Grandma's House

Grandma lives in Ondoy which is a barrio in Kalibo. To get there isn’t easy. From Manila, we went on a plane for one hour to Kalibo. There, we met my dad and his helpers who rented a van for us. Our driver’s name was Hansel. He would take us throughout Aklan for the few days we were there. The drive to Kalibo was over 1 hour, making traveling time over 15 hours total to get from Honolulu to Ondoy. Grandma’s villa is a massive property on acres and acres of land. Most of the land consist of rice patties. The big problem was the shower pressure and broken toilet. Ha-ha, only Americans would complain about those two things, what spoiled human beings we are!

The environment was of relaxation. Our balcony overlooked the rice patties, just a great view! At night, I remember watching the lightning storm from the balcony, no one was up yet, just serenity! Early one night, I went up to the roof via a handmade stairs, it was pitch dark. I saw a panoramic view of the stars, just a feeling of freedom! Every morning, we ate a hearty breakfast, just great conversations with family. On one of the days there, we visited my dad's old elementary school and met his teachers (who still teach there), just a great moment. We also went to Ondoy Beach via a dirt road, just a cool experience!

Spending time in the country for those 3 days pretty much cleared my head and caused me to be stress free. Peace of mind is a difficult thing to have now days, but it happened in Ondoy.