Joseph's Notes

Since I am not a native Filipino, I am required by law to renew my visa to stay in the Philippines. The renewal we have chosen to use is the Balikbayan Privilege, sometimes called the Balikbayan Visa. This allows me to stay in the Philippines for a full year if I enter with my Philippines-born wife. At the end of the year, I have to leave anywhere and then start again. We have lived in the Philippines for one year so it was time for me to leave. Since I needed a medication that is not available for purchase in the Philippines, we decided to go to Guam which is a US territory. We flew on Philippine Airlines (PAL). We arrived safely in Guam, and our checked luggage arrived safely in San Francisco. It was a big hassle, and we didn't get our luggage back until we left Guam. Leaving from  the Panglao-Bohol Airport Arriving in Manila Guam Airport We visited a World War II museum while we were there A US vehicle Japanese weapons The view out of the p...

Here are a few pictures of our recent trip to Cebu. Wendie had never been to Cebu before. This was her first experience there. At Sirao Flower Garden We visited the Temple of Leah. We ate lunch at Ayala Center Cebu at Kenny Rogers Roasters. We visited the site of where Ferdinand Magellan was killed in a battle with Chief Lapu-Lapu and his men on Mactan Island. The site of the fateful battle Chief Lapu-Lapu. In the background is a monument to Magellan. And we also visited one of the largest malls in the world, SM City Seaside. It has a viewing tower in the center And an ice skating rink inside We enjoy visiting Cebu. It is the second largest metropolitan area in the Philippines after Manila with almost 3 million people. It is only a 1 1/2 hour ferry ride from Tubigon, Bohol.

 We recently had Lyn's Aunt Alona and Uncle Gabriel along with their granddaughter Shine visit us in Bohol from Bukidnon. They spent several days with us, and we really enjoyed the visit. At the Blood Compact Memorial in Tagbilaran At one of the oldest churches in the Philippines in Baclayon One day we went to Sagbayan Peak. On the way we went through the Chocolate Hills We also went to Bohol Python Wildlife Park. "Prony"- supposed to be one of the largest pythons Very brave to have this live albino python around their necks One night we also went to Alona Beach on Panglao Island - one of the most famous beaches in the Philippines. Alona at Alona! Thank you for visiting us Uncle Gabriel and Auntie Alona.

Bohol is both a province and an island in the center of the Philippines (in the Central Visayas). The Province of Bohol is not only one of the largest provinces by land area but also one of the smaller provinces by population (about 1 1/2 million people). The province is comprised mainly of the islands of Bohol and Panglao. There is only one city in the province (Tagbilaran -- about 105,000 people) and 47 municipalities. These range in size from Sikatuna (less than 7000) to Ubay (over 73,000). Recently Lyn, Wendie , and I took a trip around the circumference of Bohol. We traveled on the National Road, Highway 850. Our apartment is on this highway. We visited Maribojoc, Loon, Calape, Tubigon, Buenavista, Getafe, Talibon, Ubay, and Jagna among others. Map of Bohol. We traveled the perimeter on Highway 850. The town of Loon. St. Vincent Ferrer Church in downtown Calape Tubigon Plaza Beautiful park in Buenavista Downtown Getafe Sto. Nino Parish Chu...