Siargao #1 Pics

Siargao #1

The last few days have been so fun and busy. We switched rooms to one next door to Renaldo's BBQ. It is in General Luna and we are walking distance from town and all of the good food. That afternoon the family put on a special lunch towelcome us .
I mentioned an English fellow before. He has a girlfriend from the Island who is my age named Charlotte. We have gotten along really well and have all hung out the last few days. We attended a special lunch just out of town. It is put on twice a week by a German man who has a cave exploration tour. He is a true treasure hunter and was once a five star chef. He lived on the coast of Florida for thirteen years or so diving for lost ships and treasure (just like in the movie Fools Gold). He has also traveled all over the world searching for gold and has never had as much success as he has in the Philippines. Before lunch we went to church. We were able to help with the small children! It was so much fun. The fun thing is that a couple of days ago while we were in town we were introduced to a guy named Leeno who we were talking to about fishing and surfing. Yesterday he invited us to go play volleyball. So we jumped on the back of Steve and Leeno's motorbikes (hobble-hobbles) and went to Leeno's place. As it turns out, the house isa cross the street from the Siargao YWAM base. Leeno and his brothers Bullong and Bunsai are all really awesome with great hearts. They know some of Jesse's friends (from his DTS Maui) like brothers. What a small world.... This afternoon we went with the brothers and Steve and Char, and joined a group of German travellers who had put up a tite-rope at a local resort. It seems like we have been so busy. There is always something going on. Maybe it is just the activity of settling in. We will see. This evening Jess and I got a hobble-hobble down to cloud nine from our new room and went for a surf. The waves are nice, but small (and crowded). The pictures will show it all. :O) Well we are having a great time so far. Love Jessica

Brisbane, Manila, Siargao

Siargao

Hey all! This entry will show the extreme contrast between our experience in Manila to where we are and will be staying! Yesterday Jess and I flew into the small island called Siargao. It is so beautiful and lush. The main village is called Dapa and the one closest to us is called General Luna. The main industry on the island is fishing and rice harvesting. It is home to the world famous surf break called Cloud Nine. During the last week of Sept every year a surf competition is held by Billabong and the whole area is teeming with surf pros, camera men, and spectators. We are staying at the original resort called Cloud Nine which is literally right in front of the the break. It has been here for 15 years. The owners David and Rose origionally built it planning to have the wave all to themselves, but before too long it became one of the most popular surf destinations in the world. It made sense for them to make some cash. Jess and I will stay here for a while then probably will rent a room in general Luna. Jess and I went surfing last night. The water is so perfect. We met an amiable englishman yesterday. He has spent more than a year here over the last few years and knows all of the ins and outs. Jess is snorkeling with him right now. It is fortunate to have met someone right away to have as a friend. :O) Well I will put up some phots and hopefully they will explaiin the beauty of this place. Lots of love to you all! Jessica

We just spent the last thirty hours traveling, from Brisbane OZ to Cooly OZ, to Malaysia to Philippines, Clark to Manila and all around Manila in a tricycle motorbike with four bags and three surfboards bigger than the cycle in the rain in the middle of the craziest city I have ever been to because the driver was lost then I waited in an internet cafe two hours and thought that Jesse was lost, then he came back and we did the whole trike thing over again around in circles because the driver didn't have a clue where to take us... and we walked into our hostel as everyone was leaving and they were like " are you sure you don't want to catch the train and go to dinner with us?" Ah! Travel is soo exciting! but home is Luxurious.

There are so many joys to traveling. Like not missing your flight. Along with meeting 20 smiling Filipinos when you reach the country. What a beautiful culture. Now we need to sort out the five different currencies in our wallets. Thank God for our safety!
Love to all :O) blessings

Byron Bay to Coolangatta Pics :O)

Byron Bay to Coolangatta

I just waved goodbye to Coolangatta. We stayed there for just over a week. We met so many great people and had some great surf. Also, Jess and I went Opp shopping (thrift store) , and found 'most everything that we need for Asia. We now have three surfboards, two bags for them, snorkels, masks, flippers, our fishing gear, several excellent hats for sun protection, and all the other odds and ends. Praise God, we found so many amazing deals!

Our hostel was great. It took me a few days to warm up to it. Jess and I met and spent time with kids from many different countries (Germany, Argentina, Venezuela, OZ, US, France, Japan, China, and Taiwan) . Each person was so special.

The surf was awesome. There was a solid swell for about five days. I was out the first day, and the rest I took pictures. Jess surfed the famous wave called Kirra, most of the time. from Coolangatta you can look across the ocean and see Surfer's Paradise in the distance. The whole city looks like a surreal phantom.

Before Coolangatta we spent a week or so in Byron Bay. It is known to be the "coolest" most relaxed place up the coast. All of the backpackers we have met love it. Jess and I had a great time. We surfed a bit in Lennox, and hung out in Byron. Also, we had the opportunity to visit an awesome church called New Earth Tribe. We met the pastors and several other wonderful people. They showed us around and had us over for dinner a couple of nights. It was such and awesome blessing. They have a powerful ministry in the area, and radiate God's love. They are also well connected with Bethel and have a sister church starting in Santa Cruz. We met up with the Byron YWAM team and they gave us some contacts in the Philippines and Indo. Hopefully these will be the leads we need to connect with some medical missions and/or relief teams in Asia.

Jess and I have four days left in OZ. We are flying out of Brisbane on the 19th with is the 20th in America. These last few days we will be preparing for out trip. We are both ready to move on. Haha, We just checked the weather in the Philippines, where we will be staying and the water temp is 85 degrees, the same as the air temp. :O) That sounds awesome!

We visit the beach front McDonald's every day to use the internet and get a 50 cent ice cream. There are always pigeons walking around inside eating off of the floor and sitting on the ledges.
Ah, in Byron we were there for the monthly market. It reminded me a lot of Humboldt county fairs, lots of bongos and tie-dye and organic goods. We ate a kangaroo burger, complete with shredded carrot beets and whole wheat buns. This is something we had to try before we leave. We made it to a little town fair in Coolangatta too. It is so much fun to take part in a local activity like that.

Well we miss everyone back home and are happy to see the fun things you all are doing. Love you! <>< Jessica and Jesse

Sydney!