Tuy, Batangas - The Reunion
Philippines | Monday, January 1, 2018 | 17 photos
Aftera 12-hour layover in Hong Kong, we landed in Manila and the whirlwind began!
Uncle Adrian, Aunty Helen and Jeyo picked us up from the Manila airport, took us for lunch at Kenny Rogers, then we began the 2-hour drive to Batangas to meet up with Alex's brother, Darius, and family.
We passed by Tagatay, a town at the edge of a volcanic crater and Rowena's Pies - all of which brought back memories from my first trip to the Philippines.
We finally made it to Tuy, Batangas, and had a joyous reunion with Darius, Chiara and the girls. We were also introduced to Darius's father's side of the family, who warmly opened their home to us and made us yummy food.
As the president, Darius was busy planning a large event for the Tulume Club's 61st Anniversary, which also corresponded with Jose Rizal Day (Dec 30th), the Philippines National Hero.
The day consisted of many events including mass, a flower offering to Jose Rizal, the presentation of gifts to the town's less fortunate, and a Great Gatsby-style gala at the end of the night. In order to get ready for the gala, Alex and I had to rent outfits...and so after a late lunch, a fun hunt for clothes ensued!
Alex found his barong right away I, on the other hand, had to find just the right dress for the event! We went to 1 dress shop, which was connected to the owners home. Having had no sleep for the past 2 days and still adjusting to the heat, I attempted to try on 10 dresses in the corner of the dress shop!
The dresses were beautiful and extravagant but, unfortunately, my shoulders and torso were too wide for the dresses made for petite Filipina body-frame. I finally settled on a lovely (stretchy) pink dress, borrowed shoes from Darius's sister, ate dinner and got to settle in at the home that Darius rented for us in Canyon Cove.
The next morning, we got up at 5, and got ready for mass at the local church. Then the events of the day unfolded!
It was such a humbling experience to help hand out gifts to those who are less fortunate. I felt thankful for the experience, and thankful for the position that I have been afforded because of my forefathers and mother's decisions and hard work.
After resting and getting dressed, we returned to Tuy to get our makeup done. This was another interesting event, as it helped me to experience and understand the beauty standards in the Philippines and much of Asia. My skin was lightened by 2 tones, and my nose was contoured in such a way that my wide-set nose was made to look sharper!
After wiping a bit of make-up off, we entered the Great Gatsby gala...and what a gala it was! There was a buffet dinner, people dressed to impress and even choreographed dances. It was an incredible event that lasted until 3am!
The next day (New Year's Eve) was a wonderful day of rest and relaxation in Canyon Cove and at the beach. We brought in 2018 with Darius and family, Zara and Anton and got to watch an incredible fireworks show displayed by the towns along the shoreline!
The next morning we were up at 4am for our ride to Manila to say goodbye to Darius and family, and to explore the big city a little bit.
