The Perfect Last Day in Tacloban Part III

Saturday, July 4th


    After a fascinating tour of Sotoham Cave in Basey, we had a feast for lunch which was delivered to us by boat (thanks to the Mayor).  Then we jumped into colorful Kayaks to paddle off to the natural bridge and enjoy the cool feel of the lake.

                                                                         

The trip to the bridge was a good tricep workout. I thought I would be able to go without shoes in the kayak, boy was I wrong.  The rocky area was painful on my feet, not like a massage.

The mayor's wife and Marian all tried to give me their shoes but my stubborn self wouldn't take them, so I just walked slowly, and took the pain, it hurt.  Finally we got to the other side and got back into the kayaks to head to the natural bridge -- it was gorgeous.

The bridge was naturally created by the rocks and it was so beautiful to look up at it from the fresh water lake below!

We spent around 45 minutes in the fresh water swimming around and jumping into it.  We were the only ones there, it was so secluded, I felt like it was something out of a movie.





The picture to the left is me taking it all in and loving it!

It's amazing the beauty nature can create on it's own, I felt so lucky to experience that.  We were also so fortunate to have had perfect weather while we were there, not a drop of rain!

Gail and I spent time doing yoga poses on top of a rock before jumping off -- that was a little scary but really fun.  The jump into the water left me feeling refreshed and exhilarated, I ended up doing it two more times--a starfish pose then a dive, woop woop!

We ended the spectacular day by stopping at the Mayor's country home in Basey and having, you know what, a snack --cassava cake and coffee.  Then, we walked to his mother's home down the street. Filipinos always live close to family and sometimes even live in compounds where everyone is nearby.  The mayor's mom was so adorable and sweet, she welcomed us into her home and was very excited to have us.  She also reminded me a lot of my grandmother to the point where it made me cry a little, I just couldn't control my emotions!  I am so excited to see her, it's been 12 years.

Mayor's country home!

 We ended the day with another snack at Sir Aldim's house this time and we got the chance to meet his sister, which was nice.  His home is so him, it's perfect for him, very cute -- it even has a spiral staircase.

We ended the day with drinks at a local bar with Obet, Dean, and Aldim, all enjoying San Miguel beers.  It was a bittersweet ending because it was so nice to be with them and remember the time we had together but knowing that it will probably be a long time before we see them again was very sad.  There is hope for them to visit the states though, and I have a lot of confidence in myself that I will  get back to the Philippines and Tacloban again, my work here is not done!