A Winter Getaway, Part Seven

Seven parts. Seven parts of photo heavy posts. I hope you're enjoying, and not worn out yet! Our last few days were spent at the beach and traveling back to Manila to catch our flight home. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it was, in the middle of December, to be able to wear a swim suit and feel the sun on my skin. Of course for me that means SPF 45 or higher, a sun hat, sunglasses and plenty of breaks in the shade, but it was still worth it nonetheless. Check it out:

 

Ok so it got a little bright in the middle of the day to take many good photos on the beach itself, but this little nearby hut was convenient for the pasty folks like me to take a break, and we all convened to share proposal stories, as we were on the very beach were Justin proposed to Anya two years before.

Anya and her mom enjoying the dark sand beaches above. The couple who owned the Nipa huts also had a large orchard on the property. So many fruits I've never heard of... but we were on a mission to pick a pomelo to serve at our next meal.

Got one! The pomelo is basically a giant grapefruit, and the one we got was pink inside. It has the same texture as a grapefruit but is sooooo much sweeter, it's actually worth eating! (to me, not a huge fan of grapefruit)

The plants and trees were all situated on an organic drip irrigation system. The windmill below powered a pump that would push out water to keep the plants growing. I've never seen such a thing, and it was really neat to watch in action. The couple who owns the property lives in Manila and visits whenever they can, but it's perfect for them plus a couple of local workers who come to tend to the fruit daily so that they know their orchard will continue to grow.

Jadyn picked some giant lemons

And then we at the pomelo :) We also had some mango while in the Philippines, and let me tell you... we're never going to be able to eat mango in the U.S. again. There are no words to describe it other than the most delicious fruit I have ever tasted. And it wasn't even high season for mangoes there, so I can't imagine how much better they could actually be!

The entire time we were there, Anya's family's cooks made us breakfast, lunch and dinner and served it in the dining hall. We were floored by the service, the amount of food and the culture we experienced. The next day we headed back to Manila to laze around at Anya's house before a quick nap and a very early morning trip to the airport. We were greeted in St. Louis by this lovely lady and her husband... and plenty of cold weather. But just in time for Christmas! More on that to follow... happy Friday, everyone!