Davao Crocodile Park

Fema, Zac and I.

I had the joy of going to Crocodile Park here in Davao City with Fema, Zac and a good number of family members. I got to see a monkey ride a bike, ducks marched in a parade, and I saw a crocodile whose mouth stayed open like a statue.

The biggest joy was seeing Fema’s expressions during the animal talent show and seeing the pictures of Zac floating in the arms of his Tatay above the coy fish. I also got to see Papa's reaction to the tall ostriches and I fed the same birds with special food held in my hands.

It's definitely a good experience to get up close and personal with these animals. Like all animals and babies they have a great amount of innocence, especially the friendly ones. I will try to visit more tourist sites and travel more often. That is one thing in life that is worth doing.

Jake, Jon-Jon & Renz at the entrance.

Ate Talanga taking a picture at the selfie-stand.

Fema sitting on a crocodile statue.

The crocodile kept his mouth open like that for 30 to 45 minutes.

A real bird is standing on Papa's hand.

Papa saw an ostrich for the first time.

Fema is feeding an ostrich here.

Jake and Renz are feeding the bunnies.

Mama, Tito Titeng and Tita Flor. Zac is laying down on the left.

This is a YouTube video of our day at Crocodile Park.

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Eden Nature Park

Baby Zac with Tatay.

Together as a family we visited Eden Nature Park with Ate Talanga and Ate Bebe. On the drive over we listened to Ed Sheeren and some of the latest 2017 music mixed up on a USB. The view at the park is spectacular, at least for someone like me who is used to seeing houses and commercial buildings.

The park had some horses inside so the kids and I went horseback riding for the first time. It was a short ride but was long enough to breathe in the fresh air and get a feel of what it's like to ride a horse.

I also captured some stolen shots of the family, we ate spaghetti as a group and took selfies with baby Zac before ending our day with new memories and a fun time. I hope everyone enjoyed the trip as much as I did. Thank you for reading and I hope you like the pictures.

Gathering for a mini-dinner.

Ate Talanga, Mama & Ate Bebe.

I'm riding a horse here.

Jake riding a horse.

Renz riding a horse.

Jon-Jon riding a horse.

Papa riding the line swing.

Mama riding the line swing.

Fema hanging out on the playground.

One of Fema's friends was at Eden Nature Park!

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D'Leonor Inland Resort

Group Photo.

Emafe and I visited D’Leonor here in Davao City the other day. Ten of our family members and one friend went with us. As a group we ate roasted pig and relaxed in the wave pool. It was a cloudy day but it was still a good day to go swimming.

There are a ton of cottages there so a lot of people can fit inside the resort. But on that day there were only a few families there including us. The best part of the resort in terms of photography has to be the dinosaur statues. They look realistic and photograph well.

My biggest happiness was seeing Lungly, Renz and Jake have a good time. All of us had a good time but it’s nice to see that the kids in our presence are able to live a relaxed life and enjoy a beautiful day at D’Leonor, even if it was cloudy.

Dinosaur Statues at D'Leonor Inland Resort & Adventure Park.

The cottages at D'Leonor Resort.

Jake Abello.

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Divine Mercy Foundation

Our family at the Divine Mercy Foundation.

On the way to Davao City we dropped by a religious tourist spot named Divine Mercy. The site consists of a good sized church, a large landscaped park, and a big statue of the legendary Jesus Christ. There is also a place to light candles and some souvenir booths lining the entrance.

I was still sleepy when we got there so I didn't look around that much but I got to sit in a large peaceful church. It was easy to observe the silence and I enjoyed it. Thank you for reading about our travels and I hope you enjoy the photos!

A statue of Jesus Christ at the Divine Mercy Foundation.

The landscaped park at the Divine Mercy Foundation.

Overlooking a beach in the Philippines.

The ocean in the Philippines.

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At a Monastery in the Philippines

This is a church at the Monastery.

I visited a monastery with Emafe and her family the other day. The location was silent and solemn with trees, open space and a small prayer room. As a family we took time to sit, walk and reflect. 

Most of us wrote prayers on little paper cards. Renz even wrote a prayer asking God if he could go to Heaven with his family. He doesn't quite know that much about the world and most of the stuff he knows and thinks he knows is based on what he's been told but I still see a sweetness in his prayer.

Out of everything he could of asked for he asked for him and his family to be together & happy forever.

I love the open space here.

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My Time in North Carolina!

This is my aunt's house.

