Falcons and Bombers,

first my apologies for not reporting earlier.  As you can imagine, we are one very happy and emotional group!

It is now Friday morning here at Clark and I just returned from Balibago where we left VJ and Dary at the Roadhouse Bar on Field's Ave.  When last seen, they were sharing stories with a motley crew of Australians and other assorted denizens of the entertainment district.

Backtracking a little, all groups arrived safely in Manila on Tuesday, 31 October after a long flight via Seoul.  When we landed at Ninoy Aquino Airport there was a rousing cheer from all of us that could be heard all over the KE 747.

We were greeted with sampaguita leis and whisked to baggage where we waited anxiously for our luggage.  Customs was quicker.

Most of us had a fantastic lunch at Illustrados in Makati before heading to the Manila Hotel and an afternoon tour of the Intramurous and the Walled City.  Jean Whitman '59 and hubby Gene Brown met us at the restaurant, as they had arrived the evening before.

A few folks (Dary '73, Gloria Edgerly, and Mike Ward '70) headed directly for Clark and their own itineraries.

That evening we were treated to a fantastic Dance Filipiana show after a great native style dinner.  I had never seen so many variations of bamboo style dancing (tinikling).

Early Wednesday morning nearly 30 folks headed for an all day tour of Corregidor.  The rest of us slept-in and were bused to Clark.  The drive took nearly four hours due to All Saint's Day holiday traffic. 

What an emotional experience for most when they saw Mt. Arayat rising above the Pampanga plains!  We pulled over to the side of the road for many pictures.

After checking into the Holiday Inn, several of us went to Wagner and spent much time looking at the school.  Following this, we took a tour through the Hill area and stopped at many of our old homes.  Most of them were in bad shape with jungle encroachment everywhere.

The Corregidor folks arrived by early evening and we all met for an indoor Luau followed by another great show featuring Polynesian dance.

Thursday morning we had a very nice tour of the Angeles area including the new museum.  Lunch was great Mongolian barbecue at the Four Seasons.  The rest of the day included base tours and free time.  We had another great dinner that evening with live music.

During the dinner, we all had a chance to meet each other and share our feelings about the trip.  It was a very emotional gathering.

Several of us headed for Juliana's disco on First Street.

I'm sure many more details will follow.  It's just impossible for one person to describe all the events of the first few days.

Coming next - Homecoming, typhoons, Baguio, and La Union.

John Prunier '65