Philippines Visaya Islands: Western Visayas, Romblon and Masbate

Christmas Break - Atmosphere Resort

Waiting for Santa

We flew from Ho Chi Minh via Manila to Dumaguete on Negros in the Philippines. For the next three weeks we stayed with oldest son Simon, and his wife Emma at our holiday apartment at Atmosphere Resort.

The resort sponsors a soup kitchen in a nearby village. On the last day of term the children had a surprise visit from Santa and a special Christmas dinner.

Emma cooked us a wonderful Christmas dinner.

The excitement (and alcohol) was just too much for some...






The kids soon got bored with the presents and then the "big" kids took over...

New Year's eve continued in a similar vein with a lot of drinking and making merry.  Everyone wanted to sample Bigs' shots.

Before we knew it it was time to be off again.

We had planned a trip around the central Philippine group of Islands referred to as the Visaya Islands or Visayas for short. The main islands forming the group are Cebu, Negros, Panay, Masbate, Bohol and Leyte, although sadly we never got to Leyte, along with a number of smaller islands.

You can learn more about the Visayas group and our route at http://www.my-bicycling-adventure.com/visayas.html

The first stage of our ride would take us around the south and west of Negros. Following a short ferry ride we would then cycle around the south and west of Panay Island before ending for a rest in the famed holiday island of Boracay.

The route is detailed at http://www.my-bicycling-adventure.com/western-visayas.html

Family and friends, Atmosphere

After a few days rest in Borocay the next stage took us to some of the smaller and more remote islands of Tablas, Sibuyan, Romblon and Masbate, considered by some to be the "wild west" of the Visayas.

Learn more about our adventures on this leg at http://www.my-bicycling-adventure.com/romblon_and_masbate.html