To Puerta Princessa in Palawan we went, with no plan we decided upon arrival to book a minibus straight to El Nido at the northern tip of the island. On the bus we met a brother and sister duo that were to be our travelling companions for the following 5 days. El Nido did not disappoint, perhaps without exaggeration the best destination of our entire trip. The white sand beaches of Thailand, the rising sea towers of Halong Bay, the hospitality of Myanmar at the c...

Back to Cebu and a flight to the world famous Boracay, the real holiday destination in the Philippines. Although highly developed it has been done tastefully and the beach is nothing short of spectacular. We dined on the pure white sand beaches and dove in the sky blue seas, even managing to complete a nitrox diving course in the interim. A proper little overdeveloped paradise.

South from Cebu by bus to Oslob, we found ourselves in a traditional, charming, un spoilt village of incredibly friendly Philippine locals and were in our element. Wandering the fresh food markets, playing with the local dogs and exchanging smiles and waves with the locals, this was what travelling was all about. A few fresh bread rolls and a rotisserie chicken by the side of the road was a fitting evening meal and we headed to bed for an early start in th...

On the ferry this time we headed back to Manilla and after narrowly avoiding being conned in a taxi we boarded a plane to Cebu. Before long we were safely housed in a guesthouse complete with a Philippines wedding with compulsory karaoke underway and a Tom Cruise impersonating bell boy. Never ones to miss out on a party we headed into the heart of the city to party town and had a hilarious night with Emilys brothers wifes, brothers wife, Jessa and her Japan...

Having rearranged our travel plans a few months previous we found ourselves aboard a plane headed for Manilla in the Philippines. Many a traveller had told us of the wonders that awaited us and our excitement grew as we approached. Having linked up with Sophie a friend made whilst diving in Sipidan we planned a extravaganza around the best diving spots the Philippines had to offer, our only limitation being the 2 weeks we had allotted ourselves in which to ...