So, after my Philippines quandary I was left with the other day, I finally sat down and figured out not only what I’m going to see in the Philippines but also the best route to take to do it.

First, after talking to people who have been there and reading up the tons of information online I’ve decided on doing five legs for my Philippines adventure…

Leg One

Get the hell out of Manila and go up north!

Everyone I’ve talked to has said the same thing – don’t bother with Manila.   So, for the most part, that’s what I’m going to do!

After landing at 5am in the morning I’ll take a bus straight out of the city spending the next few days checking out the debauchery of Angeles city about an hour or so up north.

After relaxing for a few days I’ll head further north (about 8 hours on a bus) into Northern Luzon to trek around the plush greenery exploring such things as rice terraces, caves and hanging coffins in the villages of Banaue, Batad and Sagada.

Leg Two

Ok, a couple days in Manila won’t kill ya…

After a few days exploring and ALOT of walking I’ll head back down to Manila via Angeles City.   In Manila I’ll take one of the Carlos Celdran walking tours I’ve heard so much about and also a day trip to see the Taal volcano.

Leg Three

Palawan Island

A short flight from Manila on Cebu air will bring me here where I’ll explore an underground river, now an UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Sambang and also spend a few days island hopping around El Nido resort in the north.

Leg Four

Cebu/Bohol Island

Another short flight takes me from Palawan Island to Cebu where I’ll spend the next few days.   The highlight of this leg will be a day trip to Bohol Island where I’ll see chocolate hills, have lunch on the Loboc River and see the mesmerizing creatures called Tarsiers (pictured above).

Leg Five

Boracay Island

When I asked people what I should see in the Philippines, the first thing out of their mouth was “Boracay Island”.   So, I’m going there.   It’s yet another short flight from Cebu to here.   I hear it’s a tourist hot spot so it’ll have a lot more action and I’m guessing there will be all sorts of things I can do here.   To be honest, I haven’t even looked up activities there as I’m sure I’ll be bombarded by options once I arrive.

I made a rough draft of an itinerary trying to figure out how many days this will all take and it looks like it will be about three weeks.   Of course if it’s longer or I change my path – no big deal!   After all, that’s going to be the underlining theme for this trip…

And those are the five legs of my Philippines trip.   On the last day I fly back to Manila in the early evening and then take a 4am flight to Bali in Indonesia midnight flight to Hanoi, Vietnam where there’s a whole new adventure awaiting me…