Manila -The World 's Largest IKEA

Yes. Really. We went to the Mall of Asia and The World's largest IKEA. (You can Google it!)

We were joined by Dennis and Jane, who've been with us on a couple of other cruises. We had a great time looking at all the stuff - a few items that were geared toward the Asian market, including a kiddie spoon and chopstick combo, (I got one for our Chinese bartender Sindi who's expecting a nephew) and a sushi paddle that stands up on its handle so you don't get rice all over the counter.

The Mall of Asia is 3 huge buidings- with a 2-level carousel, a Pokemon headquarters, and all the sores with all the things.

The taxi back to the ship was a minor adventure - there are lots of ports along Manila, and it was difficult to identify the correct route to our ship. I could see the ship, but we overshot it by about 2 km- stopped at another port, and they aimed us in the right direction. I had a lung-rattling coughing spell that didn't want to end. The poor driver kept wanting me to drink water, even offering me his own thermos. Needless to say, I couldn't think about drinking anything - I was focused on breathing.

Back aboard, we went to La Cucina where I had my life-saving soup. I hung out on the stateroom, and dinner was a quick one in the buffet.Read more