I have gone on so many trips to SEAsia in the last few years that all the trips are starting to blur together. The trips have been exciting and eventful but I have missed a big chunk of my life in the process. IN the last two years I have missed 2 weddings, 3 funerals(grandmother and aunt), hundreds of birthdays, 2 Fourth of July's and the most horrific thing of all....I missed this years fantasy football draft. I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything but it just seems that something serious is always missed when I'm overseas and that more and more people become angry with you and question why I must go to SEAsia so much.

Why did I return to SEAsia two months later? The only way I can deal with my addiction to brown bunnies is to book a trip on my immediate return to the U.S. I usually book my trip within the first few days back in the States and one time booked it in LAX on the internet immediately after getting off the plane from Bangkok. It's near to impossible to get American Born Filipinas to even consider going out with a guy in his 30's unless she has kids or is past her prime. I used to hook up with Filipinas and Latinas like crazy in college and law school but I became older and my taste for girls became younger (18-20). My only way to qunech this thirst was to go to SEasia and start a new hobby outside the crappy atmosphere of Tijuana.

I decided to plan my trip by crunching a lot of different venues into a short time period. I booked a direct flight with Philippine Airlines to Manila from LAX and had enough frequent flyer miles to get a free round trip to Bangkok from Manila. I decided to have two nights in Manila, three nights in Bangkok, one night in Boracay and the rest of the trip in Angeles. I paid $740 for my flight to the PI and it included round trip shuttle from San Diego to LAX.

Once at LAX, I noticed that a lot of Filipino families were making their final summer trip to see their families in the PI before the kids started schools. It seems as though the Pinoy really take advantage of PAL's liberal baggage policy. As a result, every family member MUST bring 3 Balikbayan boxes on the plane...even if the kid is 3 years old and has no idea what is in the box. They basically bring stuff that can be found in the PI for the same price but it is a nice tradition that will never go away until one of the planes crashes because the plane cant fully lift off due to the sheer weight of the boxes.

I was lucky enough to sit next to the only other monger on the entire flight and we swapped hardcore stories...much to the horror of the people around us. He was also a Steeler fan, so we managed to talk football for a while. The stopover in Hawaii lasted about an hour to get gas. I slept most of the way to Manila and we were about 45 minutes early. I decided to stay my first night in Manila so I had to pay the taxi mafia 330 pesos to go 5 miles to Makati to stay at the Century Citadel......This report will be comprised of about 12 Chapters and there are about 80 pics, half of which are pics of hotels and Boracay. Interestingly enough, I already have a trip planned for October 28-November 10...the addiction continues

Very well written, Blazers. Good introduction.

Interestingly there are a few companies here in L.A. that specializes in shipping packages to PI for Pinoys. I wonder what they are all shipping and bringing.

Looking forward to your report Blazers. I'm absolutely envious of you and your ability to make so many trips.