Are we going to make it?

Days 31 to 32 - Cebu to Singapore to Melbourne

Day 31

Last day in the Philippines! Our room had a nice view of the ocean and as we were getting ready we witnessed a waterspout, something neither of us had seen before.  

Our flight was leaving at 1:00pm and we were only 9km from the airport so we decided we had plenty of time for breakfast before heading to the airport. We had checked out by about 9:45am  and tried to book a ride to the airport using Grab, but for some reason there were no drivers in the area. We kept trying as we hadn't booked a hotel taxi, and while we were waiting there was a massive clap of thunder followed by very heavy rain. Fortunately a driver accepted our request and pulled up a few minutes later, dropping off a couple of passengers. 

Our driver told us the roads were flooded so the trip would take a while, and he wasn't wrong! Our 9km trip took us 86 minutes, as we had left early we were confident we would get to the airport on time though at times we did get a little worried.

We safely made it onto our flight, arriving in Singapore just before 5pm. We checked in to the airport hotel then visited the the Jewel light show, followed by dinner in the shopping plaza next door.

Day 32

Changi Airport is pretty easy to get through and our flight was at 10:50am. We woke early, checked out then hung out at one of the airport lounges for a while before our flight, eventually arriving in Melbourne around 10pm. Trip over ... time to start thinking about the next one.

Not much going on really

Days 29 to 30 - Mactan (Cebu)

Just a couple of lazy days at the Shangri-La resort on Mactan Island, so not much of note to write about.

Each morning we took advantage of the nice (though incredibly busy) buffet breakfast. The first day we ate in the main restaurant and had to queue for about 15 minutes just to get a table. The second day we went to the smaller breakfast in the Ocean wing, which was more relaxed and overall more pleasant.

M did a little bit of exploring, walking along the main road and then down to the Hilton ferry port where you can get a ferry to Olango Island, but when the sun was out it was very hot and humid so his exploring was limited.

We walked around the nicely manicured grounds and checked out the shops and cafes at the resort. We did notice that there were a lot of children around, also that 90 percent (or more) of the guests were Asian, and we had read that the Philippines is a major destination for South Koreans.

Each day we'd go to the beach bar for happy hour, it closed at 6pm which seemed a little on the early side to us, though as the sun was setting around 5:30pm it kind of made sense. 

$200 for "free" drinks?

Day 28 - Boracay to Mactan (Cebu)

Our flight wasn't until 12.30pm  but we were told we needed to leave by 9.30am, so after a leisurely breakfast right by the beach we jumped into a van followed by ferry followed by van,  the time taken to get to Caticlan airport was about 50 minutes.  

The airport wasn't much more than a big shed but we were grateful that it was air-conditioned, it actually wasn't too bad a wait. The boarding process started an hour before takeoff, we were loaded on to buses which sat there until given the all the clear to drive in a convoy along the only runaway to our plane. The plane taxied back down the runway past the holding shed and did a U turn to take off on the very short runway. 

It was only a 45 minute flight but there was enough time for the flight attendants to run a short trivia game complete with prizes.

We hopped in a Grab at Mactan airport and arrived at the Shangri-La resort, our home for the next three nights. The girl who checked us in tried very hard to upsell us, suggesting we purchase lounge access ("free" drinks and snacks for about $200 extra per night), or move from the Ocean wing to Main wing, but we'd done our homework and knew what was being offered wasn't worth it. We did accept a move to a better room, what was weird was that it cost us nothing extra, plus there was already a welcome card in that room with our name on it.

We settled in and explored, having a couple of drinks at the beach bar for happy hour, followed by a buffet dinner where the staff confused us with somebody else and almost gave us free drinks.    

Washed Out

Days 25 to 27 - Boracay

Day 25

Oh dear, this wind and rain doesn't look good! We had thought about visiting the Philippines in other years but were concerned about typhoons, this year we thought we'd be OK by the end of November, but climate change is bringing more frequent and stronger storms, extending the typhoon season.

It poured rain overnight but by the time we finished breakfast it had subsided a little. M decided this would be a good time to go for a walk ... two hours and one completely destroyed umbrella later he made it back to our hotel, though he did manage to walk the length of White Beach up to Lambros Point.

We both went for a walk later in the afternoon, but we were caught in another massive downpour and had to shelter at a coffee place and a bar on our way back. We had dinner at the hotel, there wasn't much point in going too far in this weather.

Day 26

We only found out this morning that all flights to Boracay yesterday had been cancelled and visitors had been stranded on the island and in Manila, we were fortunate we'd arrived the day before that.

The weather had improved so M went exploring along the beach to the south, stopping when rocks prevented further progress. That part of the beach was even quieter than where we were staying. 

