Stephen's Visit

April brought our first visitor from the US, Stephen Billars!  Sure was good to see a familiar face from "home".

We headed first to Anilao, Batangas where a close friend of Tony has an incredible paradise by the sea.  About a 3 hour drive south of here, JB has created a weekend family compound on the ocean that he graciously let us use.  This was my second visit there, the first one being in 2011, but Tony and Stephen's first.  The place is amazingly beautiful, peaceful and so relaxing.  The caretakers, Mon and Chelma, and their kids add to its comfort and character.  We spent the next couple days eating, drinking, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, reading and relaxing.  Perfect.

Next on the agenda was a day trip to Tagaytay, about an hour and a half southwest from Manila.  We hung out a bit at the family house and had lunch along the ridge at Antonio's.  The view of the lake and volcano from the restaurant was wonderful.

Our time in metro Manila had been either walking around The Fort or in Makati.  Although both areas are beautiful, they offer a rather sanitized skewed view of life in the Philippines with neither of them offering much of a glimpse of more typical living in the metropolis.  So off we headed on the heavily used local light rail system through town, walking through Rizal Park and then wandering through Intramuros, the old walled part of Manila dating back to Spanish times.  We finished the afternoon walking along Manila Bay and then through Malate for merienda at the Aristocrat, a local favorite restaurant.

We're looking forward to more visits, Stephen!

 CLICK HERE for more photos of Stephen's visit.