Nomads in Asia

Boracay Sunset

From the sounds of soft rock Karaoke coming from every street corner, to the sweltering heat balanced off by a little beach time, the start of our trip has so far been a great adventure.  We’ve seen two interesting perspectives of the Philippines between the organized and surprisingly relaxed chaos of Manila to the beautiful beaches at Boracay Island, we’re pretty glad to have made the choice to start the trip here.

The one thing not to overlook is that there is still a lot of poverty in Manila, magnified by the recent floods. I was revisited of the contrasting images that stuck in my head as a 5 year old in India. Those of many homeless people living in front of some of the nicest hotels in the country.   Except that what was unfortunately missing here (and rightfully so) was the bright perspective shared by those in poverty here vs. India.  I wonder if religion has a part to play in that.
The streets of Manila were very alive at night and we even made a few friends among some students while were out at dinner.

Attacking the 10 foot prawns

After a few days , we headed to Boracay, where the beach definitely lived up to all the hype and expectation.  We found a great nice and cheap place by the waterfront which, as a bonus had wifi on the beach! This was a nice technological advance from the last time we’ve traveled that I can really get used to!

Upon speaking to a few expats, (mainly one which was an owner of a great coffee shop) there are less Americans coming to this side of the world than before, which is a shame for them, but  a win for us.

Our choice to head here was from the support of a few great friends on Facebook who definitely gave us a nudge in the right direction, so thank you Allen, Ricky, Rubin, and Sylvia!

Favorites so far:

• Everybody singing to soft rock at every corner.
• Intramuros, the remnants of a Spanish city which provided a beautiful solitude in the middle of Manila’s Chaos.
• The largest Prawns possible known to man, which we purchase at a market and have cooked at a nearby stall.
• The contrast of the chaos and relaxed Boracay between the Saturday and Monday

Still needs getting used to:

• The heat!
• Getting asked for my Friendster name and not automatically replying “you mean Facebook?”

Still need to try

• Balut

All of our pictures so far from Manila and Boracay are on Flickr.