Boracay, Philippines - March 25-29, 2012

What a travel adventure.  As I said earlier, the line at the Manila airport took forever.  I had plenty of time.  When I eventually got to the front of the line I asked to get on an earlier flight.  At first he said no but after paying him $35 in excess baggage fees in cash, he cleared me on the next flight.

It was 1:15pm and the flight left at 1:00pm.  He said they would hold it for me - yeah.

I had to pay the airport tax of 200 pesos (one of many I would pay before the day was over).  Then through security.  When I got to the gate I found out the inbound flight hadn't arrived yet.

Finally we boarded the prop for an hour flight to Boracay.  On arrival I had three more fees to pay - 50 pesos tricycle fee to get me to the boat dock - really a motorcycle with a little cabin attached.  Then a 75 peso environmental fee and the 25 peso boat fee.  When I got to the dock there was another 50 peso terminal fee.  In case you are wondering there are 42 pesos to the dollar.

The boat ride was fine, at least this time they had life rafts.  Then I had another 100 peso tricycle fee to get near the hotel.  I had to walk the last 1/10 of a mile wheeling my luggage in the sand.

But I was very lucky when I was told I was upgraded to a suite - kitchen, dining area, living room and a big loft bedroom with a jacuzzi on the balcony.

I think I'm gonna have a great time here.

I walked up and down the crowded beach. The sunset was island perfect with hundreds of sail boats on the horizon. I'll take a boat ride before I leave. At dinner time the beach fills with tents and restaurants. You get to choose your entree to be grilled in front if you. I picked two jumbo, and I mean jumbo prawns. They were at least a half a pound each and they tasted like lobster (which I plan on having tomorrow).

The next morning was overcast, which was good since I don't think I could take more then an hour of sun. There are people here from all over the world - one of the Philippines most popular resorts.

My wake up call at 8:00am was from my niece Lisa. She is less telephone challenged then Eric who still hasn't been able to reach me.

Around noon the sun came out and I basked for about an hour until it started raining - much needed relief. It didn't last long, just to get all the beach chairs wet.

During the afternoon I read at the pool. All my library ebooks had expired, so I'm back to a discarded one from a hotel. Its about someone hijacking the shuttle and flying it to the moon. Very realistic, but entertaining.

I'm now enjoying a strong beer 6.9% alcohol as I write these notes.

The Mongolian BBQ was interesting. I added unknown vegetables and sauces to my chicken. At least the sign said chicken. It was really very good. After dinner I walked the beach again. It is like a complete transformation from daytime. The beach turns into one big party for the tourists.

Unfortunately the next day brought rain, rain and more rain. I read, did crosswords and sudokus, and lounged in my private jacuzzi.

It was still pouring at dinner time do I selected a nearby beach restaurant where I had a succulent lobster - not cheap but good. After dinner a chocolate ice cream bar.

Thursday was cloudy with some sun. I can't believe I slept until after 10am, missing breakfast. I strolled the beach to Starbucks for chocolate cake and cappuccino - my eating habits must change when I get home.

I sat on the beach and soaked up 30 minutes of sun before the clouds took over. It was still a beautiful day and I relaxed, watched and read. At 3pm I went inside and within minutes the sky started dropping huge raindrops. Good timing. I spent my final afternoon on my balcony. Sorry I missed a sailboat ride. But I have two more beaches with hopefully better weather.

For dinner I had the two largest prawns ever and a dozen oysters, really 16. It was 780 pesos for prawns, and 150 for oysters.

Well my time in Boracay has come to an end. I'm sorry the weather wasn't better but it was great visiting Asia's second favorite beach resort after Bali.

Time to get the cash out for tips and fees. It reminds me of the first time I went to the Bahamas, but there they demanded tips, for little if no service. At least here they were sincere.

So we start with the hotel bell boy 20 pesos, twice. Then 100 for the tricycle. 50 for the boat terminal fee and 25 for boat. 20 twice for porters to carry my luggage on and off the rickety bridge. Then 50 more for another tricycle to the airport, I could have walked, and finally 200 airport terminal fee. Total - too much.

The flight was over an hour late, which I determined is normal for the Philippines.

Look how large the prawn is.

Manila, Philippines - March 23-25, 2012

I decided to spend a few days in Manila before heading to Boracay, a beach resort.  Singapore was the epitome of order and Manila was pure chaos.  The traffic is horrible, taking over an hour to get from the airport to my hotel.

The Peninsula Hotel is beautiful.  In Hong Kong it runs $500 a night.  The breakfast is amazing.  They have regular food plus sushi and best of all gelato.

I was with a friend today who took me by train to a national monument.  The train was packed like sardines.  And then I got in trouble taking a picture of the US embassy.  I hope I can get back in the USA.

I got a real old fashioned haircut.  My hair was beginning to look like bozo the clown.  I included a relaxing neck and back massage.  The price was about $4.

We then cooled off in one of the many air conditioned malls.  What a relief.  After lunch we took the train, still packed, to the hotel.

We made it back just before the skies opened up.  It was as bad as a violent Orlando thunderstorm.

I never got to ride in one of these little buses.

Yes it was fun.

The next morning I spent time at the beautiful pool before heading to the airport.

The Manila airport has to be one of the worse. The line took forever with the lady in front of me yelling at the agent for 30 minutes. I'm sure many people missed their flight.

