NEVER TOO OLD TO COLLECT SHELLS

DAY 12 – WED. AUGUST 20, 2008

Today was our first morning with nothing to do or no where to be. Scott was up first or course and then me. I enticed Syd out of bed with a private morning walk with Mom on the beach. It was quiet and beautiful and we walked for a bit. On our way back I noticed a cute kid running towards us and it was Shelby in her pj’s with her favorite stuffed animal in hand. SO CUTE! We practically had the entire beach all to ourselves - It was glorious!

The beach in pj's. Does it get any better?

SIDENOTE: For those of you who know how precious each of the girl’s blankets are (yes, I use the term blanket loosely!) we’re happy to report the girl’s have survived without them here. There has been mention of them on the trip but I'm not fooling myself, I am sure they will be for them when we get home.

Breakfast is included at our hotel. You make your requests the night before and you get to pick whether you want to eat at your room, the beach or at the cabanas. We chose the cabanas which are little thatched huts with wood tables and benches over a sandy floor. It was nice to have eggs, bacon and toast! The girls of course did not like the taste of the toast for some reason, something to do with the butter being different – whatever!

Fresh mango and cook to order breakfasts - not too shabby!

We braved our first Boracay taxi today. They are basically motorcycles with little horsepower, a sidecar and small flatbed with camper shell over them. Can’t say it’s the most comfortable ride. Scott managed the front seat but I'm not sure how. I couldn't even imagine him attempting the back with the girls as I was hitting my head over every speed bump. The girls and I were packed in the back so it's hard to imagine how the groups of 8-10 we saw on some taxis managed.

Are you sure there's still room for Mom?

We spent hours at Puka Shell Beach; swimming, looking for shells and more swimming! It was an amazing beach and we had it to ourselves! Pure heaven and a place we are sure to remember for a long time to come.

Shelby visiting with the local school kids

The students had been waiting for this delivery of books.

Back to the hotel for lunch and more swimming in the pool. The girls are going to sleep great tonight! Pedicures for the girls and Scott and a massage for Jana – one of the best I’ve had despite the fact there was sand blowing on me from the beach getting mixed in with the oil she used. Guess I got a massage / exfoliation all in one! The girl was so good I insisted Scott get one too and it did not disappoint! The masseurs roam the beach so you can get one whenever you want and they are just a few dollars.

Jana joined some of the locals for beach volleyball and learned there are ball hogs in every country!

We went to D’Mall to find dinner which is rows and rows of more than a hundred shops and restaurants complete with a grocery store the size of a 7 Eleven. We, or should I say the girls, decided on ARIA an Italian restaurant since “plain noodles” were the request. It was a great find with the first salad we’ve had in 2 weeks. I swear I have had more carbs/starch on this trip than I eat in a month at home. I am dying for some protein. Ever since Beijing when I order a chicken dish, it comes complete with bones and god knows what else. Needless to say, I'm suspect of meats abroad….o.k. I’m picky!

Ice cream for dessert and a blueberry and ice cream stuffed crepe for Scott. Back to the room, all huddled on our bed to watch the Olympics again!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:

Walking through some of the neighborhoods seeing Dad’s collect well water in buckets and small children bathing outdoors. We tried to explain to the girls we were walking own the Filipino version of Del Cerro Blvd. Not sure if any of it is sinking in or not but hopefully the pictures will help paint the picture.

FUNNY FORTUNE STUFF: Scott sitting in the back of the taxi cart. Shelby has decided Daddy must always sit in front!

SEEING THINGS DIFFERENTLY:

All kids where uniforms to school. The uniform worn, depends on the school attended. School starts at 7:30am with a break at 12pm and then kids return back to school at 1:30pm until 4pm. We stopped in front of the Elementary School and chatted with a man that is doing some teaching there. He said most kids attend school but part of his job is to visit the kids at home who’s parents don’t send them to school and try to get them enrolled.

*Lumber yards are simply piles of bamboo

*Speed bumps are made out of thick pieces of rope placed across the street.

DAILY FAVORITES:

I think it was unanimous…..Puka Shell Beach
Of course $8 massages poolside are a close second!

