Geneva Switzerland

Switzerland is known for its luxurious watches and breathtaking mountains, however, being the chocoholic that I am, it is surprising that Geneva has never been on my list of cities that I would want to visit since they are famous for their chocolates, among other things. So I was really thrilled that this year’s Couples for Christ European Conference was held in this city. This gave me an excuse to explore the city that I have overlooked for so long.

A warm and breezy summer day welcomed us to Geneva. The city is clean and quite modern. From the airport, we needed to take a bus to go to our hotel, which was to our pleasant surprise, free of charge. People are nice and very helpful.

After we checked in, the concierge of our hotel gave us trip tickets, he told us that we can use the public transportation for free our entire stay. Isn’t that a great deal.

One of the things that always fascinate me in a city is their architecture. I must say, I am partial to Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque architectures. That is one reason why I fell in love with Prague. The buildings in Geneva are more modern and looks quite new. After all, they are more famous for their ski resorts rather than their architecture. My favourite spot in Geneva is the lake. It’s so refreshing to look into the lake. We even explored the lake by taking boats. We aimlessly took several boats just to cover the entire lake. The cool breeze was such a welcome relief to the very warm day.



One of my favourite meals in Geneva was from a restaurant called Les Relais del entrecote. They serve steaks (as the name suggests). They only serve one kind of steak and they will just ask you how you want it done. The steak is split and served twice, I think so it won’t get cold, and you’ll get two portions of fries as well. The meat is perfectly seasoned, the sauce that comes with it is to die for and the fries are yummy, even Charlie loved it!



The word that stuck into my mind when after we’ve been to Geneva is “expensive”. I have lived in the Netherlands for quite some time now and a lot of people told me that this is an expensive city, but I already got used to it. I wonder how those people who told me Amsterdam is expensive if and when they visit Geneva would react. I was really surprised that the prices there are two or three times more than the prices in Amsterdam.

I’m sure we’re not coming back to Geneva anytime soon (as I’m still saving up for the watch I want to buy honey…. Maybe we’ll go back when I’m done saving :D) but it was a lovely city.

Charming city of Prague

OMG! I’m so guilty of neglecting this blog for the longest time, it’s almost a crime!

Oh well, will really try to make amends *keeping my fingers cross*. Let me start making amends by blogging about our recent trip to one of the places I’ve been dying to visit for the longest time….. the charming city of Prague.

This trip was booked on impulse. I have a colleague who receives these notifications on all sorts of things they offer on discount prices and he told me he just booked a trip to Prague and its cheaper. Since we were supposed to go to Prague last year but it didn’t push through, I’ve been eyeing a chance to reschedule the trip and what better opportunity than a discounted trip. So after a quick call to honey, I asked my colleague to book us as well and we’ll all go together. However, after coming down from the exhilaration of booking a trip that we’ve been wanting to make, I’ve decided to look around and book on my own and realized that I could have booked it at the same price at better accommodations. Darn, that’s one mistake I’ll never commit again.

Prague and I started on the wrong foot. We arrived in Prague at around 9:45pm and we were at the hotel at around 10:30pm. The biggest mistake we have committed is not having dinner before the flight thinking that we can grab dinner when we arrive. Such a sorry mistake, although there were restaurants near by the hotel, they close at 10pm. We were starving! Bee started getting grumpy because it was a bit warm inside the room. It's not like its a dodgy hotel or something, its actually a part of a chain of hotels. Honey and I were so tempted to pack our bags and search for a better hotel but it was late, good thing soon enough it started to cool off. Honey was so hungry that he tried to scout for anything he can buy to eat outside but his efforts were futile, he returned empty handed. Bee was the only one who had dinner, good thing I brought some baby food for her for just in case situations. Combine hunger with discomfort, we were fuming, but now that I can look back it was so funny coz honey started to eat Bee’s cookies LOL!

Prague completely redeemed herself to us the following day. We went to the town square and it was just breathtaking. The city has so much to offer. Beautiful architecture, charming cobbled streets, historical castles and such a rich culture. We walked for 6 hours straight and at the end of our 1st day of exploring the city, our feet couldn’t stand another second but our eyes have never gazed on something so wonderful and our spirits were soaring.

Sojourn: Vienna

(via)

As soon as I tear off the leaf of the calendar to reveal August, I notice that the office halls are quiet, rooms are empty and tables in the café are barely occupied. Vacation time has come upon us. Previously, honey and I never scheduled our holidays on this month coz we always thought that this is the only time when we get good weather here in Holland, why leave? But since EuroConference of CFC is staged in Vienna this year coinciding with the vacation period, we decided to go there, anyway we have never been to Vienna before.

