We had an evening flight on Sunday which gave us enough time to take a Manila city tour that morning. Our first stop was the American Cemetery and Memorial. The memorial is a beautiful 152 acres in the center of downtown Manila. There are over 17,000 marble headstones of known and unknown soldiers and a memorial for over 36,000 missing American and Filipino soldiers who died during World War II from different campaigns. It has the largest number of graves of any cemetery for US personnel killed during World War II. Our guide told us that the Philippine Government gave the land to the US and that the grass was flown in from the US. The memorial has detailed murals of the Pacific campaign and large marble slabs with the names of the Americans that are buried there.
Our next stop was the Walled City of Intramuros, Fort Santiago and the beautiful Spanish gardens that surround it. The fort was constructed in 1663 and gave us a feeling like we were in Spain.
St. Augustine Church was our last stop of the day. This old church has been rebuilt 3 times due to fire and war, but the original building was complete in 1607. If you look closeley at the ceiling it looks like it is carved, but infact is just painted to look 3D.
We found an airfare we could not resist and decided to spend the weekend in Manila. This is not our first time to the Philippines but we have always just passed through Manila heading straight to the beach!
After clearing customs and hitting up an ATM, we started looking for the taxi line. We were approached and led to a taxi desk, paid the 1200 Philippine Pesos and we were off to the hotel in Makati. We got to the hotel around 11pm and were informed that we were getting the last room in the hotel. I felt sorry for the other 6 reservations that would not have a room that night. To get a head start on the next morning after checking in, we slid down to the concierge desk and booked a tour to Tagaytay for Saturday and a Manila city tour for Sunday.
After breakfast we were picked up by the guide and were very surprised when we were informed we were the only ones on the tour to Tagaytay. Manila has HORRIBLE traffic! After observing for a bit, you will quickly notice a few major problems on the road, one of which being that no one obeys rules of the road and the traffic lights don't work, another being those damn jeepneys. What is a jeepney you might ask? They first came about in the late 1940s when the American military sold surplus jeeps to locals and they were extended to hold up to 20 people. They are the most popular mode of transportation in the PI. Since the jeepneys are owner operator they pull over to pick up and drop off wherever they want.
Our driver stopped by one of the original jeepney manufacturers, Sarao. He explained to us that the body of the jeepney is handmade from sheet metal and most of the parts are reconditioned from older vehicles. Interesting also is that the seats are made from coconut fiber.
Down the production line they had jeepneys in various stages of completion from body with no wheels to ones all painted up and ready to clog some Manila city traffic!
American Army Jeep before the conversion
A Sarao custom from 1945
After the Sarao factory we stopped at Las Pinas church to see the bamboo organ. Our tour guide was a nice young boy who was volunteering at the church in order to practice his English. He showed us many of the church's original constructions like the tower bell. The church's organ was made in 1824 and is almost entirely made out of bamboo. When we thought we has seen it all to our surprise, our guide told us we had to wait for a minute and the organist began to play for us - that was pretty neat.
Back in the car again and back in the traffic, we headed toward Taal Lake. Looking out the window I saw a restaurant with a sign saying "Now every Juan can eat." Our guide explained to us that Juan is what locals call themselves so its frequently used in local advertising campaigns. After nearly 2 hours we finally reached Taal Lake which is famous for being on the island of Luzon, with Volcano Island, which also has a lake, which also has an island inside that lake too. The large lake was created when a massive volcano exploded and fresh water collected on the volcanos remnants.
The guide got us settled for our buffet lunch and pointed out Halo Halo, a local delicacy and told us we should have that for dessert. I usually take that as a cue for me to fill up on everything else.
The Filipinos eat a LOT of pork. More than half of the dishes were pork just cooked different ways. This was our first introduction to Filipino cuisine which we really enjoyed. When we were finishing up the guide asked us if we tried the desert and when we said no, he proceeded to get a cup for us to try.
Melissa got suckered into this local treat which consists of shaved ice, evaporated milk, kidney beans, chunks of coconut, several types of gelatin and even more unidentifiable ingredients. Halo Halo apparently means "Mix Mix" as in you have to mix all of that stuff together!
Our last stop was Peoples Park in the Sky. The palace was built with the intention for President Regan to visit but before his trip to PI there was a political assassination and the Regans cancelled their trip to PI and the palace's construction was never finished. Now the building looks like it is about to fall over, but it does give you some amazing views of the area.
After admiring the views for awhile we jumped back in the car and prepared ourselves for the 2 hour drive back to Manila.
