I love seeing more and more of the Philippines. Thanks to Lakbay TV, I've basically seen most of it FOR FREE! ;P And since 2005, it's been my goal to send myself to all the other spots I hadn't been to every year. One province/city/town/island at a time. Maybe I should leave little flaglets with "LESLIE WAS HERE" in each place I visit next, eh? ;P
Like I said in my flickr set description, we were in the land of the best mangoes in the country as well as the spot with mostly dramatic sunsets. Only we were there at the wrong time. Ahahaha! So, yeah, no mangoes AT ALL coz they weren't in season, and no sunrise or sunset photos as it kept raining during each day's bookends. Beh... I'm thankful enough that we got enough sun to go island-hopping, snorkeling, and sunbathing in those 4 days.
The last day was mainly for doing the church hop-about around the towns of Iloilo AND the search for THE ORIGINAL batchoy ;) Was blessed with good weather for good photos. I've set foot, once again, on one of the country's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Basically there are five (5) on the list:
1. Historic town of Vigan (yup, been there twice)
2. Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras
3. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River (again, been there twice)
4. Tubbataha Reef Marine Park
5. Baroque Churches of the Philippines (NOW I can say I've seen 'em all!)
- San Agustin Church, Intramuros
- Paoay Church, Ilocos Norte
- Nuestra Señora Church, Ilocos Sur
- Miag-ao Church, Iloilo
There were other really nice churches around Iloilo, and I was happy to photograph them.
Oh, and we did find the "ORIGINAL" batchoy place IN La Paz town, nonetheless ;)
All in all, I think it was a good trip. Yup, despite all the fully-clothed locals splashing about our beach and the irritating boombox showdown from each of the cottages of the day-trippers. Heck, it was all quite fun in spite of all those Koreans who brought along their own msg-rich instant noodle soups to their vacations! Haha...
I got to rest. I saw a new place. I ate local food. I took photos.
Yup, I think that was indeed a GOOD trip.
