Philippines or BUST!

Day 1, June 24th

I flew from China into Manila where Joce and Lucky picked me up. It was so amazing to be reunited with my good friends! We ventured off to SM, the largest mall in Asia. For breakfast we enjoyed Nutella drop and sunrise orange pancakes with cream cheese and orange sauce drizzle. Our entire meal was about $15 for 3 people! So cheap!!!! We walked around the mall and shopped a bit to see popular stores from around the world, Topshop, Marks & Spencer, Mango, Uniqlo,  Zara, and even Forever 21! Next we drove over to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, home of the professional ballet company that Lucky was a part of before joining Royal Caribbean. From there we continued to Greenbelt, a large area with five fancy malls to have a late lunch with their friends in Manila. We drank delicious mint tea and I tried squid ink pasta which was a little spicy and not bad at all, but I preferred my zucchini and goat cheese pizza! :) When night fell, we drove to the City of Dreams, a building complex with various luxury hotels and casinos much like the Vegas Strip. The area was made famous by a youtube advertisement starring Leonardo DiCaprio,  Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese. We saw "Dream Play" a Dreamworks themed play area for kids. That night we stayed overnight at a hotel near the airport before our 2am wake up call! :/

Day 2, June 25th

Our day began with a 4am flight to Cebu. Unfortunately, we had the worst turbulence I've ever experienced and it hit right when I was in the bathroom because despite having taken my motion sickness pills, I still got sick. That was the first time in my life that I feared I was going to die. I was tossed and thrown all over that bathroom and could only pray that this wasn't the end. We had flown right into a rain cloud and Joce said they could see the storm outside from the windows while I was being jolted around in the bathroom HAHA. We landed safely but I was still pretty shaky after the petrifying experience! Our driver picked us up and drove us the three hours to Oslob for our whale shark dive. We had a breakfast of sticky rice and mango, then got into our gear near the shore. The guide gave a brief description of what the dive was going to be like, and a reminder not to touch the whale sharks and to be wary of their mouths and tail. I was acutely aware that my gear was different than I’m used to and made sure to let Joce and Lucky know where my alternative air source was located (it was in a pouch at my side, not located in my “triangle” which is around my ribs where it is with the new BCDs) and took a moment to get acclimated to the new equipment. It’s a good thing I had such an amazing teacher like Edwen, because our guide was a bit relaxed about these pre dive safety checks and even about checking in with us frequently throughout the dive to make sure we were all “ok”, Granted, we are certified which means we have more understanding of diving procedures so he was probably just looking for signs something was wrong rather than asking, but he definitely should have checked in with us to make sure we were doing ok with out air supply. He never once asked how much air we were at, and it was 45-50 minute dive! We made sure to check each other’s air nad were signaling each other properly, Edwen would have been so proud! :D

From the critic and technical diver point of view, I was a bit frustrated with my mask because it got foggy and made things difficult to see, so next time I will definitely need to get the anti-fog spray that works wonders. Also, I was a bit of a mess with my buoyancy because I was trying not to get whacked or ran over! But overall I think it was a very successful dive.

From my emotional side, this dive was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! It was phenomenal to swim amongst these gorgeous creatures. At one point, I was just standing at the bottom watching three giant whale sharks at least twice my size swim above me, so close I could reach out and touch them! It was spectacular. Here were these mammoths of the sea, gliding through the water so gracefully, vacuuming in food as they go. We weren’t even that deep, I believe 20 feet was the furthest depth we reached, if even that. It was such a breathtaking experience to not only swim with them, but lay and watch their powerful tails swish back and forth to propel them through the water. We were floating when one whale suddenly began coming towards us. Joce let out a small scream and reached down for me to pull her out of the path, she didn’t want the whale to bump her with its mouth! Lucky also had a few close calls as he was taking video and shooting photos with a GoPro and the whale dove down towards him. Lucky had to flatten himself against the sea floor and stay motionless so he didn’t get whacked! Though these are undoubtedly strong fish, avoiding their mouth and tail is more to keep the whale calm and not give it a reason to feel afraid, which would become dangerous for anyone near them. They were just so beautiful, I wanted to stay there forever and watch them glide around. I had to laugh at one point when I realized I was actually here, in the Philippines, sharing the enormous berth of the fierce ocean with whale sharks. It was all just unimaginable.

