Five Boracay Sunsets

Six days and five nights on the island paradise of Boracay is perfectly impossible to describe. Adjectives have not been invented for the english language to describe it, so i will invent a new one: reslaxinate: to rejuvenate, slack, and relax. That pretty much sums up our vacation.

The forecast in Boracay was the same, everyday: highs in the upper eighty's, lows in upper seventy's, with a chance of thunderstorms...

It only drizzled once or twice and briefly at that, but the ever-looming clouds presented a perfect foundation for spectacular sunsets. Each one was breathtaking, leaving you wondering how life could get any better. Here are the Five Boracay Sunsets from November 9th through the 13th.

DAY ONE: Fresh off the boat.

From the balcony of our luxury suite, Boracay welcomes a happy therese and a hungover kev.

DAY TWO: Subtle and calming.

Perfect for our first full day of sun and reslaxination after three hard days of frisbee in Manila.

DAY THREE: Vast and ominous.

Sunset at the daily beach frisbee fields.

DAY FOUR: Can it get any better?

Glorious.

DAY FIVE: The Finale.

After four hours at Mandala Spa (award winning), therese and i have dinner and cocktails on the beach as the sun sets for the last time.

More to come as i work through hundreds of photos amidst re-entering reality.

~Kev

Thrillah in Manila

Wow. Lot's of pictures this time, i took over 300 in the first 3 days. Our Philippines adventure began in Manila, site of the Asia Oceania Ultimate Club Championships. Thirty-two mixed teams, nine Mens, and 4 Womens came to compete. Final standings in the three categories were Link (Japan) over the Boracay Dragons in Mens, Philippines over D-CUUP (China) in Women's, and Black Flag (All-star pick-up team from around the world) over Shiok (Singapore). Pictured below is CUUP and D-CUUP, China's Men's and Women's teams.

Our field location at the Alabang Country Club were beautiful, and was the most picturesque field location i've ever seen, rivaling Pleasantview in Boulder and Jeju in South Korea. We were surrounded on all sides by tropical trees and lush vegetation. We spent out bye rounds lying in the shade, looking up through palm trees and acacias, watching layers of clouds pass each other like boats crossing on the horizon.

Triple J

Our team from Beijing, Triple J, had a very good but hard Saturday, losing to Boracay by one point in our first game, defeating Disc Nights by one, and losing a close game to the other Beijing team, Ninja Bear Cowboy, who ended up finishing about 5th overall. Our plans to win the B pool on Sunday fell apart. We were plagued by sickness and injuries from two consecutive days of hard ultimate, and were short on people. Also, it was crazy hot and we were just plain exhausted. The previous night's party may have had something to do with it...

Saturday night is traditionally the biggest party at a tournament. This one would be epic. The theme was Zombies, and Triple J (from the people who brought you Doozers) had a two stage costume to commemorate the event. We started off the evening dressed as brain salesmen in matching black shirts and green ties. We passed out business cards: "Triple J Brains - Since 1718". We cut the scalp off a plastic skull and mashed a concoction of melon, bananas, tropical fruit juice, and rum, and spoon-fed it to all the zombies at the party.

A few of our customers...

When the clock struck midnight, we all got on stage, converted the tie to a bandana, and tore off our black shirts, buttons flying, to reveal ZOMBIE KILLERS written on our undershirts. Armed with squirt guns, we fought for our lives against the seething,drunken, brain-dead mass on the dance floor below. Our brain salesmen cover had just been a ruse to get close to the zombies to make our final assault.

I'm now on the last few days of Boracay with another 400+ photos to sort through. Paradise is exhausting.

~Kev

Snow!

In only a few days, Beijing's 6-8 weeks of perfect weather came to a crushing halt with a snowstorm that impressed even us, a couple of Colorado transplants. After hearing about Denver's recent snowstorm and following it on the news, ace and i were feeling a little homesick. Last winter it only snowed two times in Beijing, and only a dusting at that. This Sunday, however, Beijing was pummeled by 8 inches of beautiful, fluffy snow, which is about 8 inches more than Beijing normally gets in a winter.

Therese woke up delighted by the vast snowscape view from our 17th floor apartment. We watched from our warm bed as fat snowflakes dancing outside our window. Joe called and somehow convinced us to leave home and watch Game 3 of the World Series at The Den. We briefly entertained riding bikes, before we saw this...

Past our front gate, we were greeted by a beautiful mix of fall colors under a blanket of fresh fallen snow.

Though laziness was very tempting, especially on the day after halloween (to be recapped later), we decided snow in Beijing was too monumental to miss. We went to Nanlouguxiang for some window shopping and photography. It turned out to be a great idea. The area was bustling with activity, but not as much as usual. Locals tend to curl up in a warm ball when the snow comes, but we met it head-on.

I was fascinated by this little red bike-taxi, abandoned for the winter, crippled with a flat tire, it's once working parts now in disarray. It reminded me of how many things goes into hibernation for the winter, in their own way. It is parked in a beautiful hutong and will probably be featured in many visitors memories and photo albums.

On Joe's recommendation of "Best Desserts in Beijing", we stopped at Alba for some refreshments and a warm atmosphere: a cup of coffee for Joe, chocolate pudding for ace, and a BLT for the new clean-shaven me.

Winter may be here, but Therese and I can think of nothing else besides a vacation in a tropical paradise. In just three days, we'll be in the Philippines, land of Filipinos. And when we come back, China will have decided it's cold enough to turn on the heat, even though it was blistering today.

~Kev