Manila Travel Review

I landed in Washington yesterday morning, and wrote this from my hotel room in Manila, but wanted to share a few quick reviews for those traveling to Manila.  I know I often look for similar guidance, and don’t often actually find it, so I figured I’d draft up a few notes that might be helpful…

Read More

Families Ties around the Globe

As a globe trotter adult, who never traveled outside of summer vacations to California, I sometimes reflect back to those first images that I have of life overseas. My mother traveled in Latin America, bought property in British Honduras (now Belize), flew in a bi-plane into a remote lake in Canada, and sailed from Vancouver…

Read More

Jeepneys

Introducing the incredible Jeepney! These awesome small buses were one of the first things I noticed on my ride from the airport. With the hustle and bustle of Manila, they are one of parts of the city I’ve enjoyed the most. Sorry the picture sizing isn’t what I’d like it to be, trying to work…

Read More

Exploring Intramuros Manila

Yesterday I finally had the opportunity to escape work for a few hours and explore the old walled city area of Manila, called Intramuros.  Very nice to relax a bit and see something outside a meeting room or my hotel room in Manila. The Intramuros area is essentially where the Philippines was first colonized, with…

Read More

Philippines – Country #60

Welcome to the Philippines!  Country #60 It’s taken some time for me to make progress on my country count, as I continue to return again and again to the same places I frequently travel to.  It’s also been five years since I was last in Southeast Asia, which both feels like a long time ago…

Read More

Thanksgiving Abroad

It seems that racking up holidays abroad is part of the nomadic lifestyle of an aid worker.  This is my sixth Thanksgiving abroad.  They have varied tremendously in where in the world I was, including Finland, Ghana, Macedonia, Afghanistan, and now the Philippines.  I realize as well that my husband and I have now spent…

Read More

Typhoon Haiyan Response

I find myself half way around the world, supporting the response to the horrific devastation of Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines two weeks ago.  I’ll be based in Manila during my time here, managing donor and coordination meetings and proposals for response and recovery activities.  So when I see the news daily on TV,…

Read More

Vicarious Bike Tour of Southeast Asia

Thailand now. Different world from Cambodia, not much like VN either really. Cambodia by far the poorest, and what a recent history that country has had! Thailand reminds me as much of Costa Rica as any where I’ve been.We arrived at the Sea Shell Resort after a @short@ ride of about 38 or 44 km,…

Read More