Where did I leave off on my Part 1 Philippines blog? I’m so relaxed that I’ve lost focus. Recalibrating…
Okay, so, I need to start with some potential redundancy. This is around how absolutely incredible the Philippines is as a vacation destination! I honestly under-estimated the country in terms of it’s overall amazingness. Friends who want to visit Southeast Asia for the beaches- the Philippines is your jam! Pinky swear. 
Moving on-ish…the mystery flight out of El Nido (that was only a mystery to me) took us to beautiful Bohol. Bryan Not-Adams had the not-so-easy task of herding our group of 13 through the airport…but we made it and were greeted with adorable little monkey necklaces. 
We were taken to our home for the next three nights, a beautiful resort with breathtaking views…and suddenly the travel day was more than worth it. Here’s Danny and Fi enjoying the welcome drink- they should be poster children for vacation-mode!
And here’s our first glimpse of our latest slice of the paradise pie that this country is. 
That night we enjoyed more fresh seafood at one of the many restaurants on the beachfront that our hotel overlooks. Since it was the night before Easter the beach was packed with revelers and we even got a fireworks display (which Bryan took complete credit for arranging). I hadn’t realized that the Philippines is 80% Catholic, so obviously Easter and everything around it is a huge deal and we saw many festive celebrations throughout the week. 
The next day (Easter Sunday) we were off on our next adventure- exploring the “Chocolate Hills” that Bohol is known for. I’m used to chocolate on Easter but this was even better! The Chocolate Hills are scattered throughout a 20-square mile area and are these cone shaped mini-mountains (100 to 400 feet tall) that are apparently a geological anomaly. They are a luscious green color in the rainy season but brown in the dry season (when the grass dies and the mud that forms them is exposed), hence their name. We started our exploration of said hills with an aerial view from a viewing area. 
Once we had our bearings, we got down and dirty with our hills exploration, cruising through them on ATV’s.
This was a BLAST and we all finished absolutely covered in “chocolate” (I wish!).
Part way through our journey we stopped to hike up one of the hills and take in more views. 
We also saw many interesting sites along the way, such as this Easter dinner prep.
Some minor excitement when Fi’s ATV stalled while cruising through some water but our guides troubleshooted quickly and we were on our way. 
We rinsed off as much of the mud as we could before heading to our next destination- the Tarsier Sanctuary. So, I’d never heard of a tarsier either, but they are adorable little monkeys who are native to the Philippines. They are so tiny that they could fit in the palm of your hand and they look like little Yodas! They actually have the largest eyes relative to body size of any mammal and their eyes are the same size as their brain (random tarsier factoid). And, because their eyes are so big they can’t rotate them, so instead their neck can turn 180 degrees in each direction! Despite this exorcist-like party trick, tarsiers are sensitive little creatures, and they like their silence and darkness while sleeping (who doesn’t, right?). But apparently, while in captivity, light from camera flashes and noise can make tarsiers commit suicide! We carefully creapt through the sanctuary, pointing and snapping a few flash-less pics of the cute little buggers- hoping they wouldn’t off themselves on our watch. 
Tarsiers are sadly an endangered species with the numbers continuing to plummet. This is because they require a specific habitat with certain vegetation and lots of insects to eat, which is harder and harder to come by. The Philippine Tarsier Foundation runs the sanctuary we visited and looks after about 100 of the adorable little creatures. Needless to say, we all fell in-love.
Back at the resort, we relaxed by the pool and took in a stunning sunset before enjoying another beachfront meal. Life continues to be a struggle!
The next day was a BIG one…my birthday!!! While I wasn’t exactly psyched about this birthday rolling around, I could not have asked for a better one and I want to thank my 13 new, super-awesome friends for making it so special! They even made me card and wrapping paper- using printer paper, colored pencils and staples. So industrious! And, yes, there were presents! Sneaky Fiona even got me a tank top I’d been eyeing at a shop in El Nido, after she’d convinced me not to buy it. 
