Part 62: Crazy things to do in Manila I'd spent the last week doing my best to stick to my budget which meant strictly no restaurants and taxis, instead living off a heady diet of baked potatoes cooked in the hostel microwave and tinned tuna. Breakfast was included in the price of the accommodation, so this was great opportunity to save some money - bottled water was also free. Occasionally the hostel staff would bring out free ice cream or snacks whilst we wat...

Part 61: Makati City..... 'Good afternoon sir'... 'How are you sir?'... 'Have a nice day sir'... 'Nice tattoo sir'... 'Heeeeey sir'... 'Would you like a taxi sir?'.... Oh how I missed the Philippines - there is nowhere quite like it. I'd been greeted, checked out, and smiled at more times in 10 mins walking through the airport than I would do in a whole year in England. It was precisely what I needed after such a crappy delay in Doha. Casting my mind ba...

Part 60: Off again.... Fast forward a few months, and skip the obvious difficulties I had in having to cut short my travels, as once again my departure was upon me. But not before that new found resilience was put firmly to the test back in sunny Swindon, because at times it seemed like it was a distant pipe dream to make it back to Asia. It was always the plan to get back traveling as quickly as possible, and not run the risk of slipping back into old habits,...

Part 59: Tough decisions.... I really did lose track of time for the next day or two in the camp. Immersing myself completely in the surroundings, and fully settling into a decent routine. If I wasn't blog writing or chilling in the hammock, then I'd be conversing with my new friends and exploring the jungle. Here was a place, that once you get past the few minor inconveniences, and creepy crawlies, wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be, and an...

Part 58: The day trek..... I gently woke to the refreshing sound of the waterfall and running stream in the background - it certainly beat the snores and sometimes inconsiderate back packers at some of the hostels I had stayed at. Sadly that lovely feeling lasted about 5 seconds, as my attention shifted focus to the dozen large spiders and insects still clinging to the outside of my mosquito net - desperately hoping that it did its job. Especially since I hadn...