The repetition of my alarm wakes me up. It's 12:30pm on a Sunday in Marshall, North Carolina. But instead of getting up I stay where I am, laying in a bed in the midst of musical ring tones. It's noisy and a bit uncomfortable but I can still sleep. "Christopher it's 1:00pm"calls my uncle from the top of the stairway. He is calling me to wake me up for a 2 o'clock appointment. I'm still tired but he's right, I need to get up. I make my bed, put on clean clothes and walk upstairs. Aunt Maya is busy in the kitchen cleaning and preparing our day. "Good morning Christopher" she says as she greets me with breakfast. She always manages to make me feel at home. North Carolina is a beautiful state . . . that it is.

After finishing breakfast I take a seat with Aunt Maya on one of her couches. I'm always delighted to help her with computer related tasks since she is a beginner with this kind of stuff and I kind of know my way around. I taught her how to edit her blog posts and change her web pages, now she just needs to practice. I remember not believing that I'd ever type as fast as "grown ups" and now I type as fast as I can think. Aunt Maya's experience with her Macintosh is no different. I believe in her and she'll be a pro in no time.

I've managed to discuss a few computer related topics with Uncle Ramesh but my time with him has been limited, so Zen has been helping him out instead. Zen, my cousin, has always contributed to our family, be it Radha, Ayvee, Aunt Maya, Uncle Ramesh or even me. He and Uncle Ramesh are working on a website to sell relaxation music CD's. I did some work on the site in the past but Zen wants to upgrade it a bit.

Well that concludes this blog. I hope you enjoyed it. Here are some of the pictures I took:

Picture of a "round house" (one of their neighbors).

A sidewalk in Asheville, North Carolina.

Organic cucumber from my Aunt Maya's garden.

A sunflower from Aunt Maya's garden.

A flower from Aunt Maya's garden.

A mailbox located down the road from their house.

Here are some more pictures that I took but with a disposable camera instead:

Picture of Aunt Maya directing her dog, Shakti.

Another picture of the "round house" (one of their neighbors).

Picture of a stream, located down the road from their house.

Picture of one of the roads leading to their house.

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Muir Woods in San Francisco, California

This is a picture of me in front of the bridge.

I went on a decent hike today at Muir Woods in San Francisco, CA. I've been meaning to go for quite some time but I didn't get around to it until now. I've visited the park before but I wanted to add the location to my recent travels. I went with one of my long-time friends from High School. The first thing we noticed as we approached the National Monument was the fresh air. The air was clean and full of oxygen. Before making it there we had to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. So we made a pit stop at a resting point near the end of the bridge.

We lucked out with a decent parking space once we got there but on another note, the park wasn't very secure. Nothing was stopping anyone from just walking in without having to pay. Lets just hope that everone paid, I think they did but you never know. It seems like the park has some sort of honor code policy.

The hike went pretty well. We ended up finding a steep almost hidden path leading off the main trail. I think it was a little dangerous and if either of us tripped or fell, it would have been a long ways down. After an hour or so of hiking, we took some time off and sat on a wooden bench while examining the view. It's always nice to enjoy moments of calmness and I think it's healthy to relax in quietness. It helps me settle my mind.

After walking down from our steep climb and almost falling more than once, I wasn't ready to take another risk, but Ben was. I wonder if I'm afraid of heights? The one regret that I do have is the fact that I didn't balance on the stick. Keep in mind, someone attempting this could easily fall and trip while landing and tumble off the cliff on the right hand side of the picture. I don't think that's paranoia . . . is it?

I'm standing in the very back.

Some of the trees.

I am climbing between two of the trees. It's hard to make out but my feet are supporting me on one tree while my arms are holding me up against the the other. 

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Floating in Foster City!

NOTE: I'm writing this blog a little late partly due to the flu. I just now recently recovered. I'm now treasuring my health more then before and it feels so good to be able to drive, talk, eat and walk. While I was ill, I wasn't able to do much but sleep. 

The reason why I am writing this blog is to document my first time kayaking. I was driving through Foster City with my cousin when I spotted kayaks lined up on the shore of the lagoon. I instantly felt excitement. I was so adamant about going that I was able to convince Kristal (my cousin) to get in the boat with me. Sometimes I really love adventure. Unfortunately my excitement proceeded my judgement and in all of my haste, I chose to get into the front seat thinking that I would be leading the way. But while Kristal and I were afloat, I noticed a few odd stares and I think I heard someone make a comment. She said something about me or us being backwards. It took me an additional 20 - 25 minutes to realize that something was indeed off. In all the other kayaks around us the women were in front with the men in the back. Is that embarrasing or what? The front seat was at least half the size as the back seat. While Kristal was lounging with an abundance of space in the back, I was cramped in the itty bitty seat in the front. It got to the point where my legs and feet felt numb.

Well, after floating around for about an hour I gave in and we headed back towards the shore. Even with the numbness and slight embarrassment it was definitely a good experience. I'm glad we went and it only cost $10 each!

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