The Philippines - An Addendum, Bangkok ,Hua Hin and the End of a Journey

So, as it turns out the Philippines wasn't quite finished with us yet ... or was it the other way around? In any case, our last day in Palawan was planned to be a do nothing, relax, and get ready to leave day. However, thanks to a very nice young couple, she being deathly afraid of spiders and, therefore, unable to stay in the room they had booked because of a large painting in the bathroom of the spider (a self-admitted phobia by her), I changed rooms with them. As a result, we became friends and they told me it was possible to do a short snorkel trip leaving from right in front of our hotel which we did of course. It was the best! We had two captains on a boat that seated 30 and there were just two of us. We saw a turtle and the a very beautiful reef with many fish (including clown fish and dorys/dories?). We also went to starfish island, really just a sandbar and only two starfish in the vicinity but a great day. One of our 'captains' used these round home-made fins and pulled us along having us hold on to a life preserver which was very cool because he knew exactly where to go! I don't have photos but will get video as Chuck filmed it all with his GoPro. Can't wait to relive it! On to Manila. Truthfully, I didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised. It is a huge city and this time we stayed near Intramuros which is the old town and quite interesting and picturesque. We visited a fort on the river which had dungeons with a very sad story. Many, many lost their lives there and it was difficult to spend time in the dungeon. We had a mango shake at a cafe in a very old and beautiful building and visited St. Augustin Church.the oldest stone church in the Philippines and then the Manila Cathedral - a cathedral that is/was truly cursed! It was built in 1861 of wood and bamboo, burned to the ground in 1863, suffered severe damage twice from earthquakes and was bombed to rubble in 1945! The version standing now has survived since 1958 I believe and was quite beautiful. A couple explanations about the photos: the Jeepney is a part of Manila and they are so, so colorful, stop anywhere which is a source of contention among some bu are really intertwined with the culture of Manila I think. I like them! Another weird thing seen in one of the photos is that a large part of Intramuros is surrounded by a golf course! So, next to barricade walls and old buildings and forts people are playing 18 holes!

So, we are now back in Bangkok and absorbing the Philippines. I have conflicted feelings and am not sure how I feel about it overall but it was a new adventure and I met some very great people and saw some beautiful places and things. Sooooooo? One thing I know is that I'm happy to be back in Thailand, eating Thai food again and getting foot massages! Below are two shrines hidden among some very fancy shopping malls. I spent half a day trying to find them! So this is Erawan Shrine and a shrine to Ganesha. After a couple days in Bangkok spent packing and unpacking, laundering what we could, eating Thai food and getting massages, we hired a car to take us to Hua Hin - what should be a 3 hour drive but due to traffic took closer to five hours. Glad we were passengers. On the way we passed huge salt fields and many roadside stands selling . . . salt! They had salt in 1 pound to 25 pound sizes - we didn't stop!

We are now in Hua Hin which is a small city on the beach South of Bangkok and a vacation spot for many Thai people. The seafood restaurants here are truly out of this world delicious and I had the best massage yet today! I walked on the beach but it appears I missed the best part so off the explore tomorrow. Below are a few photos of Hua Hin: the day market, a horse for rent on the beach, a tiny woman carrying a heavy load of goods for sale and some colorful boats near a seaside restaurant. We have one more full day in Hua Hin, then back to Bangkok to prepare for the trip home. I am really looking forward to seeing my family and friends back home. As the same time, it will be difficult to get back into the everyday routines of home and I'm surely not looking forward to the cold and rainy weather. Still, a small price to pay to see those I love and miss!

Photos included in a somewhat random order as my computer has been acting strange since the beginning of this trip. Hope you enjoyed the stories and photos. Bye for now and see you all soon!