The second day of our trip, we decided to see some sights that are important to the family in Tarlac City. Gus' brother, Jack, has a pick up truck, so Nathan really enjoyed riding around in the back with his cousins. A far cry from his Evenflo car seat!
Our first stop was the cemetery. Visiting the graves of loved ones is an important part of Filipino culture. We were able to visit the graves of Gus' Mom, brother, our great niece and nephew who passed away shortly after birth, and Gus' grandmother Emilia. Of course it was special to show Emie where her name came from. The family brings flowers, lights candles and just spends time together.
Next, we headed to a piece of property that Gus' brother Dong owns just outside of town. He moved to the U.S. two years ago, but the family maintains a small farm on the property. They grow eggplants, bananas and kalamanci (kind of like a key lime). The kids enjoyed the water pump. Yes, Nathan is still in pajamas. It is a casual culture and we fully embraced the style!
Nathan filling his shirt with eggplants for lunch.
Dong also had a beautiful house built on the property and it has a lush garden surrounding the yard.
Emie picking kalamanci.
Our brother in-law owns and maintains the property next door, so we headed there to let Emie chase some chickens and ducks.
Nathan and cousin Yong found an old construction truck to explore.
Then we headed home to make our kalamanci lemonade and grilled eggplants for lunch. Yum!
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