MANILA

It all seemed slightly surreal arriving in Manila after 2 months in Australia yet it was also very comforting as Australia felt a little too much like home for our liking. Manila on the other hand is a mad bad city with exceedingly bad smells. Normally I am fine and I coped with all the markets of South America with no problem but a walk along the promenade in Manila had both Emm and I retching! We stayed in the ummm ... grittier part of Manila which was Ermita and were rewarded with the horrible sights of seventy year old German men with 16 - 20 year old beautiful Philipino girls .... what on earth is wrong with these supposed men? Anyway, in short Manila is very dirty, very noisy and a great deal of fun.

SABANG

To escape from the hectic pace of Manila we took a 3 hour bus and 1 hour ferry to the island of Mindoro and stayed in a place called Sabang. Became exceptionally fond of the place probably because I learnt to dive here and gained my PADI Open Water Certification.

CEBU

CEBU

Arrived on a Friday evening to a vibrant and bustling city with a great atmosphere. Stayed in the downtown area of the city, on the 15th floor of a hotel - so we had some great views. The downside was that we were near a videokaraoke - and the Philippinos love their karaoke at 4am!! Only had a couple of nights here - so visited the few historical sights on offer and went off to enjoy the shopping malls. Also made sure I got the final Harry Potter before we flew off to China (although neednt have bothered, as have seen a pirate copy of HP in Beijing for 2.50GBP!)

MALAPASCUA

Took the local bus out of Cebu and north toward a town called Maya Bagay. Definitely a local bus, as I ended up sitting next to a live chicken wrapped up in a plastic bag, for the 4 hour journey. And very well behaved it was too! Not a sqwark the entire time! Jumped on a ferry and headed to Malapascua island (Malapascua means bad christmas. Apparently Magellan landed here in the 1500's on Xmas day and couldnt find any fresh water, hence the name).The island is beautiful - white sands, blue seas and palm trees. Stayed just under a week - but could have stayed a lot longer! Tony tried out his new diving skills and went off on a couple of dives. Great place to relax and chill out....