So we packed our bags, loaded the car and off we went at 3 am to start our supposedly 10 hour journey to Vienna. I was a bit worried about Bee coz this is her first time to travel such a distance, but I was thinking this will be good practice for her for our very long flight back to Manila in November. Surprisingly, she slept most of the trip and woke up to eat and played a little bit when we stopped over at some rest stations then went right back to sleep the moment we hit the road again. I was very surprised coz she doesn’t normally sleep in the car.

Passing through Germany, I was shaken to my very core, never in my life have I seen people driving on the road at 200kms/hr. I have always known that Germans are great car makers, that is why we opted to buy a German car, but now, I can also attest to the fact that they are also proficient in using them.

Upon entering Austria, the weather seemed to be different, it was cloudy and gray the entire time we were driving through Germany but in Austria, it was bright and sunny. We decided to take a stop after passing through the boarder of Austria and when we stepped out of the car, it was warm and cosy. The landscape that greeted us was breath taking. In the couple of days that we stayed there, I’ve noticed that they have both great scenery and awe inspiring architectures.

Vienna, is a gem all on its own, there were a lot of dazzling places to visit. We are definitely going back there.

Domina Roma Capanelle Hotel & Conference

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While planning for our trip to Rome, a lot of our friends and colleagues told us that this time of the year could be very hot and humid in the eternal city. This is the reason why one of the requirements that we looked for in a hotel to stay at was a swimming pool so that in case it gets really hot to go outside we can just spend the day lounging by the poolside and dipping in the cold water.

After thorough research, we were resigned to the fact that it will be very difficult for us to find a hotel with a pool at the very heart of the city so we went for this hotel and we were not disappointed. Domina Roma Capanelle Hotel and Conference is located around 30 minutes away from the Termini station in Rome via the metro. Going to the hotel from Fiumicino Airport can be a bit tricky but once you have done you’re research, reaching the hotel via public transport is quite easy. The hotel also has shuttle busses which, if you can work your schedule around it, could be quite convenient.

Upon entering the hotel lobby, we knew that we made the right choice. The hotel is very clean, the staffs were very attentive and the rooms were very spacious and cosy. We did have a problem with our room on our first night, water was leaking from the ceiling from the air conditioning unit but upon our request, the staff changed our room immediately.

A dip on the cold pool was a perfect ending to a tiring day of exploring the city with the warm and humid weather. Although, the hotel might want to change the closing time of the pool area as guests can no longer access it after 7pm. The breakfast was hearty and composed of normal feast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, yogurts, variety of fruits, breads, hot and cold drinks. My only complain is the variety, after having the same thing for breakfast for an entire week can be tiring. Another thing, when guests have breakfast later in the morning, some of the items in the buffet run out and are not refilled, good thing, except for the one day that we had breakfast at 10am, the rest of our stay, we started our day early.

We had a wonderful stay at this hotel and we would consider staying there again when we come back to Rome.

3rd Wedding (8th) Anniversary, and we’re off to Rome!

(via)

Three years of marital bliss and 8 wonderful years of being together, now this occasion needs to be celebrated with a bang. This thought kept running through Honey’s and my mind when we were trying to plan for our anniversary get away. We wanted to celebrate in a place that is also special, if not as special as the occasion is for us. After considering a lot of factors and our circumstances, honey and I finally decided that the perfect place would be in Rome, Italy. We also settled for a date that is less than a month earlier than our anniversary thinking that on our anniversary, I’ll be 30 weeks pregnant and we’re not sure if I’m still up to the task of walking around to explore a beautiful city.

Looking back, I can’t find the words enough to express my gratitude on all the blessings that God has showered upon us. And as tiring as the last weeks have been, the downpour of blessings have been undeniable. More so, I can’t thank God enough for the love, happiness, peace and all the other wonderful gifts he bestowed upon our marriage (and our relationship) over the years.

Honey and I are excited to explore a famed city that we’ve never been to before to celebrate our special day knowing that next year, we’ll have a little angel tagging along with us.

Finally!!! After weeks of waiting, we’re heading off to our trip. After weeks that have been crazy busy, a week of lounging in the pool, lazily strolling to witness the famed sites and feasting on authentic Italian feast is a much welcome relief.