Singapore Part 2 - March 20-23, 2012

Well I now have another favorite city.  Singapore is modern, beautiful and spotless.  Chewing gum is prohibited and can earn you a $800 fine, in US dollars.  The airport is also one of the best in the world.

I arrived at 7:00am from Sri Lanka and took a taxi to my hotel.  My room wasn't ready so I wearily wandered the streets until I found Popeye's and Starbucks.  $5 for a coffee was a little steep, but I discovered most things are expensive here.

After a short nap I wandered up and down Orchard Road, the shopping mecca of Singapore. I don't know which city has more high end stores - Singapore or Hong Kong. But neither comes close to the number I saw in Shanghai a few years ago. Today I just looked, no shopped. As usual I use my first day to get acquainted with my surroundings.  The condom store was kind of fun.

On the next day I bought a two day hop on hop off bus and boat card. The skyscrapers are awesome and the three tower with a boat on top was amazing.  I may stay there in September. I won't have time to visit it or the Singapore Flyer (5 meters higher then the London Eye) but I will be back in six months.

This is the famous Raffles Hotel.  I guess I'll have to research it on the Internet to see why it is so famous.  Unless Lisa checks it out for me.  Hint, hint.

After getting an overview I got off at the Singapore Botanical Gardens were I saw millions of perfect orchids. Singapore accounts for 15% of the world market. I have never seen so many colors and varieties. I must have taken over 100 pictures. The rest of the gardens were just as impressive.  (See pictures in Singapore Part 1)

I boarded the bus for Chinatown, where I feasted on 1/2 a Peking Duck. That turned out to be lunch and dinner. I wandered the streets but really didn't see anything to buy. But again, what do I need?

I think about 75% of the population is Chinese, followed by Malaysian and Indian. The only thing missing were the rickshaws.

I was hot and tired so I returned to my hotel for the evening.

On my third day my first stop was Little India. The streets were packed with little shops and restaurants with overpowering aromas - mostly good. The people were friendly and didn't try to pressure you into buying anything.

There was a 24 hour Mustafa Department Store which covered two city blocks. This is where I finally found some much needed sunscreen. They carried most major brands. It was like a Target, Macys, CVS and Publix all in one. Much nicer then a Walmart. As a security measure they actually zip tie each bag before you leave.

I had a nice Indian lunch before heading to the river cruise. We sailed for an hour viewing the river and harbour. This is where most of the nightlife happens. There were many common US chain restaurants.

This is the most beautiful government building I saw in Singapore.  The windows are painted the colors of the rainbow.

What happened to Superman?

On my way back to the hotel the sky opened up and I got drenched. I am now recovering and drying as I write of today's adventure. By the way - Popeye's Chicken is in Singapore too.

Info about electrical outlet. My Singapore hotel is the first hotel to have a universal outlet built in the wall. They accept plugs from the US, Europe and the UK. Someone was smart.

Owning a car in Singapore is an expensive proposition. First the import duty is about 100%. So a $20,000 is now $40,000. Then you need to buy a ten year permit to own the car - up another $10,000. Now we're up to $50,000. These permits are bid on every two weeks. After ten years it doesn't pay to get another permit on a ten year old car, so most cars on the road are new. Then you add the cost of the toll roads, including busy city streets. This can run another $500 a month. That's why the buses and subways are so popular. Singapore export is the second largest exporter of cars behind Japan.

Housing is also expensive, but 85% of the population lives in government subsidized apartments. Condos start at half a million and skyrocket from there. Not many US or Brits retiring here.

Singapore Part 1 - Orchids - March 21, 2012

These are my pictures of the National Orchid Garden in the Singapore Botanical Gardens.  I have never seen so many beautiful orchids.

Watch out for the spider.





Sri Lanka - March 14-19, 2012

The tuk-tuk is the most popular means of transportation in Sri Lanka.  I last road them in India a few years ago.  It is basically a motorcycle with two wheels and a seat in the back.  They are much cheaper then taxis, but I did take a taxi from the airport.  That was an adventure in itself.  The driver had no idea where the hotel was and he had to call them five times before we got there.

These koi were in the hotel lobby.  It was a nice hotel.  Most of the guests were Germans, followed by Brits and a few French.  I think I was the only American in the place.  Most of the locals told me they had never met an American.

Sri Lanka is meant for sun, the beach and the beautiful sunsets.  This was the first time I've put my foot in the Indian Ocean.  I did see it from Perth, Australia.

I took a day trip to Negombo, the largest city near my hotel.  We started in tuk-tuks and then took the train.  I think this train started service in the 1920s.  It was old, and dirty.  Luckily the locals weren't traveling with their cattle.

The inside of the train.

This was the previous train, that stopped service just before I arrived.

Negombo's largest industry is fishing.  There must have been 1000 boats in the harbour.

This smaller boat is used to catch shrimp and prawns.

 

Here's the fish market.  The fish was very fresh and I hope they sold it quickly, since there was no ice to keep it fresh anywhere.

Here the fishermen are taking their catch out of the net.

Sardines

Then we visited the vegetable market.  The guide explained what every vegetable was, as if we don't have the same at home.

I did have pineapple every day and it was delicious.

I traveled half the world to visit a grocery store.  We spent 1/2 an hour here so the guide could do her shopping.

The outdoor market offered no bargains.  I don't know how they stay in business.

We took a canal boat ride back to the hotel.  It was a nice ride but by 2pm it was very very hot.

I did get to see a kingfisher bird up close.

My final sunset in Sri Lanka.

Next stop - Singapore.