Category South East Asia
Philippines Tour Part 9 – Manilla Return
We made our way back to the capital where we would be staying in Quezon City – officially a separate city but part of the Manilla municipality. It was here that Mohamed Ali & Joe Frazier famously contested the Thrilla in Manila world heavyweight boxing match. En route we stopped off at a very unusual […]
Philippines Tour Part 8 – 100 Islands & Mount Pinatubo
We headed south once more in the direction of Manila to visit the archipelago of small islands off Luzon’s coast. The drive was a long one, not helped by not being able to locate our remote hotel. After a delicious home-cooked fish meal we slept well in readiness for our morning out on a small […]
Philippines Tour Part 7 – San Juan La Union & Baguio
San Juan La Union Today we would head around 85-miles south to the beach resort of La Union following our morning in Vigan. It promised golden beaches & surf, however I had booked a hotel around 30-minutes hot and sweaty walk away. No problem, Carlos drove us to a beachside restaurant where we feasted on […]
Philippines Tour – Part 1 Manila
My travel buddy Hamish and I arranged a trip to the main Filipino island of Luzon for late 2023, to be followed by a few days in South Korea. Practicalities Philippines is 8 hours ahead of U.K. time, with South Korea an hour further ahead. The big difference was the temperature. Low 30s for Philippines […]
Philippines Tour – Part 1 Manila
My travel buddy Hamish and I arranged a trip to the main Filipino island of Luzon for late 2023. I followed the tried & trusted plan: 1) Create an itinerary by looking at the tours offered by international tour agencies at inflated prices 2) Find a local agency and ask them to price up a […]
Sunday Photos – Tagaytay, Philippines
On the last full day of my Luzon journey last year I headed south from Manila to the fishing town of Tagaytay. Fishing is however not what Tagatay is best known for. The Taal Volcano sits on an island in Taal Lake. The volcano has erupted countless times, most recently in 2020. Over the years, […]
East Asia Revisited
I am just back from my first visit to East Asia since 2015. This time it was a journey to the main Philippines island of Luzon, together with a short stay in Seoul. It did not disappoint. There is something about that region that is just pure magic. Philippines There were many highlights. Marvellous manic […]
My Iconic Travel Moments – Part One, Up Until 2010
My number one travel experience is a very personal one, which involves a site that had almost mythical status during my childhood. You see, on June 8th 1957 my parents were married at St George’s Church, Tanglin, Singapore. I was brought up on tales of how they met in the army, got engaged on Christmas […]
My Iconic Travel Moments Part 3 – 2011 to 2019 (#1) – Cambodia
Number 1 – Cambodia with Mrs Wilbur Anybody that has been to South East Asia will instantly remember the first time that they ventured there. It is a region like no other. A culture completely alien to those of us that live in the West. A region that is completely intoxicating and leaves you wanting […]
Monday Morning Blues – Collecting Alms in Luang Prabang, Laos
Every morning at dawn the monks of Luang Prabang collect their daily rations from well wishers. Consisting mainly of rice, bread and fruit it makes up a big part of their diet.
