The second day in Leyte we decided to take a boat trip to Limasawa Island. It’s about a 40 minute boat trip from the southern tip of Leyte where we were staying.
The night before we were told the trip runs from 9-5. I immediately decided that there was no way Adam would be able to handle the whole day out with no nap. The next morning I woke up still thinking it would be best to cancel, but luckily Randy convinced me it would be ok. And you know what, it was better than ok. We had the most amazing day. Adam was an angel and loved every second of it. Toddler lesson number two- learned. It’s always better to try and see, because when the stars are aligned it’s amazing.
This is just another reason why I love Randy, he forces me to move out of my comfort zone and try things. With a toddler, this is really, really good. I get stuck in our routine and worry that any change will mean Adam turns into a gremlin. But Randy reminds me that even if things end up not going well, it’s always better to have tried. I also love Randy because when I told him I was wearing flip-flops that couldn’t get wet, he looked at me with a confused look on his face and honestly asked why they would make flip-flops that aren’t waterproof. This stuck in my head all day, and you know what Randy, that is a really good question.
We got suited up and were ready to roll. Safety first people.
(Note to self- next time don’t take the picture looking right into the sun)
Then we walked over to the boat…I again came this close to calling the whole thing off.
But once we were on I felt totally safe and the two captains were experts. We hardly felt any waves and we were able to relax and enjoy the view. We were looking for dolphins which were hiding that day, but that’s ok because it was still beautiful.
We stopped at a little beach where we got to snorkel. I’ve always been a little scared of snorkeling, but here the water is so clear and the fish so beautiful, that I soon forgot to be scared. They have these amazing blue starfish that come out of nowhere. They look like they’ve been planted there by Disney. We don’t have an underwater camera but here is what they look like. You’re just swimming along and all of a sudden this super bright blue starfish is laying there. It looks so out of place and is so pretty. The fish are all so brightly colored, red and yellows and blues that are so bright!
After snorkeling we headed over to another beautiful beach for lunch. We had some free time to explore before lunch was ready.
Lunch was amazing and they even had Adam’s favorite – corn! He managed to eat his, mine and Randy’s piece.
After that we took a short boat ride to the part of Limasawa where Magellan first landed in 1521 and held the first mass. The 492nd anniversary of this event was taking place the day after we visited the island. (ps- shortly after this, Magellan sailed to Cebu, another Philippino island, and was killed)
Our friend Vincent who was staying at the hotel with us is on the left. There were five other kids there, but they were all older. It nearly broke my heart to see Adam wanting so badly to play with them, but being too young.
Adam walked through this town like a superstar. Everyone wanted to say hi and wave at him, which he LOVED! He even got to ride a motorcycle (don’t worry Grandmas- it wasn’t turned on). How will Adam ever go back to boring Manila, where we walk to the grocery store on foot every day.
On our way back, Adam got a little snooze in. Randy and I got to snorkel at yet another beautiful beach.
To top off our pretty amazing day, there is a flock of bats that migrate every night over the hotel and Adam was in heaven. He watched until the very last bat flew past. I thought they were pretty creepy looking, but my boy does love him some animals and he doesn’t discriminate.
Sunday morning we squeezed in one last beach and pool trip before our journey back.
On the way to the airport we stopped at MacArthur Park which is near the airport. It’s pretty remarkable how this one small island is steeped in so much history. Why a park dedicated to General Douglas MacArthur in Leyte, you ask?
Well, according to wiki the story goes-
MacArthur made his promise to return to the Philippines when the Japanese occupied the country in 1942. By this time, the Allies had already decided to attack Japan directly rather than battle the Japanese in the Philippines. MacArthur, however, convinced President Roosevelt and Pacific Commander Chester Nimitz to send forces to the Philippines to fight against the Japanese forces that had overtaken the country. The U.S. 6th Army stormed the beach and the U.S. Forces defeated the Japanese soon afterward in the famous Battle of Leyte Gulf.
I think this story is why my dad actually knew where Leyte was when I told him we were going. I was shocked that he had heard of it, but as he’s read almost everything on World War II, it now makes sense.
I have been cut out of this picture for your benefit. A cold shower that morning and lots of humidity made for some really, really bad hair.
Some of us were more excited about the dog that walked by than the statues. In fact every time I show him a picture of MacArthur park he starts barking. That dog really made an impression 🙂
We arrived home Sunday night missing Leyte and already planning our next trip out of Manila. We’ve had some after vacation blues, but we’re combating it with some pool time, gymboree and walks to the fountains.
Hope you all had a great Easter!
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