After the dive, we showered off and went for some local cuisine, which for me was rice, vegetables, and Cheetos. I tried a bit of the fish too! We had paid our driver to drive us for about an hour and a half to Kawasan Falls, in Badian, Cebu where there is a stunning waterfall high up in the mountains. At least, that was the original plan. Our van driver pulled over and told us no cars were allowed up the road so we would have to take motorcycles up the rest of the way to our destination. And by motorcycle, I don’t mean a bike with luggage carts on the side. I mean motorized dirt bikes we strapped our luggage to and hopped behind our respective drivers, praying everything would make it up the mountain! HA! What an experience to drive through a tropical parade, thrilled and yet slightly terrified that you may tip over at any moment and go tumbling backwards down the mountain, or that the bike will break the wooden bridges you cross along
the way and cause you and your expensive gadgets to be sent


flowing down the river…..HOLD ON TIGHT!

We made it safely and admired the house sat beside the waterfall, the place we would call home for the night. The accommodations take me back to camp at Outdoor Lab, three wooden beds to share in the room, no TV, no cell service or WIFI, everything one could need to slip off the grid! Some potential problems I would need to overcome here, for some reason there are no toilet seat covers so it’s best just to not think about it…You “flush” by scooping water from a bucket into the toilet, only cold water for showers, oh and your shower is directly over the toilet so…remember that no toilet seat issue? Hmmm…should make for some hilarious moments! :)

Dinner was really nice sitting beside the waterfall and watching as the sun dropped behind the trees. We sipped on coconut water straight from the coconut and then had it chopped to eat the sweet jelly like substance in the center. Lucky told me coconut is the only fruit where every part of it can be used. The inside can be drank and the shell can be used to scrub floors. It’s no wonder coconut oil is becoming so popular in the states, there are so many benefits from them! It was so lovely to be immersed in the trees at night and see the violent tumble of the water over the cliff and down into the lake beneath the glowing moon. I felt like Jane of The Jungle!!!



Overall, I’ve seen the beauty of nature here, which is such a nice change from the chaos of China’s overpopulated cities. The people here are much more friendly, can speak English, and are smiling. It seems to be a happy life on the islands of the Philippines!!!

Panda-monium

Day 14- June 22nd
Sean and I journeyed to a sculpture park and museum, a small sanctuary in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Shanghai. We split a “cheese fruit pizza” which ended up consisting of mayonnaise sauce, cheese, blueberries, kiwi, and some sort of coconut jelly cubes. After the park we relaxed at home for a bit before ordering a meal as secret shoppers (Sean recorded the process and wrote a report to evaluate the store and get us a free meal! WOOHOO!) for an Indian restaurant where I enjoyed the vegetable curry and delicious potatoes! We had some pho for dinner and I tried a Mango Lassie, a mango and yogurt smoothie, YUMM!!!! The night ended at the movies for Jurassic World in 3D! It was nostalgic watching this with my brother because I remember being terrified of the Jurassic movies as a youngin’, but trying to act cool about it so I could spend time with my brothers! :D

Day 15- June 23rd
After our flight to Chengdu, two buses and a crazy taxi ride, we finally got to our hotel in the mountain city and decided to check out the local market nearby. We munched on the homemade spicy French Fries while we giggled at the terribly misspelled and mistranslated “English” shirts. Sean bought some raw honey from a man literally sitting on a stool, surrounded by bees. As we walked back to the hotel, we admired the ancient architecture and watched the group of ladies dancing in the park.

Day 16- June 24th
Our morning started off a bit rough as we tried to find our “bus stop” in the pouring rain. I use the term bus stop lightly, because there was a group of four people just standing in the middle of the road and somehow, they knew where to stand to have the bus stop for them. I felt like a part of a secret society haha. The bus took us to the Panda sanctuary where we had our orientation for volunteering. Our tasks for the day were to clean out the cage by sweeping up the old bamboo, and then prepare and place new bamboo shoots in their pads. We had an educational tour trip thru the museum where there was plenty of information on how they rescue injured pandas that travel down the mountain for help, the process for various medical procedures, and how they are learning about and caring for the pandas. Throughout the morning we helped with five large pandas, who were so cute and lazy! We also walked towards the red panda keep and saw four of them! The lady told us we were lucky it rained because when it is cooler the animals are more active so we actually got to see the red pandas! Before our lunch break we were able to hand feed the pandas their lunch which consisted of large bamboo shoots, carrots, and soy patties. It was such an amazing experience being that close to the beautiful bears, and it was obviously my favorite part of the volunteer trip!

