Our last two days in Boracay...

A came down the stairs early this AM saying "if you want to go shopping, you have to be in the lobby at 8." A wanted to go shopping, so C said she would go with A. I never miss a chance to shop, so we jumped into our beach regalia and went tearing off for a bus. We piled into the truck...2 Vines, 2 Kreilings, 2 Buis, and 1 Middleton for the ride down hill, then decided we needed to stop at Jonah's before shopping. We had been told they had the best milkshakes and breakfasts in town...open 24 hours. We had fantastic mango milkshakes and mango pancakes...a light way to start off the shopping day...$3, lah. It is ON the beach, and built around palm trees whose trunks are painted in brilliant stripes.

I sit in "our" chair space until everyone arrives around noon. I take off to find a sarong for my office file cabinet that is being turned into a coffee/tea station. I find one for $7 that will suit. I am finally done shopping after I find a burnt orange crystal necklace for UT games. I head for my first ever full body message, and it is heavenly. Beach breezes are blowing over me on the table as I am messaged foot to head, back to front for one hour. ..$7.50 including tip. Back up the hill in the front seat of the truck...how lucky can I be??? The rest of the troops stay on the beach and find a table for 14 without moving an inch from their beach chairs...fresh salad and fresh fish...a lovely way to end the day.

Thursday finds the Kreilings and me riding once again to Jonah's for our last beach breakfast (see Jonah's picture blog). I then sit on the beach, slowly moving back under the palm trees as the sun keeps getting higher in the sky. It is a lazy day with alot of time spent floating and playing in the water. The day ends for me as always, but C & Ch arrive late after last minute shopping. They take two tuk-tuks from town to the Alta Vista entrance. We will be up before 4:30 AM to start our journey home.

Friday is the reverse of our first travel day, BUT we leave from the Cataclan airport...a 2 minute bus ride from the port rather than a 2 hour bus ride. We arrive at the domestic airport in Manila, but this time take four taxis to the international airport...still lots of people and lots of lines. THIS time we are flying business class (no other seats were available...oh, darn...), so we do not have to wait to check our luggage. In fact, we get tickets for the China Air lounge where we eat and have coffee before boarding...what a luxurious way to come home. I wanted the pilot to fly as slowly as he could. We arrived with our carved mirror wrapped in cardboard, green bamboo, fishing tackle and plastic wrap, and all the rest of our funny souvenirs to VERY cold weather and lots of rain. We've gone from sunny weather in the 80s to rainy, cold weather in the 40s and 50s.

I honestly have been bundled up all day as I sit getting caught up on my blog. A played with a friend all day, C went to have her manicure (and some alone time for shopping), K exercised at the club and went to the market to get C's orchids repotted. He made Beef and Tomato Noodles, one of the recipes we learned in cooking class. K, Ch, and I all love the smell of the five spice powder that goes into the sauce. C & A say it stinks like a local restaurant in here! Ch taught me how to use my new cell phone (I still think they are god-awful!) and how to order a "box" rice lunch with vegetables, rice, and crispy chicken.

C & K are off for Daddy date night, dinner and a movie. The kids had Pizza Hut pizza (you can order as many as you want, but they will only deliver one large and one small pizza...another TM!), and we are trying to decide what movie to watch tonight.Tomorrow the kids and I will take the MRT to Tower 101 to the book store and a lunch of Hianese chicken rice while the Ks get their finances in order. I will return to Neili on Monday to start the semester...another fun adventure...stay tuned....