Back in Manila!

When I arrived in Manila I took a taxi from the airport and it happend to be same taxidriver as I went with when I came there the first time two months earlier, he remembered everything we talked about then, quite funny!  

First time in Manila I wanted to visit Tagaytay and Taal Volcano but I was always to tired after a karaoke or dancing nights to do it, but this time me and Leovy decided to go there together. Unfortunately we had a bit of a missunderstanding since she thought I just wanted to go to Tagaytay to have the view over the volcano but I wanted to go all the way to see the craterlake, so when I arrived in the morning with all my luggage and called her she didn't had so much sleep but got up to come and meet me. After some bargaining with guys selling the boattrip over to the volcano and me convincing Leovy to go there, telling her that we could ride the horses up, we finally made our way there. Leovy who had never been riding a horse before got up on the horse but it was quite steep and narrow and the guides were always pushing the horses to go faster although there was no space to do it. I tried to tell them to go slow since it was Leovys first time and I felt bed that I got her in to it but the only answer I got  from the guide all the time was; "it's okay, it's okay" so I just gave up trying although I didn't feel really safe up there at all!

Leovy introduced me to Bulalo wich is a soup made of beef shanks that is famous in Tagaytay:

View over Taal Volcano:

Up there we had some pretty nice views over the crater lake:

After the visit to the volcano I was going to Santa Rosa and I don´t know how I got there since I couldn´t even read what I wrote down to find the way!

Went to a korean restaurant and ordered  so much food that it was enough for another lunch next day:

My last night in Manila had come and I decided to invite people to repeat our great karaokenight. It didn¨t seem to turn out very well at first since I got there late myself and there were only three people there at the moment but we ended up being a nice group of people :)

After a few hours some people left but was soon replaced by a new group of singers :)

I was happy to be in Manila and meeting everyone again, hopefully I will go back to Philippines and explore some other places there :)

Alona Beach, Bohol

At Alona Beach I went to hire a motorbike with driver, perfect solution when you don´t know how to drive it yourself,  I just had to say the places I wanted to go and then he took me there :)

We started with chocolate hills:

After that we headed to Rajah Sikatuna National Park:

My driver, always smiling:

Our third stop was beautiful Mag-aso waterfalls:

After a long day on the motorbike we stopped for dinner at Bohol Bee Farm, an organic farm with restaurant:

Eatable flowers:

Herbs for sell: 

 

Organic flowersalad with honeymustard sauce:

Pasta with fresh herbs and garlic, served with homemade bread and pestospread:

After spending the last 4-5 days on a motorbike I thought it was enough for a while and time for change of transportation. Found a vendor selling boattrips for swimming with the whalesharks in Oslob and decided to go:

 

It was a bit unnatural since they feed the whalesharks from the boats so that´s why the whales stay around there but it was still really cool to be so close to them!

After swimming with the whales our captain took us for snorkeling on Balicasag Island:

On the trip I met two nice ladies that told me they had charted the boat for the next day and asked me if I wanted to go with them to see some dolphins and other islands:

Pamilacan Island:

Tried eating one, a bit salty and slimy:

 

Enjoying our meal; fish with rice and vegetables and fried banana for dessert! The meal were also supposed to consist of chicken but they told us that the chicken ran away (!)

 Fresh coconut for drink , yummie!

Virgin Island:

Back at Alona beach after a great day:

The best thing about travelling is all the people you meet! After the last excursion I was tired and decided to take a day just relaxing on the beach, and imagine my surprise when I suddenly saw Liza and Tom there! Of course we decided to have some beers together that night:

 

The last day in Alona beach I decided to ask my driver to take me along the coast before heading to the harbour, we stopped to see Hinagdanan Cave:

Bikini-beach:

Tried some local food that I don´t remember the name of but it tastes a little bit like potatoe but more sweet:

Had some lunch from Bohol Bee Farm in the mall, not as nice surroundings but the food was still delicious :P

Homemade squashbread

Honeyglazed chicken with sesame seeds:

 

Time had come to leave Bohol and my driver, who got at little bit to attached to me, had tears in his eyes when he left me at the pier

 

When heading back to Manilla I felt that the time I stayed in Bohol and the things I did there was well spent so I left with the feeling of satisfaction and excitement about seeing my friends in Manila again!