Philippines

RobbyAsia

The Philippines consists of an archipelago of over 7,000 islands which is home to over 90 million inhabitants. We barely scratched the surface when we took in the sights of Manila (the chaotic capital) and lovely Boracay (voted one of the world’s best beaches). We found the Filipino people to be friendly, easy going and happy-go-lucky, making for a very pleasant initial experience. With so much more of this incredible country to explore, we will be back to spend some in-depth time here!

Ann smiles as she gets jostled around in our tricycle; Boracay Torrential down pouring the morning we arrived to Boracay...we were all wondering what was in store for us! Pretty Boracay is a popular destination for Asians who flood the tiny island on package deals Lots of shops line Boracay's main strip Ji Sung at the local fish market; Boracay Cau Nam, Bob, Ann and Ji Sung admire Boracay's pretty White Beach Wooden souvenir boats for sale; Boracay Touristy crap for sale in Boracay Chilin' in a rattan swing; Boracay Boracay is the perfect vacation spot to while away the time, with swaying coconut trees and plenty of sailboats or bangkas to whisk you away Robby walking down Boracay's main sandy strip where flip flops are optional Late night dance practice; White Beach A happy fisherman sells his fresh catch of the day at a great price; Orchid Resort on Boracay An inviting beach bar Fishing net; White Beach on Boracay Boracay's stunning turquoise waters make for a popular tourist destination Hiring a bangka for the day costs no more than 500 pesos an hour, although bargain hard! Luke, Cau Nam, Ji Sung and Becky all aboard our bangka (outrigger) boat for a day of snorkeling Gorgeous scenery abounds on our Boracay boat trip around the island Willy's rock; Boracay Cau Nam's first snorkeling experience; Crocodile Island Close up of a clown fish; Crocodile Island View of Puka Beach from our bangka Ann, Cau Nam and Luke about to devour lunch; Puka Beach Puka Beach is located at the north end of Boracay and is an idyllic beach destination Smiles all around at Puka Beach Idyllic beach spots are readily found on Boracay Boracay has accommodation to fit all sorts of tastes and budgets Luke somersaults off our bangka Cruising around Boracay is an ideal way to spend the day Luke, Becky and Robby goofing around in Boracay Smiling after a bangka slowly made its way over us; White Beach Robby and Luke climb up coconut trees; Boracay Simple shack selling spices and stuff on the way to Bulabog Beach School girls trying to beat the heat beneath an umbrella; Bulabog Beach The quintessential bangka (outrigger) boat is the perfect mode to cruise around Boracay Bangka boats on Bulabog Beach Fruit stand in Boracay Sandugo sandals are the best, earning the nickname "combat flops" for their ability to withstand all the abuse we can throw at them Traditional outrigger boats line the pure white sandy beaches of Boracay Ji Sung, Becky, Cau Nam and Luke enjoying White Beach's gorgeous waters Luke trying on a cowboy hat; Boracay Enjoying paradise! Enjoying happy hour at our favorite beach bar on Boracay A gorgeous sunset on the horizon, White Beach Dusk on White Beach View from Ariel's Point Luke trying to push off a terrified Becky; Ariel's Point Enabling Michelle on her drinking habit; Ariel's Point The beer guzzling Michelle (the guy loving, female hating monkey) takes the time to "delouse" a visitor to Ariel's Point, making an exception to her rule of disdaining the females Luke takes a leap of faith at Ariel's Point Becky finally takes the plunge; Ariel's Point Becky's fearless 65+ year old uncle leaps from the highest cliff; Ariel's Point Getting slammed by incoming waves at a natural pool; Ariel's Point Meeting Ariel, the owner of "Ariel's Point". He is an Annapolis grad and super nice guy! Boracay sand carvings Horsing around with our new found friends (English teachers in Korea) after getting a bit tipsy at Ariel's Point Luke and Robby take kite boarding lessons; White Beach Tricycle traffic jam Hang on tight...the flyfish is taking off! Becky, Ann, Ji Sung and Cau Nam take a ride on the