Trip to the Philippines
Early Christmas morning I arose with my bags packed and headed excitedly to the Airport. Why, you might ask? Because I was going to be boarding a plane early that morning heading toward Manila and the Philippines for a week. Arriving at Incheon Airport in Seoul, I boarded a plane directly to Manila. In that 4 hour period, I went from -25 degree weather to +25 degree weather. It was fantastic! I had to get the shorts and t-shirts and Bercks packed so that I could enjoy the beach! Once we landed in Manila we had to board another plane to the Number 1 beach in the world - White Beach, on Boracay Island. This was a beautiful setting on an island that could only be accessed by catamarans. We had to fly to Kalibo airport and then disembark and board a bus to drive for another 2.5 hours before we got to take the Catamaran.
I was checked into a lovely resort called 'Alta Vista de Boracay.' It was really cool and had an open air waiting room, open air dining room, and open room lobby. The resort was great and after checking in we showered (after a FULL day traveling) and went into the city where we had a fabulous Christmas dinner, on the Beach. Literally, on the beach. Our table was in the sand about 15 feet from the thundering waves washing up on the sand that felt so great under my feet.
The next few days were spent looking and searching around the gorgeous island that has the #1 beach in the world on it - The White Beach. Although the sun wasn't shining through the clouds, it was still 25+ degrees outside and the weather was so warm. The beach was gorgeous (as seen in the pictures). The next few days were spent Parasailing, Jet Skiing, getting Massaged, and hanging out on the Island.
When it was time to check out of Alta Vista and head back to Manila, we packed our bags and headed to the airport. When we got to the airport, with no x-ray machines for the bags, and no metal detectors for the people (nor were they searched), we went to check in. The airline attendant noticed that Laura (one of the travelers in our group) and I were not on the flight for December 28th, but January 28th! So we were placed on Standby. It was very nerve wrecking as we were in a country not knowing the language, far removed from society (there was nothing around the airport) and three hours away from Boracay Island! I inquired as to how full the plane was and they were overbooked by 3 people. We thought we had the worst luck ever and we wouldn't be able to get on the plane. Luckily, five minutes before boarding we were called to the ticket counter and we were given Business Class tickets for the flight! That was a nice surprise and ended the day well.
In Manila we just toured around the city, which was pretty disappointing as there wasn't much cultural activities, just mainly bars and malls. There was a great party that we attended on New Years Eve (Manila is in the top 10 places in the world to ring in the New Year). We went to a hotel ball room where Richard Poon (Number 1 live performer in the Philippines) was playing as well as another band. There was a giant 5-star meal as well as an open bar and laser light show. It was the best way to ring in the New Year!
New Year's day it was back to reality and we boarded the plane, after a week long trip to the Philippines, and back to Seoul! I would definitely recommend going to the Philippines and would love to go back soon someday.
I was checked into a lovely resort called 'Alta Vista de Boracay.' It was really cool and had an open air waiting room, open air dining room, and open room lobby. The resort was great and after checking in we showered (after a FULL day traveling) and went into the city where we had a fabulous Christmas dinner, on the Beach. Literally, on the beach. Our table was in the sand about 15 feet from the thundering waves washing up on the sand that felt so great under my feet.
The next few days were spent looking and searching around the gorgeous island that has the #1 beach in the world on it - The White Beach. Although the sun wasn't shining through the clouds, it was still 25+ degrees outside and the weather was so warm. The beach was gorgeous (as seen in the pictures). The next few days were spent Parasailing, Jet Skiing, getting Massaged, and hanging out on the Island.
When it was time to check out of Alta Vista and head back to Manila, we packed our bags and headed to the airport. When we got to the airport, with no x-ray machines for the bags, and no metal detectors for the people (nor were they searched), we went to check in. The airline attendant noticed that Laura (one of the travelers in our group) and I were not on the flight for December 28th, but January 28th! So we were placed on Standby. It was very nerve wrecking as we were in a country not knowing the language, far removed from society (there was nothing around the airport) and three hours away from Boracay Island! I inquired as to how full the plane was and they were overbooked by 3 people. We thought we had the worst luck ever and we wouldn't be able to get on the plane. Luckily, five minutes before boarding we were called to the ticket counter and we were given Business Class tickets for the flight! That was a nice surprise and ended the day well.
In Manila we just toured around the city, which was pretty disappointing as there wasn't much cultural activities, just mainly bars and malls. There was a great party that we attended on New Years Eve (Manila is in the top 10 places in the world to ring in the New Year). We went to a hotel ball room where Richard Poon (Number 1 live performer in the Philippines) was playing as well as another band. There was a giant 5-star meal as well as an open bar and laser light show. It was the best way to ring in the New Year!
New Year's day it was back to reality and we boarded the plane, after a week long trip to the Philippines, and back to Seoul! I would definitely recommend going to the Philippines and would love to go back soon someday.
posted by Graeme at 6:56 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home