Bohol Sea Adventure

Our third day was spent basking in the glorious sun, sand and beach of Bohol. We were fetched by our bangkero, kuya George at around 5:30 to start our sea tour bright and early. As part of our itinerary, we were scheduled to watch dolphins at play, snorkel (well honey snorkelled, while I fed the fishes from the small boat) at fish sanctuary and island hop to Balicasag and Virgin (Pontod) Island.



I was surprised that as early as six in the morning when we reached the spot where the dolphins were supposed to show up, there were a lot of other boats, passengers of which were also tourists like us hoping to get a glimpse of the marvellous sea creature. We saw a couple of them dolphins jumping about but each time that we would go closer to the last spot where the dolphins were seen, all the rest of the boats followed suit and the dolphins just swam and went to a completely new spot. After an hour or so of aimlessly going about the wide area, although we did saw some flips and flaps from the ever elusive dolphins, I begun to feel tired of running after them and told Kuya George that we might as well go the next stop. Little did I know that where we were going next would be a much better location for us to spot the flirtatious swimming of these intelligent creatures. I couldn’t help but wonder why kuya George would want to spend all those time running after the elusive dolphins in the first spot. He explained to us that in the first spot that went to, the dolphins were much bigger and they are more playful. Oh, well, I was more than happy to just get closer to the dolphins, the flips and flaps of the bigger ones were a mere bonus.



Next, off we went to the fish sanctuary where honey snorkelled the entire day. I opted to join him and went into the small boat that we rented and thinking that I won’t be going in the water so I can take the camera with me. We took the bangkero’s advice and bought some crackers with us to the snorkelling site. At first, I thought I’d be bored to death while waiting for honey to finish exploring the fish sanctuary. However, while honey was busy floating and dipping and flapping away through the beautiful corals, I took some crackers and dipped my hand in the water. I was amazed by the number of fishes that came to my hand, the crystal clear water made it so easy to see all the fishes and I sure am glad I brought the camera, I took pictures of the fishes as they feasted on the crackers I gave them. I didn’t even have to ask if honey had a grand time, his smile said it all. We were nicely brown and toasted from the burning sun when we went back to the bank where a hearty lunch was waiting for us.






(virgin Island)

After lunch, honey did some more dipping and flapping in the beach but I managed to pull him off from the shore and we went to our last stop for the day, the Virgin Island. This is a half circle stretch of white sand beach that people can see during low tide but is completely out of sight during high tide. This was where we found the henna tattoo guys. Since I’m not allowed to swim and honey also wanted to get henna so badly, we spent half an hour or so waiting for the guy to finish the tattoos. I must say, I loved how my tattoo turned out, it’s so intricate and pretty.



When we finally returned to our hotel, I can’t believe how tired I was, I guess the heat of the sun really took a toll on me. However I must say that I haven’t seen a beach more pristine or sand finer than the ones I have seen in Bohol. It’s breath taking.

Countryside Tour Bohol Part 2 of 2

The incessant coughing and sneezing coupled with the flu and fever that bugged honey and me down for the past couple of days made our wonderful trip to Bohol seems so distant now. That is why I must follow up on my previous post to relax my mind and remind myself of the recent good times that honey and I had in that wonderful island.

The Loboc River lunch and cruise left me yearning for a bed to nap (oh well, in my present condition, my body seems to always long for a bed to doze off) however, that sleepiness lasted only for a couple of minutes for the moment we saw the countryside leading to the place where we would soon be visiting the tarsier, our eyes couldn’t help but feast on the wonderful scenery. We reached the tarsier sanctuary in no time and I almost leaped out of the van as I was so enthused to finally see the infamous tarsier of Bohol. The moment I saw them cute little primates, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh wow… they are so freakin’ cute!” Indeed they were so cute, I wanted to reach out for one of them and start pinching them. Oh, of course I didn’t! I contented myself with feeding them crickets (crickets on stick - which at first gave me goose bumps) and taking their pictures.





I was bummed to leave them cute tarsiers but we had to carry on with our tour. Next stop was the other infamous gem of Bohol… the Chocolate Hills. On our way to the hills, K regaled us with the cheesy legend of the Chocolate hills. She said that one of the more famous legends tells a story of a giant who fell in love with a beautiful lady. Now this beautiful lady was engaged to be married and a part of the wedding ceremony, she has to bathe in the lake naked. Now the giant saw her and couldn’t help but reach out to her. Once the giant picked her up the lady was overcome by fear and died. The giant mourned the death of her loved one and cried for so many days. The tears dried up and up to this day stand as the symbol of the Giants grief and are now what we know the Chocolate Hills. I told you it was cheesy!



