I was going to say…don’t you know about Sitges, but then you conceded.
We (members of a cricket club) used to go to Sydney at New Year, and a group of the young blokes decided to walk towards Bondi…along Oxford St and couldn’t work out why there were no girls in any of the bars. A helpful policeman brought them up to speed.
Didn’t actually know before we got there, but being in a romantic restaurant with us being the only hetero couple in the place gave it away.
It is a very nice place with lovely beachs, great restaurants and friendly and safe.
Wearing bathing costumes on most beaches was optional !
In my older age, kinda, I’ve pulled the pin on travelling for work. I’m over it.
It’s not glamorous, its waiting at airports, ■■■■■■ transfers and always having your game face on.
Lately we have been building a little house in Samar, Philippines. I was going to post pics but its been going crazy fast. Ive got a local Civil Engineer passing appropriate brown paper bags around to grease the powers that be, a site foreman of types, and a bunch of super skilled OFW’s actually working.
Mrs Bonzo and I designed it, we butt heads with them weekly. Knowing the culture has helped to no end.
I wont be living there, I dont understand why peeps born in Aus would do that. But annual and long service leave, thats where I will be, as old man yelling at clouds. In between we will air b&b it.
It’s remote, but beautiful. From manila you take a turbo prop to Catarman, then two hour drive down the coast, transfer to boat to pick through an estuary, then another hour drive.
Hand over is July.
That’s sounds pretty nice. Is your misso Filipina?
Yeah mate, Aussie citizen, but born in Mapanas.
We are building in her home town.
I went to Samar Island once about 40 years ago. Very beautiful place with the best caves ever, forget their name. Remember that it has a rich history of rebellion against the Spanish as well.
Great pics. Have travelled a bit through the Philippines over many visits but haven’t been to that side of Samar but looks like I need to one day. My best mate married a girl who was born in Capiz and we visit there regularly and try to get around to other islands. Really beautiful and I could retire there comfortably
I spent a week in Capiz a few years ago, as emotional support for a friend of mine who was in turn supporting the family of his expat Kiwi mate who was dying in the hospital there. A very long and sad story that one.
Afterwards we went for a few days in Bohol where he bought a run down resort in Anda and turned it into this https://islandviewbeachfrontresort.com/
I really liked Capiz, most peeps seem to skip the cool parts of Panay and go straight to Boracay.
Edit- I just realised he has a pic of me in the swimming pool on that website, I should hit him up for some kind of compensation 
True, if you went straight east from our little house across the Pacific you would hit Mexico.
They say that east coast is where the Spaniards first saw land when but faced fierce resistance from the Warays and thought it easier to go around.
That whole thing facinates me, Samar Philipino’s are the Waray people. Waray in Tagog translates as “nothing”. Warays dont thing much of Luzon peeps, they consider them weak.
There is a Tagalog saying, “Basta ung waray hindi uurang sa away” meaning a Waray never backs down from a fight. I love it 
I’m proud to be married to a Waray, and am an adopted Waray of sorts.
The caves and waterfalls around there are something else indeed.
Not long ago they took me into the mountauns to some caves and waterfalls that blew my mind. I will find some pics. They had to give word to the NPA that we were coming. They told me I was the first whitey to ever go there. Not sure if thats true or not.
Theres also caves to the south of the bay in the pic I shared, full of human remains, I mean heaps. Noone knows if they are local, american or spanish. The place is sacred to the locals and Ive only been there once to just take some pics.
Do you reckon it has changed much in the past 40 years, like is there any major development in Calbayog, as all I can remember in the 1990s was single story buildings and a simple place.
I havnt been to Calbayog, we usually fly into Catarman and head down the east coast, but I would say no, not a great deal. Catarman has developed a little with the obligatory SM mall etc, but no high rise. A stark contrast to Manila or Makati.
The further south you go, especially into Eastern Samar the more neglected it is.
We tried a different route once, flew into Tacloban and drove through Eastern Samar to Mapanas. It’s quite sad to see. The most beautiful countryside dotted with piles of plastic rubbish.
BTW, you’re more than welcome to come and stay in our little house in Samar if you’re over there.
We stayed at Balmer’s in ‘83 while backpacking around Europe. Miffed you didn’t say hi @swoodley 
What a fabulous time of my life. Met so many great people, locals and fellow travellers. Saw the most amazing places, and others not so. Was awed by the experiences we had all over Europe.
Fair to say that year of travel changed my life, and the person I was forever.
Tokyo experts…
48 hours free time before work conference.
Any recommendations on must do:
And any recommendation on best location to stay would also help.
A little out of town but run by a fine gentleman.
