Boracay Island, Philippines

This was my daily schedule while vacationing on the island of Boracay in the Philippines:

6:45 a.m. – Wake… the sun is a bright. Take a run on the awe-inspiring, white sand beach lined with Hawaiian-style palm trees. And just generally smile a lot.

8:00 a.m.– Have a western style breakfast served to me on the porch of my bungalow. I opt for one egg (over-easy), bacon, toast, fruit, tang and coffee (with cream and sugar of course). It’s not exactly a bad way to start the morning off… especially considering I’m chowing down in a majestic jungle next to an equally majestic coastline. Life sure doesn’t suck!

8:45 a.m. – Relax on my cushioned chair, complete with a side table and umbrella. This clutch arrangement sets me back a whopping $2 for the day.

10:15 a.m. – “Hi Josh! Are u ready for your massage now, sir?” These are the spoken words of Rosa… the amazing lady who provides me with my daily $8, hour-long, full body rubdowns on the beach, under the palm trees (see 3rd pic, top right). She even rubs SPF 15 on my back after she finishes. The smile remains.

11:15 a.m. – 6:45 p.m. – Swim and float in the ridiculously clear blue ocean. Nap… return to the water… converse with some friendly locals (mostly female)… read a little… enjoy my breathtaking view (see 4^th pic ) think about how much I love life. Eat lunch at a restaurant of my choosing on the beach. Thai food, Mexican, burgers… whatever. Back to my chair… nap again, chill, and take a dip as the sun begins to set. Enjoy a pleasant rum and coke while watching our spectacular star disappear (see pics 1 and 2, top right), its mind-blowing after glow coloring the sky all shades of purple, pink and orange. My smile is growing wider.

7:00p.m. – 1:00 a.m. – Shower, rub aloe on my burnt flesh… I’m a disgrace to my Florida existence, I know. Dine, with my feet in the sand, on the scenic shoreline lit with rope lights and candles. Cap the night off by hanging out with Ellaine and Janet (see 5^th pic, bottom), two beautiful, remarkable and completely unforgettable Filipino girls interning on the island for their college program. The smile is now full-blown. Return to my room, proceed to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep… one where nightmares could never exist.  

Boracay Island, Philippines

Pics of the water, the tiny ferry that took me to the island and thats the front porch of my room... where I started off everyday in solid fashion. 

Boracay Island, Philippines

Some pics of the beach. Not bad, right?

Boracay Island, Philippines

A road side convenient store. The path to my room at the BnB resort where i stayed. That light blue thing attached by rope to a motorbike is a taxi... they were fun to ride in. Shit!! It's Brody!!! Not really, but looks just like him, right?  I about cried when saw I that mini Eskimo. I miss that dog beyond belief. Not sure this little fella likes his picture taken. Maybe a tad shy. But his mom seemed okay with it... hence her broad smile. 

A brief rundown of the past 3 months...

Jan. – The weather has certainly grown chilly (30’s and 40’s). I’m not too fond of it. Missing the Florida “winter.” Wake up early so I can have the pleasure of watching OSU lose to Texas at the last second. Whatever. Monty and Kevin head back to the states. Inside Foxy Club at 5a.m. Scott mistakenly makes a move on a trans-gender. One of the more hilarious things I’ve seen here. Visit a cave bar for Erin’s b-day and then proceed to partake in a pub-crawl.

Six of us take an overnight bus to one of Korea’s best ski resorts called Muju for the Chinese New Year. It’s dumping snow… fresh powder galore. Spend three days snowboarding, eating and partying. Back to Busan. Begin cooking for people… the secret is out, no turning back now.