I spent my birthday morning paddle boarding down the gorgeous Loboc River, that is lined with palm trees and other luscious vegetation. We stopped along the way to use a rope swing and try various challenges presented by our guides. Cristina won the “balancing on one foot contest,” with an extremely impressive 21 seconds! I didn’t trust my phone dry bag to keep my phone dry (learned that lesson in Croatia), so unfortunately there are no photos to prove any of this actually happened. You’ll have to take my word for it!
After paddle-boarding we enjoyed lunch, complete with a birthday cake and the second rendition of “happy birthday” of the day, before heading back to the hotel. Later we conveened for a wine and tapas happy hour before frequenting our favorite beachfront bar for the remainder of the evening. I even got a birthday bottle of champagne from the owners of Flash Pack (and also now friends), Radha and Lee! It was a great birthday.
So, if you’ve followed my blog at all (or if you know me at all) you know that “relaxing” is not exactly my area of expertise (at least in the relaxing-by-not-doing-anything-active kind of way). I actually find more relaxation in movement than sitting still (weird, I know). But, when the day after my birthday was a “free day,” I chose to “relax” at the resort and actually thoroughly enjoyed laying around! Maybe this is a getting older thing?!? I will say, the scenery definitely helped (as did the fact I needed some recovery from the birthday revelry the night before). 
Proof I was “relaxing!” 
Danny, Joe, and Bryan got up early that day and went on a boat trip, which they enjoyed- while they did say it was odd to be on a boat with “other people.” I completely understand how that would be odd, as all of our tours in the Philippines had been private and, quite frankly, it was the lifestyle to which we had become accustomed! They seemed to tough it out okay, though, strangers and all. 
The next day we hopped a flight to a town called Cebu, and stayed at a beach resort on Mactan island. Our final dinner (sniff, sniff) was at a “floating restaurant” and we even had a personal musician, regaling us with acoustic cover songs. I will say it was quite entertaining to watch the group (mostly British) belting out “Country Roads,” in accompaniment to the Filipino musician, as we sat on a floating restaurant in the middle of the South China/West Philippine sea (which sea it is depends who you ask). A perfect ending to a perfect trip!
It was sad times the next day as the group slowly peeled off, heading to the airport for various flights. Joe and Helen were leaving later and went on a boat tour, with Ollie’s hat (not sure how they got the hat but it looked like it had a great time!). 
My personal favorite is the hat’s perfectly timed jumping photo on the beach! 
Meanwhile, I enjoyed the amenities and soaked in every bit of sun that I could. I only had to push a few kids out of the way to get a turn on the water slide! 
When I left, it was just Phil at the resort…the last one of the group. He tried to evoke some sympathy for this circumstance but I didn’t feel bad for him, at all. 
While it was sad to have the trip come to an end, I’m so glad that the our group chat has continued to be active, as we share photos, re-live memories, and even plan for reunions (yes, reunion plans are already in motion!). Bryan Not-Adams even made a two-minute video of the trip (talk about going above and beyond!) You can view it here.
Up next….I’ve continent-hopped on over to Africa, specifically South Africa, and can’t wait to see what’s in store for me here!
We began our adventure in the city of Manila, that we toured via bamboo bikes. How ingenious to find a way to make a bicycle using the country’s natural resources! And I have to say it was actually a much smoother ride than a “normal” non-bamboo bicycle.
So, Manila is a city with it’s fair share of baggage in the history department. Essentially the country has been under Spanish, Japanese, and American rule for periods of time and (according to our very awesome guide, Bryan Not-Adams), Filipinos are a hybrid in getting their romance from Spain, their business sense from Japan, and their ambition from America. Not a bad combo at all, in my opinion! I have to say that the amount of American influences in the country have definitely surprised me. Most people speak English, for starters, which is something I had not experienced in my southeast Asian travels yet. When we popped into a big shopping mall to use the ATM, it could have been in any mall in America. They even had a Dunkin Donuts and a Forever 21! (Keep in mind this is the major shopping mall in Manila. Very different from the villages we visited later in the trip).
