Philippines

After 2 weeks of 'roughing' it on the backpacker track in Malaysia, we decided we had enough. So we decided to head on over to the Philippines for some shopping, pampering and eating with our cousins.

Onward to the Philippines!


Landing at the Clarke international airport, 2 hour north of Manila.

Our cousin Vicky and Auntie Lily came to pick us up at the airport and took us out for dinner. We went to this place where there is a local market selling fresh seafood and local produce surrounded by restaurants. You can shop at the market to pick your fresh seafood, take it to a restaurant and instruct them how to cook your meal. Mmm it sure was delicious!

The streets of downtown Manila. The buses in the front are called jipney, they are a common form of public transportation. To catch one of these local buses, you simply stand on the side of the street and wave one down, hop on in through the back. When you want to get off, you just tell them and they drop you off in the middle of the street somewhere (sometimes not even at a full stop) as you hop out.

A day of fun filled shopping.

This day we went shopping with my Auntie Lily and cousin Vicky. As we came out of the shops, the weather had turned for the worse and we were caught in a torrential downpour of rain. Late for our spa appointment and caught off guard without and umbrella (not that it would have helped much anyhow), we hopped into a little cart with a man cycling us back to our car. These are similar to our kabuki cabs in Victoria, except that they are not just for tourists, they are actually a common method of transportation for people here.

Dinner with cousin Beth and Jocelyn and her daughter Jean after a day of pampering at the salon.

My last night in the Philippines, my cousin Julie took us for a gourmet buffet dinner at the Shangri-la. Wow this was the most amazing buffet I've ever seen! There was every type of food imaginable from chinese, indian, mexican, japanese, h'orderves, cheeses, fresh seafood, meat carvery, breads and soups, freshly cooked noodle soup and stirfry and last but not least the dessert buffet with fresh fruit, assortment of cakes, tarts, creme brulee, chocolate mouse, rice pudding, made to order crepes and sundaes, chocolate fountain and candy. What a great way to end my trip :)