Manila, Vietnam & Thailand

Before  leaving on this trip I was lucky that a couple TB's contacted me with helpful advice and even an offer to arrange a tour.  More on that later. It took three flights and 30 hours (delays included) of travel time. I've done it before so, no problem. So my new TB's met me at 8am. Fe, Dara and Neil. The thing I quickly learned is the generosity of Filino's. Fe fed us Dim Sum while we drove. Dara wouldn't let me pay for petrol, Fe wouldn't let me pay for lunch. So I had to get creative in order to intercept the bill at dinner.

First site to visit was in Tagaytay, the Taal Volcano.  We visited a private park, walked the trails. The volcano arises from the middle of a lake and is a very nice sight. We were approached by many boat captains about taking a boat tour to the volcano, but we passed since the sky looked like it was about to drop rain.

We stop to a small shrine to see the face of Jesus that is said to have appeared in some 'spots' on the wall of the shrine. Legend has it that if you stare at the spots you will see the face of Jesus. We walked throughout the shrine, every room, up on the terrace, in the stair wells and we couldn't find the "spots". So Fe asked and was referred to a painting with some black blobs hanging above the door. It was slightly bizarre and we felt a little bit 'tricked' haha. We left a little amused by the experience.

Fe was concerned that we would be fighting for a lunch table so she suggested we take an early lunch. We arrived to a very cool place called Leslies with an awesome view overlooking the lake and the volcano. Fe's strategy was good, and we were early enough to hijack a table in the prime location with a view. So now I knew I would get tested by my new friends. Dara grabbed the waiter and quickly ordered a table full of food for four people (and 5 sticky rice, cuz you can never have enough rice). As you can see from the pix, there was soooooo much food, and all of it was tasty.

After lunch we went to the market to buy flowers for Dara's mom and banana's for Jen. The weather in Taal is more moderate that in Manila and perfect for growing flowers, fruits, veggies, etc. The market was so easy, just stop at the curb, and shop. Every color of flower you can imagine, and the prices are so cheap.

For the afternoon espresso, we stopped at a nice place that has a garden for enjoying the espresso. A light rain started so we headed inside and enjoyed sharing stories and laughes. Back in Manila I was toured around to see Luneta, and Intramuros, the old walls that were built as a defense against the Spanish. The battlements are huge and still in very good condition. There is even a cafe (starbucks) built into the wall, so of course we took another espresso.

In the night, Jen joined us and we went to Greenbelt and ate at Masas. Then afterward we went to Cafe Havanna. This is a unique place to watch people for sure and listen to Latin tunes. The Manila TB's have an inside joke of the Manila TB's about this place. Haha we had fun watching people.