Yesterday we got into the dual-plate car (can go between China Mainland & Hong Kong) to head to the airport. We had an uneventful ride there, and a nice plane ride to Manila, then had to wait in the (hot) plane while they boarded people on a bus, took them to the terminal, then returned to pick up more people. One bus for a HUGE planeload! We were supposed to have over an hour layover but after getting through customs, security, baggage claim, more security, and more customs, and paying our 200 philippine pesos per head, we RAN to catch our connection to Cebu. Cebu reminds me a lot of Mexico - probably due to the heavy Spanish influence here (sadly as a result of the Inquisition).
The Shangi-La is BEAUTIFUL and we were upgraded to a lovely, large executive suite. The food here is WESTERN-influenced and delicious - salads (!!!) pasta, vegetables, and - I know, it's not really Western - curries. I've been obsessed with curries and Indian food lately, much to the chagrin of my children. At dinner we ran into our old neighbors from China who moved back to Germany last summer. They had just been visiting in China (we saw them throughout the week at our school) and then came here.
We took a lovely evening swim, had a great sleep, and are ready for our adventure to begin!