To get from Manila down to Kho Tao was a beast of a journey. Plane-Taxi-Train-Bus-Boat and then a scooter. The night train was a revelation though and I managed to get a good sleep on there. Upon leaving Bangkok a little chap came around and unfolded everyone's beds and that was that. I decided to hire a scooter once I arrived on the island by boat. I was stopping about 10 mins from the port of Kho Tao and at about £6 for 2 days, the scooter was a great option. ...

I could have easily stopped in Bohol for a few days longer but decided to get up to the capital and experience it. I've heard of Manila ever since I was very young, predominately due to my old man talking about "The Thriller in Manila" back in 1975, a fight between Ali and Frazier. It's always seemed an incredibly distant land, literally across the other side of the world and I remember well looking on my brothers globe at the islands that make up the Philippines...

I left Tacloban early on the 23rd and flew into a near by island called Cebu. My plan there was to just have a relaxing 24 hours before going to another island called Bohol. Bohol is the tenth largest island in the Philippines and lies to the west of Cebu. In Cebu I had another massage and also hit a casino. I won about £60 playing blackjack which was a bonus but awoke the next day to find two 1000 peso chips in my sky rocket (£30's worth and I didn't have time...

I have just completed my 3 and a bit weeks volunteering in Tacloban and can honestly say it was an incredible experience. Hurricane Yolanda as the locals call it (Typhoon Haiyan to the international community) hit Tacloban ridiculously hard in November 2013 causing a stupid amount of damage to an already pretty basic place. When my plane came to land and I looked out the window it was pretty obvious why this place got smashed up. It's a vast and very flat island ...

Yangon was about 2 hours away in total. First on a small bus and then the rest of the journey was by taxi. I had heard of a few good hostels there but decided to put myself in a hotel to continue relaxing/recovering (as you can tell, the violin was playing constantly in my head, I was feeling very sorry for myself!!). Yangon is like Mandalay in that it's mapped out in a grid like system so easy to navigate. I was just north of Twante canal which connects with the...