PHILIPPINES

MANILA - PAMALICAN ISLAND - BORACAY

MANILA - DAY 1

I already love the Philippines. The weather here in Manila is hot and humid, the people are friendly, and there are funny little public buses called "jeepneys" everywhere you look. We were in an area called Makati, and our hotel was just a short walk away from an area called Poblacion where you can find good eats and nightlife. I was slightly reminded of Mexico with the laid back vibe, tourist attractions, and children begging you for money. There are tons of expats, and almost as many hookers.

Our first stop was a Filipino pub called Alamat, which served Filipino beers on tap and local bites. We got an order of the sisig, which is basically fried pig face parts, and it was actually super tasty. From there, we headed to a tapas bar called Rambla for a drink and a couple of plates. We stopped through a popular bar for a beer and some darts, before ending our night at a little Mexican spot called El Chupacabra for tequila, tacos, and nachos.

MANILA - DAY 2

People in Manila must love to shop. Directly across from our hotel is a HUGE shopping center called Greenbelt 5. There are so many shops and restaurants in Greenbelt 5- indoor, outdoor, and in all different sections. The craziest part is that is just Greenbelt 5. Right next door and practically attached, are Greenbelts 4, 3, 2, and 1. It's nuts!

I had read that there was an amazing fish market in Manila where, just like the one in Seoul, you buy fresh, live fish, and then choose a restaurant nearby for it to be prepared for your lunch. This experience was not as big or well-done as the market in Seoul, plus the people here were very pushy with trying to get you to choose their stall or their restaurant. However, it was still a great experience! We bought a coconut crab, which I had never heard of and Hunter had always wanted to try, plus a very beautiful orange fish and a giant mantis prawn. The restaurant we chose was completely empty, and all the servers were wearing weird little sailor outfits, but they did a great job with our seafood. The fish might have been the best grilled fish I'd ever had. 

By the time we were done eating, it was pouring rain. We hailed a taxi and decided to head back to the hotel to wait for the rain to subside. Our hotel bar was having their happy hour, so we decided to check it out. Turns out, we had the best bar in Manila right in our hotel lobby! The ambiance was fantastic. There were silent Charlie Chaplin films on TVs around the bar, tons of expats and business men chatting and laughing, live music with a fantastic singer, and they give you a sack of peanuts in the shell to munch on. Hunter got another pisco sour, and I ordered their homemade lychee-infused vodka. Such a great vibe, and such a good time. 

Hunter and I were so curious about the midget-boxing bar we'd passed the night before, that we just had to go check it out. Unfortunately, they were very strict with their no camera rule, so we had to leave the Leica behind. Fortunately, they didn't give a shit about iPhones! It was still on the early side, so we thought we'd pop into one more bar on our way to see little people fight. Our bartender suggested a place called ABV, so we looked it up on our map and headed that way. It was extremely tricky to find! We passed it twice and finally had to ask someone. On the street corner, there is a neon sign for hamburgers that points down some stairs to a restaurant called Lazy Bastard. You go down those stairs, make a right into the open elevator, and then push through the back wall. You are now in ABV. Another really great atmosphere with fantastic cocktails, and they give you popcorn to snack on (not that I didn't have enough peanuts!). However, the bar has no windows. It wasn't until we tried to leave that we noticed the downpour going on outside! So, we turned around, sat back down, ordered another cocktail, and waited for the rain to subside, again.

Once the rain stopped, it was time to head to Ringside. This was an extremely interesting and I'm glad we experienced it, however, I never need to do that again. SUCH A TOURIST TRAP obviously, but we were not surprised about that. We had a seat next to the ring, and were immediately bombarded by five midgets asking us to buy them jager-bombs. So, we did. These guys sat at the table with us the entire time, then, in a way, forced Hunter to referee the fight while I got massage raped by a lady behind me. I kept trying to move, and she kept following me, telling me how tense I was. We got bamboozled into buying two more rounds for the midgets and then got the fuck out of there, while being chased by the rapey masseuse who desperately wanted a tip (which she did not get). So in a nutshell, we did it just to say we've done it, knowing damn well that we shouldn't do it. Midget boxing, what a freaking concept.