K told us that we had to climb hundreds of steps to fully appreciate the beauty of the chocolate hills from the viewing deck. I must say, as mushy as the legend is, there was nothing cheesy about the splendour that greeted us. The moment we were on top, we tried to catch our breath, not only from the steep climb but also because of the beauty that welcomed us. The viewing deck gave as a 180 degree-view of the hills and they were simply majestic. Such a shame this site didn’t make it as a finalist to the 7 wonders of nature for it’s truly breathtaking.

From the chocolate hills, we stopped by the man made forest going to the giant python, Prony. The man made forest has been an initiative of the local government to help the once deteriorating forest of the island and after 50 years, the trees have been kept safe from loggers and they are constantly being monitored. Such feat should be followed by other LGUs I think.

After the man made forest stop, we went on and visited Prony, she is the largest python in captivity ever known (via). In this python sanctuary, it was not the python that caught my fancy, it was Marimar, and he referred to himself as Prony’s twin. What initially caught my attention was when he greeted us in Dutch (heck he knew more Dutch than I do). He started telling us Prony’s history, his eating habits and finally asked us if we want to see him perform which of course we readily agreed. He was amazing, he hung himself upside down while lip synching a Regine Velasquez song. He was really pretty with his make up and the red dress that he was wearing, I even told honey that he really looks like Michael V. (when Michael V dresses up like a woman).





After being amused with Marimar, err Prony, we passed by a bolo making house (there was nothing special there) and a nipa weaving lady (also nothing special there) before we finally made it to Baclayon church. Baclayon church is the second oldest church in the Philippines (next to San Agustin church in Intramuros). The massive walls and the tainted glasses gave me a feeling that I’m somehow in the Spanish era. Honey and I took turns in taking pictures and K kindly asked us if we want our picture taken. She picked the spot where to take the picture and when we all looked at the picture she has taken, she pointed out to the wall which eerily seemed to have a face on it. She said that the face has started to appear a couple of months ago and a lot of people are saying that the face looks like Father Pio (I’m not sure who he is).




Our last stop for the day was the souvenir shop, of course no tour is complete without souvenir shopping. We hoarded several delicacies and some pasalubongs.

The entire day was tiring but it was so worth it. It really pays off to have knowledgeable and nice people to show you around their town. Thanks to K and Kuya Ferry for the unforgettable tour, honey and I enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Countryside Tour Bohol Part 1

Honey and I stayed for 4 days in Bohol. The first day was our free day which was spent in the beach, me lounging under the coconut tree while watching (and getting envious) as honey swam his heart out in the beach and then in the pool, oh well I got to dip my feet in the pool and I got to walk in the beach as long as its only knee deep. Tough, tough, tough.

The following day was the day we explored the many wonders and great spots of Bohol. Our very nice driver, Ferry and our very well informed tour guide, K, took us to a lot of breath taking places in Bohol. Our first stop was the miraculous well of Mother Mary in Dauis Bohol, K explained that some time long ago there was a drought and all of a sudden, water sprung from the ground and the image of Mother Mary was seen floating above the spot were the water welled up and from then on the well never dried up. The other curious thing about this well is that the water is fresh while the entire island is surrounded by sea water. The people of the town built a church with the altar situated where the well sprung.


(the miraculous well)

Next stop was the popular blood compact monument. I’ve seen this site plenty of times in the past in pictures and in some movies as well, but I was not prepared by how beautiful the view is from the monument overlooking the sea and the landscapes of Bohol, it was amazing.




(beautiful Loboc River)

After taking in the beauty of the scenery of Bohol from the top of a cliff, we all decided that it was time to experience the Loboc river cruise where we will also be having our lunch. I believe this meal was one of the best we’ve had in Bohol, owing to the mouth watering mango and shrimp paste combo that I devoured all throughout the meal.

(our hearty lunch)

The painstaking view of the green river made the meal a lot more pleasant. There was also a singer who regaled us with old ballads. The cool breeze that touched my face was more than a welcome relief from the hot and humid weather. In the river bank abounds Nipa tree, all the while I thought they were small coconut trees.



Before we went back to the bank, we stopped by a settlement area for a tribe. We took photos of the native children while they were swinging from the trees with a rope. They even invited us to take a picture with a snake which we can hang over our shoulders, to which offer, honey and I both declined. Hehe.



