FA R AWAY G AY H O L I DAY
THE
HEROES
ISSUE
2020
TRAVEL EMBRACEMAGAZINE.US
86
Halo-Halo from the Philippines Take your man to Manila and Puerto Princesa for a vacay fit for a queen.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKE FALLON
I
n late February of this year my travel marathon came to a halt that was as abrupt as an airplane landing in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where the runway is often tagged as the most dangerous in the world with a difficult approach that creates a cringe worthy landing situation that involves quick maneuvers and even faster braking. During the months leading up to America’s (and the global) lockdown, I was able to check a few destinations off my bucket, but my most memorable was a ten-day journey across the Philippines – complete with some disruption from an historic eruption. Our first landing spot was the capital city of Manila: a hectic, complex Asian megalopolis with all the sights, sounds and smells you would imagine. The journey from the airport to our Airbnb apartment was only nine miles, but took around an hour due to painfully thick traffic. As a tradition, our first day of vacation included a not-so-hectic agenda that allowed us to acclimate to our surroundings, and, in our opinion, the best way to do acclimate includes lots of food and alcoholic beverages! Manila is home to myriad of Pilipino restaurants, but like every good tourist, our first dinner was from the ubiquitous Jollibee fast food restaurant, where $2-$3 US will feed you like a
Views of Pasig River and Manila from Fort Santiago