AMANPULO - DAY 1

There are no words to describe this place. Seriously, do yourself a favor, and put Amanpulo on your bucket list. This place is paradise! The ocean is bath-water warm and crystal clear in all hues of vibrant blues. The staff is over-the-top accommodating and sincerely nice, plus they offer an extensive list of activities. There is so much to do there, yet at the same time it is tempting to do nothing at all and just plop down on the soft, bright white sand and take it all in. Our lunch the first day was a giant, fresh, local lobster that they presented to us prior to grilling. This was our first experience on the island- enjoying this lobster that we could barely even taste because we were so blown away by the views.

As soon as we possibly could, we grabbed snorkel gear and headed out to the giant rocks directly in front of our villa which were just a short swim away, to see what we could find out there. This was not only the best snorkeling I have ever done in my life, but one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had in my life. Again, words cannot describe how beautiful it was, but I sure as heck will try. The coral was all different colors, shapes, and sizes, as were the fish (who did not seem to be afraid of you, and did not swim away when you got close). I never even knew fish could be that colorful! There were tiny clownfish huddled in their anemone, various parrot fish, angel fish, lionfish, and brilliantly colored fish I never even knew existed (I could go on and on just about the fish!). We also swam right by a giant sea turtle, a stingray so large that I nearly had a panic attack, and a school of baby blacktip sharks. There were bright blue starfish, sea cucumbers the size of Hunter's entire leg, eels, and giant clams. None of this seemed real, like it had all been set up by Disneyland. It was incredible.

We swam back to shore to sit in the shallow water and watch the sunset which, like everything else, was incredibly beautiful. What an unreal day.

AMANPULO - DAY 2

Our second day in dreamland started with a 7am fishing trip to catch our dinner. We spent the first hour troll fishing, where were were told we might catch a small tuna if we were lucky. Boy were we lucky! We ended up pulling out a pretty big wahoo- one of the tastiest fish in the sea! We were SO excited! We spent the next hour bottom fishing using the traditional Filipino hand line method, where you hold the actual fishing line with your hand to better feel the nibbles, and then pull it up when you think you've got something. We couldn't manage to catch anything at first, but the fish were definitely biting cause we kept losing our bait! On our last try before heading in, I managed to pull up two fish at once! One small snapper, and one even smaller pretty little silvery rainbow fish.

The rest of our day consisted of more amazing snorkeling out with a guide in deeper reefs, a tour of the island (including the $12M villa for sale), an amazing massage, and more sunset viewing back at our villa. 

Dinner was another experience for which both my words and Hunter's photos will do no justice. The staff created an unbelievable dining experience out on the sand in front of our villa, surrounded by lights, lanterns, and a bonfire. It was SO beautiful! This is where they served us our wahoo, first just straight up sashimi, which may have been the best sashimi I've had in my life. Next, it came out grilled which, again, may have been the best piece of grilled fish I've ever had. To top it all off, our house butler serenaded us with his guitar the whole meal, with songs like "Yellow" by Coldplay and "You and I" by Jason Mraz. Once more, I must say, unreal.

AMANPULO - DAY 3

After experiencing Amanpulo's version of in-room dining for breakfast (loads of fresh fruit out by your pool, overlooking the sparkling ocean), we headed out to explore the neighboring island, Manamoc. Manamoc is a small town with about 3,000 residents. The word Manamoc actually means many mosquitos because, when it was discovered, there were many mosquitos. This island is very good example of the way most Filipino islanders live, and is very untouched by tourists, other than the occasional guests from Amanpulo. They sell roosters for cockfighting (which is legal), pigs for pork, and some fruits and vegetables. They also have a school, a church, and one police officer.

From here, our guides took us by boat to a long white sandbar on the other side of the island, where we did more snorkeling and then had a very beautiful, very secluded lunch. I can't say it enough- unreal. One of the dishes we had for lunch was a giant clam we found while snorkeling, freshly chopped up with some lime and chili. I know this is getting old to hear, but it may have been the best ceviche I'd ever had in my life. 

We'd been on such a go-go-go schedule, we decided to take the rest of the evening to lounge by our pool in our PJ's, drink a bottle of wine, listen to some music and play some cards. When dinner time rolled around, we made our way to the clubhouse to have the rest of our fish served up to us- the wahoo ceviche-style, and my little snapper and rainbow fish whole grilled to perfection. We were already sad to be leaving the next morning.

Unfortunately, we were unable to capture any of the underwater magic of this island, as we didn't have an underwater camera. But, we spent our last morning at Amanpulo paddle boarding near the reef right up to the moment we had to get on the plane.

Until next time, beautiful island.