OLYMPIC UPDATE

With a 5 set victory by the USA Men’s indoor team over Serbia, all four USA VB Teams are in the medal rounds. Never in USA VB history has this happened, signifying something very special and the great work and results by USA VB. Both beach teams will be playing for gold and the indoor teams are in the semis. First off is the NBC focused team of Misty and Kerry as they look to run their winning match streak to 108 with a win over China’s top team. It will be the toughest challenge yet, as China has a distinct home court advantage. The women’s indoor team matches up against a tough undefeated Cuba team. A win puts them in the gold medal match. It was nice to see Bolt actually run the full 200m race and set a world record versus the show boating he did in the 100m. Things are wrapping up in Beijing and still too close to call for the overall medal count. Wins by volleyball could put the USA over the top.

A LONG WAY FROM HOME!

DAY 11 – TUES. AUGUST 19, 2008 (Manila > Caticlan > Boracay)

Let me explain the title of this post. It’s not that I haven’t felt we are far away from home thus far, but after taking countless modes of transportation, a few different flights, shuttles and even boat rides, I feel very far away from home!

We arrived bleary-eyed in Manila and checked in to The Swagman Hotel. Even at midnight that girls were comforted to see a KFC, Pizza Hut and 7-Eleven on the corner. However, when Scott ventured out, he soon realized what people have said about Manila is true, there are very few nice parts of town at least from what he could tell.

Even though it was midnight, we all rallied around the t.v. as it was our first access to real Olympics Coverage since Opening Ceremonies – the downside to being in a foreign country during the games! I tell you, I’ve never been happier to see Bob Costas!

Our wake up call came at 6am and we were at breakfast soon after. Scott managed to find pancakes for the girls and I was in heaven with my first dose of fresh fruit since being out of the US! All the mango & pineapple my heart desired.

By 7am we were loaded in the (1) taxi on our way to the airport and Boracay bound, or so we thought. When we arrived at the airport for our Asia Spirit flight, they wanted to see the credit card we purchased the tickets with. Since VISA is the “proud sponsor” of the Olympics, that’s all we had with us. There was some talk of re-purchasing new tickets and crediting us back and the next thing we knew, Scott was being asked to follow a worker to a office somewhere.

Apparently in said office, other foreigners along with Scott, were being put through the same deal; your flight has been cancelled, you have to re-book and you'll get a credit for the original flight on your credit card. Time will tell!

Next came the even more exciting part – We had missed our flight! Try telling that to Sydney at 7:30 in the morning! Apparently, our flight had been changed but since we booked flights on line we were notified via email which we hadn't been able to check for the past few days. They assured us we would be on the 10:40am flight so off we went through Security (again, this time having to pay a per person fee) and proceeded to kill a few hours reading and playing War.

A small plane from Manila to Caticlan and then a boat ride to Boracay. Boracay is a tropical island in the north Aklan Province and one of the Philippines most popular destinations. Our hotel is The White House www.whitehouseboracay.com

Boracay here we come... A view of the island from the (2) plane.

Baggage claim at the airport

Boarding a (3) boat to take us to Boracay

Choppy waters but excited and enjoying the adventure.

A VERY small covered (4) truck to take us to our hotel.

We have already been overjoyed with the white sandy beaches and clear water and our room is adjacent to the pool which the girls spent hours in today. It’s off-season here so the weather is not ideal as it’s quite windy and tends to rain in the afternoons but we’ll take it. Hate to imagine the heat and humidity without a little breeze. We are one of 2 families staying here and have the entire suite, pool, and bar to ourselves for the most part and who can beat a hotel with "Happiest Hours" lasting from 7am – 7pm with great Malibu Rum and pineapple juice drinks and $1 beers!

Self portrait on our patio

View of our room from the bar

The bar!!!

Tonight was pizza from Yellow Cab Pizza Co. It dawned on me today these restaurants wouldn’t be around if there weren’t other folks eating at them so it’s not selling out to get pizza delivered to our room. It’s a vacation! And truth be told, I don’t think I would have been excited at 7 or 5 years of age to venture out to a Philippino Restaurant. Heck, we’ve earned pizza delivery after all the taxi rides, walking, being flexible and eating piecemeal on the go!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:

Getting to our hotel and beach! Wandering down the beach and discovering a path that went right along a ledge over the ocean, complete with rope to hold onto! The girl’s wanted to press on so we explored and it was awesome!