On our way back to Hong Kong from the Maldives we opted for a stop over in Doha. At Doha's airport there are different terminals depending on whether you are transiting to another flight or staying in Doha. Everyone gets crammed on the same bus after deboarding the airplane and the bus stops at both terminals. We started to question our logic in staying in Doha a little bit when departing the transit terminal and Melissa and I were the only two people left on the bus.
As soon as you step out of the terminal Doha's heat hits you and you begin to sweat if you don't find ac, fast. It was "only" 100 the taxi driver said, but that was hot enough for us!
Checking in we were informed that we had been upgraded to a W Suite! We have stayed at one when we were first visiting Hong Kong so we knew we were in for a real treat.
Multiple bathrooms, executive desk, dining area, the room was spectacular! As we arrived around noon and most places would be closing for afternoon prayer soon, we just decided to order room service - chicken shawarmas.. yum!
Over lunch, we signed up for the hop on hop off bus tour. After speaking with the concierge, he arranged for the tour bus to stop by our hotel and pick us up! We felt a bit sorry for the other tourists, but not that much - it was hot, hot!
As soon as you step on the bus you are handed a set of headphones and bottle of water and after 15 minutes in the heat we really needed it. We took some seats on the open air upper deck. The tour was advertised as two plus hours, but we could have driven the route in 45 minutes if the bus driver actually drove the speed limit.
The first thing we noticed was how clean and blue Qatar's waters were which were not at all what we were expecting.
Most of the sites were good enough just driving past or I didn't want to wait in the heat for 30 minutes for the next bus. Qatar's wealth comes from liquified natural gas or LNG, and they spare no expense on their buildings or city infrastructure! There is so much green grass and a skyline that's as unique as any modern city. It was like every building was a "special project".
Construction is everywhere and construction cranes dot the skyline. There seem to be more unfinished buildings in the central business district than finished ones!
Zig Zag Towers
After walking around the narrow alleys of Souq Waqif and doing some shopping, we decided it was time for dinner and we were not going to miss an opportunity to get some authentic Arabic food. We ended up at an Iraqi restaurant where we had hummus and chicken kabab. When I asked for the bill we were a bit puzzled when they came out with a plate of sweets and arabic sweet tea. We didn't really want it but tried the sweets and drank our tea to be polite.
On our way to the taxi stand we went to a Arabic pastry shop where we stocked up on various types of baklava.
A few days prior to our departure we were emailed a great offer from Qatar Airlines to inexpensively upgrade to business class for our long haul flight back to Hong Kong. Just jokingly I mentioned it to Melissa, but with a big grin she was all over that! Qatar Airlines advertises itself as a 5 star airlines, and now we can truly testify to it. When we arrived at the airport the taxi dropped us off at the premium terminal where there were no lines and you sit while they check you in. Within 5 minutes we had checked in and were already past security making our way to the lounge where they had a huge buffet and even eggs made to order! This might be too much info but I even saw a staff member cleaning the mens toilets with fresh scent and tidying up after every use! On the plane the level of service was equally extraordinary. In business class you are presented not only with a toiletry kit, but also a full set of comfy pajamas to change into for the flight, and a Ferragamo gender specific perfume kit! The food was great as was the service, simply stated truly a 5 star airline. United Airlines economy plus leaves a lot to be desired after that experience!
One afternoon we took a tour to Male, the capital of the Maldives. The largest city is only a 15 minute boat ride from the hotel. The main island is so small you can walk from one side to the other in about 20 minutes.
The tour guide explained all the sights on a map and then we were off. As soon as we made it between the buildings, we lost the cool ocean breeze and it became very hot! We walked past the president's office then headed to a old mosque made out of coral with ornate carvings on the exterior as well as the gravestones.
Next stop was the Sultans park. There were some old historic buildings with huge trees in the center. At the tops of all of the trees, there were hundreds of large bats just hanging upside down getting some sleep.
The last stop before the shopping was the largest mosque on the island. I had to cover up in order to enter. Since it was not prayer time the place was empty but they said over 5,000 people attend Friday prayer there.
Heading to the market we first stopped at a fish stand. They had barracuda, dolphin fish, and swordfish on display but the main fish in the market was tuna.
The Maldives prides itself for its sustainable tuna harvesting practices. Only the bait fish are caught with nets and all other fish specifically tuna (their largest export fish) are all line and pole caught. The varieties were huge from 18 inches long to ones that were 5 feet long. That gave me an idea for dinner that night - Maldivian tuna curry which was awesome!
