Days 25: Monday 26th June

Unfortunately, we had to get up really early again Monday morning (as you can probably tell I'm not really a morning person, especially not at four in the morning!) We had to be at the bus station at six so that we would have enough time to travel the long distance across the island. We met Estella and the others at the station and got on the bus (what we would call a coach but they call a bus), for the first three hours of our journey. On the bus we were able to catch up on some sleep, (well everyone except Sarah!), have a sort of second breakfast, and watch a bit of some film that wasn't really that good!
After we got of the bus we got into a van (minibus) that took us the two hours to the coast, dropping of some things with Estella's relatives on the way. This part of the journey took us past rice fields, crops of other kinds and moutains, so we saw some of the natral beauty of the Philippines. Once we got to the coast it started to pour with rain and we were told that we were experiencing the tail end of a typhoon that was, fortuately moving away, but we decided to go ahead and finish the journey anyway, (after wrapping up all our things in plastic bags). So we all got into the small boat that was waiting for us and headed off along the coast. The journey took about three hours and was interesting because the sea was a little choppy! I was sat on the bamboo poles that stick out over the edge of the boat, over the beautiful green-blue sea and so I had to hold on tight!!!!
By the time we got to the shore and had got off the boat we were all soaked through, and still had a half hour walk in the pouring rain! Jennifer and I decided that we were so wet anyway that we would try and protest our bags as much as possible, having them on our front and covering them with our umbrellas! Estella thought this was funny and said we looked like soliders of to war with our shields! The walk took us across rivers and streams swollen with all the rain (I don't know how many times I nearly lost my flip-flops!), and through jungle-like terrain, before we got to the house we were staying in! You may think that this sounds like a miserable and uncomfortable walk, but it was exciting, and didn't really care much by that point! We had got to the point where it was just funny when we lost our shoes and they threatened to go floating off to sea for the tenth time!
We were staying in one of the houses of the people who live in that area that Estella and Reah made contact with and are helping. There are three tiny bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen with an outhouse sort of building on one side, and a CR a little way off outside. (This is big for a filippino house, most of the time they have one room which they share and use for everything)
After we had changed into some dry clothes (so glad we had put them in plastic bags!) we had some tea and then went to bed shortly after as everyone goes to bed early because they don't have many lights they can put on when it gets dark, and as their days go from early morning to early evening.
The five of us girls shared they floor in one of the tiny rooms and the social workers shared a bed in the room next door. The floor wasn't exactly the most comfortable of palces to sleep, but we were all so tired that we managed to catch at least a few hours!

That's it from me! Cya soon!
Becci x