sakuyaini's VirtualTourist Home Page

I live a few miles east of San Francisco, and I do think San Francisco is a beautiful city. One of the few cities lucky to have the ocean and hills within the city itself (although the ocean water is cold all year long!). I took this picture as we were passing by this street one day and the sun was setting. The soft rays of the late afternoon sun gave a pinkish hue to the city's skyline. I know this photo is not too original as it can be seen in hundreds of San Francisco postcards but I just had to take the photo myself!

Now this is a typical summer day in San Francisco. Foggy. My friends and I had to drive up higher on the hill so we could be above the fog and get a view of the bridge and the city.

Now, this is my nativeland. I did not grow up in a city, in fact, I spent most of my life in the Philippines in the provice (countryside). We lived for a few years in this little barrio, right across the rice fields in this photo.

Taken in front of our house when some of my relatives came over to visit us. Those 3 little boys are my 3 brothers, not quite little anymore now.

Napawon is several kilometers from one of the major (well, relatively major) towns - the town where I started kindergarten and finished highschool. Transportation (at that time) from the town to the barrio is very limited. Aside from a couple of jeepneys that goes in the mornings and afternoons, we can also take a tricycle (in the picture). You will be amazed at how much people can actually fit in here. ;o)

This is the town where my grandparents live, and where I spent most of my childhood. This is actually my childhood street, right in front of my grandparent's house. This road has gone a long way, as I remember it being an asphalt road with holes here and there. If you notice, you can see a brown patch up on the road - that's "palay" (what the rice is before it's milled) being dried. The palay needs to be dried before farmers can sell them to mill-owners. I would sometimes help sweep the dried "palay" and put them into sacks.

I never knew how much I'd miss them ....

This is the parish church of the town of San Jose, where I grew up and where my family originated, from my great great grandfather all the way to down my father. My aunt took this picture earlier this year.