Live Your Myth in the Philippines!

Most of our road trips and adventures are in Greece because this is where we live and there are just lots of places we haven't visited and explored yet. But this time, we are going to try and get a glimpse of Kyrie's country, the Philippines!

​​We booked the tickets 6 months in advance. It's a 12-hour straight flight from Athens to Singapore, plus a three and a half hour flight from Singapore to Manila. 

We had our backpacks (55L and 65L) and we flew with Scoot Airlines ,  we were able to take our bags in the cabin.​

We had a few hours layover in Singapore and we had time to explore Changi Airport.  

Just before clearing immigration to go to Jewel ​

Early morning at Jewel Changi Airport

Finally it's working! ✨

One of their newest installations is called Jewel Changi Airport and it's center piece is the Rain Vortex, the largest indoor waterfall in the world.
​(If you have a layover in Singapore, you have to clear Singapore immigration to see Jewel)

There are also lots of spots where you can just sit and relax.

Also, if you have a layover in Singapore for at least 5.5 hours to less than 24 hours, they are offering free tours, you can check them out at our blog post for Free Singapore Tour. 

​​After almost 2 days of traveling, we arrived in the Philippines! The very next day,  we immediately went out to experience the Philippines public transportation!

We rode a tricycle, this can carry 5 passengers plus the driver. This is like a taxi, picks you up where you are and drops you off exactly where you want to go. 

Then a jeepney of course, this is most commonly known as a jeep :) This is smaller than a bus, carries at least 18 people (depends on the size of the jeep) and covers shorter distances than buses.  

Where we are staying is near my university, ​there are trekking and hiking paths available for everyone.

We went for a  hike and of course you are inhaling such fresh air, giving you more energy to spend!

Along the path, since this is within the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, there are huge trees that I could only imagine to have been there for a long time. They are also providing lots of oxygen and shade for people walking, hiking or trekking here.  

After exploring Mt. Makiling a bit, we drove to the nearest town with a sea to swim in! We made a small side trip to Batangas, our first swim in the Philippines!

We found Santorini in Batangas!

Here is when we visited Santorini in Greece :)

A visit to see family and friends is a must, of course! Living in another country for this long, one is just bound to miss things from home <3

Oh, how I miss them! <3 <3

This is our Jamlake Family :) We have known each other from when we were 13 years old and we have been through everything! The photo on the left was taken on one of the hardest points in our lives, one that changed all of us forever. I love that our family keeps on growing and growing <3 

Even though we don't see each other a lot, when we do, it's like time just stood still until we met again. We have the same (if not more) warmth and love for each other that ever. Would have loved to spend more time with them, and the next time we visit, we will do that for sure!

After a couple of weeks, we decided to explore another island, Kyrie has also never been there, we got last minute tickets for 10 euros each including bags, turned out it was a really good choice!

Our goal is to visit Bantayan Island as recommended by my aunt, but first,  we'll explore a bit of Cebu.  The Philippines archipelago is made up of 7,641 island as of 2018 (World Atlas) . Of which, around 2,000 islands are inhabited. The most convenient way to move from the major islands is by plane.

​After a one and a half hour flight, we finally arrived in Cebu!

After exploring the city a bit, we left  right away and went directly to places closer to nature. 

​After days of exploring Cebu, we decided it was time to move on and visit the famous Bantayan Island.

This island became more noticed by locals because of the Filipino movie Camp Sawi.
We met a lot of resort owners and most of them are foreigners residing in the island.

Kota Beach: What to do in Bantayan Island? Swim, swim , swim!

We drove around the island a lot! You can rent a motorbike for 300 pesos (~6 eur) per day, it's the easiest way to get around the island.

​It was a bit rainy when we arrived so we just chilled out and relaxed under coconut trees!

​There are also lots of beaches where you can't swim in. The water is so shallow that even if you already walked about 30 meters, the water is just ankle deep.

After about a week in Bantayan Island where the weather was crazy unpredictable  - it was sunny in the mornings and randomly rains a few times in the afternoon and again at night. 

​At this time Covid-19 was still manageable and countries were taking precautionary measures in the airports like thermal scanners, travel history check,  etc. This was in Feb 20, 2020.
We need to decide soon if we are flying back to Manila or somewhere else to be able to easily fly to Singapore. This is where our straight flight to Greece is coming from. Bye Cebu... for now.  

Flying above Philippines