Wednesday, March 31

In the Philippines, Easter is a huge huge deal, but not in a commercialized way like it is the United States. Earlier on our trip, someone was telling us about how people in certain cities actually crucify themselves (I dont think they end up killing themselves). Poor Leah got sick again and had to leave her vacation early. Fortunately she was able to find a driver to rent a van a take her home. She told us when she was driving through one city that traffic was stopped because people were whipping themselves in public. She saw red on their backs, at first thinking it was paint, before realizing it was blood and having to close her eyes. She said closing her eyes didn't help because she could still hear everything that was going on. How awful. Wasn't Jesus crucified so we wouldn't have to endure that kind of suffering? Here is an article about all of this:

Article

Back in peaceful Sagada, we hiked 3 hours through a cave! I'm pretty sure the U.S. wouldn't approve of people doing anything like this over there...especially since we didn't sign any waivers, or really have any equipment with us (hats with lights on them, etc.) and people have died doing this before...but that was from a flash flood during the rainy season. Plus we were only paying our guide the equivalent of about $15 including the massive tip because he was so great. If any rock had fallen, it could have maybe left us trapped, or if any one of us had fallen, that could be a disaster, as well...But it was amazing! And disaster free. I couldn't believe the little rock holes we would crawl through, or the caves we would have to climb up...or the massive amounts of bat poo we had to walk on near the end (which they didn't tell us was bat poo until someone was using their hands to hold themselves up). We all jut felt so....adventuresome. Which sounds so insanely corny. But we were! We were on an adventure. :)