By the numbers:
72 days from Reno, Nevada west to Charleston, South Carolina.
39 beds
27 flights and approx. 40,000 miles
24 trains
23 countries
10 buses
9 boats
numerous taxi’s
and…
1 camel
*photo – A bit of home in Frankfurt, Germany
Category Archives: Philippines
Snap shots from Cebu
10,000 Roses Cafe located in Day-as, Cordova, Lapu-Lapu City. A real gathering place day and night.
Close up Roses
Lantaw Floating Restaurant in the Background
A man and his outrigger. Mactan
Mangrove tree in the breakwater in front of the Costa Bella Hotel.
Fun in the sun. Kon Tiki Marina, Mactan, Cebu
Lantaw Floating Restaurant in Cordova next to the 10,000 Roses Cafe
San Pedro Fort in Cebu City, Phiippines
Balloon time in Cebu City
Lighting candles at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebú
The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebú
Magellan’s Cross – per wikipedia: Magellan’s Cross is a Christian cross planted by Portuguese and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines on (depending on source) 15 March 1521.[1][2] This cross is housed in a chapel next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño on Magallanes Street just in front of the city center of Cebu City. A sign below the cross describes the original cross as encased inside the wooden cross that is found in the center of the chapel. This is to protect the original cross from people who chipped away parts of the cross for souvenir purposes in the belief that the cross possesses miraculous powers.[3] Some people, however, believe that the original cross has been destroyed or disappeared after Magellan’s death and the cross is a replica that was planted there by the Spaniards after they successfully Christianized the Philippines.
Jellies
Faded Glory
Diving in Cebu
23 years ago Bill traveled to Cebu in the Philippines to dive. It was remote, pristine and quiet – as advertised in the back of an airlines magazine. The warm, clear water and humongous fan coral left a lasting impression. Something that had to be shared.
Today, it’s a diving Mecca. With hundreds of daily divers mostly from Korea and Japan.
The muddied potholed entrance to the Kon Tiki Marina reminded us that it’s the first week of the monsoon season and like dive towns around the world the trash, rusty rebar ridden buildings and worn out scuba gear told us we were in the right place. 
Bill met Simon via the internet. A Brit who opened a dive shop here 17 years ago. One of too many to count.
We hired a dual outrigger boat to Olango Island to dive Barring and Talima. 
The cloudy day didn’t affect the clear 85 degree water. Spoiled, I had my own dive master who offered an interactive dive where I was able to cautiously touch the sea life and to see what impressed Bill 23 years ago.
Magandang umaga po Philippines
Good morning from Manila. Typical South East Asian weather – humid and rainy. All resulting in lucious greenery.
San Francisco to Seoul, Korea. Sleep, for some strange reason, escaped the both of us.
Needless to say we crashed on our next flight to Manila. Bill said I was drooling.
5 hours of sleep in the hotel were blissful. 
Equal to the luxurious breakfast.
Off to the airport again. Heading to the island of Cebu.