Honeymoon or brother and sister?

Such a long and exciting journey is coming to an end. At Muscat airport, we review everything once again.

A journey for two over 100 days and nights. Beautiful places, exciting experiences, and many amazing people we met along our route.

The final stage of our tour gave our energy a boost and provided some downtime for the soul before returning to our everyday life at home.

After 3 take-offs and just as many landings, we finally arrived in Manila after 20 hours. The climate change from rainy, cold Auckland to the tropical warmth of Manila was quite convenient for us. However, we didn't want to stay a second in the 23-million city but aimed to get to the nearest dream island as soon as possible, where a coconut with a straw was waiting for us.

Three islands, countless fantastic resorts, white sandy beaches, fresh fish, and much more awaited us in the Philippines.

In Guimaras, we spent a few days in the mountains and then on a small peninsula far away from civilization, where the soul acclimated and I finally got my long-awaited coconut. We read at the private beach and in the small bamboo hut, played games, and relaxed during long siestas.

On the way to the next island, after missing the ferry, we jumped into a small boat, or rather a small nutshell, trusting our gut feeling and embracing a bit of adventure. With two fishermen, we "sailed" to Negros. Although we both felt a bit uneasy at sea, Jakob relied on his physical superiority, and I was so preoccupied with my bladder that I had hardly any time to think about anything else. After about 40 minutes, we reached a beach on Negros where curious Filipinos were already waiting for us. To everyone's surprise, I spontaneously jumped into the water fully clothed since holding on for another second was out of the question.

In Negros (Bacolod), we took a small local bus directly to Dumaguete. Following the motto "one more can still fit," we traveled 6 hours from north to south in the evening. In the middle of the night, we arrived in the charming city of Dumaguete. Despite being exhausted, we couldn't resist visiting the busy promenade, where we saw other tourists and European expatriates for the first time.

However, the next day took us back to the water. Spontaneously, on a recommendation, we decided to explore the small mystical island of Siquior for a few days.

The small island with incredibly turquoise water provided us a shelter for a whole four days. Dive at the in-house reef, sip cocktails at the pool bar, or enjoy fresh fish with live music in the evening. Our first accommodation offered all of that.

After two days in the luxury bubble, it was time to move on. Although we enjoyed the spontaneous luxury, we didn't consider ourselves as typical package tourists who settle in one place for a week and don't see much of the Philippines.

Unintentionally, after missing another ferry, we spent two more days in the less luxurious but much more charming Kiwi Resort, where we moved into a spacious bungalow on the beach.

In the evening, we visited Franco, an Italian expatriate who served us delicious but overpriced food, told us his life story, and enlightened us on global political topics.

Back in Dumaguete, we still had 10 days on Negros. With a borrowed scooter, we made a night trip to the mountains in Valencia. After a visit to the waterfall and a little mini golf, we drove 200km west to Sipalay the next day.

After two hours of driving and dozing off on Jakob's back, there was suddenly a huge bang. Jakob skillfully brought the scooter to a stop, and there it was - the rear tire completely blown out under the heat and our weight. We found ourselves in a small village, and after the residents witnessed our accident, we were immediately led to the nearest backyard. Among children, goats, and dogs, there was a small makeshift repair shop.

After a good hour, the tire and tube were replaced, and we were able to continue our journey. Unfortunately, the tube burst again half an hour later. So, in the next village, at the next repair shop, we waited for another half an hour. After a grueling 7 hours, we finally arrived at our destination, unharmed.

Another fantastic resort, a well-deserved massage, and plenty of sunshine awaited us at Punta Bulata, where we enjoyed two days of rest from the scooter seat.

On the third day, we hopped back on the Scoopy. After an hour of driving and another 20 minutes by boat, we arrived at Sandy Beach, where we got to know the colorful and vibrant Takatuka Land of Pipi. We spent hours playing Rummikub, enjoyed delicious European cuisine, and met the German-Swiss owners, Kalle and Kathi, and their neighbors Ruth, Andi, and Klaus. On our last evening, together with Ruth and Andi, we ended up at Gary's, another expatriate from Zurich who had opened a small bar at Sugar Beach. With Swiss hits, extensive conversations, we emptied one rum and coke after another. We had never gone to bed so late in 3 months, and we hadn't been this tipsy in a long time.... The scooter ride the next day was accordingly exhausting..... (But a meal and an overnight stay at Andi's hotel in Switzerland are planned)

On our way back to Dumaguete, we planned a final stopover at Kookoo's Nest at Tambobo Beach. The 8 lovingly furnished cottages were located on a secluded little beach. The English-run resort was absolutely romantic and perfect for a conclusion. In the evening, we sat down with the owners and other guests for a delicious buffet dinner and exchanged travel experiences. Because we liked it so much, we extended for one more night and only returned to Dumaguete on April 24th, where a flight brought us to Manila at 4pm.

Now we are waiting in Muscat for the connecting flight home, grateful and happy for a wonderful journey, and looking forward to being home.