Manila, Philippines

We left Airlie Beach and made a brief stop, anchored off Cairns to allow Australian Customs / Immigration officials to embark, do their work and disembark and then we headed north to The Philippines. On the way we had an extraordinary day. The sea was flat calm and bright blue. Slowly it turned to turquoise and then a bright green before turning to silver in the evening. It was a spectacle that amazed all the passengers. We headed to the northernmost point of Australia before turning west into the Torres Straits with Papua New Guinea on the starboard side. We sailed past Borneo before passing through the Sulu archipelago, the southernmost region of the Philippines. We arrived in Manila at 8am and it was 28C. We were given a wonderful welcome by a large band of musicians playing on the quayside and locals dressed in colourful costumes. We had booked a tour to see old Manila and off we went, firstly to St Augustin Church, a UNESCO world heritage site, which was a lovely building, richly ornate. We then visited the Casa Manila, a house furnished as it would have been in the C16th. We saw Fort Santiago and the tropical gardens and then Rizal Park, a large park named after Dr Jose Rizal who had been executed by the Spanish in the 1890s for rebellion. Lastly, we went into the Hotel Manila for some rest. A beautiful hotel! As we left the quayside in the ship, a large band was playing. We had a most friendly welcome and departure!Read more