Well, we are back from the Philippines. I wanted you to see where we were in relation to the Philippines. First you have to find Singapore, right? Okay, you can see Cambodia, can't you - in the pink? Go left from there and down that side "arm" until you are in the dark green Malaysia. Are you with me? Okay, right at the tip of that dark green, if you look closely, you will see Singapore. Now, the Philippine Islands are in red. They are farther away than you think. All in all, it took us five hours of flying time to get there. The Philippines is made up of 7000 islands but only 700 of them are inhabited. The Philippines was settled by the Spanish and if you hear or read their language, you can hear alot of Spanish influence. The Philippines have a strong Catholic background. This is where Magellan was finally killed (FYI!)The Philippines reminded me so much of Sierra Leone. The people were friendly. The towns were so similar (only they had electricity). The Filipino people have combined Catholicism and their traditional beliefs just as the Sierra Leoneans have combined Islam with their traditional beliefs. There were some really striking parallels.
Over the next few days I will be telling you all about my trip - so hold on!
