living by the side of the road, washing their clothes, dishes and hair in water from a pipe. Children sat on the side of the road, digging in the dirt or just watching cars pass. These people have no plumbing, no medicine, and no real chance to improve their lives. They have beautiful smiles that beg the question of what brings true happiness anyway. Are we the blessed ones or could they be, with their simpler lives? We arrived at the "resort" around 4. Vivian's family is so kind and crazy-hospitable. They had dinner waiting for us by the pool, including a whole fish which the girls loved! After dinner the kids swam then we went for a walk on the beach. We had a group of 11 darling kids following us and all the girls were in love with Sam. "Hi Sawhm," they kept calling. He was so embarrassed. Will was pretty freaked out by the mosquitos and the rustic nature of the hotel. He had me cover him in bug spray before he went to bed! Such an amazing experience we are having. On the drive today Sam started looking tired. I told him he could lay on my lap but he said, "I don't want to miss any of the cool stuff I'm seeing out the window. Our children's eyes are certainly be opened to the world.

In the "hired car," which had jimmy-rigged seats and seat belts. We were happy to make it to Real without incident!

A typical shop/home on the road to Real.

Dad, Anna, and the Paparazzi.