Eating pancakes full of cheesy goodness was a grand way to start the day - who knew that syrup, cheese and batter would work so well? After our wander around the city, taking in its immaculate golf course, my ear infection from snorkelling too deep in Fiji finally caught up with me. I found myself bed ridden for the day and slept until four in the afternoon. I awoke feeling un-refreshed and slightly sluggish. I got myself a toastie and a cup of coffee from a lo...

With a flight from Nadi at 23:45 to Singapore 06:20 to Manila 9:30 we did a lot of travelling with a lot of time zone jumping; when I boarded my flight in Singapore I was on my last legs and went out like a light on the flight. Stepping out of Manila Airport didn't bring the wave of heat that I had expected. The temperature was mild with a slightly smoggy sky. As we meandered through the city's skyscrapers to our hostel I was intrigued to see that Filipinos are...