March 2009 - First Half of
Philippines Trip
This year cousins Carol, Randy, and Joan
joined Poppy and the rest of us on a trip to
the Philippines. Our flight connected
through Tokyo, where hours before we
arrived, a UPS plane crashed. These were
the first deaths in the history of Narita
airport, so no large planes were allowed to
leave and we were put up overnight by the
Airlines in a Tokyo hotel. So now we can
say we've been to Japan!
After arriving late, we continued up to
Baguio, the "Summer capital of the
Philippines", where it is a cool 70 degrees
or so. We visited the Philippine Military
Academy, Camp John Hay (where US
military prisoners were held in World
War II), and Bell Church, a Chinese
temple.
Baguio feels like a very small city, with
buildings attached to hillsides
precariously hanging over crevasses.
Unfortunately, during the rainy season
(after we left), windstorms did heavy
damage in this area. But the region has
survived so many years of storms, we're
sure the strong local citizens will pull
through as strong as ever.