Part 87: Bomod-Ok water falls.... Despite the drop in temperature I slept quite well in our quaint and comfortable guest house. Probably because there was no need for air con for the first time in a very long while and the temperature was more like back home in England. Anyway, all three of us went for the money saving option and shared a tiny room with barely any space to walk around the beds, nor was there anywhere to store our back packs either, but for les...

Part 86: Luzon.... One of the the many areas on my ever growing list of places to explore in the Philippines, happened to be the mountainous regions of northern Luzon. Although it is worth noting that when it comes to getting around here, the infrastructure both geographically and logistically make it very challenging, due to there being no rail links or huge freeways much out of Manila, plus you cant buy bus tickets in advance online unless you go in person to...

Part 85: Lucban Pahiyas festival... One thing which was on my mind that I had been considering for a while, was to have a tattoo in the Philippines, such was my affiliation for this place. So when the opportunity came up to get inked right here in the hostel by well respected Filipino tattooist Ed Astilla, I jumped at the chance - especially after seeing some samples of his work. I'd set my mind on a Chinese dragon design, and this was a particular area of expe...

Part 84: Dampa... When I arrived back in Manila fresh from my Thailand adventure, it was heading into peak summer time here, and a whole lot hotter than it was before I left. The humidity was suffocating at times, and the streets were just as vibrant and congested as they always were; plus It was great to see my friends again. Some people would consider me crazy, but I loved the hustle and bustle of Manila. There is nowhere quite like it in my view. In fact e...

Part 83: Songkran... I'd now seen both coasts of Thailand as well as the North too, and the inevitable comparisons always come. But should you ever choose to visit, be well prepared for a tidal wave of tourists wherever you are heading. Generally it depends on what you want, but November to February is considered the peak, during which time prices typically sky rocket. After that it's much quieter with the down side being the rain season, although from my expe...