Lunch for us humans was some sort of vegetable slop and rice with “grass jelly”, so we were grateful for the crackers and cookies we had bought at the store the night before! I’m definitely not a fan of these jelly cubes they make. There was to be a documentary viewing after lunch so we quickly purchased souvenirs from the gift shop and drank some instant coffee. The documentary was about how animals are cared for in the wild. The movie began with wildlife vets catching a giraffe to help heal his ankle, which had gotten caught in a snare three weeks before and some of the metal was stuck inside his skin and was causing major swelling and pain. It was explained that they have to take extra precautions using anesthesia on giraffes because they fall from such a height that they could injure or kill themselves if they are tranquilized. Their hearts are also working hard against gravity to pump blood up their long necks so if they lay down for too long, the reverse effect will happen and too much blood will flow to the brain. The vets have less then three minutes to work on the giraffe. Once they darted it with the tranquilizer, the poor creature was of course scared from the sound of the gunshot so it took off, the vets had to follow closely and keep a vigilant eye because though extremely large, giraffes can camouflage really well. They found the giraffe in the “neck” of time, as the anesthesia was taking its affect. The vets worked quickly to remove the leftover barbed wire and applied topical medications to the wound, which was interesting because it looked like they were spraying purple paint from an aerosol can!

The next story was about a sea lion trainer who noticed a runny nose and cloudy eye in one of her sea lions and needed to take him to the hospital for a check up. In order to do this, they will tranquilize him but first they have to put a tube down his throat because if his soft pallet relaxes too much, it will suffocate him so they need to keep it open while he sleeps. After several scans in the hospital, they found a mass in the sea lion’s brain. They did a biopsy to see if it was a tumor or just accumulated mucus. Luckily, it was not a tumor and a full body check up showed the “root” of the mucus was rotting teeth that was allowing the bacteria to travel upwards. The doctors were able to remove the mucus clumps thru the nose and pulled his carnivorous teeth that were causing the infection. Another happy ending!

The third animal encounter was the story of a blind mama orangutan who relied on her daughter for survival. After various eye exams, they were able to remove the cloud and restore full vision in one eye, and the mother finally felt independent and allowed her daughter to leave her side. They were so beautiful!

The final story was about a rhino who tragically lost his horn to malicious poachers. A doctor flew down to Africa to attempt the first ever skin graph on a rhinoceros. Three different types of skin were taken from the rhino and attached to the wound to promote replication and skin growth in that area. After several days, they checked on the wound and saw that some of the skin had taken to the wound but it is very difficult to protect the fragile area from the rugged lifestyle of a wild rhino so some of it had probably been rubbed off.

The documentary also showed how they treat the rhinos to prevent poaching attacks and the challenges of performing this treatment. Rhinos are so heavy that if they lay down for too long, then they could crush their organs. Several men on the rescue team need to push the rhino from one side to the other so the blood can flow back to their legs. They have an extremely limited amount of time to work before there are lasting consequences. Red dye is inserted into the horn to forever stain it, making it obvious to poacher’s that it has been treated and although it is harmless to the rhinos, it will be poisonous to humans and therefore will be worthless on the black market. This was probably my favorite story to learn about because the efforts of this team were not only to assist this poor beautiful creature so it could have a better life after such a traumatic event, but to also work towards proactive methods to make poaching extinct! I hope to someday be a part of a project like this.


The time had finally come to leave China :( It has been so wonderful to spend time with my brother and get to see the life he has built for himself in the foreign country. I am so proud of everything he has accomplished, and I am so excited to see what great things are coming his way in the future!

While I was at the airport waiting to board, I noticed the screen said the flight was running normal, but it was 1:34 and we were supposed to board at 1:05…everyone was waiting around as if nothing was wrong, the plane was no where to be found, so I guess that’s normal for Chinese travel? I believe they don’t make any announcements to keep people from freaking out but it feels like they are trying to pull a fast one! We also sat on the runway for an entire hour before even getting in the air, so our flight was SUPER late! I passed out the entire trip but luckily I was sitting next to Joe, a very nice Filipino man from LA, who saved me a sandwich and my customs forms. Poor thing had to listen to my ugly snorts and was still so kind! How I manage to have any friends, I will never know! :D

Phase two of The Great Adventure, 2015 Edition is about to commence, Philippines or Bust!!!!

Hangzhou

Day 12- June 20th, continued...

