Blogs from Boracay, Philippines, Asia - page 4

For å komme til Boracay fra Cebu har du i grunnen to ruter. Fly til Caticlan og ferje derfra eller fly til Kalibo, kjøre til Caticlan og ta ferje. Vi tok den siste fordi...vel, det var det alternativet vi fikk. Det er egentlig lite stress. Da vi ankom Kalibo, stod det masse busser (vans) utenfor som skulle ha type 250 pesos for kjøreturen og ferja (ca 30 kr). Så vi tok det. Det som ikke ble nevnt var at når man skal ta ferje fra Caticlan må man betale terminal fee 50php og environmental fee 75 php. Dette får du kjøpt i to forskjellige luker (rett ved siden av hverandre). Litt i grann kaos, da ingen forteller deg dette. Etter å ha kjøpt diverse billetter, gått gjennom sikkerhetskontroll var det på tide å gå på båten. ... read more

The Philippines: After some hard core traveling through SE Asia I felt it was a good time for a vacation. I’m trying to coordinate some travel with my friend Mike in Hong Kong or China, but needed to give him an extra week to find out if he could take the time off from work. The Philippines provided a great location, as it was on the way to Hong Kong (basically). I left Myanmar and spent a day in Bangkok doing research on places I want to visit and organized my travel for the Philippines. Luckily I was able to have dinner with Andrea and Kathleen (who were in my cooking class in Chang Mai). They were heading to Myanmar after Bangkok. I think they’re following me. Manila – I arrived in Manila and got talking ... read more

Filipino food is not so much an adventure as it is yummy goodness. For a pescotarian like me, it was heaven being somewhere with such rich seafood and fish offerings. It was also refreshing after Shanghai, which has been challenging because of the language barrier and the love of pork. While in Boracay, I got to eat some of the freshest seafood I have ever had. On our last night there, I devoured a crab that was so fresh and so well-seasoned I thought I was in heaven (and I’m not kidding about the devouring, I really should have taken an after picture, it was a mess). Another favourite was Sinigang Gambas - probably one of the best sauces I have ever had on shrimp. They served it at our hotel and I started to have ... read more

Off again! I promise I'll try and stay up to date with these things this time! My route - Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China. I fly back from Beijing on June 12th. I got into Manila after a long journey from Madrid, the few hours layover in Dubai was a killer. I spent one night at the Manila Airport Hotel literally a stone's throw from Terminal 1 but despite the fact that it can be walked in less than 3 minutes I was still advised to get the free shuttle service offered by the hotel since, according to the wee fella, the area was "unsafe". Welcome to Manila! I've known places that are liked by many and disliked by many but never have I come across a place so universally hated as ... read more

Two weeks on whitest sand beach in the world. Fourteen sun-drenched days with toes in said sand, palm fronds bobbing overhead, sipping coconut juice, dozing on banana chairs with Elliot and Duncan, the lazy sound of the surf heaving itself on the shore, lulling me to blissful oblivion. That’s what I have in mind, and Boracay delivers - at first. Duncan and I trudge up and down the busy beach path, shoving the stroller through the sand, bumping Elliot off to sleep. White Beach is long, long, long - giving us ample opportunity to sink our sweaty bodies into its all-hues-of-blue waters and cool off. We take turns to slip into the sea, then both have massages (two for 600 pesos - about AUD15), listening to the lilting, bubbling chat of the Filipinos around us. When ... read more