Day 4... Table for ONE, please!

Dolly wasn't kidding when she said the sunrise is stunning from her home!  I set my alarm for 4:30am, just to catch it!

I woke up around 8:00am, and walked out my bedroom door to see this!  A view like this could never get old!

I walked downstairs and was immediately greeted by one of their housekeepers who was cleaning in the kitchen.  "Would you like some breakfast, ma'am?"  I've NEVER had a maid or housekeeper, so I'm not used to this kind of service!  "2 pieces of toast would be wonderful, thank you!"

After breakfast, Dolly's driver took me to White Beach so I could take a walk on the shore!  Can you believe the color of the water here?!

The shore is lined with fun shops and charming little cafes and restaurants!

After walking for a while, I headed inland for lunch!  I stopped at "the Pancake House" and indulged in the most delicious chocolate chip pancakes, at a "table for one!"  They came with a pleasant surprise too - peanut butter!  I thought of you A!

I knew this could possibly be my only chance to be independent while I'm here on the island, since Dolly has people serving me all day long, so I decided to walk back to the hotel (which is about a 1/2 mile from the town), instead of using the shuttle bus, so I could get a look into what the natives live like!

This was the first little schmooch I spotted!  Her mom owned a hair braiding stand on the beach!

This kid was carrying this stick with bags of small fish, along the side of the road... put to work before ever attending high school.

A market where the locals shop...

Family bike ride!

Right after I snapped this photo, a man behind me asked, "Are you a photographer?"  I turned around and answered, "I dabble a bit here and there."  He introduced himself as Marco.  He's probably in his 60's, a retired English and poetry teacher from New York, who's married to a 24 year old Russian woman who works as a hotel sales director in Boracay.  We walked and chatted about travels and stuff, and he introduce me to his wife, Olga, who's workplace was right off the road we were walking on.  They invited me to join them for drinks tomorrow night!  I was honored and said I'd love to.  They seem like a very interesting couple, and I'm excited to hear about their lives!

After saying goodbye to Olga and Marco, who, by the way's, full name is Marco Polo!  NO JOKE!, I decided to walk along this road, off the beaten path, to get a better look at the way they live here in the Philippines.  This girl was the first person I ran into.  She was on her way to school and stopped to greet me.  She was an absolute sweetheart, and began blushing when I told her how beautiful she was. :)

A local Philippino boy, playing outside his home (in the background).

The neighborhood basketball hoop, which has been very resourcefully and creatively crafted out of a tree trunk and random scraps!

This area was up the road a bit and was the most shocking of all...

While tourist stay in beautiful resorts along the shore, these people live in shacks.  It's times like these that make me thankful for my apartment and air conditioning.  We are blessed friends, realize it!  This family was sitting on their front step, and was very welcoming to me!  When I asked if I could take their picture, they were honored!  (I'm sad it turned out so blurry)

 
This was the rest of their neighborhood...

I stopped into a local school along the side of the road during my walk... In fact, I think it may be the only school on the island!  The kids were adorable, and loved practicing their English with me, and of course getting their picture taken by a foreigner!

The smiles on their faces assured me that they are happy children, despite their poverty.  You can literally see the joy spewing out of them!!!

A local boy, buying some candy...

The local hair salon!  Fancy, fancy!

It began to rain, and I was almost to the resort entrance when I heard a scooter beeping behind me!  I turned around and it was Ike (the hotel director).  He said, hop on Jill, I'll take you to your room!  I've never ridden on a scooter with a resort director, in the rain!  Chalk that one up! 

I stopped into my hotel room to shower up and put my bathing suit on, because it was pool time as far as I was concerned!  I tried, in vain, to get a timed picture in the pool, but none of them turned out!  I did however think you guys would get a kick out of this one!  I'm still trying to figure this darn camera timer out! 

It began to sprinkle a bit, and I could hear thunder in the distance, so I jumped out of the pool and grabbed my beloved Sudoku book and went to town for about an hour, before relocating to the beach!

There were hardly any people around today...  Some would say, "What's a beach without people swimming and playing beach volleyball?"  I would say, "The best kinds of beaches are the one's with clear water, and no one in sight!"  I think I came to the right place!

I love this cove, which leads to the staircase to the clubhouse!!

I decided it was time to indulge myself in a pedicure (because, lord knows, I NEEDED one!), so I headed to town and stopped in at the first shop I saw!  (The before shot!)

My pedicurist's name was Jude, and let me tell you... He was the most detail oriented and perfectionistic person I'd ever had touch my toes!  I think he saw it as a challenge to make my toes look nice again! :)

I snapped this picture of him, and said, "Jude, you're so handsome!" (Just to give him a little confidence boost!) ... and all his co-workers (who were women) started laughing and said, "No, no.  Jude is PRETTY!"   Seems Jude is a lady boy in the making!

While we're on the topic of lady boys, I love this picture because the woman standing in all white on the left side, posing for the camera, is a ladyboy masseuse!  Their flamboyancy is really funny to me.

The island is hopping tonight with beach side restaurants serving inexpensive, yet delicious, buffets!

I actually opted for a plate of fruit tonight!  If you know me, you know I am a SERIOUS LOVER of fruit, and I haven't had a bite since I arrived here!  This plate was the perfect dinner treat!

After dinner, I stopped into the internet cafe, which is right next to this restaurant.  So, in about 3 minutes, I'm going to be lounging right here in my table for one! :)

While I loved my independent, "table for one" type of day, I would give anything for Aaron to be here with me on this adventure!  Miss you A!

Until tomorrow!

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