FUNNY FORTUNE STUFF: Hearing the girls talk about the suite we have vs. small hotel rooms and having a swimming pool with a waterfall right next to our room.

SEEING THINGS DIFFERENTLY: School is in session on the island and all students wear uniforms and most walk to school.

DAILY FAVORITES:

Shelby – Swimming in the pool, going to the beach, going in the ocean.

Sydney – Getting to the beach and seeing Boracay Island from the airplane.

Jana – Walking on the beach with my family, watching Kerry & Misty beat Brazil and Scott joining us again after going into some "office" at the Manila airport to get us on our flights.

Scott – Having a room right on the ocean for four days!

OLYMPIC UPDATE: Great day for volleyball! Funny to see the canned NBC broadcast at night from the day before. We have already seen all the races, matches, and events prior to seeing it on NBC. Misty and Kerry won easily over Brazil. Only the gold medal match against the top Chinese team. Misty and Kerry have won 106 straight matches, which is quite incredible. They would gladly give up that record for one more match to win the gold medal.

Watching Vball in bed

The women’s indoor team upset Italy late last night in a five set thriller. A great quarter final win, as they are in the medal round and play undefeated Cuba. Brazil and Cuba are the two top teams in the games and to win the gold USA will have to beat both. So far, they've handled the pressure really well.

BYE BYE BEIJING!

DAY 10 – MON. AUGUST 18, 2008

Up and out early after doing a load of laundry. A quick trip to Starbuck’s for some comfort food and coffee! Sounds like a normal morning at home, right? Last trip to the beach venue for the Men’s Qtrs, quick trip to the apartment to pack everything up and tidy the place, then taxi to train, train to airport where we waited for our flight to Manila. We had a stopover in Xiamen, still in China, in the middle of the nights where we had to get off the plane, clear customs and re-board. In all, we walked about 100 yds and then re-boarded. Try explaining that to two sleeping children in the middle of the night!

All packed and ready to go. We'll miss you apartment!

That's a lot of things not allowed.

How nice of them to provide bags for toiletries and show you how to pack them.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY: Managing to get ourselves to the airport on time!

A lot of good information we're sure, we just can't read it!

On the road again...

FUNNY FORTUNE STUFF: It was so funny hearing Shelby talk with two Israeli boys on a shuttle to the beach venue. Keep in mind the boys must have been 12+ years of age.

Shelby to the boys, “My Dad used to be famous. That’s why we’re here, because he played volleyball. He has medals at home and sometimes he lets us wear them. My Mom broke the bronze one but it’s fixed now.”

She had no idea they didn’t care and had a look on their face as if she was making it all up!

SEEING THINGS DIFFERENTLY: Still not another blonde in sight other than our girls and for some reason, everyone keeps asking if we're from Australia!

DAILY FAVORITES: The girls loved getting “Holey’s” – China’s knock off Crocs. But what they were most excited about was getting 5 new jibits – each one of the Olympic Mascots. If you have an extra hour to kill, ask Shelby about the mascots, she’d be more than happy to tell you all about them!

OLYMPIC UPDATE: Track and Field has become the focus of the games now. America has lost its dominance in the sport, especially on the sprints. The Jamaicans are clearly the fastest country in the World now. The overall medal count is close between the US and China. China is whooping up on the gold’s though, as no one remembers who finished second. On the volleyball front, beach men are in the semi’s and medal rounds after taking care of Germany pretty easy. The 2nd USA beach men’s team lost to the number 1 Brazil team. Rogers and Dalhausser play Georgia in the semi’s now. Indoor Men finished 5-0 in their pool play now play Serbia in the quarter finals. Still on track for potentially four medals in volleyball.

THE GOLDEN TICKET!

DAY 9 – SUN. AUGUST 17, 2008

Today we got a chance to go to the Olympic Greens which now that I think of it, I don’t remember seeing all that much green but that’s not the point. It of course required a taxi ride, followed by a lot of hurried walking with a bit of uncertainty of exactly where we were headed.