After the bike tour, we chilled at the hotel pool during the hottest part of the afternoon and then I enjoyed an incredible $10 massage. The deal the hotel offers is actually 2 hours for $1000 pesos (about $20) and there is no option for one hour-. I think I like this “island time” thing! I was certain if I had a 2-hour massage I would succumb to jet lag and fall asleep, so I “split” the time block with one of my new friends, Kristina.
So, we travelled via sea plane to El Nido- a first for me! [Although, in full disclosure, this plane took off from the sea but landed at an airport so I’m not sure it counts as a full sea plane experience? Regardless, it was a cool.] We pretty much sat with the pilot, a friendly Canadian, and it felt a little bit like being in a flight simulator (although thankfully just watching and not flying). Here comes our aircraft:
Preparing to board (some of us are just a smidge nervous)
We made it! Our first meal in El Nido.
We spent that evening in a small beach town and enjoyed a spectacular sunset before our chariot arrived the next morning (our chariot being a boat) that would be taking us to a remote, private island where we would be camping for three days (yes, that’s right, I said private island). On the way there we “island-hopped” (this is a thing), did lots of snorkeling, and had lunch on one of the many isolated white sandy beaches. We arrived at our private island later that afternoon, where we stayed at the one 
Fiona made herself right at home on the private island (yes, I’m trying to say private island as much as I can).
Private island life was a very rustic and very phenomenal experience- the views of the sea, sunsets, and stars were like no other, and the staff could not have done more to go above and beyond and make us feel at home on the island. We were even treated to a concert by the daughter of the chef! 
Speaking of the chef, the food was amazing and they even roasted a pig for us on the second night. The bacon at breakfast the next morning was also delicious. 
After sleeping in mosquito net tents on the beach (at the waters edge under the most star-filled sky) we enjoyed another full day of island hopping and snorkeled for hours among vibrant coral and fish. Life is really tough right now, I know. 
We tried to coordinate a synchronized jump off the boat (we’d seen the passengers on another boat do this and thought it looked cool). Getting into position took some time and once we were all finally ready, Oliver (who was ring leader of the group jump) must have gotten excited and jumped in early. We are just a little dismayed by this premature jump.
Finally, success! Sort of.
I had thought my back was maybe a little pink from all the snorkeling but when I returned to the island, the owner greeted us and immediately offered me aloe for my back. There were no mirrors on the island so asked him to take a picture so I could survey the damage. Ouch. 
Much aloe later, it’s finally faded- that sun can really creep up on you while snorkeling. That night we witnessed another phosphorescent sunset, collectively noticing that the prettiest colors actually came out about 15 minutes after the sun had set. Not sure if this is just a Philippines thing and I’ll have to start paying attention during sunsets elsewhere. With Bryan’s help I also used the time-lapse feature for the first time to capture the sunset. Let me see if I can figure out how to share it…
I had grouper steamed in lemongrass shared some DELISH grilled squid.
The next day we had the option of a free day to relax at the resort or go on a lagoon boat tour- difficult life decisions. I opted for the tour and seven of us had the BEST day crusading around the West Philippines sea, stopping to explore multiple amazing lagoons. Since it was a holiday (Good Friday) the boat traffic was heavier than usual but we still managed to find a secret lagoon, where we were the only ones there for a period of time. Lunch was on THE most secluded beach, which also happened to have THE best snorkeling of the trip so far. And that’s saying a lot! It was a fantastic day and we were all grateful to Bryan for organizing it for us on a free day. Although I think his motivation may have been partially selfish as he seemed to have just as much fun as we did. 
We reunited with the rest of our group for a sunset cocktail (and there was so much for us all to catch up on after not all being together almost a whole day!) I felt kind of guilty telling those who hadn’t come on the lagoon tour how spectacular it was, but they all seemed quite content with their decision (and also looked very relaxed).