I remember showing Nic the flight confirmation for the Philippines when we were back in Croydon and thinking I'd made a terrible mistake. "what's CLK?? I'm positive I booked to Manilla!", after a panicky phone call to air Asia all was revealed, we were indeed flying to Manilla, Clark Manilla.
A two hour drive north of the capital,Clark is a buzzing little place in it's own right. Once the largest America army base outside America (until mount pintobu erupted and they all left) angles city- as it's also known, is filled with bars, shops and restaurants.. Including jollibee the filippino version of maccers!
While in Clark we stayed with the lovely Caffreys, a friend from works family who happen to live in
there. It was great to have locals showing us round and we were made to feel at home. On our first night be were taken for some posh nosh in a lovely restaurant our host use to be head chef at. They had a very impressive wine cellar (god I miss wine) with one bottle that was worth the equivalent of ten grand!!!!
Day two was early start and long drive as we travelled up to Bagio in the northern Lunzon. Bagio is in the mountains and the highest point in the Philippines, it's a popular place for the locals who go there to escape the heat during the summer months. When driving up you never imagine there to be as much as a shop round the next corner, so we were both a bit taken back to discover a whole city,complete with a shopping mall, Starbucks and a macdonalds, I kid you not. We met a lovely young couple on arrival (friends of our host) who showed us the sights, including some beautiful viewpoints and the presidents holiday house.
We spent our last day in a place called dagupan, famed for its dried fish!!! Literally as far as the eye can see are little silver fish drying in the sun... and lots of flys!! We also had a nose round the local school and I checked out the hair dressers. My poor sun damaged, thin hair was extremely jealous of the thick, shiny, gorjus trestles of the Asian girls but the lady boy hair dressers, complete with there false eyelashes and thongs proved to a welcome distraction!
Anyway Palawan tomorrow and we can't wait! Another early start.....

Flip flops and straightened locks,

Nic and Katie xxx