Goodbye, Classics, Figures, Christmassongs

My last day in the Philippines. I got back from Panglao Island this morning where I spent another very beautiful week of diving, sunbathing but unfortunately also some fever and toothache.....my reliable immunesystem fighted it successfully but there was no way, after 5pm I lost the fight...so I spent my evenings from 5 on in bed watching HBO for about 6 hours and then sleep till 8 - with 2 diet cokes from my minibar on my cheek and fronthead. Nice!! Got up, felt better and could stand till about 5 again - then back to bed. Today I feel still a bit fragile, but not to worry about. The problem was that I left my medis in Manila, convinced, in my last week nothing will happen to me. Sure. Bravo Lucie.

Apropos Lucie Classics - some things do never change.....:

I forgot all my medicine in Basel. / I forgot my connection cable for my cam in Basel and therefore had to buy a Memory card reader, which I most of the time forgot to bring to the Internetcafe. / I travelled to Long Beach, knowing, I will need to go to Boracay one time in these two months to extend my visa. But I forgot my passport in Manila (Eden had to bring it....) / Once being in Boracay and extending the visa, I left my passport in the copymachine of the copycenter (the Copyguy ran after me with it...) / After paying my hotelbill I forgot my credit card at the reception (the receptiongirl ran after me with it...) / I forgot my key in my hotelroom and therefore had to climb in through the window with ONLY my bikini on. / I fell over a boatrope carrying 3 huge bags, straight on my belly. Jen dying from laughing. 10 Filipinos helping me to get up as if I broke both of my legs. / I lost my iPod. (When? Where? How? NO IDEA!!!) / On several weekends in Romblon I forgot either my showerstuff, my camera, my card reader (as mentioned), my towel etc....spend hell of a lot of money to buy forgotten stuff.....Sounds like Lucie? Hm.......

Figures:

• Shower with a showerhead and hot water: 30 (from around 200)
• Different vehicles: 9 >Minifisherboats, Huge Ferrys, Catamarans, Jeepneys, Trycicles, Motorbikes, Busses, Planes, Pick ups (on the back)
• Drying my hair with a hairdryer: 1
• Wearing closed shoes: only when running
• km of Jogging; ca. 280
• km of swimming: ca. 30
• Mosquitobites: around 150
• Jellyfishbites: 2 (all over!!)
• Eating Mango and Pineapple: 1 a day
• Eating Pasta: 2

What I will miss:

• The beauty of this country. The beaches, the forests, the jungle, the villages, the cities, the mountains. Each single day of this trip I was astonished by the contrasts, the diversity and the prettiness of this place. Many times I had to pause, watch and appreciate in disbelief what I saw. It is overwhelming and amazing what this country offers.
• The helpfulness, the honesty, and the heartiness of the filipinos.
• The sun, the heat!
• Diving....
• The adventure of travelling - the feeling of freedom without having to care about date and time.
• The Gekos

What I look forward to:

• Family, friends, BEN!
• My home
• Swiss food....
• Walking down the street without being stared at from everybody
• Boxtraining
• My Bicycle
• PROSECCO!!!

Tradition in the Philippines is, that the pre-Christmas period starts on September 1st. So, sitting on Panglao Island with 35degrees, having breakfast with seaview and look forward to spend my day at the beach - the background music is 'Silent night' / 'Rudy the rednose reindeer' / 'We wish you...' I can't believe it.....

The Philippines, a country, I hardly heard of before, I hardly knew anything about and all of a sudden had a plan to travel there, live there, work there - a country I can only recommend to everybody to visit and a country I fell in love with.

Goodbye!!