We're back...

Hello Everyone!  We are back from our first Chinese New Year Vacation.  It was a great time.  We traveled to Boracay, which is an island in the Philippines.  It was really gorgeous and great to get away, especially for Michael who works so much here.  I was glad he could relax for a bit.

Most ex-pats travel over the Chinese New Year because for pretty much the whole week they set fireworks off morning, noon and night.  Chinese love to set off fireworks.  And they are not sparklers or some little fireworks that crack and pop and whirl around on the ground.  They use professional fireworks.  One like you would see at your city's 4th of July celebration, that are up in the air and burst into a rainbow of color.  I actually want to get some and set them off myself because I do like me some fire! ☺  Chinese New Year is to the Chinese what Christmas is to us.  Everyone goes home to see their family, but also everything pretty much shuts down..stores, restaurants, all government offices.  And not just for a day or two, for the whole week.  So that is why most of us go on vaca during that time.

Michael does not get schedule vacation time off during Christmas like he did in the US, but he does get the week off for Chinese New Year.  So we chose a destination and headed out.  I thought I would share a few pics.  Hope you enjoy!

how we got around in Boracay...motor bike with a side car

White Beach, the most popular beach in Boracay

heading out on ATVs to tour the island

view from a look out point...in our ATV gear...we don't wear knee pads and elbow pads all the time ☺

me getting my first "fish pedicure" I liked it!

This is the day we went sailing.  They have many "sales people" on the beach selling boat rides, jet ski rides, tubing rides, etc...we chose a guy and the day we chose was a windy overcast day.  The sail boats they use are pretty much homemade.  The captain steered with ropes...there  was not a motor and you sat on the sides in a little net, like I am in the above pic.  It was super fun because I just love water and we could see the shore at all times and we had a life jacket on...so I figured if we tipped we could just swim to shore.  Well, we did almost tip twice, if not 3 times.  The deck hand asked me if I was scared a couple times...I said no.  Later he told Michael I was brave!  We were supposed to go around the whole island, but never made it because of the weather conditions.  But it was a blast and we were seriously debating on doing it again the next day..it was so fun!

many stray cats on the island and they would come and try and get food while eating on the beach and of course I could not resist feeding and trying to pet everyone of them...good thing I have my rabies shot!

the sand was soft and white and the water was crystal clear....

also many stray dogs on island...who I also tried to pet, but it usually did not go well

our plane to Boracay from Manila....I got a bit of motion sickness, I took Dramamine on the way back!

cool rock formation in the ocean

it had a statue of Mary on it...very cool, I love stuff like that!

me in the water with my floaty tube...I LOVE the water ...I spent hours in the water...hence my peeling skin now!

Beach sunsets...the best!

me in the water at Sunset...what a blessing

Puka Beach...much bigger waves and rougher sand than white beach and less popular

bigger waves

more big waves at Puka beach

we ate on the beach almost every night...it was such a treat and a blessing

Bulabog Beach...on the other side of the Island...opposite White beach...it is the windy side so there are tons of kite surfers...it was really cool to see all the kites in the sky

this guy went really high

last but not least...I took this pic in Manila on our way to Boracay...a guy had rigged up a hammock under his truck to catch some ZZZZs....I thought it was very clever.