Why We Are Embracing the Island Life
8:23 PM
Thank you so much for all of your mixed reactions from my previous post, both public and private feedback.
In this blog post, I am answering questions that I have received after sharing our adventures on the island.
Living on the island is such a great opportunity to bask in the beauty of this paradise and to meet locals who are equally lovely. Yet, I aspire to illustrate an honest view away from picture-perfect Instagram photos. In reality, behind every smile and gorgeous landscape are factors that may pose as challenges. Please let me make it clear, we have so much to learn and it is our own responsibility to adapt.
To long time readers of the blog, it is without any doubt, a big contrast to our previous life. Friends who know me by heart might be perplexed with this big change. Good Lord, I wasn't gifted nor had the passion to play "Survivor". I was in fact deemed fragile when I was in my teens to early 20s. My life abroad later toughened me up. I nod at the fact that we have come a long way from Dubai , France, Manila and now on this island.
Living on the island is such a great opportunity to bask in the beauty of this paradise and to meet locals who are equally lovely. Yet, I aspire to illustrate an honest view away from picture-perfect Instagram photos. In reality, behind every smile and gorgeous landscape are factors that may pose as challenges. Please let me make it clear, we have so much to learn and it is our own responsibility to adapt.
To long time readers of the blog, it is without any doubt, a big contrast to our previous life. Friends who know me by heart might be perplexed with this big change. Good Lord, I wasn't gifted nor had the passion to play "Survivor". I was in fact deemed fragile when I was in my teens to early 20s. My life abroad later toughened me up. I nod at the fact that we have come a long way from Dubai , France, Manila and now on this island.
"What is the biggest challenge of island living for you?"
Perks and Complications of Living on a Rock
9:19 AM
"Everything was going wrong!" I screamed out of frustration, from lack of sleep and worry. My 2 y.o. caught a bacterial infection that sent her fever shooting through the roof. This is exactly the last thing anyone deserves while living on an island with very limited specialists and medical facilities.
My husband and I were
tempted to brave the 1-hour boat ride and 3-hour bus trip in pursuit of top
hospital care from any of the reputable medical centers in the city, but we
weren't sure my baby girl can physically handle the long journey.
In fact, this was the
final piece after a seemingly domino effect of crazy events. It blew my lid off
when I thought the digital thermometer accurately measuring her fever nearly
broke.
Right. When it rains, it
pours. Take that, El Nino!
Life on a Budget in Santa Fe
11:01 AM
I sat on a bamboo bench, caressed by the wind. I watched the very turquoise water that you see in the above picture. Words come to me, as naturally as the palm branches of the coconut lifting gracefully.
The upside to living on the island sans TV, there’s a lot of room for creativity. Two hours passed felt like 6 hours. We wake up before 7AM and sleep by 8PM or so. Traveling with our baby daughter leaves us no time to hang out in bars at night. No complaints, we had plenty of time doing that in the past.
This time, it isn’t just vacation. It’s an attempt to live the way locals do. How to get to this paradise- Santa Fe, Bantayan Island in the province of Cebu? Click here.
Getting to Bantayan Island
3:51 PM
My husband called this island, " paradise". To see it is to believe it. As I stood by the railing of an old ferry boat approaching the island, I made a mental note. "Yes. It is indeed, a paradise."
How to Get There?
