Chapter 17~

If you want to know where your heart is.... Follow where your mind wanders

So, let's get back to last year of 2017 and my first vacation time with my son old enough to get the grasp on being here and understanding and feeling what drives me back continuously instead of other countries that we could have gone to. This is more of course about observing his reaction and how adaptive and comfortable he is outside his normal comfort zone of California USA.

One of the very first things of course is to eat so Ken , Grace , John and I hit a well spread of buffet~ more like a mini- mall? Needless to say I'm all over everything not American. I came here for that stuff I can't get back in California! Lechon, Kare-kare, Adobo, sigsig,tapas, seashells, oh heck....... There's Japanese- Korean- Italian- ------- why not? 

I'm all over that and John experiments with a few samples and hesitations here and there. Some he really enjoys while others just crossed over the line, but I appluad  him for stepping up. There's some stuff there that looks like it's going to come up faster then it goes down!!!
After the dinner we check into the condo for the cityview and  get rid of the 16 hours of fatigue not counting stopovers and waiting for transfers. It seems jet lag never effects me coming here but certainly kicks my ass going back like I'm still stuck waiting to be here?

The morning finds us a bit more refreshed and John is excited about the rooftop pool. There from atop from this high-rise complex our eyes gaze over past the grand Waterfront Hotel up into the beautiful and stunning mountains of Busay and over into the island of Mactan, Laupu-Laupu were we landed a bit ago. His eyes are filled with amazement and wonder and I see my son (becoming me.)

I break up the business aspect and give more time to do more exploring and adventures while we are here. This is about his and our time together and again my observations of his reactions and thoughts of about living here permanently in the near future might be. I have someone given up on "Umerika". It's not what I once was proud of and admired and certainly not what I believe the world in the whole respects anymore? I'm not here to share my views or opinions for how the poster child for birth control became the president of the Divided States of America.

Being at the base of the mountains we shall take many a trips up here to the highest peak during daylight by the nights are spectacular by the dancing of the lights below. It looks like Las Vegas has arrived, And up here there is a breeze of fresh air, fog even? Birds and crickets chirping loudly in the night but of course no matter where we are~ time of day or night, there is the damn roosters having their karaoke sessions! This area is referred to as the "Beverly Hills"of Cebu and certainly with a price! This is where I plan to build and live, I may work in the city- but, I'm just really a country boy?

We do the usual things downtown of arcade, get out further for some water parks, horseback riding, wave boarding,  lots of island hoping indeed and yes~ swimming with the gentle giants, Whale Sharks in Oslob at the south end of the island.

Next day back in the city, access to a skyscraper gives us another view and thrill, riding the "Edge", a roller coaster type seat at 60° leaning over the edge of the building hanging from the  skyscraper around the perimeter. Then we complete the package by zip lining to the other skyscraper thousand feet away. Thrilling as it was-halfway back on the return, the joke was that I got stuck. Actually, my boy loves it so much we zip through canyons and valleys, over lakes to islands.

All too soon, always the time is not our friend and preparation are made for our departure in a few days. I/we worked hard for this one month of enjoyment and its 200% worth it always!