Monday, June 22nd

Monday, June 22nd

This morning, we woke up early to rent bikes for 15 pesos each and ride around the Lake in San Pablo.  My parents chuckled about how crappy the bikes are (something that didn’t even cross my mind); probably because they are so used to riding nice bikes all of the time.  I did this a couple times during the mission with Elders and Sisters, either before meetings or for p-day.

 In the morning, it is especially beautiful because you can see the sunrise.  Everyone is out, about, and exercising.  We also passed by these houses on the side of the bike trail where we could see nanay’s (old women) out and doing laundry.  Everyone was so shocked to see me and my parents.  It is very rare that you will see white people at all, let alone whole families.  They are just used to seeing old white guys with their little 20-year-old live-in Philippinas.

We ran into a group of missionaries and Sister Lero was with them! We were so surprised to see each other! It was fun being able to give her a hug good bye.

We went back to the hotel and ate breakfast downstairs.  It was a good breakfast and we talked with Greg for a second on the phone.

The dining room

Traditional Filipino breakfast

 It started feeling real that I was actually going home. We packed up and returned to Manila for our last day.  

Staircase with "Saint" at the top

Time to lose my back pack, it lasted 18 months!

First stop: The American Cemetery.  We could all really feel the spirit here.  It was breathtaking to see how many graves there were and to get a small idea about the sacrifice that all of these people made for freedom and for our country.  There was a reverent, peaceful feeling there.  We found names of Rasmussen’s and Page’s from Utah.

Afterwards we went to the Green Hills Mall (the name is something along those lines) and it was a giant flea market that had everything you could imagine.  Mom and I started bartering with this black guy who was obviously gay and one of the most flamboyant men I have ever met.  He really tried to make it sound like he was giving us a good deal, and then when all was done he kept asking for more money and was angry when we just walked away.  Mom and I felt a little guilty after ha.  We bartered to get pearl earrings and necklaces.  It was fun to use those skills that I had learned from buying groceries every p-day for the last year and a half.

Electrical lines in Manilla

t was an amazing sight.  We went to mang-inasal one last time to get chicken and rice.  We went back to the Marriott hotel which was close to the airport.  It was gorgeous!  Mom and I looked around at the high-end mall and couldn’t believe the expensive luxuries that they were selling.  That night we had dinner at a fairly authentic Italian Restaurant.  We had eaten so much food throughout the week, we were sick.  We relaxed that night and I came to terms with the fact that I was leaving for good.