The sun came out and the Filipinos are so used to cyclones it's as if it never happened. The sand near our hotel is lovely and soft and the sea was calm and a beautiful blue so it was a great day to swim in the warm water then relax on the island while sipping cocktails.

That evening we watched as yachts took people out on sunset cruises, all in a line along the horizon.

Day 27

Another sunny day, so M went off on another walk along White Beach (no umbrella required this time), while K decided on another swim. 

At breakfast we had seen people reserving sun lounges early by placing their towels but then not using them. It seems the stereotype that it's Germans that do it is somewhat true as it was a German man that demanded K move when she sat on a lounge that had been unoccupied for two hours! 

Sandy white beaches ... and lots of rain

Day 24 - Manila to Boracay

The flight from Manila to Caticlan airport was only 45 minutes, but our ultimate destination of Boracay was on a different island. We had arranged a transfer so we were met by some very helpful staff from My Boracay Guide who drove us to the Caticlan Jetty Port. They then gave us our ferry tickets and helped us with our luggage as far as the stairs to the ferry. There are a lot of porters offering to carry our luggage onto the ferry (for a fee) but M decided he'd do it himself, nearly tripping and dropping a case into the water along the way.  

The sky was dark and ominous, we were a little surprised by the wind and rain and was told it was due to a typhoon expected to arrive later today! This was news to us, we'd been keeping an eye on Cyclone Kalmaegi and the deadly Super Typhoon Fung-wong which hit the Philippines five days later. We'd been keeping our selfish fingers crossed that the worst would be over by the time we arrived. What we had missed was that Typhoon Verbena was on its way! It was due to pass over islands well south of us but Verbena's wide reach meant Boracay was also copping the rain.

It was a 15 minute boat ride to the island of Boracay, then at the other end it was more porters (which M avoided) to get the luggage back onto dry land, then another van for 10 or so minutes. We then parked on the road and our luggage was carried along the sand to our hotel Villa Caemilla. We had definitely done the right thing paying for the transfer, we could have done it on our own more cheaply but it would have been more stressful and taken a lot longer.

The west side of Boracay called White Beach is made up of three stations/sections. Station 1 is the luxury resorts, Station 2 is shopping and nightlife while Station 3 where we were staying is  quieter. 

A few doors down from us was a Thai restaurant facing right onto the beach which is where we had dinner. It reminded us a little of  the times we stayed at Bang Tao on Phuket, before the post-covid crowds changed the beach and it became crowded and commercialised.

Clean at last

Day 22 - Bangkok to Manila (Philippines)

It was an early start but airport lounge access made it a little easier to handle! We boarded our flight to Manila just after 7am, a few hours later we landed then caught a Grab to our apartment on the 27th floor of Seda Residences in the business and residential suburb of Makati.

After a few weeks on the road an apartment with a washing machine was just what we needed, while our clothes were drying we stepped out and visited a nearby supermarket for some provisions. Then it was back to the hotel for a couple of drinks at the rooftop bar as we watched the striking sunset.

Day 23 - Manila 

After a filling buffet breakfast we caught a Grab to Intramuros, the 16th century, walled old city of Manila. There were lots of touts trying to get us to take a ride in their horse and carriage, definitely the wrong tourists for that! 

We wandered the streets for a while amongst the Spanish colonial styled buildings and churches before paying the entrance fee to to visit Fort Santiago. It was quite warm and very humid, not the best weather for wandering, so after we finished exploring the fort we headed back to Makati and our high-rise home in the sky. A couple of drinks at the rooftop bar then a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant on the ground floor finished up the day. Off to the island beaches tomorrow!

Two sleeps in one day

Day 21 - Bangkok 

The flight to Bangkok took about four hours and we were able to stay awake for the duration, landing around 6am local time. We checked in to the airport hotel and went straight to bed,  waking early afternoon then heading to the café for (finally) a decent coffee.

Our visit to the hotel restaurant on our trip over had been disappointing, but we didn't feel like venturing too far so we hit the hotel's sports bar in time for happy hour, satisfied with a couple of drinks and some bar snacks.

The good thing about the hotel we stayed at is that the stay is 24 hours from check in, which meant we were able to get in a second round of sleep and adjust a little better to the time difference before our flight the next day.

Is your husband Pakistani?

Day 20 - Lahore to Bangkok 

Our tour was officially over and we weren't leaving until almost midnight so we had a day to spend in Lahore. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before we battled the streets, negotiating the roadside motorbike parking areas on our 20 minute walk to a nearby government handicrafts store for a few last minute purchases. 

We found that the shop (Pakistan Handicrafts Shop) had the best range of all the shops we'd visited, however it didn't have the tiles K had missed buying earlier in the trip.

We hung out at the hotel for the afternoon, had dinner there and then took the hotel car to the airport around 8:30pm, the trip taking about 40 minutes in dense traffic.

