Monday in Manila

Our free day in Manila gave us a chance to explore a bit of Makati City, exchange our dollars for pesos (142 pesos for every US dollar), and hit Starbucks for a critical Grande Coffee of the Day. Throughout the city we found armed guards every 20 yards and at the entrance of every public building, including Starbucks.


A quick cab ride delivered us to Fort Santiago - one of the oldest fortifications in Manila, dating back to 1571. The Fort boasts a colorful, continuously catastrophic history, including military attacks, earthquakes, and various military occupations by Britain, the United States and Japan. During the Japanese military occupation in 1942, hundreds of civilians and guerillas were imprisoned, tortured and executed. The Fort was eventually destroyed in the Battle of Manila in 1945. Restoration and maintenance of the Fort began in 1951, and it was turned over to the Intramuros Administration in 1992.

We spent some time walking within Intramuros - the oldest district and historic core of Manila. The Walled City was the seat of government during the Spanish Colonial Period. Its walls stretched 2.8 miles and enclosed an area of about .25 square miles, providing a space for residences, churches, palaces, schools, and government buildings.



Today, beyond the walls we saw the Pasig River on one side, and a modern-day golf course on the other.

After a pleasant lunch we left Intramuros to catch a cab back to Makati City. Along the way we observed local efforts to combat Global Warming.


That evening, the medical team convened at a nearby Cuban restaurant for Mahitos, goat (in some cases) and instructions for the day ahead. The day would begin with wake-up calls at 3:00 a.m. which didn't deter some from enjoying an extra Mahito or two.

The Drilla in Manila

Our 18+ hour trip to Manila was made longer when we were stuck on the ground at the San Francisco Airport. Our United Airlines pilot had forgotten his passport, setting us back 90 minutes until a replacement pilot could be found. Despite the ridiculous delay, we made it to Tokyo Narita, Japan - just in time to scramble to our connecting flight to Manila.

We arrived at the Manila Airport, meeting our teammates for the first time at baggage claim. Besides everyone's personal luggage, we retrieved 19 huge ISM supply bags and 5 big cases of instruments and machines. It took all of us to grab and cart the gear through customs. We then had a 2-hour wait for our local contact, a truck and multiple vans, to show up to transport us from the airport to our lodging. After midnight we finally reached the Asian Mansion Condotel - our lodging for the next 2 nights.

The Asian Mansion Condotel is no mansion, but it was clean, convenient and in the heart of Makati City. We hit the sack immediately so that we could be reasonably rested for a free day in Manila before heading to our medical post.

Medical Mission - The Philippines!

Last winter while I was recovering from a couple of foot surgeries, Tom flew south - WAY south - to The Philippines where he pursued his long-time dream to do a medical mission. His experience was so positive and rewarding that he encouraged me to participate in the effort this year.

We joined forces once again with International Surgical Missions (ISM), a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Paul Radway in 2005. Based in Pueblo, Colorado, ISM's mission is "To provide opportunities for volunteer personnel to contribute surgical care in third-world countries. To support those mission trips by raising funds. To share those experiences with the community." The organization has mounted missions to Honduras and has contacts in Ecuador and Guatemala. We became part of a 28-person team that comprised ISM's 6th trip to The Philippines.

Mission participants each contribute $2500 to cover airfare, lodging and some of the necessary medical supplies. Over the years the organization has acquired instruments, cautery machines, portable anesthesia machines, etc., but fund raising is critical to underwrite a host of consumable items, such as dressings, medications, surgical gloves, etc. Dedicated to international service, our Rotary Club of Coeur d'Alene contributed $4000 to the cause which was gratefully received and carefully used by ISM.

With my hepatitis, typhoid and tetanus shots properly injected, I was ready to pack my bag and share an experience that has had Tom on fire for the past 12 months.

All You Need is LOVE

...and a 48-hour getaway to Las Vegas. It also helps to have a good friend who is a hot shot with Marriott and who knows how to arrange fabulous accommodations and show tickets.

