With the help of all our feeding, our stray cat has had 5 very healthy kittens! They are about 2 months old now! But, they are very scared of us huge humans, so we don't pat them, we just watch them playing in the garden.

More photos... they are soooo cute!
 

We have 8 pet crickets! They're called 'Bell Crickets' and are found only in Japan. They make a 'ringing' noise with their legs and wings in the evenings.

A teacher at Michael's school gave them to him, they came in the post with a tank all set up!

We had to put their cage outside for the night coz they were 'ringing' so loudly. I read that some Chinese Ladies used to hang a pet cricket next to their beds at night to listen to them singing. I sure wouldn't be able to sleep with crickets chirping in my ears!

Bell Crickets in their Cage:

Bell Cricket 'Singing' Loudly:

Hello Newton and Newtrina!

I don't know which one is Newton and which one is Newtrina!
Michael and I are babysitting Ashley's Fire-Bellied Newts while she goes to America for a few weeks. They're really cute and active. And they eat from your finger too! I'm not going to pick them up, but apparently they have a little poison in the glands around their neck, which make your fingers go numb! Ashley only had them in water, but I read on the internet that shey should have a rock or wood to sit on and rest, so we put in a makeshift resting place for them made out of half a plastic bottle. One of them, Newton or Newtrina, happily climbed onto it straight away!

Fire-Bellied Newts.

The Holiday Location:
Here's a Map of the Philippines in case you're not familiar with the country. We went to Cebu city (a little below the center of the map). Then took a bus to the very North of Cebu, and went out on a boat to Malapascua Island (not on the map, but it's a little Island off the North top of Cebu). Then, we went back to Cebu, took a boat to Bohol Island (to the right of Cebu) and spent some time in the Jungle there. So as you see, we stayed around a small area of the Philippines, there's still around 7000 more Islands for us to explore - next time!

Food I tried:

This is one of the soups we tried during our trip. Unfortunately it tasted just like sea water. We discovered that the Filippinos don't make much use of seasonings/herbs/spices to flavor their foods. Usually their meals are quite simple. The curry we had was unlike any other curry I've tasted. It was a clear type of sauce, salty, with hot chillis in it. So, I must say, their local foods were not so popular with me. But, one bar/restaurant had a special Thai Night and they sure knew how to cook a yummy green or yellow Thai curry (with King Prawns)!

We also tried a couple of strange fruits...

This is an 'Artisse'. We were taking an after-dinner stroll and stopped at a fruit vendor to check out her interesting looking fruits. We were a bit hesitant to buy the fruits, but then the vendor cracked one open for us to try. It was lightly sweet, creamy like banana, and a little tangy like mango.

Oh man, it's so dumb. The signs in the airport said that all people going to America and Canada were not allowed liquids/gels/lotions in their hand-carry bags. So, I thought I was okay going to Japan. THEN, during the 4th security checking when my check-in baggage was already checked-in, they confiscated my nearly new Clinique Foundation in the name of security! BAH. How ruuude.

I looked in the box next to the security guard, and there were all sorts of lady's creams and moisturisers and perfumes in there that they'd confiscated off passengers. Looks like some wives & girlfriends may be getting their pick of airport 'freebies' at the end of the day!

Luckily the flight was short. Imagine a 17 hour flight with such dry cabin air, and no lip balm, moisturisers, evian water spray, eye drops,...
AAAAAAhhhhhhh! I'm gonna shrivel up on the flight back to NZ in December if they don't relax the rules!

Cebu city was a bit of a shock for us, coming from clean, middle-upper-class, clockwork Japan.

There was a lot of desperation in that city, a lot of poverty. People were always ready to rip-off a 'stupid rich tourist' who didn't know the real price of things. Hey, if we were rich, maybe we'd be holidaying in Ibiza instead...? I guess 'rich' is all relative eh. We didn't get anything stolen though. That was great.
 
I felt most sorry for the children who were working as 'newspaper boys'. They'd weave through the chaotic and unpredictible traffic, and hop on and off buses, trying to sell their papers. These kids were only about 8 years old. Next time I hear a spoilt brat whinging about not getting their latest electronic gametoy, I'll slap him off to the Philippines to learn a lesson about life!

Despite their hard life and poverty, when you see a Filippino smile, it is really warm and from the heart. Their eyes light up when they smile. Not like Japanese people who smile all the time but out of obligation.

This is a photo of the Local Market (Carbon Markets). It was really for the locals and not for tourists. They sold all kinds of fresh fruit and veges. And tonnes of 2nd-hand clothing. We saw the tiny colorful 'Birds Eye Chillis' that are apparently hotter than Halepenos.

This is a Jeepney. The local 'bus'. The drivers have proudly decorated their Jeepneys with 'stand-out' colors to attract the customers! There are some very artistic and original ones around!

Inside a Jeepney.