Lahore airport was chaotic and normal rules at passport control like waiting your turn were not in play, instead of a normal queue people were squashed around the desks. Security was heavy and thorough with multiple check points (probably for the best as a suicide bomber had killed 11 people in Islamabad a week earlier). K had to go through separate women's checkpoint, for some reason they asked if her husband was Pakistani.

We found that the upstairs dining area was quiet so we waited there until we boarded our flight to Bankgok around 11:30pm, getting away pretty much on schedule.

Links to the Taj

Day 19 - Lahore

Another early start to see the old city of Lahore. We stopped briefly for a quick look at the Lahore Railway Station before heading to the huge grounds of the Tomb of Noor Jahan. The mausoleum was built in the 17th century for the Mughal empress Noor Jahan, with the marble centotaphs of the empress and her daughter side by side inside the main building.

 

It was a short drive from there to see the tomb of Noor Mahal's husband Emperor Jahangir, also set inside a large garden along with some other smaller tombs. Jahangir was the father of Shah Jahan, who along with this tomb also built the Taj Mahal for his wife. Similarities can be seen between this tomb and the Taj, with heavy use of semi-precious stones (like lapis lazuli) inlaid in the shape of flowers in white marble.

Next was a visit to Lahore Museum. It was quite busy so once again we attracted a bit of attention, what was amusing when we first arrived in Pakistan was starting to wear on us a bit! The exhibits were quite varied, ranging from a section on different buddha statues, a big (and not particularly flattering) statue of Queen Victoria, and odd things like a piece of the Berlin wall. After we'd seen enough we found a seat away from the crowds to enjoy some peace and quiet! 

Lunch was at Yasir Broast on Tourist Street near the Anarkali Bazaar, and in a very busy part of town and as we walked along the street had a glimpse of daily life in Lahore.   

From there it was back in the bus to the Delhi gate, walking along the busy street and then past a spice market to Shahi Hamman, a Turkish bath built by Shah Jahan in 1635. It had received awards for the quality of the restoration, with baths being excavated and highly decorated frescoes uncovered. 

Not far from there was the Wazir Khan Mosque with its detailed painted frescos and as well as the underground tomb of a Sufi saint. This was the most "touristy" part of Pakistan we'd seen on the whole trip, with a few shops just outside the mosque selling souvenirs and artwork.

The walk back through the bazaar and the wait for our bus on a very busy corner had us all choking on the fumes and smog of Lahore's chaotic polluted traffic.

Back at the hotel we had a last dinner with our travelling companions as they were all flying home in the early hours of the morning, while we still had another full day left in Pakistan.

You spin me right round

Day 18 - Lahore 

A busy day today starting with a visit to Lahore Fort. We entered via the gate right next to Food Street, which in the past was part of the red light district but now contains restaurants and shops. 

The fort covers an area of more than 20 hectares and contains twenty one notable monuments. It has been a residence for Mughal emperors and features a blend of Mughal and Sikh architectural styles.

A local guide joined us to provide useful information as we visited sights which included the Picture Wall, the Sheesh Mahal, Summer Palace, Naulakha Pavilion, and the Badshahi Mosque.

By the time we made it to the mosque it was starting to get quite busy, K had to put her scarf over her head so that people wouldn't approach her asking for a photo!

We then visited the Shalimar Gardens which covers 16 hectares, and is arranged in three terraces with water features and multiple buildings. Construction of the gardens was completed in 1642 during the reign of Shah Jahan, at the peak of Mughal architectural and cultural achievements.

After lunch we drove to the Wagah border crossing. We had previously seen the border closing ceremony from the Indian side in 2009, but with the border being closed due to the recent border skirmishes between Pakistan and India we were here to witness the flag lowering ceremony.     

The border was quite different from our earlier visit. Last time we felt a bit sorry for the Pakistani side as they didn't seem to have much of a grandstand and the crowd was a lot smaller than the Indian side. This time in Pakistan we were sitting in a huge newly built grandstand, they had people to rev up the crowd (including a one legged man dressed and spinning like a dervish), with massive video screens and an extremely loud sound system showing videos about the Pakistani armed forces - there's nothing like clips of missile launchers and planes dropping bombs to get the crowd in the right mood! 

It was still a fun show, the choreography hadn't changed much from last time, soldiers were still doing strange high kicks and silly walks and standing at the closed border gate shaking their fists at the other side, and on our side the crowd were really excited, shouting "Jan Jan Pakistan".

After the ceremony finished we headed back to Food Street, which was quite busy and we spent half an hour or so checking out the action along the street. There were food stands, shops, even a goat balancing on top of what looked like an upturned vase. We then had dinner at Haveli restaurant, sitting outside with a great view of the fort.