Great foreign things- Philippines edition

1. Mangoes- they win for the worlds best mangoes- hands down

2. Tropical paradise- As a part of our med mission they took us to a private island (no inhabitants!)- La Isla Christina- for a day- where you saw starfish at the bottom of crystal water- ate off banana leaves, ate fresh coconuts the man scaled the tree to bring down for you. The most gorgeous place i have ever been in the entire world.

3. Purple yam ice cream- how come we don't have any of this?? so cool looking

4. An up and coming country- I was impressed by the desires for education and skills of many of the young people i worked with.

5. Caring families- I was so impressed by the care and attentivness of both parents to their children after surgeries (something that widely varies between cultures) Just a happy, personal culture. See pic of one of my favorite babies- Jeffry who had surgery to to correct a primary unilateral cleft lip.

6. Great textiles- sarongs, wraps, scarfs.

7. Many types of noodles- i could eat noodles almost everyday and in the Phillippines i did.

8. Eating ferns-- i had never had fiddleheads until went to the Phillippines.

9. Beautiful landscape, gorgeous plants, glorious orchids.

10. Jeepneys- yes those little motocycle/motorbikes converted for carrying passengers-- Although you see your life flash before your eyes at may points in the ride- a decorative and scenic albeit carbon monoxidey way to travel. (see pic)

BONUS- Worlds best massages hands down! One of the groups supporting us in-country also ran some other charitable programs including helping the blind find gainful employment - they had trained them in massage and music- and I have to say it is worth the trip there just for a fabulous 1 1/2 hr massage.