Raina's blogging again. An Asian Expedition - Legend

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 16 Hong Kong, China continued

 

Then to Stanley Markets...where if you like tourist stuff it would have been great...(But I don't).

 

 

They sold everything - from drones, to TINTIN painting to all the trinkets nsd t-shirts you could want.

 

I found a tiny noodle shop down and alley. I was able to squeeze Dad in to give him somewhere to sit for half an hour.

 

 

 

 

Then back tot eh ship for a nap and ready for sailaway.

 

There was a great sailaway party and much fun!

 

Very pretty.

 

 

[robandlil]

Can't wait to read more as we board in HK for this cruise next year. Thanks!

[h20cruzer]

Raina what happened? Hope everything is okay nothing since the first day of there turn around cruise???

Norma

[AussieVisi2r]

Raina what happened? Hope everything is okay nothing since the first day of there turn around cruise???

Norma

 

Sorry. All is good. I wasn't sure if people wanted more...and the internet has been very patchy. I shall finish it off int he next few days. Promise!

 

Cheers.

 

Raina

[happyiam]

Yes I would love more! Sorry I haven't commented before now. I love your reviews as you are doing trips I will only dream about. I don't like requesting more as you are on vacation. I, and I am sure others, appreciate the time you spend doing this. Thank you.

[PCWalton1]

I was looking forward to seeing and hearing about your experience in the Philippines. :)

[windjamming]

I'd love more, too!! I've been silently following along and enjoying your journey. Looking forward to hearing about your 2nd leg - whenever you have time!

[goodycruising]

Another great review. Thanks for taking the time to do your review. You do put a positive spin on things. :)

 

We still tell people about your last review with the big seas near NZ. :)

[DianeandMark]

Welcome home Raina...please continue with your blog when you have the time. Looking forward to the next instalment.

[h20cruzer]

I know its a lot of work and time consuming, but I would love to hear more.

Norma

[gapearl]

Loving your review so far! I wanted to do this itinerary that included Cambodia and Vietnam, but it was just too expensive. It's been great to see those places through your eyes. We travel similarly, immersing ourselves in the local culture, and I could see myself doing some of the same activities you did. I hope you return soon with more. :)

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 18 Manila, Philippines

 

After a relaxing sea day we headed into Manilla.

 

The sea day had the Meet and Mingle. It was lovely to meet heaps of new people. The quality of the M&M on Legend was not the best. We were given a room and a host. But there was an urn, no nibbles and no drinks. There were about half the amount of raffle prizes and strangely with the raffle they gave the joke prizes (highlighters etc) to the first drawn and the real prizes to the last drawn.

 

Manila

 

We got a great welcome with bands, dancers etc.

 

 

Manila was AMAZING!!!!!!!! I had heard so many negative reports about Manila - but I loved it. We were very lucky to be there on a Sunday as manila has one of the worst traffic problems in the world! We had booked a private tour with YOLO Tours. Absolutely fantastic. Great new vehicle, and two guides - one to drive and one to talk. They were both very knowledgeable and had great English. We had a brilliant day. The price was for a long day - but we asked for a shorter day so it was not to exhausting for Dad. In our 'shorter' day...we managed to see every place in that was covered in two separate ship tours!

 

Paco Park - is now a stunning park. It was previously a cemetary and included the graves of Filipino priests Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora, who were executed by the Spanish authorities in 1872 for their alleged role in the 1872 Cavite mutiny. And of Philippine national hero Dr. José P. Rizal was interred at Paco Park after his execution at Bagumbayan by the Spanish. In WW11 the japanese used it as an ammunition depot. The gardens were amazing.

 

 

 

 

Jeepneys - are converted WW11 jeeps. They are now used as local public transport and of course for tourist rides. There is huge pride (and competition) in the decorating of them.

 

 

They are also used for other kinds of transport!

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 18 Manila, Philippines

 

We saw many great sites.

 

 

 

 

Cigarette Shop - selling individually - not by the packet.

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 18 Manila, Philippines

 

The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. 17,206 graves, it has the largest number of graves of any cemetery for U.S. personnel killed during World War II and holds war dead from the Philippines and other allied nations.

The manicure of the lawns is amazing. It's very similar to Arlington. I then found out it's run by the same group.

 

 

 

 

Huge groups of litter crew people headed out to work. There were at least 30 of them in the area we were in.

 

 

We then saw the slum area. There are tours of the slums with some funds going to the local.

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

 

Day 18 Manila, Philippines

On the way out of town we stopped for Extreme fish feeding. What could this be???

 

It was a small lake stocked with Coy fish. About 400mm long. THOUSANDS OF THEM. You bought bags of food and fed them. They swam on top of each other climbing out of the water for the food.

 

 

 

We then headed up the mountain towards Tagaytay. It is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations because of its outstanding scenery and cooler climate provided by its high altitude. Tagaytay overlooks Taal Lake and the caldera of Taal Volcano Island in the middle of the lake.

 

We saw plenty of local transport. Here they are called "Trikes" and carry 7 people.

