Boracay is known for white sand, especially on the aptly named White Beach, where we lazed on the powder-fine sand for four days. From the edge of the turquoise water, you only see boats, sand and palm trees. But hidden just behind the palms, beach hut restaurants and shops stretch for four kilometers, the entire length of the beach. We loved the variety, from woven hammocks, tiny log tables and bean bags at the reggae and jazz bars to picnic tables at the German steak house and dark wood candlelit dining tables at the fresh fish restaurants. We ate hearty breakfasts at the English Bakery, authentic Indian food sitting on silk pillows at True Food, and grilled meats at 60 Degrees East, where we sat on rattan mats drinking the local Tanduay Rum before being treated to a 20 minute massage at the Palassa Spa. For snacks, vendors walked the beach selling tropical ice creams and fruits, pork rinds with chili vinegar, whole fish and shrimps in buckets of water, and sweet, salty or garlic peanuts.

Greg, the owner of the new Escondido Resort, treated us two nights in his lovely hotel at the northern end of White Beach, where we could sit on the serene balcony and enjoy an amazing complimentary chili garlic crab dinner. He then took us for a night out at Boracay's hotspots. Cocomangas pulsed with sexy Filipinos ... straights, gays, couples, groups and singles. Others sat in the pillow covered platforms and played billiards, one of the Philippines' national pastimes. The tens of thousands of plaques on the walls boasted the names of those who were "Still Standing After 15". Fifteen shots, that is.

During the day, porters waited on the beach to carry tourists and their bags out to the boats, wading through the water with people hoisted onto their shoulders. Locals skim boarded and splashed in the water all day while holiday makers rode banana boats, jet skis, sailboats, water skis and parasails. We made friends with an English couple, played a Filipino card game on the sand, watched volleyball games, had a workout at the Hotel Seraph Gym, and chatted to the massage ladies and boat men whose livelihood depends on tourism.

After Brad taught our boat man, Efren, what the internet was, we made an explorenow deal and set off for a little cruise. The variety of fish and coral we saw snorkeling at Crocodile Island was some of the best we'd ever seen, and as our private boat cruised around Boracay, we saw a sea otter napping on his back in the water. Efren timed our boat cruise to finish right at sunset, so as we came back around to White Beach, a dozen sailboats were silhouetted in the pink and orange horizon and the beach huts and palms were lit up in twinkly white lights. Another afternoon, we jumped in the sidecar of a motorcycle tricycle for a ride through Yapak village to Puka Beach on Boracay's north coast. A group of local children playing on the beach gave us handfuls of the white Puka shells and a man named Bernard won us over with his charm and singing and took us to his Ton Ton Kamayan Restaurant where his daughter served us grilled meats cooked to perfection by his wife.

Manila - Take 5
Back in Manila, Angel at Afro-Asian Travel & Tours welcomed us back to the city once again and made sure that our last night in the Philippines was a memorable one. She arranged for us to stay at The Pearl Manila Hotel where we could have a swim, a workout, then a rest in our comfortable room. Then, at the Casino Filipino, we were treated to a variety show that featured a lingerie fashion show, dancing by two well-known Filipino porn beauties, an unbelievable magic show where Brad was brought onto the stage, and singing by a cross-dresser who could do a Diana Ross impression to a tee. Yes, you can find it all in the Philippines!

The Philippines has captured our hearts with the beauty of its land and people. We still have so much of it to see and enjoy, so we'll be back. Get over there and enjoy it yourself...you won't be disappointed.