I had not expected to be so 'in the middle of the jungle' like this!
Here's how we got there. We took a 2 hour fast boat ride to Bohol Island, then caught a "Tricycle" (motorcycle with passenger car) for 45 minutes to Loboc River, then took a small boat upriver to our accomodation, "Nutz Hutz". We were so in the Jungle, that there's no road to Nutz Hutz, only the river!

Loboc River, amazing, see all the Coconut Trees around us?!

Riding a "Tricycle".                               Our Jungle Hut.

Our hut was so cute, it was made of all natural materials, wood, straw, flax (or whatever they weave here). The walls were all woven out of some flax-type plant. Cold showers again though! oh, by the last couple of days, I was eager to get back to Cebu city and have a hot shower! Also, we were in the middle-of-nowhere with lots of strange bugs and giant ants, and there were also these wood-eating bugs that ate at the wooden rafters in our hut, and left tonnes of tiny little black poos everywhere! Had to totally sweep down the bed before getting into it! Ok, so I liked the jungle for 1 or 2 nights, but was glad to get back to clean civilization!

The Jungle! View from the Dining area of Nutz Hutz. If you zoom up on this photo, you will see a house on the left hand side, nestled near the top of the mountain ridge. Shows you how huuuge this jungle is!
    Big Lizard!

Bohol Island is famous for it's Tarsiers. They are such cute little creatures. They aren't monkeys, they're primates. And going extinct. They only live on Bohol Island, they are so fragile that if they die if you take them out of the country. Apparently the inspiration for Steven Speilburg's E.T. We're not allowed to touch them, but ooh, they're so soft-looking!
 

See how tiny they are?!  Awww so cuuuute!!

Some Illegal places have captive tarsiers that you can touch, but we didn't want to support those places, so we went to the Tarsier Santuary at Corella. There, they have lots of space and freedom to jump around the trees at night.

The Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills are supposed to look like Hersheys Chocolate Kisses in the summer. But, what's really amazing about these hills, is that they are actually Coral Reefs, they used to be under the ocean a long time ago, and now the land has been pushed up, and they've become hills!

We met some friendly Dutch girls who were also staying at Nutz Hutz, and shared a van with them to see the Chocolate Hills and the Tarsiers.

Some more pics of Bohol Island....

As you see in the photos, white coral sand and blue-green sea. That's what I was lookin at for 4 days on Malapascua Island. I just couldn't believe how brilliantly colored the sea water was. Apparently it's because different algae or micro-organisms live in this warm water, and the color comes from them.

Malapascua Island is not yet famous or touristy. It took us 3 hours on a bus and 45 minutes on a boat to get here from Cebu Island. There's not much to do but snorkel, sunbathe, swim, & dive. But that's how Michael and I like it. Electricity is not 24 hours, there are generators on the Island to get electricity in the evening and early mornings. Oh, and you can't drink the water from the taps, it's a little salty, and cold showers!

Although it is an untouristy island, the Locals have learned that Tourists are quick and easy money. As soon as we stepped off the boat, we had 'touters' trying to carry our bags for us (to earn a few pesos) and recommending accomodation where we wanted to look for ourselves. They also bugged us a bit as we were settling into our beach bungalows, repetitive offers to show us round, give massages or manicures, take us in their boat...etc. Which is all very nice but, we'd just arrived on a 'deserted' Island, we obviously want to do absolutely nothing!! That was a little annoying, seeing the Islanders becoming dependant on tourist money already and this Island is supposed to be untouristy!

Apart from that, everything was perfect. Here's more photos...

The View from our Bungalow.

We went snorkeling, and saw some brain-shaped corals and lots of little fish. We even saw a sea-snake! I have yet to master the art of snorkeling and floating...still need a life jacket. Can't seem to co-ordinate breathing through my mouth and staying afloat! haha. Oh, the sea got really choppy too, and I threw up and everyone had to go back to the Island coz of me.

A Local's House.                              Local Dog I made friends with.


Having Toxic-colored drinks at the Sunsplash bar, with new friends from Scotland and Sydney.

On our last day at Malapascua Island, I had a massage on the beach, it was lovely to listen to the sea and get a massage. Even the fine grains of sand that stuck to the coconut oil gave me a good exfoliation! 

Next stop! Bohol Island - the Philippines tropical Jungle in the wops!

I'm back in Japan. The Philippines was great.  
Let's start the story from the night before leaving for the Philippines.

As our flight was so early on Friday morning, Michael and I decided to stay overnight in Osaka so we could catch a fast train to the airport the next morning. Well... Hotels are kinda expensive in Japan...so we stayed in a 'cheap' (dodgy) 'Love Hotel'...

In Japan, there are many love hotels, decorated gaudily and fantastically on the outside, like a Medieval Castle, or Palm-Trees and pink Flamengos, or just many many blinking neon lights.

We wanted to choose the most outrageous one we could find... We found "Mickey Cookies" near the station, and thought it looked funny enough.

