Why not?
OK, there's more to it than that. Firstly, last year I didn't go to any new countries. This hasn't happened since 1995. How shocking! I intend to make up for it this year.
Secondly, the Philippines is somewhere I have wanted to visit for a while now. We have almost gone there a couple of times, but it hasn't worked out. In 1999 for example, we planned to go until we realised that David had less than 6 months left in his passport so he wouldn't have been allowed in. I was really disappointed as I had been teaching myself Tagalog for about a week. We went to Malta that year instead which was very nice.
Another reason to go is that we have met many nice people from the Philippines - especially when we were living in Abu Dhabi.
And then there's the beaches and the mountains!
One last reason. Two summers ago we were flying fron Taipei to Bali on a beautiful clear August day. I looked out of the plane window and saw the most amazing view below. Beautiful turquoise waters with lots of rugged islands. Inside the one of the islands was cloud-shaped lake. Inside that lake was another island - this time, diamond-shaped. Inside the diamond was another lake! I sketched it in my notebook intending to find out what and where it was. I have wanted to see this place for myself ever since.
