"Island hopping" is the name of the game in the little town of El Nido on the island of Palawan, with several day tours conveniently already set up for tourists to explore the tiny islands that dot the waters here. This is a rare place we have been where the tours seem to be regulated, and so you don't have to wander around or haggle for the best price. For approximately $30 CAD, a tour gives you a 7-8 hour day on the boat with 5-6 scenic beach or snorkelling spo...

Two flights took us to Manila, via Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, which looks so stunning from the approach into the airport that we wondered why we hadn't worked in a stopover for a couple of days. It's always fun to be in an airport somewhere else in the world and watch the screen for the regular flights that depart from that area - in this case, some tiny slices of heaven in Micronesia. It's exciting just to be on the cusp of this area of paradise! But for n...