I was expecting it to be annonoymous...as I'd heard these transactions are usually, but we were greeted by a disgruntled middle-aged lady, who asked us if we wanted a room for 20 minutes (ew!)!! (ummm... see our luggage and backpacks Lady? we're here to STAY!) haha. I think she didn't want us to stay in her dodgy hotel, because we were obviously 'tourists' and not 'regular customer' material... and she also insisted on knowing whether or not Michael could speak Japanese. I guess there may be some rules to not let Love Hotels become Tourist Resorts...?

Anyway, we were allowed to stay the night, for a cheaper price than a reputable Hotel, but more expensive than a Capsule Hotel. We discovered disco lights in the huge bathroom, and a Slot Machine in the bedroom... a spot of gambling if you run out of things to do?

PROS: Discovering the places that dodgy Japanese buisnessmen frequent... cheapish accomodation close to the train station...disco lights in the bathroom!

CONS: Avoiding eye contact with other customers as you walk in/out of the hotel... the sheets smelled a bit smokey and like fried foods...ewww.

As you can see, I've changed my blog to look 'beachy'
Gotta get it ready for all those beach photos eh?! haha.

"Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow, you're only a Daaaaay Awaaaay!!"

And I'm outta Japan for 10 days, YESSS!!   oh Sanity, here I come!

Catch ya later...
Wahoo!!

Boy, holidays are so exciting.

Well, got my haircut (I was so nervous!). I should really go more often! They gave me a 10 minute shampoo/massage, it was great... especially coz it was just after work, ahhhh, if only every day could end in a head massage...

So, it was my first time to get a haircut in Japan, and I was scared about communication problems. I got a real scrawny young man as my hairdresser, actually my first time to have a man cut my hair. He wasn't very friendly, very brisque and sullen looking... He snipped away so quickly, I was thinking "oh, I hope he knows what he's doing!" and "don't you wanna look at that picture I gave you just one more time to check if you're doing it right?" but of course I smiled and pretended I trusted him.

I felt like I was in a Production Line, as I was whisked from the shampoo lady, to the hairdresser, to the lady to blow-dries hair, back to the hairdresser who fixes up the stray bits...

Basically, I'm happy with the haircut although it's not really like the picture I brought in...

For example, the lady in my picture had a blunt cut with slightly thinned ends, the same length all the way around, and a side-fringe.

The hairdresser thinned my hair at the ends so much, I was slightly freaking out. Then he cut the back shorter than the front... very popular at the moment, yes, but I'm not trying to be trendy here, I want the haircut in the picture!! The fringe... was set to be a disaster when the hairdresser parted it, but I took over and did the side-parting myself, before he could create a hideous geeky fringe.

Anyways, I'm satisfied, and I have that nice and new feeling. But, I think I'll make the trek into Osaka next time where there's a hairdresser who speaks English... I want to grow my hair out for the wedding next year, and can't have a hairdresser messing up!

Got on the bus to go home last night and realized I'd left my keys at home, and Michael was at Japanese class till 9pm! All the way up the hill I was hoping and hoping that we'd (typically) accidentally left a window or door unlocked so I could 'break in'! I was so hungry after work and haircut! It was my Lucky Night! We'd forgotten to lock the back door! Hoorah! Usually I'd be annoyed to find the back door unlocked, but last night, I was incredibly happy!

3 Days to go 'till the Philippines!
Tonight, I'm getting my hair cut for the first time by a Japanese hairdresser. Pray that they don't give me a standard 'mushroom' haircut! I have a picture of the haircut I like, so hopefully it'll turn out ok.

Tomorrow, we will pack for the Philippines! I love packing! Trying to pack really light for this trip! It's going to be very spontaneous. We haven't booked any accomodation (it's not peak season) and neither do we have anything we 'must see'! So, we'll just arrive in Cebu, make our way to Malapascua Island, spend as many days as we like there, and when we've soaked up enough sun and fruits, we'll head back to Cebu city or to Bohol Island. Yay! C'mon days, hurry up!!

In Japan, it's an old tradition to give gifts in summer and in winter. Winter gifts ties in with the modern tradition of Christmas presents I guess. Anyway, no one else I know in Japan gives Summer Gifts, except my Tea Ceremony Teacher. She sends out hundreds of dollars worth of gifts to friends and important people she has connections with, and they in turn, send her gifts, so her house is overloaded with food and drinks that 2 people could never finish eating.

Anyway, last Thursday, she gave me a Yukata as a Summer gift. A Yukata is (simply put) a light summer Kimono. I was really surprised to get a Yukata from her, because she'd bought me one last year too, and these things don't come cheaply! Last year's Yukata was White with pink and red flowers, and a red & green Obi (I felt like a christmas present in red and green ribbon!).

This year's Yukata - Black, with pink English roses, yellow Japanese flowers, and white Japanese leaves.

She also gave me the Geta (wooden sandals) and Sensu ( fan ). The Sensu has English roses carved into the wood. Smells like sandalwood, but I'm not sure.

I feel very lucky to know someone as generous as her!