After our black market experience, we hopped on a plane to Hangzhou, a city known for its beautiful lakes. I felt like I was back in the 90's when the flight attendants told everyone our cell phones had to be off the entire time, not even if it is set on airplane mode, and we could not use or electronics during take off or landing. Sean told me that he was once on a plane where someone tried to open the emergency exit door while in flight so I guess they need to be more strict!!!

Our hotel was in the West Lake, where throngs of people were gathered for the Dragon Boat Festival. Hangzhou's city wall was built in 600AD and was one of the seven ancient capitals of China. Marco Polo came to the city in the late 13th century and wrote "it's greater than any city in the world." While we were admiring the city thru our car windows, we also noticed, once more, the crazy drivers. People tend to just float over to the other lanes and rather than driver's honking to warn these floaters that they are close to hitting them, they like to just casually flash their lights that they are there.

The fam took a lovely night walk; enjoying the calming sounds of nature and thankful for this getaway from the intensity of the urban cities we have been exploring. I felt as if we were in the rainforest with the frogs croaking, the insects active, and the babbling gurgles of the creek. I was very happy to be at peace in the beauty of nature. I love venturing out into cities for new experiences but, growing up in beautiful Colorado, I can't stay away from serene landscape for too long! One of my favorite moments from the China trip was when we all gathered by the lake and watched the bats and owls fly overhead. I am so grateful to have such an amazing and loving family.

Day 13-June 21st
We all took a wonderful walk around the lake the next morning, stopping to take pictures of the alluring architecture and being immersed with hundreds of sensational red and white dragonflies chasing each other.

Across the lake, we admired a large pagoda while our guide told us the ancient story of a white snake that wanted to become human so she was transformed and she fell in love with a human. An evil man, whose job was to capture all the half human/half creatures, caught her and put her in the tower. Her love became a monk so he could serve in the tower and be close to her forever.

Our driver was an odd little man who kept air shooting everyone on the road to the train station. We took the bullet train back to Shanghai, where we had to drop off Mom, Dad, Mel and Ivan so they could catch their flights home. Although I was sad to see them go, we ended on a hilarious note as we watched (and videoed for future laughs) Ivan try a chicken's foot. He was not a fan!!!!



Sean, Charlene and I went to a nice Vietnamese restaurant so I could try Pho, a soup like consistency with vegetable and noodles. I am a fan!!!

Beijing

Day 9- June 17th
Traveled to Beijing, the current capital of China. We experienced the madness of the crowded subways, which I have become accustomed to with my time in New York. It was quite a hoot to see my Mom's expression as we were squished into all corners of the car. Unfortunately, some pickpockets seized their chance to take advantage of foreigners. Melanie's phone was stolen, and money was snatched from my Dad's pants. Luckily they did not grab his credit cards or passport! At least we were able to have some relaxing Chinese massages at a fancy spa; and that night we went for a Western meal at Organic Fresh, a much welcomed change from our consistent Chinese cuisine.

Day 10- June 18th
Our first stop of the day was Tiananmen Square. Sean had explained to us that the Chinese government really brainwashes the citizens with their Internet bans and the history they chose to teach. I'm not so naive as to believe they are the only country to conveniently twist the truth, but to deny that a massively tragic event occurred is something entirely different! As I previously explained about my personal Internet search of the tragedy, I was fascinated to hear how the people of China feel about their oppressive government regulating their knowledge of their own history and straight up prohibiting discussion or remembrance of the event. So, having Charlene with us, Sean asked her what this square means to her and why she thinks so many foreigners come to see it. She responded that it is a very ancient and historically prominent part of their city. Built as the gate to the Forbidden City in 1417 during the Ming dynasty, it was used to announce in big celebration to the common people who had become Emperor. She also spoke of the importance of the Monument to the People's Heroes, the largest monument in China's history. It was erected at the center of the square in 1952, to represent the development of Chinese modern history; Chairman Mao's 'The People's Heroes are Immortal' can be found engraved on the monument. Charlene believed a large pull to the square was for the Memorial of Mao. When my brother calmly explained that we know this square for the massacre of unarmed citizens, protesting various government flaws: calling for freedom of press and speech, and demanding government accountability for the corrupted economy and control of industries to be relinquished to the workers. He told her the entire thing was broad casted by foreign media correspondents,  reporting via telephone when  the satellite transmissions of CNN and CBS were cut by the Chinese government. The rest of the world knew of the horrors transpiring as military tanks rolled in and assault rifles were used against the unarmed protesters, the death toll is still a mystery to this day. She had no idea what he was talking about....

