Tacloban - 1 year later

I spent last week back down in Tacloban City and the broader Leyte province doing an overview of our Typhoon Haiyan recovery projects.  A lot of progress has been made as we quickly approach the one year anniversary on Nov 8, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Getting ready for the Pope's visit in mid-January

Bushwhacking

Last weekend we attempted to backpack between two popular hiking spots in the Philippines. Unfortunately, the trail that appeared on the map didn't actually exist in reality and we spent the better part of the weekend bushwhacking our way through vines and dense pockets of bamboo. We did manage to find a pretty idealic, unexpected camping spot complete with a delicious coconut and a decent water source, though a bit infested with aggressive ants. 

Iloilo

I was in Iloilo this week to present a paper that a couple of us wrote on the evaluation of fisheries management in the Philippines. We had a few free hours before our flight in the afternoon and were able to make it to Miagao to see the UNESCO heritage church built in 1797. 

On the way back we found a seafarers' training center with an amazing display of superheros outside and a few min left for photo ops before we had to be at the airport.

And in honor of the fisheries/marine confererence we'd just come from...

Chiang Mai

I spent the Columbus Day weekend in Chiang Mai meeting up with another foreign service friend.  3rd time to Thailand this year, but this was my first time really leaving Bangkok.  Spent the long weekend checking out some temples, waterfalls, city sights, and stuffing my face with Thai food.