Cirque du Soleil shows are imaginative, amazing and non-stop feasts to the senses. LOVE is no exception. Inspired by the music of the Beatles, this show features gymnasts and dancers Here, There and Everywhere. Not sure which I enjoyed more - that cry-baby guitar or being in the sky with Lucy and all those diamonds.



The rest of the weekend was great fun, too, with fine dining, upscale miniature golf, dancing, and laughter. It was really Something!



No trip to Sin City would be complete without a celebrity sighting - like our breakfast encounter with comedian David Brenner.






We enjoyed our winter escape to warmer temperatures - but best of all was spending time with the Whitmans and the Wilsons. I always manage to get by With a Little Help from My Friends.

The Best Birthday Presence of All

Not a typo. My November birthday falls on or around Thanksgiving, and this past Thanksgiving holiday attracted our kids (and company) from their remote locations to our home on Hayden Lake. Consequently, I could not have asked for better birthday presents than the presence of my family and friends.



We happily reopened and dusted the Lake Place for the Thanksgiving weekend and our all-too-rare family reunion. This time we were also joined by Paul's mom Sue, Becky's friend Adam and Sam's friend Megan. In addition to Idaho, the states of Florida, Texas, Washington, California, and Wisconsin, were represented during my birthday weekend.













Food and celebratory drinks were on the agenda, along with jigsaw puzzles, robust board games, and outdoor pursuits.

The release of my long-awaited family cookbook prompted an impromptu signing by the self-published author. (The cookbook, however, will be the subject of future blog.)


My birthday could not have been brighter, literally.



But sharing our Thanksgiving table and savoring a multitude of blessings was upfront and center.

Sonoma

Tom and I have many wonderful memories of living in New Zealand. Among our favorites was a weekend exploration of Hawke's Bay wine region with our Kiwi friends. It seemed only fitting that Elsie and I should resume our world-wide exploration of wine regions - this time on the U.S. soil of Sonoma.


Along with others attending the surgery conference, we took a scenic hour-long bus ride from downtown San Francisco to Sonoma. Our first stop was Artesa Winery - perched atop the highest hill of a 350-acre estate.











Artesa's architecture and winemaking traditions honor its Spanish heritage. After an informative tour, Elsie and I honored tastes of Artesa's Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

From there the tour drove us to a frustratingly short lunch stop in the city of Sonoma. We could have done some serious shopping in the charming boutiques surrounding the city square - had we had more time.

Our next stop was Kunde Family Estate, located on an 1,850-acre estate in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Five generations of the Kunde family have been producing wine for over a century.


Our tour took us through grapevines on our way to the wine cave where we learned that actor Seth Rogen had been married earlier that month, and where (more importantly) we did some barrel-tasting and sampled Kunde's award-winning Reserve Century Vines Zinfandel.

Reunion!

The American College of Surgeons' Annual Clinical Congress attracts surgeons from all over the world. We were especially thrilled that this year the conference attracted our good friends Elsie and Etienne Truter from New Zealand. Elsie and I had plotted our rendezvous in San Francisco for months and months.

The Truters became close friends during our six-month living experience in Rotorua where Tom practiced surgery with Etienne and I practiced having fun with Elsie.

San Francisco is arguably one of the best restaurant cities in the world. Choosing dining spots for the four of us was a culinary delight - a little like picking what ride to take next in Disneyland.




The task was made even easier with a little advice from my niece Beth Rasmussen. Like her mother, Beth is a true foodie. Interestingly, Beth became acquainted with Emily Luchetti, Executive Pastry Chef for the highly rated restaurant Farallon. This acquaintance led to an opportunity for Beth to serve as a "guinea pig baker" for Luchetti as she wrote her latest cookbook The Fearless Baker. Beth appears in the cookbook! Naturally, Beth arranged an autographed copy of this beautiful cookbook for her favorite Aunt Sue. And naturally, I made one of our dinner reservations at Farallon.


So our San Francisco reunion with Elsie and Etienne began with a fabulous dinner at Farallon. Non-stop chatter was interrupted only long enough to eat our memorable multi-course dinner. Needless to say, we all ordered dessert.