This first part of the tour had come to an end and here we were sitting in the (almost)-rooftop restaurant of the Bayleaf Hotel in intramuros for this first farewell dinner for this trip.

For me this was with mixed feelings. On the one hand side, there was still a second part of the trip coming – plus the relief, that my ankle was indeed just sprained (and not broken) and I – as such – was able to continue. On the other hand though, only three of us were continuing and another tour leader was waiting for us – so it felt a bit like our little family falling apart – it indeed had been a nice group, with everyone getting along with everyone and everyone looking out for everyone else …

The tour to the highlands of Luzon clearly had been up to my taste. A great combination of individual destinations with different focuses (culture and nature), yet all put together in an active way and truly Philippine – with great people and a great tour leader – – oh, and a bit of gin …

Now let’s see, how the second part scores here …so stay tuned, there is more to come here …