Where's That?

Living in the Philippines, I can't say that I have traveled to a lot of destinations that are well-known tourist hot spots. And our most recent vacation is no exception to that. For Spring Break, Sara and I traveled with our friends Matt and Heather to the northern part of Luzon. Specifically, we went to the town of Sagada and to the rice terraces of Banaue and Batad. These places are a bit off the beaten track, but well worth every effort to get there - though I must admit that it's easier to say now that I am sitting on this side of the 10 hour bus trip and endlsee jeepney rides up dirt mountain roads.

Our trip started from the Manila bus station, where we boarded a pink-clad tour bus for the 10 hour, windy, sickness-inducing trip up north. But after the trip, we were afforded breathe-taking views of the "Eighth Wonder of the World", the Banaue rice terraces. We also had the chance to hang with some of the locals - for a small fee, they even let us take their picture!

From Banaue, we four bus-weary travelers packed ourselves into the back of a jeepney with various other adventurers and settled in (as best you can in a jeepney) for the four-hour drive through the mountain passes to Sagada. Upon our arrival in Sagada, we were greeted by the smell of fresh, mountain air, the feel of cool temperatures, and the cooking of (in my humble opinion) the Philippines' greatest French chef. Yes, a French chef. Tucked away in the isolated town of Sagada is a properly trained French chef who, once a week, opens his home to guests to come sample his amazing cooking. His restaurant, stationed in his house, is aptly named "Log Cabin". It is set among the beautiful surroundings of the laid-back town of Sagada, and it was a delightful place to eat dinner and sit by the fire.

Our next few days in Sagada were spent eating amazingly fresh food, especially at Yoghurt House, wandering the streets of the town, drinking weasel coffee, hiking, caving, and generally just relaxing.

One highlight of our time in Sagada was our descent into the nearby caves. After hiring a guide in the town center, Matt, Heather, Sara, myself, and our fearless guides headed deep into the underbelly of the world. If that sounds melodramatic, it's not. There were more than a few sketchy moments in the cave traversing. But that's the great thing about traveling in third world countries - you don't have all that concern about "safety" and silly things like that. Check out a couple of these "cave shots". The other fun thing was that we did lots of the cave journey in our bare feet.

Emerging from the depths of our little cave adventure, the four of us were taken aback by the sight of the evening sun over the rice terraces of Sagada. It was one of those moments captured in time, where everything stands still and nothing else seems to matter. I wish our camera could capture that, but Sony has yet to develop a digital camera capable of taking in the feeling of a place just as well as the image. This picture is my best attempt.

After reluctantly saying good-bye to Sagada, we four travelers boarded another jeepney bound for our return to Banaue and the adventures that awaited us in Batad - a town that can only be reached on foot. But, as you can see, the drive back to Banaue was absolutely beautiful. For this leg of the journey, we elected to hire our own jeepney so that we could move at our own pace and stop for lots of photos.

This is as good a point as any to explain the rice terraces. First of all, rice is to Asia what wheat is to Northern Europeans - a staple crop that is the primary food source for millions. For my Northwest U.S. compatriots, the best way to imagine the rice terraces is to think of the wheat fields of the Palouse being carved into the side of the Rocky Mountains. For thousands of years, the people of the Philippine Islands (and elsewhere across Southeast Asia) have tended to these rice fields that are literally carved into the side of the mountains. Here are a couple of the better terrace pictures to illustrate this point.

Arriving in Banaue after a magnificent drive (and, believe me, there aren't a lot of jeepney rides that can be characterized as such), Matt, Heather, Sara, and I rested our travel weary bodies and took in the sites of Banaue. Rising early the next morning, we embarked on an exploration of nearby Batad. This began with a two hour jeepney ride (again!) up narrow mountain roads, then a moderate hike down into Batad. But all the effort was worth the experience of actually walking through the Batad rice terraces, standing in the spray of one of the nearby waterfalls, and playing with sharp machetes. Visiting Batad is almost like stepping back in time and out of the frenetic pace of modern life. A great experience.

This trip was certainly a well-needed dose of nature and fresh air after spending so much time in Manila. Now, if it just weren't for the 10 hour bus rides and the endless jeepney trips, I could head back to Sagada next weekend.

So, I'm 27.

Well, it's been a while since our last post. Old age, you know - it just slows you down. But seriously, things have been crazy. Right now, Sara is coaching track and I am coaching softball, I am taking classes for my master's degree, and we are both teaching up a storm at our great school. We have also been dabbling in the Philippine Ultimate Frisbee scene the past couple of months - yes, Ultimate is a real sport. It's all been great, but it doesn't leave a lot of time for blogging.

The last "big event" I can think of is my 27th birthday. I was planning on doing nothing to celebrate, but then our fantastic friends, Matt and Heather, asked us if we wanted to go to the beach with them. We did want to go, and we went, and it was great. Here are a couple of pictures of the outing.

You know, for a guy with a January birthday, I'd say hanging out at the beach is a pretty great way to celebrate being a year older. So, I'm 27.

Even though this is shamelessly self-promotional, I am going to do it anyway. As a part of one of my master's courses on educational IT, I have created another blog. It's an educational blog, so many of you will find it woefully irrelevant. But those of you who like reading my writing (and I think that's pretty much limited to my mom - love you, Mom!), you might find it interesting. There are some great comments I have received already from some of my colleagues and from an educational blogger from the website www.change.org - if you're a teacher, his blog is also worth reading - Clay Burrell at http://education.change.org. Anyway, all that to say, some of you should check out my new blog over at http://kopptastic.wordpress.com. Let me know what you think.

