Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, is a wonderful little city, with a laid-back, artistic feel. Highlights include the Royal Palace, the National Museum, a great selection of restaurants (including many vegan options), and the not-to-be-missed sunset cruise on the Tonle Sap River.
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.
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.
Here's some of what you'll find in the northern Philippines: The mountain/college town of Baguio, where now in winter temps drop down into the 50s (brrrr!); surfing in San Juan, a 2-hour bus ride northwest from Baguio; and Vigan, 3 hours by bus north up the coast from San Juan. Vigan, a "Spanish-colonial fairy tale," barely escaped American WWII carpet bombers, who aborted their mission at the last second after Japanese troops fled the city. It's interesting to note that at Cafe Leona, a popular Vigan restaurant, in honor of the town's name all vegan dishes on the menu are marked with an asterick.
