Boracay, Philippines

This comes to you from the beach in Boracay, Philippines, where the 4 month cross-Asian tour has officially kicked off. For probably the one and only time in my life, 48 hours prior to leaving I had no idea which country I would land in. Ultimately I decided on the Philippines and for good reason: it's amazing.

I'm currently awaiting the arrival of one Ms. Stephanie Helwig, aka my partner in crime. Steph got a bit sick before we left and wasn't able to fly out with me Sunday, leaving me to own devices for 5 days. Thankfully she's feeling better and is on a boat somewhere, Boracay-bound. Travelling on my own, even just for a few short days, has been an educational experience and I've learned some important lessons. They are as follows:

1. Manila = shady, shady, shady. If you find yourself thirsty at midnight, say hello to dehydration rather than walking across the street to the convenience store.

2. Traveling alone in hot climates unavoidably results in a very painful, very uneven back burn. No matter how hard you try or how far you contort yourself, you will never cover it all. I have since discovered the merits of spray on sun block.

3. Old white guys prey on twenty-something solo female travellers. They seem to think I've gotten myself lost, somehow landed in the Philippines by accident, and am in need of their help. Not so much. Go back to your purchased "girlfriend".

Alone or not, Boracay is a great place. It has easily moved into the #1 spot for the most beautiful beach I've ever seen. The sand is like baby powder and the water is crystal clear and blue. Nevertheless, a beautiful beach won't stop the paranoia that caused me to check under my bed for possible attackers before locking my door last night. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to Steph's arrival. She will also extend my social circle beyond horrible Belgians whose repertoire of conversation topics are limited to the models they've dated, the coke they've done, and how drunk they got the night before. Fascinating.

Purely by accident - and by accident I mean poor planning - Steph and I will be here for another 15 days, making my stay 2.5 weeks long. We can't get a flight out until March 1st, so I'm literally stranded on a desert island. Tough life I lead.

Next up: Beijing.