Hi from the Philippines!

Hey there! It's been a while. It feels like it's been forever, really, and yet I'm still so happy (and lucky!) to be able to say that we still have a full week of vacation adventuring ahead of us!

Today is a traveling-along-in-between day, which is nice to have every now and then, because it makes us feel much less guilty about staying in a hotel room with free wi-fi in the room (a huge luxury here) and using our time between lunch and dinner to catch up on the rest of the world online. So I thought I may as well say hi and give you a quick update about how things are going (fantastic, as if vacation could be anything less!) and share a few fun pictures (here's hoping it doesn't take hours for them to upload). Here goes!

The very first thing that happened to us is that our luggage did not make it out of China (our second layover) with us. Which, thankfully, turned out not to be a huge deal, but is still not the most enjoyable way to start a vacation. Plenty of lessons learned though, which I shall share upon return. But we did get our luggage and did move on and have spent the last however many days it's been on two different islands - Bohol and then Siquijor - enjoying our own little slice of paradise.

Chaos in Manila's streets, where jeepneys abound

Plastic gloves necessary (apparently) at the barbecue stalls in Cebu

Bangkas at Alona beach, Bohol

Foggy view of the Chocolate Hills (not so chocolately this time of year though...)

This little fellow was smaller than my hand!

A rough and tumbling bangka ride to Siquijor with our newfound German girl friends

Not quite the giant waterfall the guidebook make it out to be, but fun to jump nonetheless (Siquijor)

The sunsets at our resort, however, did live up to their reputation

New friends (German girlies and a Swissie) and gooood food

I'd love to stick around and say more, but dinner calls at long last. Tomorrow we're off to Moalboal for some long-awaited scuba diving and more beach-lounging. If you could cross your fingers for me that this nasty sun rash I have on my neck and chest goes away soon (why do I get that? I'm Californian for gosh sake!), I would much appreciate it!

'Til then, I hope your February is going swimmingly (literally or not) as well!