I left Puerto Princesa around midday of the 28th and got back to Manila in the late afternoon. This time I had picked a base in another area of Manila – in the city of Pasay, close to the Mall of Asia.

Originally I only had planned a night here, but with my return flight being canceled, I had to extend my stay by a further night.

With the weather on the rainy side, my options were kind of limited … and I pretty much spent my time either in the hotel or in one of the malls in the area. With the Mall of Asia one of them (currently the 12th biggest mall in the world) there was certainly enough to see and do – including the fireworks (ever Friday and Saturday at 19:00) or the little amusement park (a ride in the Ferris Wheel surely was a must). Otherwise I concluded my packing, got some last minute souvenirs, did feast on the famous jollibee spaghetti 😉 – before making my way to the airport midday of the 30th to catch my flight home.

In retrospect I have to say, the second part of the trip was different from the first. It turned out less active and less involved (which was probably not a bad thing, given my ankle condition). Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the activities done, though – after a perfect first part – it felt as if something was missing, also as there were no real options beyond the activities already covered – despite the time still available.

In any case, it was a good thing, that I had seen and experienced both parts of the trip and as such also the two extremes on offer in the Philippines. Overall I have to say, the Philippines are really a country of options, there is literally something on offer for anyone and for any interest – add the friendly people, good food and there is everything necessary for a great holiday destination. And with me just having touched about six islands of more than 7000 – who knows, I might well be back …