No wonder a lot of people are enamoured by the charming town of Bohol. There are so many treasures waiting to be discovered. I can’t believe how much beauty we’ve witnessed just at the first part of our countryside tour.

A piece of Paradise in Bohol

One of the highlights of our recent Manila holidays was going to Bohol for a much needed R&R. Since this would be the last time that honey and I are travelling by ourselves, because soon enough we’ll have our little angel always with us, we wanted to make it extra special trip. We had to book everything at a very short period of time making it more difficult to have all our requirements met or otherwise making the trip very costly since it’s the peak season after all. Good thing one of my college friends, M, recently got married and had her honeymoon in Bohol just a few weeks earlier and she was able to recommend an agent who can take care of all our needs.

After browsing through websites and hotel and resort reviews, our first choice was to stay at the Amorita resort. However, after receiving the package options and price list from our very agent, we saw that our preferred resort costs twice as much as the resort that our agent recommends (which happens to be the same resort M and her husband stayed at and she had all nice things to say about it) with fewer inclusions. Our agent explained that this is because the resort is almost fully booked so the prices are much higher than their normal rates. So without thinking any further, we decided to go for Alona Tropical.



I must say, I couldn’t be any happier with our choice. The first indication that the resort really strives to give great service was when we arrived at the resort at around 9 am. Normally we would have to wait till 2pm before we could check in but they readied our room for us and checked us in immediately, without extra cost. At first we stayed at a beach front room that was quite further from the beach front but after soaking in the sun for a couple of hours, honey was able to request for a different room that was literally 10 steps away from the beachfront, perfect!

(in front of our beach front room)


(posing after taking a dip in the pool)

Since my OB in Manila told me that I was not allowed to swim, I had to content myself with lounging in front of the beach while dozing off or reading a book, that was when I noticed that the resort that we initially wanted to stay at was right next to Alona Tropical and that they don’t have a beach front of their own. Since they are located at the top of a cliff, their guests would have to go down the stairs (which would not have been very convenient at my present condition) and use the stretch of beach in front of Alona Tropical. That was when honey and I were convinced that we made the right choice. Anyway, we were able to savour the view from that resort the night we had dinner at their restaurant overlooking the beach stretch of Alona.


I would definitely recommend Alona Tropical to anyone who wants to go to Bohol. It offers great value for money, the service is impeccable, the amenities are great, I love the homey feel of the spacious and well kept rooms and it definitely made our stay in Bohol more special.

Orange goodness

I have never been big on fruits. When it comes to desserts, I would always prefer the creamy goodness of ice cream, the decadence of cakes or the buttery pleasures of pastries over the freshness of fruits. Its not that I don’t like them, I would savour the sweetness of a ripe Philippine mango or the tangy goodness of lanzones, if they’re there but when I’m away from the Philippines, I don’t get cravings for them. I have a very short list of fruits that I really like and although I prefer them over other fruits, I don’t go gaga over them, until last week.

Honey and I were doing some grocery shopping and we chanced upon this unfamiliar fruit. I knew I’ve seen them somewhere before but being the not-too-crazy-about-fruits that I am, I’ve never been curios enough to try. However, honey, who is a fruit buff, insisted that we buy some of it because he remembers having tried them and remembers them to be really good. So we grabbed a couple of them fruits and went on our merry way back home.

That night, while watching our favourite series, honey started peeling off these gorgeous produce and he popped one in my mouth. At first bite, the texture was a bit grainy and mushy while the juice that oozed from the fruit was sweet, but not overly. The next piece that honey gave me was even more wonderful, it was a bit sweeter, the texture was smoother and mushier, it was refreshing. Immediately I know I’m hooked.



In our local grocery, they’re called Kaki fruit, however, some know them better by the name persimmons. Personally, I’ve never really been familiar with them before, I’ve never really seen them in the Philippines before so I wouldn’t think that we grow them locally (of this I’m not sure). I think the ones that we have here come from Italy or Spain.

This fruit definitely climbed up to be my top favourite fruit, and that is saying something.

Sunshine and meadows

Apart from seeing my family, especially my angel of a niece, Alex, one of the things that I enjoy immensely each time we go to France is the long drive, that is, when the weather is nice. Such was the case last Friday. When we got in the car to start our long haul journey, it was raining a bit (which is very typical Dutch weather) so my hopes were not that high. What do you know? Less than an hour later, the sun decided to show himself and shone majestically on the fields and meadows that we passed through, the sight was breathtaking.



