Donsol Philippines

Donsol Philippines

We flew into Legazpi in the Bicol region of Luzon Island in the Philippines.  We had a great view of the majestic Mayon Volcano as we landed on the runway.  We were hoping to get some better shots before we flew back to Manila but unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate!  The hour van transfer down to Donsol on the South Coast went through beautiful palm fringed paddy fields and small villages.  The scenery reminded me of some of the Vietnam style war films which is hardly surprising as the Philippines was used in the filming of Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Hamburger Hill, Born on the 4th of July and more recently, the Bourne Legacy.  Donsol is the main place in the Philippines where you can spot Whale Sharks or Butanding as they are known locally.  We stayed at the Vitton Beach Resort which is adjacent to the registration centre and boat departures for the whale watching.  The first evening we were treated to the most amazing sunset, one of the most colourful we have ever seen.  The next morning I went out with another 5 Europeans in search of the elusive whale shark.  It was an exciting trip out into the bay and we all ended up diving into the sea on three sightings and frantically snorkeling to where the shark was spotted.  A couple of people from our boat caught a sighting of the tail but unfortunately I didn’t see a thing so I’ll have to try again another day!

Manila Philippines

Manila Philippines

Nothing really prepares you for the traffic chaos in and around Metro Manila.  It unfortunately gives a very bad first impression of the Philippines being the main entry point for most tourists and doesn’t really entice you into exploring the city properly.  We arrived on a very early flight from Kuala Lumpur so just managed to beat the morning rush hour.  We luckily scored a great deal at The Manila Hotel, described in our guidebook as Manila’s equivalent to Singapore’s Raffles!  It lived up to it’s name with amazing food and service.  We had to force ourselves to venture out from this lap of luxury and at least see some sights so visited the neighboring Intramuros, a walled Spanish city which is the historic centre and the oldest district of Manila.  We hired a pedal powered tricycle taxi to take us around the main sights such as Fort Santiago, housing a shrine to Jose Rizal, a national hero of the Philippines.  Unfortunately the Manila Cathedral was closed for renovations so we went into the nearby San Agustin Church, a 17th Century Spanish Baroque Church, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We also went to the SM Mall of Asia which is the 4th largest in the world and houses a full sized ice rink, an IMAX theatre and the usual shops and food courts.  Before leaving the Philippines we met our Philippino friend Simon at Makati, the CBD of Manila which on a Sunday felt like an oasis of calm comparing to the chaos of the Metropolis!!!