We quickly walked past the vegetable market and got to the souvineer street so Melissa could get down to business. Our main tour guide wanted to take us to specific shops and we quickly figured out that there must be some kickback to the company as the prices were crazy. We pulled the tour guide in training Youseuf and told the main guide we would meet him back at the boat. This was much better as we hopped from every store until we found the perfect (and much cheaper!) authentic Maldivian lacquered vase to add to our collection. After our successful shopping trip, we treated ourselves and Youseuf to ice cream as we waited for the rest of the group for the boat trip back to the Sheraton.
Our first post busy season trip of 2014 was to the Maldives! There are almost 1,200 islands in the Maldives but we only saw a few...While doing research for the trip Melissa saw these red seaplanes and was really looking forward to taking one to get to our resort. I reluctantly had to inform her that the Sheraton Full Moon Resort was just a 20 minute speed boat ride from the island airport, good that saved us the exorbitant $450 ticket price per person. These islands are so small that even the capital and its main (only) airport are on two different islands. The space on the airport's island is at so much of a premium there are no taxiways so once you reach the end of the runway, you have to turn around and head down the same runway to take off or exit to the terminal.
As the Maldives is an Islamic nation they are very strict on what can be brought into the country including no alcohol or pork. After you claimed your bags they even x-rayed them to make sure of it! But lucky for us it would not be a dry trip as alcohol is allowed at the resort islands which comes at a cost - a very expensive hotel alcohol permit.
After exiting the terminal, we located the Sheraton desk and were soon boating off to the resort's island. After getting checked in we took a golf cart to our room. We were not there for long as we were itching to explore the island. In front of our building there was a nice little beach with a beach bar and the main restaurants were just a short 10 minute walk away. We walked down the beach to the Anchor Bar for a late lunch and to watch the sunset.
The next morning we hit the beach just after breakfast claiming our lounge chairs under some palm trees for a nice spot to spend the day. On our walk along the beach it was hard not to notice these "don't touch the stingrays" signs. If you look a bit closer you will see a white stingray partially covered by the sand. We saw this same white stingray every day as it would swim just along the shore. While hunting for shells most of the ones we picked up were already homes to little hermit crabs. Just off the beach were a few coral reefs that had seen better days but were still home to plenty of colorful fish.
The island is covered with different types of palm trees and numerous flowering plants from hibiscus to frangipani that were so fragrantful you could not help but pick one off the tree for a sniff.
Melissa absolutely loved this peacock fan palm tree!
There was not much to decide except where to sun and what to eat - perfect for a relaxing vacation!
Anchorage Bar has outdoor beds which were perfect to watch the sunset and have a beer. Every evening there was a shark feeding, with a lonely small black tip reef shark being the only one that showed up.
One of our last sunsets the hotel put on a traditional Maldivian dance show which was quite interesting - note there are no women? After the show we headed toward the over water bungalows to view the sunset. A perfect way to end a great stay. We will be back!
Our next stop was the Walled City of Intramuros, Fort Santiago and the beautiful Spanish gardens that surround it. The fort was constructed in 1663 and gave us a feeling like we were in Spain. 
After breakfast we were picked up by the guide and were very surprised when we were informed we were the only ones on the tour to Tagaytay. Manila has HORRIBLE traffic! After observing for a bit, you will quickly notice a few major problems on the road, one of which being that no one obeys rules of the road and the traffic lights don't work, another being those damn jeepneys. What is a jeepney you might ask? They first came about in the late 1940s when the American military sold surplus jeeps to locals and they were extended to hold up to 20 people. They are the most popular mode of transportation in the PI. Since the jeepneys are owner operator they pull over to pick up and drop off wherever they want.
Our driver stopped by one of the original jeepney manufacturers, Sarao. He explained to us that the body of the jeepney is handmade from sheet metal and most of the parts are reconditioned from older vehicles. Interesting also is that the seats are made from coconut fiber.
The guide got us settled for our buffet lunch and pointed out Halo Halo, a local delicacy and told us we should have that for dessert. I usually take that as a cue for me to fill up on everything else.
Our last stop was Peoples Park in the Sky. The palace was built with the intention for President Regan to visit but before his trip to PI there was a political assassination and the Regans cancelled their trip to PI and the palace's construction was never finished. Now the building looks like it is about to fall over, but it does give you some amazing views of the area.
