Philippines

A Latinoasian country with distinctive "latinofilipino" vibes, colors, sound and smells, 7000 islands, uncountable numbers of overloaded jeepneys, tricycles, ferries, bangkas and other kinds of transport, fast food chains of every kind at every corner, loud karaoke everywhere at anytime, basketball playgrounds everywhere - in every village, in the middle of rice paddies, palm plantations, on the streets and roads, roosters waking you up in the middle of the nights no matter where you were spending the night - town centers, remote beach resorts, ferries and night buses included, obsession with cock fights and gambling in general, beaches, beaches and more beaches dotted with palm trees and surrounded by reach coral reefs boosting with marine life and much more...

But the most important- there were hundred of thousands of smiling Filipinos waving at you all the time :))

In six weeks time I traveled to the remotest villages in Northern Luzon Cordillera region, then all the way down to Donsol to swim with whale sharks, took a short rest on the Negros' remote beaches, visited a shaman on Siquiour - the witch island, had a look over chocolate hills and the the smallest primate tarsier on Bohol and finally reached Pallavan - the remotest but most beautiful of the islands with its spotless beaches and amazing corral reefs.

Not easy to capture the real vibe on photos though...

Gili islands

The ultimate challenge... am I able to lie on the beach, read a book in the shadow and walk only as far as the first restaurant with fresh barbecued fish for lunch and diner for two weeks?

I successfully passed the test on Gili Islands :)