 

 

Or other things

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 18 Manila, Philippines

 

We stopped at fruit stalls along the way. Great fruit.

 

 

 

 

And saw lots of pineapple plantations

 

 

 

Then through an area with many carpentry shops. These guys make bespoke furniture. It was stunning. Great wood.

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 18 Manila, Philippines

 

Lunch was it Tagaytay and was sensational.

 

We sat in a little hut - in the shade with a breeze drifting though.

 

 

We ate amazing food.

 

 

The tempura water spinach was amazing.

 

 

A two man band came and serenaded us. The singer was amazing. The perfect mimic. He sounded like Robbie Williams, then like John Denver, then like John Lennon, then like U2. Amazing.

 

We then stopped and looked across the caldera of the volcano. Next time I will do a lake boat ride!

 

This is the spot where Katy Perry did the Roar film clip.

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 18 Manila, Philippines

 

We went to a famous tart shop (as in pies) for the baby coconut tart. So crowded they have a security guard in there. But they were delicious.

 

 

Laguna de Baý is the largest lake in the Philippines. It's a freshwater lake and has a surface area of 949 km² but is only 2.8 metres deep.

There is a huge freshwater fish industry.

 

 

 

 

We saw the building where Douglas MacArthur made his famous "I shall return" speech.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 18 Manila, Philippines

 

Intramuros - Spanish Old Town

 

Intramuros is the old and historic walled in city of Manila. Built by the Spanish it was the original capital of The Philippines and is now on the Historic Register.

 

So many stunning buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So....My day in Manila was amazing. So good!

 

And The Philippines is the 55th country I have visited!!!!!!

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Puerto Princesa, Philippines.

 

Puerto Princesa, is a city of quarter of a million people, making it the least densely populated city in the Philippines. It's mainly about tourism.

The government is really committed to things like environment and sustainability.

One example of this is the 'dynamite fishermen'. As in dropping sticks of dynamite into the water and collecting dead/ unconscious fish. This is a devastating method as it kills many unusable creatures as well as reef etc. The government retro fitted the fishing boats, offered training and support, and set up a tourist industry of boat trips. The island hopping trips. Good job!!!!

(The people who did these tours loved them. These can be booked at the dock and were only about $25 each. People that did these tours raved about them.)

 

 

I did a ship tour today.

Batak Experience and River Trip.

 

A drive through Puerto Princesa and out into the country. It as a great drive down the coast line. Saw many lovely islands and where the island hopping trips go.

 

First stop was at a 'display village' of the Batak people. The Batak are the indigenous people of the mountains. There are only 300 Batak people left.

The have a village in the mountains. Turned out we were not going to their village (as implied) but to a fake village, where the people were bused down and put on a show for us!

We were told that you are not allowed to give things to the people, that the government is keeping them away from 'the modern world' - like don't give them lollies or technology. Yet they bring them down from the mountains to put on a show for the tourists. Very uncomfortable and weird.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course they sold craft items and passed the tip bucket around.

[AussieVisi2r]

Puerto Princesa, Philippines.

 

We then had a fairly long drive through rice paddies and fishing villages to the mangroves. Very pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

 

Sabang Mangrove Forest boat ride.

 

Mangroves are basically the lungs of the oceans. They act as a filter and protective covering between the sea and the land. The eco system within the mangrove is immense - from the tree tops to the bottom of the mud. The waters are a spawning ground and a nursery from many species of fish and crustaceans. Monkey in the trees. And snakes.

 

We hopped into the small outrigger canoes for a paddle up the river. The trip lasted about 40 minutes and was great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone recognise my boating companion????

 

 

The captain.

[AussieVisi2r]

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

 

Lunch was at a flash resort - Dauluyon Resort.

 

Very pretty. The resort is 'off the grid' with solar, water plant etc.

 

 

 

 

A coconut tree! hahahah

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

 

We then headed back down the 'road' to Puerto Princesa.

 

 

Elephant Cave. A cave in the Karst landscape and an outlet for the underground river. This was a pit stop in the Amazing Race.

 

 

 

Really pretty!

 

The arrival troup were still preforming when we got back...

 

 

Then a group photo for the dock crew.

 

 

A few notes.

 

The Underground River! Many people got off the ship and booked a taxi and travelled to the Underground River. They did the tour and were back at the ship with time for a nap. They were selling tickets at the dock. Sad that I believed the propaganda that the Underground River was NOT doable.

 

The ship tour was good - but it stated that we were doing the activities we did and a visit to the wet and dry markets (meat/fish etc as well as other goods) and to the pearl markets - which we didn't do. When I brought this up with the Tours desk they were very dismissive of this. Due to another issue (explanation coming soon) I pushed the point that you cannot advertise some activities then not do them with no explanation!

[aussielozzie18]

Thank you for taking the time to do another a review. Always enjoy your reviews with their excellent photos and facts about countries that I will probably never have an opportunity to visit.

 

Congrats on visiting 55 countries btw. That is impressive!

 

Looking forward to more.