The change in landscape between Netherlands and France is quite dramatic. I can readily tell that I’ve entered French territory the moment we saw up hills and down hills on the road. We see mountains and cliffs as we drive through the express way of France, whereas, the land is as flat as a ruler in the Netherlands.



My favourite site in France is this towering bridge and a viaduct. I don’t know why but this viaduct reminds me so much of the one in Ilocos.



It was a pleasant seven-hour drive. I had picturesque views to entertain me as we go through the long trip.

Disneyland… Magical

(gate entrance to disneyland parking)

One of the greatest dreams of most kids I know is to go to Disneyland. Maybe the reason for this is because we’ve been exposed to Cinderella’s, Belle’s, Ariel’s, Rose’s and Snow White’s uber romantic fairytale stories at a very young age. Or maybe because we’ve all adored Mickey and Minnie mouse for as long as I can remember. Whatever the reason maybe, Disneyland exudes this magic that entices kids of all ages and of all races. True enough, as a young girl, I am one of those kids who dreamed of someday visiting the Disneyland park.
(Sleeping Beauty's Castle)


We’ve been to Paris a couple of times but we’ve never got to visit Disneyland, all of that changed day after Christmas, my very own Santa, my honey, took me to Disneyland Park. The little girl inside me finally got her long time wish come true. It was a beautiful park, the castle, the ships and the Disneyland characters we all know and have loved through the years. It was pure magic. I can’t help but believe that Disneyland is indeed enchanted.
(House of Terror)

(Jack's Beanstalk.... I think)

We spent two entire days roaming around the park, exploring all the rides, the castles and taking pictures of the Disney Characters in spite of the minus 5 degrees Celsius temperature. At the end of both days, I felt my hands, my face and my entire body numb from the cold but it was all worth it. Hopefully, next time we come back to the Magical World of Disney, I the magically numbing winter will be over.
(beautiful display of lights in Sleeping Beauty's Castle at night)

Singapore Orchid Farm

Purple, white, yellow, red, orange… the palette of colors that welcomed us as we entered the famous Singapore Orchid farm was simply painstaking.
Ever since I was able to care for my own orchids at home, I became more fascinated with these pretty and elegant flowers. So I was like a kid in a candy store when our tour guide in Singapore took us to this orchid garden. The flowers are of varied shapes, sizes and colors. There was a section in the garden where all the flowers were named after famous people, heads of states or their wives, actors and actresses. It was a bit rainy when we were touring the garden but that didn’t damp my enthusiasm in taking in all the beauty that surrounds me. I had to make do with my phone camera as my digital camera’s battery died on me, but in spite of a less reliable camera, I must say that the beauty of the place was not compromised.





As I tour around the garden, I can’t help but think that this place is a great venue for a wedding or even just a wedding photo shoot. Simply wonderful.

Singapore Trip: Lions home for the elders

Elderly people have always had a soft spot in my heart more so because of my mom. That is why one of the highlights, for me, of our Singapore trip was visiting the Lions home for the Elders. Our company co-sponsors one of these homes. Initially, i wasn’t looking forward to visiting the home because I wasn’t sure if I can handle being surrounded by the elderly people living in the home, I was worried that it’s too soon for me and I might be fraught with emotions.





When we got into the home, I was very impressed with the facility. The building was well maintained, the entire home was very clean and every one was very nice and caring. Upon seeing the elderly people sitting in the common room, I was overwhelmed. I can’t help but feel sad, they reminded me so much of my mom. When one of my colleagues started talking to me, all I could do was nod in response lest I wouldn’t have enough will to prevent tears from welling up in my eyes. I was moved by the sight of these elderly people living in a home away from their families. They were so thrilled to see us visiting them that their faces lit up and they started reaching for us. It was just so touching.

Our group did the best we can to cheer them up and to at least give them a grand time while we were there. Some of the residents of the home are still active while some only stay in their beds. During lunch, we helped feed the residents, talked to them (and I must say it was fun talking to them in spite of language barriers – most of them don’t speak english). Our group prepared games and we staged these games in front of the more active group and they were very entertained as all of us participated in traditional Dutch games. We also brought with us some small souvenirs from Holland and gave it to the elderly people, which they really liked.




I was impressed with the facility, if only we had a similar facility in the Philippines, I think a lot of people would be happy. The facilities, the bed chambers, the food that is given to the residents, the garden, everything was well taken care of. It’s really nice to know that there are people who take time out of their busy schedule, like the Lions Club, to care for those less fortunate people. It was a privilege to have met and to have spent time with these elderly people.