Puerto Galera: drinkers, divers, snorkelers, and sexpats

In English, this means "port of the galleons." No galleons (warships) at Puerto Galera now, just a lot of divers, drinkers, sexpats, snorkelers, with a range of hotels on offer "from sleaze to sophistication" and countless bars where "around sunset a metamorphosis takes place as ... barflies settle in, music cranks up, and all types -- and we mean all types -- of nightlife emerge." Great snorkeling can be found by paying a boatman 1,500 pesos (about $35) to take you out to the prime spots where you can see giant clams and lovely rainbow coral. Reaching Puerto Galera from Manila is not too difficult: it is about a 2-hour bus ride south to Batangas Port, and from there a 1-hour ferry ride. By the way, the top photo shows the view from my hotel room's porch.

Saint Nino Parade Manila

The recent Saint Nino parade in Manila was one big photo opportunity. The Saint Nino statue (of the child Jesus) is "venerated by many Filipino Catholics who believe it to be miraculous. Claiming to be the oldest religious image in the Philippines, the statue was originally given in 1521 as a baptismal gift by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan." Every third Sunday of January, Saint Nino statues are paraded on the streets; it is the most famous fiesta, the "mother of all fiestas," here in the Philippines.