 One of the most famous pictures of defiance, this unknown man stands against the tanks the day after the massacre.

We shuffled with the long line of people to peek inside the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao. I'm not convinced this is actually his body. I believe it's a wax figure and his face was orange and lit up like a radioactive light bulb! We remained quiet in respect for the hundreds who visit to pay respects and honor him with flowers, but the whole thing was creepy to me.

Next, we walked across the square towards the Forbidden City, completed in 1420 after 12 years of construction. As you approach Tiananmen Gate, you can't help but stare at, surprise surprise, a massive portrait of Mao. Interestingly,  it has fallen victim to various vandalism incidents, including during the demonstrations of 1989 when three protesters attacked Mao's picture with paint-filled eggs. One of them, Yu Dongyue, a former Chinese journalist, was imprisoned for 17 years!!!

We walked thru the Meridian Gate to the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Emperors of China had several wives, but only one Empress and she would use the left arch as her entrance, as it was deemed the most beautiful. Inside we explored the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the biggest hall in the Forbidden City and said to be the largest surviving wooden structure in China. I really enjoyed taking pictures of the fascinating animal sculptures, like the "dragon-turtle", positioned around the hall.

We stopped to admire the imperial Dragon Throne so named because in Chinese culture, the Emperor is the incarnation of a dragon.

     

 Then, we ventured in to Kun Ning Gong, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Built in 1420, it was used as the Empress' bedchamber during the Ming Dynasty. It was later rebuilt in 1655 and used for wedding ceremonies and nuptial rooms for the Emperor and Empress.



  I was obsessed with the doorways, the beautiful yellow and green colored beams atop the red buildings with different mythical beasts guarding the roofs.



The next hall was the Hall of Prolonging Happiness which was actually destroyed by a fire in 1845.  It used to be the residence for the concubines. The three story, white marble and black iron building we were looking at was built in 1909,  sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace, but officially named the Water Hall.

 There was quite a lot of rain that was coming down so we popped into one of the shops and did a quick photo shoot while we were waiting for the storm to pass. I think we look prim and proper!










For dinner that night we ate at a Hot Pot Restaurant, an Asian style melting pot. There was even a noodle show, where the man roped the noodle like a lasso around Melanie's head! I tried lotus roots and bamboo shoots! I love trying delicious new cuisine from different cultures!








Day 11- June 19th
Today was our journey to the Great Wall of China, built during the Ming Dynasty in 1404. We played Settlers of Catan during the car ride there, which was good because we were stuck in traffic and then our driver got lost, making it about a five hour long drive! In the end, I believe the ultimate "Lord of Catan" was Emperor SMT (Shannon, Mary, Tim)!

When we finally arrived, we used the cable car to ride up to the wall, which provided glorious mountainous views and the land far below us. I was astounded by how vast the wall actually is! I peered as far as I could and was still able to see the structure, hundreds of miles away on the other mountains.

I would like to return to see where the wall abruptly ends at the coast, I think having the two contrasting sights in my memory would be wicked awesome! The Doherty family had a blast climbing structures, racing each other, and taking several photo shoots along the wall.

Dinner was in our hotel's restaurant for a traditional Beijing style dinner. Everyone (except Mom and me of course) wanted to try Peking duck, a delicacy CNN ranked in the top 5 meals of the world. Dad was so in love with the duck that he vowed he would attempt to recreate the meal when we return home! I enjoyed the papaya cakes and vegetable dim sum (dumplings), nommmm! :D

Day 12- June 20th
Our second to last stop in Beijing was the 2008 Olympic Stadium. From a distance, we saw the IBM building built to look like a dragon, the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium (which can fit 100,000 people!),  and the "Water Cube" Aquatics Center.

We then bopped over to a fake market, because we can't leave China without attempting to haggle prices in one of their thriving operations.  I couldn't believe it; I had totally been expecting Sean to lead us to some sketchy, underground scene, where a haggard man thrusts stolen purses at us and yells vulgar Chinese thru his rotten teeth. But we actually went inside a legit mall! It was several floors with vendors for every possible want or need. And you barter for EVERYTHING! I got a nice ring for $5 and a Christmas ornament for $15, only with the help of Charlene and Sean because I am an absolute sucker and the pressure to get a good deal stresses me out! We all met back up in front of a froyo stand, who knew that was popular here too!?!