On our way back to Hong Kong from the Maldives we opted for a stop over in Doha. At Doha's airport there are different terminals depending on whether you are transiting to another flight or staying in Doha. Everyone gets crammed on the same bus after deboarding the airplane and the bus stops at both terminals. We started to question our logic in staying in Doha a little bit when departing the transit terminal and Melissa and I were the only two people left on the bus. 
Checking in we were informed that we had been upgraded to a W Suite! We have stayed at one when we were first visiting Hong Kong so we knew we were in for a real treat.
Multiple bathrooms, executive desk, dining area, the room was spectacular! As we arrived around noon and most places would be closing for afternoon prayer soon, we just decided to order room service - chicken shawarmas.. yum!
Most of the sites were good enough just driving past or I didn't want to wait in the heat for 30 minutes for the next bus. Qatar's wealth comes from liquified natural gas or LNG, and they spare no expense on their buildings or city infrastructure! There is so much green grass and a skyline that's as unique as any modern city. It was like every building was a "special project".
After walking around the narrow alleys of Souq Waqif and doing some shopping, we decided it was time for dinner and we were not going to miss an opportunity to get some authentic Arabic food. We ended up at an Iraqi restaurant where we had hummus and chicken kabab. When I asked for the bill we were a bit puzzled when they came out with a plate of sweets and arabic sweet tea. We didn't really want it but tried the sweets and drank our tea to be polite.
A few days prior to our departure we were emailed a great offer from Qatar Airlines to inexpensively upgrade to business class for our long haul flight back to Hong Kong. Just jokingly I mentioned it to Melissa, but with a big grin she was all over that! Qatar Airlines advertises itself as a 5 star airlines, and now we can truly testify to it. When we arrived at the airport the taxi dropped us off at the premium terminal where there were no lines and you sit while they check you in. Within 5 minutes we had checked in and were already past security making our way to the lounge where they had a huge buffet and even eggs made to order! This might be too much info but I even saw a staff member cleaning the mens toilets with fresh scent and tidying up after every use! On the plane the level of service was equally extraordinary. In business class you are presented not only with a toiletry kit, but also a full set of comfy pajamas to change into for the flight, and a Ferragamo gender specific perfume kit! The food was great as was the service, simply stated truly a 5 star airline. United Airlines economy plus leaves a lot to be desired after that experience! 
The last stop before the shopping was the largest mosque on the island. I had to cover up in order to enter. Since it was not prayer time the place was empty but they said over 5,000 people attend Friday prayer there.
We quickly walked past the vegetable market and got to the souvineer street so Melissa could get down to business. Our main tour guide wanted to take us to specific shops and we quickly figured out that there must be some kickback to the company as the prices were crazy. We pulled the tour guide in training Youseuf and told the main guide we would meet him back at the boat. This was much better as we hopped from every store until we found the perfect (and much cheaper!) authentic Maldivian lacquered vase to add to our collection. After our successful shopping trip, we treated ourselves and Youseuf to ice cream as we waited for the rest of the group for the boat trip back to the Sheraton.
Our first post busy season trip of 2014 was to the Maldives! There are almost 1,200 islands in the Maldives but we only saw a few...While doing research for the trip Melissa saw these red seaplanes and was really looking forward to taking one to get to our resort. I reluctantly had to inform her that the Sheraton Full Moon Resort was just a 20 minute speed boat ride from the island airport, good that saved us the exorbitant $450 ticket price per person. These islands are so small that even the capital and its main (only) airport are on two different islands. The space on the airport's island is at so much of a premium there are no taxiways so once you reach the end of the runway, you have to turn around and head down the same runway to take off or exit to the terminal.
After exiting the terminal, we located the Sheraton desk and were soon boating off to the resort's island. After getting checked in we took a golf cart to our room. We were not there for long as we were itching to explore the island. In front of our building there was a nice little beach with a beach bar and the main restaurants were just a short 10 minute walk away. We walked down the beach to the Anchor Bar for a late lunch and to watch the sunset.
The next morning we hit the beach just after breakfast claiming our lounge chairs under some palm trees for a nice spot to spend the day. On our walk along the beach it was hard not to notice these "don't touch the stingrays" signs. If you look a bit closer you will see a white stingray partially covered by the sand. We saw this same white stingray every day as it would swim just along the shore. While hunting for shells most of the ones we picked up were already homes to little hermit crabs. Just off the beach were a few coral reefs that had seen better days but were still home to plenty of colorful fish.
The island is covered with different types of palm trees and numerous flowering plants from hibiscus to frangipani that were so fragrantful you could not help but pick one off the tree for a sniff.
