The Old White Farmhouse: Journey to the Ocean

Monday was the big day. We were going to the ocean! The excitement wasn't just in the destination, but also in the journey. To get to the ocean we would travel through the province.

T-Bob and Kitty took the back seat. It was a full vehicle!

Heading out of the city we wound our way up, down, and around mountains.

Some of the nearby mountains contain marble, a common resource in the Philippines. In this picture the white parts of the mountain are where it has been quarried.

A rustic basketball court.

A house on a mountain. This home is definitely out in the country.

A breath taking view of a lagoon.

A carabao. T-Bob snapped this picture at just the "wrong" time. :)

Pineapple groves.

A young rice field.

A carabao in a more mature rice field.

A horse grazing along the curvy road.

A gorgeous gorge.

A mountain waterfall. Rainy season is just starting so most of them were still dried up.

These pictures do not do justice to what we saw, but just give a flavor of the journey. I enjoyed every minute of driving through a countryside that was totally foreign to my North American eyes. My uncle stopped often to let us take a picture and just look as he navigated the roads. Driving in the Philippines is never boring!

After almost three hours of driving we arrived at The Park.

Monday was the first day of school for many Filipino children so we had the park to ourselves. It was lovely.

My aunt packed a delicious picnic lunch.

Lunch time! Yeah!

The tradition of Buko Pie for dessert continues.

The park was deserted except for a few chickens and spattering of chicks. It made me feel at home.

The Pacific Ocean was beautiful.

Whether from the beach or in the water I tried to soak in the view. I wish I had a picture of the shoreline from the ocean, but I don't. Several mountain ridges overlapped, each one going a little further out into the ocean than the one behind it. Flame trees were mixed among the many palm trees that covered the mountain side. The valley that the river ran through added to the contrast. Looking out to sea I felt like a speck as I thought of the majesty of God. He measures the waters in the hollow of His hand (Isaiah 40:12)!

We crossed the river at its narrowest point and headed for the sandy beach. Shortly after we entered the ocean we watched the rain move in and the sun disappear behind the clouds. Soon it began to drizzle. We laughed and said, "Now we're getting wet." Once it began to pour we decided to head back to our lunch hut and get ready to go home.