This is the 11th instalment of a series of personal posts I am sharing from our travels to the Philippines in May-June of this year. If you’d like to start from the beginning or check if you’ve missed any – you can view them as a set here.
Travelling with little children means that in the busy streets of Manila we get to know a lot of the streets surrounding our hotel from the back of a taxi.
It’s hard to explain my emotional response to travelling in a country so different to the one where I was raised. A life of western perspective swells below the surface during our travels. My mind fighting my heart constantly. I search for the truth amongst my misconceptions and find beauty in new light.
I know exactly what you mean. Even though I grew up living in Bangkok for seven years, we moved back to Australia when I was 15, and when we recently moved to Singapore two years ago, my soul withered a little. I found it hard to find the beauty in the manicured city and bland suburban flats, in a city with little room for imperfection. I missed Australian sunsets terribly!
I started documenting delight this year, partly as an attempt to start seeing the beauty in my surroundings again. But I still struggled, every trip back to Perth was like a breath of fresh air!
When we moved to KL in the middle of this year, I found it a little easier to breath again. I appreciated the beauty in the mess and welcomed the feeling of the sun on my shoulders again.
Your pictures of the Phillipines remind me a little of Bangkok and KL, perhaps the less developed parts, and I think they are lovely. It’s such an eye opener after Australia, isn’t it? And so great that our kids actually get to learn about this part of their heritage.
I’ve been reading your site for ages but rarely comment. But had to say, what an awesome post. To let the photos speak instead of trying to explain it all in words…. to be able to choose just a few from what must be a huge collection of photos, knowing that they will express your story – amazing. Thanks so much for this, and for what you do here.
Thank you so much for such a lovely thoughtful comment Stephanie. Thank you so much for commenting too, it’s really nice to know when people are reading and enjoying. Thank you. And yes, you’re so right. There were many, many to choose from ;)
Loving this series hun! Thank you for taking the time to lovingly write about our trip and collate all the pictures together. As well as taking the actual pictures and editing them. After my photoshop flurry, so much more respect on the process now.
Thanks again =) Your lovingly loving and dotingly doting husband xoxoxox best friends forever (and a day) hahaha :p