Where Cube meets Bird's Nest

Kobe Bryant waves to us

The Bird's Nest where Opening & Closing Ceremonies and Track & Field events take place

Gwen, the gal we rented the apartment from, is working in the Greens at the Omega House (Omega is the official Timekeeper of the Games) so she got us day passes. It was great to see the Bird’s Nest and Cube up close, take our token torch photos and walk around a bit without shoulder to shoulder people.

A Fortune Photo Finish

Lunch was McDonald's which was the popular place as there was crowd control and even security guards letting people in a few at a time. Kudos to Scott for his ability to order “plain cheeseburgers” for the girls. After lunch Scott headed to the Women’s Indoor match while the girls and I chilled for a bit.

Sidenote: Jana couldn’t bring herself to eat McDonald’s so her lunch consisted of a handful of wasabi peas, token pack of almonds, handful of Trader’s Joe’s trailmix with M&M’s and a Promax bar all washed down with a cold refreshing Sprite.

Sidenote 2: At each Olympic venue when you go through security, you have to hand over your water. However, the girls have been lucky because they've been carrying thier own in their Camelbacks (thanks Uncle) and they've never been asked to empty them out so they always have water with them.

Somehow the girls and I managed to get on the Subway going the right direction, got a taxi and met Scott just in time to see USA Women’s indoor beat Poland in 5 sets.

When height and light hair are a HUGE advantage in a crowd!

Next up, The famous Silk Market where deals abound and crowds and pushy sales people reign supreme! I was afraid to take the girls here because we had heard how crowded it was but I didn’t want to alone either. We made our way to the top floor and jumped in to the frenzy. Much like Tijuana, you cannot look at or touch something without them hounding you to buy it. However the difference is, if you try to bargain, they hand you the calculator and ask you to type “how much” you are willing to pay.

We bought a few things and the girls and I each got our Chinese birth signs on Jade pendants and made into necklaces. Jana – Year of the Pig, Sydney (Snake), Shelby (Goat), Scott (Horse).

We could have spent hours there and really bargained but with the girls in tow, we got a few things and got out of there! Dinner was at our favorite restaurant (our second visit there) XIAO WANG’S HOME RESTAURANT. We didn’t brave the whole duck, just a dish made with duck and veggies.

The girls hail a cab for us

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY: The Olympic Greens, Kobe Bryant waving to us and taking his picture, Getting USA garb to wear and shopping at the Silk Market.

*Jana realizing three Vball tickets had fallen out of their holder and somehow managing to find the folks that had found them. They willingly game them back to me which was surprising and comforting considering the entire transaction was done without any English.

FUNNY FORTUNE STUFF: Scott having duck and it not agreeing with him. The girls and I were not sympathetic and conitnue to tease him about his "butt-quack"!

SEEING THINGS DIFFERENTLY: No seatbelts mandatory here, nor car seats for children

DAILY FAVORITES:

Shelby – “Going to the Silk Market and buying necklaces & acting like I was holding the torch.”

Sydney – “Going to the Silk Market.”

Jana – Hanging out at Olympic Greens with the girls seeing the sites and watching people.”

Scott – “Making it to Olympic Greens”

OLYMPIC UPDATE:

Obviously everyone is talking about Michael Phelps and his 8 gold medals. An incredible feat considering he needed to bounce back after swimming so many events. Track and field hasn’t been as successful for the USA and even though we lead in overall medals, we are far behind the Chinese in Gold Medals. The volleyball teams had their first set back and elimination in the medal potential. USA VB thought we could capture 4 medals. Unfortunately one of the medal contenders, beach women Youngs and Branagh lost last night to China’s 2nd team. They did not play well at all and with the home crowd advantage China won easily. We witnessed the indoor women’s team gain another 5 set victory over Poland. From now on it is all single elimination for all the teams going forward. Off to see Rogers-Delhausser play a quarter final match.

The end of another long day.

RICKSHAWS, HUTONGS & BOATS OH MY!

DAY 8 – Sat. August 16, 2008

This morning we experienced serious "Vacation Backlash" from the girls! (Shelly, I'm sure you're familiar with this term!) Everything was an issue; the food we had in the apartment, packing for the day, getting along with one another and so on. Truth be told, Jana's patience was short this morning too. Maybe 300 sq. ft. and stuff everywhere is getting to me.

