Philippines 2011

A few weeks ago I went to the Philippines to visit my boyfriend's family. He lives around East Samar. I had a 10 hour flight from Sydney to Manila with a stop over in Darwin. Followed by 4 hours of waiting to fly domestically from Manila to Tacloban. After Tacloban I took a 4 hour van ride from the airport to his home town. By the end of all this travelling I feel that next time I travel, I should not try to squeeze everything into one day just to get to my destination. The waiting and constant sitting takes a toll on the body. 

Some houses I saw whilst on the road

Church and a mode of 'taxi'

On a bridge crossing an island to another island

My accommodation, I'm familiar with sleeping on hard surfaces because my mattress at home is extremely firm and my bed back in China is those traditional wooden 4 poster beds with curtains surrounding it. 

Lagoon 2 minutes away from my boyfriend's Philippines home, the lagoon was so beautiful and the water was very warm. Just past the lagoon is the Pacific Ocean. 

The little 'huts' are for visitors to hire and have lunch etc.

Overall the non-city areas of the Philippines has a lot to offer. The air is clear and the coastal views are fantastic, however there is not much to do except swim and eat and time can go quite slow if you have no family or friends to talk to. In Manila (I did not take much pictures) the traffic is congested but the malls are HUGE!!! I've been to big shopping centres in Australia and they do not compare to the average malls in Manila. The ones in Australia are so much smaller than Manila. A store I really liked was called "Kamiseta," Katie Holmes models for them and the price for the quality of clothing is very good.  

Food wise, there is so many different fast food restaurants in the Philippines and it's so cheap! I can get a decent meal for only $2 AUD. However, shopping is not as cheap as Hong Kong. Also I did visit some luxury designer stores and they were more expensive than Australia, the service in those stores were also appalling! =( 

Has anyone been to the Philippines? Do you know of any other areas I should visit next time I go...(I will probably visit Borocay next time I go)