MY PHILIPPINE VACATION

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CHRIS C's and Friends'HOMEPAGE

Hey, what's going on here?. Okay folks, I've got some interesting stories to tell you about my holidays in the Philippines. A little bit of comments here and there; cities like Manila, Batangas, Quezon, and Boracay.

About 1 hr. flight from Manila, Jing (my cousin) and I took the Asian Spirit flight to Caticlan. 5 minutes bumpy tricycle ride brought us to a boat terminal where we took another 20 minutes boat ride to Boracay. As soon as we got off the plane, local tourist guides hovered among us and offered themselves as our aides. (Beware, some of them will try to lead you to a more expensive places that had very little difference or none at all from the regular cottages and restaurants available everywhere. Best if you can make it to boracay on your own and get a tourist guide from there if you really need one. here are some of the pictures we took!! or if you need some more information about this city, go to BORACAY!!

We stayed at station 3 side of the island where we paid PPH 300.00 a night for a cottage with a clean bathroom and a single fan. There are 4 stations in one side of the island (and why not, it's a long stretch of beach!!, it also defines the quality of the sand .. the finest is at station A). From there, everything is accessible; karaoke bars, clubs, restaurants and shops. For an excellent buffet dinner, we tried a local seafood restaurant for only PPH150.00 each. There is a market there where you can get all kinds of seafood for seafood lovers. Tiger shrimps (which is my favorite!!) goes up to 9 inches in length and only cost PPH 500.00 per kilo. You can even get them to cook it for you- now how's that for a fresh seafood dinner!!!. People are very friendly, and because the island's main economy comes from the tourists... they are also very honest. The island has a lot of watersports available, they offer scuba diving lessons and have a scuba diving area which is very popular among the tourists. We opted for snorkelling instead and a tour of the island where we rented a private boat for PPH 700.00 in one day. The guide took us to several beaches such as the famous "pucca beach" with its very own unique pucca shells. Then to a smaller island which is called "CRYSTAL COVE". There's a PPH 50.00 entrance fee but don't worry because it's worth it!. There is a huge grilling area there where you can cook your own food fresh from the market.(the guides did everything for us and for you included in the boat rental) In our case... the tiger shrimps!!.

There are two famous dance clubs in the island but one of them "The Beachcomber" was under construction as of Nov. '99. They are open until the wee hours of the night and they play the latest hits of music, you will not be disappointed. Nipa hut type of bars are everywhere playing reggae music..for a more caribbean like atmosphere, and just like everything.. drinks are affordable - but throw away your heels!, you don't need it in the sandy road of boracay!.

QUEZON

Time to visit my dad in QUEZON. This time I came with my friend Claire, who went to the Philippines to meet me there for her holidays. A very tiresome trip from Manila, considering the intense heat and traffic (just imagine getting stuck in the bus with no air-conditioning for more than 6 hours!!). She was quite surprised how laidback and simple the lifestyle was in that province (she actually thought she'd seen it all..-big mistake!!). There, she experienced only the basic necessities in life and seen houses with no electricity and water supply (but not ours!!). For me, it was well worth the hassle just to see my dad and surprisingly, she like it in his place better than the city of Manila. Check this out!! (at my dad's farm).

Bataan

This picture was taken at the ferry terminal going to Bataan. Coming to this place was probably the worst move I've ever made, sorry Claire!. I was deceived by a local regarding their beaches and ended up in Mariveles Yacht Club. There was nothing to do in this city, just full of mountains. We were lucky to find out that we can get back to Manila by bus (another 6 hrs!!) which is what we did. A whole day of travelling for "nothing!". Did I mention that I visited her in Korea as well?? Click here to find out my holiday experience in KOREA