The Cold

A shiver ran down my back this morning as I stepped out of the lobby of the condo and into the brisk December air of Manila. The temperature was a cool, moderately humid 70 degrees Fahrenheit - quite cold by Manila standards. As I arrived at work and meandered into my classroom, I toyed with the idea of switching on the air conditioning - just to get some fresh air in the room. But it was far too pleasant a morning to be ruined by the blast of air conditioning. As per my morning routine, I turned on my computer and logged on to the Internet to check my email, fantasy basketball team, and the headlines for the day. Knowing that I will soon be flying to Spokane, I decided I ought to check KREM.com for the weather forecast. Ignorance is supposedly bliss - and I see why. One of KREM's top headlines implored Spokane residents to cover themselves in layers of clothing, as any uncovered skin would freeze within minutes of exposure to the sub-zero weather conditions. I'm not sure "Tropical Mike" will be able to handle this cold weather very well. Does anyone have a down jacket I can borrow?

Merry Christmas Blog Junkies - and to any of you who will be in Spokane, be sure to contact me and Sara. We would love to see you - especially if you will lend us warm clothes.

It's Clean, It's Tropical, It's America . . . It's Hawaii!

There is certainly something to be said for cleanliness. After two years of traveling around parts of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, Hawaii was a welcome change in the sanitation department. However, there were many raised eyebrows at work when I responded to the, "where are you going for October holiday?" question. The typical response was a look that said something to the effect of, "you live in an archipelago of thousands of tropical islands, but you're going to fly 11 hours away from here - to a different archipelago?" The answer, of course, was a resounding YES! This trip was not as much about seeing Hawaii as it was about seeing the entire Kopp clan, all together in tropical America to celebrate Mom and Dad's (a.k.a Grammy and Pops) 35th wedding anniversary.

Sara and I had such a great time that I thought I should post some of the highlights. Let me preface this by saying that my experience at the international airport in Manila warrants a blog entry of its own. But more on that later - suffice it to say that the eleven hour flight was the easy part!

Sara and I arrived in Hawaii earlier than the rest of the Kopps, so we headed off to Kauai for some rest and relaxation. As much as we both LOVE our new jobs at ISM, we were ready for a break. Our first night in Kauai gave us a chance to watch the sunset and listen to the ocean. You can see that from this very cliche Hawaii Sunset picture (no that's not a postcard - just Sara's mad photography skillz).

One of Sara's favorite parts about our accomodation in Kauai was the resident kitten that came by our cottage to visit every night. His name is Sox (not our choice - someone else had already named him). The whole 'resident kitten' thing fit in perfectly with Sara's ongoing efforts to procure a kitten for the Mike & Sara residence back in Manila.

One of the other highlights of our time in Kauai was a helicopter ride in a Hughes 500 (the kind with no doors - yikes!). Sara convinced me that this would be a fun and relaxing trip. I tried to remember that while I grasped my seat and prayed that a heavy wind would not extricate me from the chopper. I was able to snap a few great pictures, but merely by luck - as I was too nervous to actually use both hands to steady the camera. Here are a couple shots from the helicopter ride.

The helicopters, hiking, and great eating in Kauai were great, but there were other things on our agenda. Namely: The Highlight of the Trip. One of the best parts of the trip for me was getting to hold my nephew Andrew, and getting to play with my nephew Jacob. Being an uncle is definitely one of the best things in life! It was so GREAT to catch up with my nephews, but it was equally as fantastic for me and Sara to get to spend time with Matt and Brianne. Things just kept getting better with the arrival of Grammy and Pops and Uncle Dan. This was the first time in quite a while that all of the Kopps have been together. And, of course, the hardest part was saying good-bye when our time in Hawaii ended. But not before the whole family lived it up in true Hawaiian style at a luau.

Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!

p.s. comments are welcome on the subject of why Mike and Sara should NOT get a kitten! (See Sara, that's what you get for never doing the blog updates! he-he)

Where I Come From . . . .

It goes without saying that living far away from family can make one appreciate all of the things that make a place "home". This post is dedicated to stuff about where I come from. For me and Sara, the best part about the Summer of 2008 was getting to spend it with our friends and family in Spokane. Just this afternoon, Sara was organizing the pictures we had taken in the summer, and we were commenting on what a beautiful part of the world we come from. So, in a tribute to the Inland Northwest, here is a picture of the Spokane River, taken by Sara the expert photographer.

The picture on the right was also taken by Sara, as we drove to Seattle with Mom and Dad. This one makes me homesick for the open road - something that Manila clearly lacks. This one also makes me think of Steve Earle's music. Sara and I have been on a bit of a Steve Earle kick lately, initiated by our recent viewing of Season Five of The Wire (our favorite television show EVER). Oh, Americana.

Also on our trip to the States this past summer, Sara and I were privileged with a visit to the Boeing Air Museum in Seattle with Dan and the Rents. Here is a picture of Dad, me, and Dan standing outside the museum.

The next few pictures are pretty much just for family. Sara and I promised that we would get copies of these posted - so here they are:

And Mom, I should apologize for posting this picture. It was our last night in Spokane before we moved to Manila, and I think you were about to start crying - perhaps a bad time for pictures? Oh well, thanks for being such a good sport.