We just enjoyed a four day weekend; three of which were spent on the beach of south Luzon. (Luzon is the island Manila is part of). It was nice to finally take a trip without a jet and carbon guilt (well, still a little).

As an American, road trips are part of my soul.

The roads are surprisingly nice once you get on the Skyway, and a cruising speed of 130km/h was the result of too much caffeine and confinement to city driving for the past 4 months.

Exploring more of Luzon and seeing life outside of Manila is something every expat should do. Quaint little towns abound, and open lush landscapes offer a refreshing contrast to the fields of concrete in Manila.

The beach where was stayed was more of the pebble and sharp stone sort; after a round of beach frisbee I felt as if I’d filed my feet down with Novita’s pumice stones. But the breeze was nice, the cabanas relaxing, and we had a large VIP area all to ourselves. (“we” meaning a group of friends)

I’d like to explore more of the surrounding escapes, and now that we have a car, it’s very do-able. What’s next? Subic, Tagaytay, Puerta Galera?