Our Journey comes to a close

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I had forgotten how easy it is for Jeff and I to travel together. The last time we traveled together without kids was almost 20 years ago – our honeymoon to the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii).

We’ve had a fabulous month of exploring several islands in the Visayas, Philippines. After leaving Malpascua Island, we went to Bohol Island for 10 days. We rented a motorcycle, left our bags at our guest house and with just one change of clothes (and seven days) drove around the island stopping wherever we wanted. It felt so free. Every village has century-old Spanish churches; we stopped at some of them to admire the architecture. We drove north to Anda where we swam in some clean, clear and cold springs in the mountains, saw the famous Chocolate Hills, saw the tarsiers (smallest primates in the world), went kayaking down the river, went “flying” over a canyon and waterfall (zip line) and snorkeling around a beautiful island called Balicasag. Jeff was even asked to be interviewed by a local radio station in one of the small villages we visited!

The next destination we explored was the mountainous island of Negros. We enjoyed the charming university town of Dumaguete and the variety of restaurants with international food. From there, we took daytrips on our motorcycle to surrounding waterfalls and Twin Lakes National Park where we kayaked in the rain across one of the lakes enjoying the beauty of the virgin forests. One of the highlights of our trip was a two-day trip over to Apo Island – the most successful and best-run marine reserves in the Philippines. Jeff went diving and I snorkeled at every chance I could get. Swimming with the giant sea turtles as fantastic; the coral was pristine and such a variety of sea life. It’s good to see that there is some preservation of the fragile marine environment unlike so many places we have visited throughout our travels.

For our last ten days of our year abroad, we flew to the island paradise of Palawan. Other than a few nights in the capital city of Puerto Princessa, we spent our time in the north, El Nido. I think it was the most relaxing part of our year abroad. We rented a beach cottage outside of town and spent our days island hopping around the Bacuit Archipelago, enjoying pinics consisting of fresh fish and fruit, snorkeling, swimming, watching the sun set from our balcony. The Archipelago is stunning – towering limestone karst cliffs emerging out of the crystal clear turquoise waters and gorgeous white sandy beaches. Unfortunately, we didn’t see the same level of marine conservatory in El Nido as we did on Apo Island. Sadly El Nido is becoming overdeveloped with little planning.

We’ve met so many great people over this past year – both locals and foreign travelers…..this is what traveling is all about. I think back on all the late night conversations with people from all over the world and reflect on how this has changed my perspective. We fly home in 2 days much richer than when we arrived 10 months ago. Our pocket book is empty, but our hearts and minds are full of new experiences, ideas, friends and a new way of seeing the world. Looking forward to seeing all our friends and family back home. Enjoy the photos (keep scrolling down to see them all).

Love, Kevi

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Comments

[Lorill]

INCREDIBLE
Incredible. What an wonderful journey.