By this time...

... Christmas decorations and lights are making Makati CBD very festive at night;
... the hustle and bustle in Divi has increased;
... I would already have put-up our 8-foot Christmas tree and Looney Tunes ornaments;
... I would have already made the gift list and 30% done with shopping;
... we would still be waiting for our 13th month pay;
... we'd still be wrapping the company gifts;
... I would have attended a couple of Midnight Madness sale already at Glorietta, never mind that I do not really buy anything;
... we would have the Jackson 5 Christmas Album playing at night;
... I would have attended a couple of Simbang Gabi;
... everybody always seem to have a smile on their faces;
... the days are shorter but happier.

Christmas season in the Philippines is truly one of a kind, and I wish to be there to experience it all next year.

Mabuhay fund-raising show

Johnsonville Community Hall
Saturday, 21 Nov 2009
6pm onwards

Mabuhay!

It's our way of sharing with you early Christmas cheers and Yuletide greetings! So come one, come all and allow us to give you an enjoyable and nostalgic
Christmas experience as if back home...

Auction

Karaoke

Food stalls

Raffle Prizes

Parlor Games

Crafts/Accessories

Variety show/Dancing

FREE ENTRY

Raffe Prizes: 1st - $150 2nd - $100 3rd Prize - $ 50


EMAIL FOR MORE INFO:
mabuhay_wellington@yahoo.co.nz

Orakei Korako: the Hidden Valley

About half an hour's car trip away from Lake Taupo is the hidden valley of Orakei Korako, a thermal park. The Lonely Planet Traveller's Guide hails Orakei Korako as "possibly the best thermal area left in New Zealand and one of the finest in the world", so I feel priviledged indeed to see this wonder of Nature up close and personal.

The boat awaits

The shop as viewed from the Thermal Park

To go to the park itself, you must take a brief boat ride across Waikato River. From there, you can take an unescorted walk on the park across well-maintained paths. Armed with a map, various areas of the park are highlighted. Warning signs are also very visible, as heat from the many vents are definitely things you have to steer clear of, and are best admired from afar.

The parts I like most about the trip are the boat ride, the rainbow terrace with its various colours resulting from the superheated minerals, the bubbling mud pools (definitely not the mud bath variety!), the Fleece which was a white wall of crystal formation, and the cave which reminded me of my spelunking days back in the Philippines.

The mud pools

The cave

Here are some more photos of that wonderful trip to Orakei Korako.