Feb. – Jesse and I take the train up to Deagu, the county’s third largest city. We have agreed to be extras in a Korean film on the west coast of Korea. Crash with Glen and Yumi… Jeff meets us later. Stay out till 4 in the morning… nap for 2 hours… wake at 6a.m., hop on one of the two luxury buses loaded with beer, food and a hundred other foreigners and Koreans that the film company has provided for us. Arrive on set after a 4-hour ride. Eat, film, nap, film some more, eat some more… head back, make a stop at the festival of lights in the famous green tea fields. A producer’s brother has an open bar in Deagu for all the extras. It’s 6a.m., Monday morning before we know it. Take the 7:15 a.m. train to Busan. Exit the train, watch the Super Bowl with Glen… the game ends around 12:15 pm here. I haven’t really slept for 2 days… extremely tired. Finish work at 8:30 p.m., go home, close my eyes… rise the next day around noonish.

My sister, Cara (see the 2nd pic, top right) emails me from Seattle… writes that she (along with Keith) will be here in a week. Sweet!!! Eating sushi with Scott… meet a guy named Ben from Seattle, he tells me he’s super excited because he just found out two of his friends from home are coming next week. Apparently said friend’s brother also happens to live somewhere in Busan, he says. I realize he’s unknowingly talking about me, smile and inform him that I’m “the brother” he’s referring to. He freaks out, laughing and shaking his head. It’s a small world for sure. Cara and Keith arrive. I show them around… we visit the fish market, order a huge platter of raw seafood… solid. They meet some of my younger students. They’re so cute, Cara decides she “needs” to take a few home with her.

End the month in Deagu at Yumi’s cooking for about 12 people. First, I serve my shrimp and crab quesadillas with the roasted red pepper sauce, followed by a white wine, pesto pasta with chicken. I finish it off by pan roasting strip steak and pairing it with a red wine, mushroom sauce. The Korean women haven’t had anything like this before. In fact, one of them tells me the quesadillas were the best food she’s ever tasted, even better than “Taco Bell.” I’ll take that as a compliment.

March – The weather is beginning to turn. 50’s to 60’s is the norm now… much more manageable. Visit the beach in Gwangan. There is this badass husky I keep seeing. Love this dog. A few days later my friend tells me the husky will most likely be eaten… that “they eat big, beautiful dogs here.” I decide I’m not going to let that happen. Take the metro down to the beach. Pet my dog, walk into the restaurant, ask the owner if she’s planning to eat the dog because if she is, I’ll buy it from her right now. She doesn’t understand. No English. Call my Korean friend Park, he explains the situation to her. She makes a horrid face and chuckles. It’s her pet… not a meal. Thank God! She takes me outside and shows me the dog’s tricks. I feel much better.

Japan pics (Tokyo)

Mont and Kevin made it to Tokyo on the 29th. On the train, Mont and I met an older Japanese guy who insisted we eat at a traditional sushi bar with him. A very cool experience no doubt. The pics are of Shinjuku (sky scrapers) Asakusa (temple) and the Imperial Palace (the four of us in front). 

We had planed on going to Nagano to see the wild snow monkeys in the hot springs, but we ran out of time. Japan was amazing in every way and of all places I've traveled these past 10 months, never have I met people who were so friendly and helpful. Easily the coolest country I've been to.

Japan pics (Osaka and Tokyo)

That was our hotel in Osaka. Some night pictures of Shibuya... sort of like the Times Square of Tokyo. We stayed in that area our first night in Tokyo. The bullet train was tight... and pricey.

Japan pics (Kyoto)

John spotted Big Boy when we were on the bus. Unfortunately, there was no "Big Boy" on the menu. They did have a salad bar though. The Golden Pavilion was unreal. Overall, Kyoto might be my favorite place we visited. It was sweet seeing actual Geishas walking through town. Lots of history and tradition in this city... and hot Japanese girls... well... they seemed to be in every city in Japan really.

Japan pics (Hiroshima)

Here are some photos of Peace Memorial Park... that's where the A-Bomb dome is, along with the museum. The rest are shots of Miyajima, which is reached by ferry. The famous Shinto shrine gate is located there. As you can see, there are also plenty of wild deer.