Christmas Day we decided at the last minute to all go down to a local Water Park for the day (kind of like Whitewater in Atlanta). The girls pack picnic lunch and Jasper, Lynn, Roselle, Rosie, Jenny and I all piled into the Toyota and headed down the South Super Highway. Just outside of Manila the car dies on the expressway but somehow we make it to an exit and a service station. It had overheated, they repaired it and on we go. But the Water Park, it turns out, had closed months ago - a casualty of the economy, I guess. So we keep going further south to a local theme park - the Filipino version of Six Flags -- closed! Okay, we're not that far from Laguna, so we proceed on a bit further to a hot springs resort we know of. Finally, 2:30 pm we reach the place, pay our $25 (for the group) and picnic and swim for the afternoon. On the way home, I stop and buy two Buko Pies (Laguna is famous for its buko pies). When I get home, the pies are still hot! Yum! Masarap!

Eight Days at White Beach, Puerto Galera, Mindoro!!! December 27 to January 3. More later.