Ann smiles as she gets jostled around in our tricycle; Boracay

Torrential rain 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

Chi Xuan at the local fish market; Boracay

Cau Nam, Bob, Ann and Chi Xuan admire Boracay's pretty White Beach

Wooden souvenir boats for sale; Boracay

Touristy items for sale in Boracay

Chiling 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, Chi Xuan 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

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

Chi Xuan, 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

Encouraging Michelle's 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, Chi Xuan 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 Chi Xuan 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 taking 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