And already I miss them...

It's my first morning back in Manila. And after the pattern of the last ten days, it feels strange to wake up in my own bed... in my own room. It doesn't fit into my day anymore to walk to a kitchen and jusy grab a glass of juice from the fridge. Most of all, how odd to be back in the city and so far away from the island. Far from Siargao's perfect office view and even more perfect waves.

But more than anything... it's really this that I miss the most right now:


Siargao only feels like Neverland... but unlike it, these kids do grow up. These are my new batch of grommets. My first batch has grown up and declared themselves too old to be hugged, too old to be following my around the island, and definitely too old to be kissed and coddled. So these groms are my ones from last year... a little bit older... but young enough still to think it's cool to hang with "Ate Kage."(In photo: Mike, Ken, Lorse, Enteng, Phillip)

Breakfast beckons. How odd that I can now have pretty much anything I want for brek -- waffles, bacon, three cheese toast, garlic rice - but I would much rather be sitting in Ate Layda's store as the morning sunlight drifts through the trees, sipping on a coffee and budgeting my meal by having only a single egg with toast.