Philippines

Apologies for the lack of updates. We've been to a few remote places that didn't have electricity let alone internet and also had a bit of camera trouble (3 cameras bit the dust in 2 weeks). This entry is brought to you by Conor "Chingy" Murphy, from Milltown that came to visit us. I'll start it off as he arrived a few days late (Cheers American Airlines!).

Our landing spot in the Philippines was Clark Airport near Angeles City. We had heard that there was a good nightlife there, but on landing discovered that WAS is the most important word in the sentence. Until 1990, USA had a huge army presence there, but when they withdrew (wahey!), it basically left 1,000 unemployed prostitutes and a string of sex tourists. We landed at 12, went for lunch and a walk through town and were out of there on the 2pm bus. As close to hell on earth as you can imagine. So we arrived in Manila a few days early in the lovely business district of Makata. A bit expensive for our budget, but we did find a lovely Irish bar and a hotel by the bay and settled into to watch the Lions test. Dissapointing result, but we did make some nice contacts with a few Scots. One was the regional manager of the largest employer in the world which happens to be a security firm. Handy if we got in trouble! Anyway, they enjoyed our rendition of Irish songs. Conor (Chingy) arrived the following day so I'll let him take it from here.....

Thanks Marcus - I corrected all your grammar mistakes above! When I got to Manila I made my way to a different hotel and slept off a massive journey which took me from Haiti to Brazil and onto Manila via New York! I spent my first day visiting a guy I know who runs a manufacturing plant in Manila - very obvious why Ireland can't compete when it comes to manufacturing. Met up with the guys (Minors) on the first evening which was emotional to say the least! Everybody is in top form and for all the mothers out there - they're looking sharp! Manila is a strange enough city. It's absolutely massive, but there's surprisingly little to do there. The whole sex industry is quite disturbing and some of the things you see around the streets isn't very pleasent. Intramuros is probably the best tourist site - it's an old Spanish quarter from colonial times. Needless to say that due to the lack of cultural sites there was a few hours spent consuming different types of food and local beers. In the excitement of it all, there was dance-offs in niteclubs, drinking at some great on-street bars and listening to unreal live music bands who would put their Irish counterparts to shame. Along the way we befriended one particular band called Blush and had a great night in the lead singers 39th floor apartment the night before we left for Borocay Island. The same night we were informed by staff at the Irish Bar that the 'all you can drink' ended the previous Saturday due to a group of Scots and Irish. Tut tut.......

Getting to Borocay was nothing short of priceless and due to flight bookings, the Minors left before me. At check-in we were all weighed individually which was a little strange! We arrived separately at Kalibo airport and then faced a 2 hour bus journey to Caticlan port where you get the boat to Borocay. When I finally made it to Caticlan, it was dark, the Minors were already in Borocay and I hadn't notion where! When I got to the island the only place that was open was the police station. I made my way over to the man in charge and asked him did he see 5 white lads passing through earlier who were probably looking around for accommodation tips. After a few shouts and banging on a table this woman appeared and said, "yes, there were 5 white boys here earlier. They are staying in the Borocay Holiday Resort in room 208. Take that tricycle and you'll find them". Without even thinking about it off I went and sure enough when I made the resort there was Kevin Ed tearing up and down pool like a fish. Magic!

Borocay was pretty cool to be fair. Very relaxed, beautiful beach, good bars and good food and a welcome change from Manila. We were pretty well behaved throughout - activities ranged from walking, swimming, doing laundry and eating. The nightlife is pretty good - very random niteclubs frequented by some interesting characters. Mick is showing signs of becoming a psychologist when he goes back to work. He has a particular knack of talking to complete nutcases and making them appear normal. Shakeys pizza was becoming a firm favourite, but a local dish called Topsilong (beef, rice, soup, veg) for less than a €1 was also popular. How you like them apples D2 €12 lunch people?! We watched the 3rd Test in the Lions tour - the same night Keeffe informed us that he was beginning to forget simple maths. Those long bus journeys have taken their toll.......We had a great day out which culminated in meeting the lads at a Hobbitt Bar! The owner loves Lord of the Rings apparently.

We left Borocay (can't remember exactly how) for Cebu. Had to reroute to another airport coz a plane had crashed at the airport the week previous and was still on the runway. Long enough trip to a city that doesn't really have anything to do. We were only there for a night before heading to another fantastic island called Malapascou. Our hotel was right on the beach and next to a great little bar/restaurant. We behaved ourselves the first night and took it handy due to a snorkelling session planned for the following morning. I'm very proud of myself for taking part given the extreme fear of the open sea that I have, but to be fair I was hanging on to the side of the boat for the most part. The coral and all those small fish were pretty cool. During one part of the session we were taken to the wreck of an old Japanese warship from World War II. The second night can only be described as the 'attack of the Red Horse'. Red Horse is a Filipino beer that comes in a pint bottle with no reference to the alcohol content. Earlier that evening Mick and I arrived back to our room which was under water due to a leak in the roof. Cameras, clothes, books - DEAD! Needless to say a few bottles of Red Horse were consumed. Our collective dance and singing qualities were on full show as we serenaded a group of Canadians and a brilliant crew from Italy. Mick, Trick and I led the dancing from the bar-top while Ed caused havoc with a stunning version of 'Katie'. A great night. The GREATEST night!

Our third day was spent hanging around. The weather wasn't great so fellas caught up on some sleep and missed reading. The worst dinner ever was held at an Italian restaurant on the island where the pizza tasted like warm, cornflakes box with a lot of tomato sauce and cheese - not the best preparation for the local Friday night disco on the beach. All shapes, sizes and ages were in attendance and the performance of the night had to go to a 7 year old boy who tore up the beach with some ridiculous dance moves. The Italians tried in vain to compete, but your man was having none of it. The night itself was a great end to the Philippine adventure. It's a great place to visit once you get away from Manila. The people are fantastic - very hospitable and helpful and it's very reasonable. From Malapascou, we made our way back to Cebu for an onward departure to Singapore.