The night bus got in around six in the morning, which left me with about eight hours to kill. Luckily, I had wanted some time to explore the Mall of Asia, one of the world's largest shopping malls. The mall is completely westernized, of course. The only thing that served as a reminder of its actual location in the Philippines were the security guards checking everybody's bags upon entering the mall.
Inside, the mall was just huge. There was a bowling center and an ice-skating rink, along with several cinemas, hundreds of shops and restaurants aplenty. I can't imagine the patience needed if you head to the mall to find something specific you'd like to buy.
Later, I finally got to see more of the 7000+ Philippine islands from the plane. The view was enchanting, with the deep blue sea surrounding hundreds of small islands, many of them ringed with stretches of white sand beach.
However, after landing in Puerto Princesa, I was quickly yanked back into the Philippine reality: the town turned out to be just as dusty, loud and chaotic as everything else I'd seen in the Philippines.