Flyfish; Bulabog Beach Ann, Becky and Cau Nam enjoying a marine walk at Bulabog Beach An umbrella covered tricycle navigates down a narrow alley; Boracay How the ubiquitous Boracay sand castle gets built A skim boarding pro shows off his moves; White Beach Getting pelted by heavy rain during the monsoon season on Boracay Carrying Ji Sung in front of the Boracay beach castle on our last day on this pretty island Aerial view of one of Philippine's many islands Jeepneys are one of the most popular forms of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally constructed from leftover WWII US military jeeps, and today are outrageously decorated Family photo at Rizal Park Rizal Park is an urban park full of statues in the center of Manila Busts of warrior chieftains who ruled territories in the Philippines (most notably is Lapu-Lapu who killed Magellan); Rizal Park A statue reenactment of Dr José Rizal's final seconds as his life is ended by firing squad; Rizal Park Luke stopping a water buffalo dead in its tracks; Rizal Park For hundreds of years, the walled city of Intramuros served as the home to thousands of Spanish Colonists The main entrance to Fort Santiago which served as a fortress against marauding Chinese pirates, a prison for Spanish-era political prisoners, and a Japanese torture chamber in World War II Becky takes a photo of a colonial garbed guard inside the walled city of Intramuros; Fort Santiago Ruins at Fort Santiago Portrait of Dr José Rizal's execution; Rizal Museum at Fort Santiago View of the Manila Cathedral from Fort Santiago Manila Cathedral Church bells outside the Manila Cathedral; Intramuros Interior courtyard of Casa Manila; Intramuros A carefully restored colonial building houses a restaurant as part of the Plaza San Luis Complex in Intramuros. Sadly, none of the historic buildings in Intramuros survived WWII, but several have been recreated from vintage photographs of period houses Interior view of San Agustin Church located inside the historic walled city of Intramuros. Built in 1607, it is the oldest church in the Philippines Robby soaking in the mosaic map of Iwo Jima after having read "Flags of our Fathers" A mosaic wall map of Guadalcanal; Manila American Cemetery and Memorial The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial contains the largest number of US military dead from World War II (mainly from operations in the Philippines and New Guinea) View of Rizal Park from the National Museum. The park is named after the Filipino national hero, José Rizal Artifacts from the San Diego shipwreck on display at the excellent National Museum in Manila Cool artwork on display at the National Museum This provocative war painting caught our attention at the Manila National Museum Death masks on display at the National Museum A series of revolving photographs of Filipino people; National Museum Massive crocodile teeth (see the hand next to the display case as a reference point); National Museum Black and white portrait of Filipino leaders; National Museum Dinner at a Korean restaurant in Manila...yum! Water buffalo in the river leading towards Pagsanjan Falls, the location where the closing scenes of Apocalypse Now were shot by Francis Ford Coppola Scenes from Apocalypse Now were filmed here; Pagsanjan Falls The bankeros (boatmen) use their feet to paddle our canoe upriver Chilling as our boat guide takes a break on our way to Pagsanjan Falls (sometimes called the Magdapio Falls) A fisherman carrying his net along the river; Pagsanjan Falls Family photo on the way to Pagsanjan Falls Gorgeous vistas on our boat ride to Pagsanjan Falls Our bankeros work as a team to get us upriver; Pagsanjan Falls Our hard working bankero (boatman) paddling us to Pagsanjan Falls The powerful 300 feet high Pagsanjan Falls Anticipation builds on the bamboo raft as we are about to go under the 300 foot Pagsanjan Falls Getting soaked on the bamboo raft that took us under the Pagsanjan Falls so we could explore the cave behind it Drenched but happy; Pagsanjan Falls bamboo raft foto gallery lightboxby VisualLightBox.com v6.1

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