Scott left before us to try and get tickets to other events and test the Subway system. We had hoped to get additional tickets to other events once here but, between the logistical and language challenges, it’s been hard. We’re still trying since we want to get in to the Olympic Green Area, where the Bird's Nest and Water Cube are. If we could only get our hands on tickets for an Athletic (Track & Field) or Swimming event we'd be good to go.

The girls and I finally left the apartment and I was proud for getting us in a taxi and our way to Volleyball. The taxi ride proved to be awful with me constantly “shoosing” the girls, threatening them, taking away the things they were arguing over and shooting them “the look” every few minutes. At one point, I contemplated having the taxi pull over to let them, or me, out but sensibility reigned! The only humor in it all is that the taxi driver couldn't understand anything I was saying to the girls!

My stress level was not helped in any way by the taxi driver looking back at the girls constantly and at one point making some noise and hand gesture that let me know Shelby’s feet must have been kicking the back of his seat. Needless to say, by the time we arrived at Vball and met up with Scott I was done with the girls.

Thankfully, USA won easily in 3 sets and the cheering from all the Americans kept the girls entertained. The other highlight was us being shown on the big screen – maybe you spotted us back home in the States???

Go USA!!! Always fun to sit with other Americans.

Pin trading!!!

The girls ran around outside the venue for a long while between trading pins and chatting with some other US kids we met. And then I made an executive decision to go visit the Hutongs (traditionally alleyways). The alleyways are lined by blank outer walls of “siheyuan”, which are inward-looking houses that are arranged around a central courtyard. Each siheyuan houses several families. We chose to tour the Hou Hai Park area by rickshaws which the girls loved.

Front door of a hutong

Hallways between building

Men playing Mahjong

In front of the Chinese Drum Tower Monument. Still closed because of the "incident".

Scott pedaling a rickshaw

Dinner afterwards, not one of our bests, was followed by an hour of pedaling a boat around the lake. Needless to say, another full day so we headed back to the apartment and all crashed versus trying to head out to an Olympic party or entertainment.

After a LONG day and bad ordering...

Maybe this will make up for a bad dinner. These are 5 small candied apples.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY: Cheering with lots of Americans for Team USA!

Getting the toilet working in our apartment

Sydney losing her tooth!

Doing laundry in the apartment. The hot water has to be turned off and when the wash cycle is done, we hang the clothes to dry on clotheslines on the enclosed balcony.

Question, will the Tooth Fairy bring Yuan or US Dollars???

21 floors up, our laundry is hanging out to dry!

FUNNY FORTUNE STUFF: The girls are completely enthralled with the Olympic Mascots and have provided hours of entertainment for them!

SEEING THINGS DIFFERENTLY

Pedestrians do not have the right of way here!

DAILY FAVORITES:
Shelby – The pedal boat ride on Lake Hou Hai
Sydney – The pedal boat and navigating
Jana – The rickshaw ride and seeing water
Scott – Rickshaw ride and hutong tour

OLYMPIC UPDATE: We attended the Men’s indoor match against China today. The best news was that Hugh the head coach was back on the sidelines. His wife and her sisters and their mother, who was stable enough to fly home, are back in Minneapolis. Johnson & Johnson along with Hilton and other Olympic sponsors pitched in for a private plane to take the family back. Barbara is supposedly in better spirits being at home now although crushed at the loss of her husband.

The Men’s team won an easy match 3-0 and Shelby and Sydney were both seen on the big screen. Not sure if that will make the NBC broadcast. USA Indoor Men’s finished 1st in their pool and will face an easier opponent in the Quarter Finals. After that anyone can win with Russia, Brazil, and Poland all playing well. Tomorrow we see women’s indoor vs. Poland, women’s beach quarterfinals Young-Branagh at night. On our final day we will see Rogers-Dalhausser play their quarterfinal match before we head to The Philippines.

Lisa & Val, just saw your Scorpion comments! We'll work on it for you. We're still optimistic about a Peking Duck meal for the entire family!