Who'd have thought that a group of MVP members plus two spouses (one minus a member spouse) and one niece, would have been so chatty at 3.30am at NAIA? Well, we certainly were as we sipped coffee in the airport lounge. This was the first pleasant surprise of many on this, the latest, MVP tour away from the noise and pollution of Manila.

Once again, it was indefatigable Lourdes who had got us together. Although the trip had originally been planned as a tour to Lourdes' home town of Hinundayan in Leyte, the recent rains there had demolished both the roads in that region and our hopes of getting there.

However, with so many interesting places in the vicinity, it was not difficult for Lourdes to come up with alternatives, and these involved visiting Tacloban and crossing the longest bridge in the Philippines - to the island of Samar. For those whose knowledge of Philippine history is reasonable, both places should ring a bell (MacArthur's Landing & the Balangiga Massacre?) The sites must have changed little since then. However, one of the changes that should be mentioned, is the San Juanico bridge itself. It was constructed by the Japanese for the people of the region in 1973 and Sue Watabe, wife of an engineer involved in its design and construction, was on our tour. Built in an unusual 'S' shape, it was thereafter referred to as 'Sue's bridge.'

Even though the purpose of the tour was primarily pleasure, not history, for many of us the terms are synonymous, so viewing the past is also a pleasure. Thus, one of the highlights of the visits to the town of Tacloban was being shown round the ancestral home of Lourdes' relatives. The 'cousin' (in the broad Filipino sense meaning any blood relative, however distant) who welcomed us into the house was very tolerant letting twelve strangers traipse through his home, ask numerous questions and view the family photographs. He also kindly arranged for his aunt and another 'cousin', to meet us one evening for a meal and tell us more about the town.

In fact, that particular evening was quite eventful. It began before we were even shown to our table at the restaurant, when we were introduced (as the League of Nations) to two other groups of diners. They were ex-congressmen who had recognised and greeted our 'guide' when she entered. Actually this was a scene repeated many times as we toured the area and is apparently very common when Filipinos return to their home province - many people come and shake hands in recognition and greeting. (Even had she thought of it, there was no way Lourdes could have misbehaved. Her husband would almost certainly have heard all about it before she arrived home!) But I digress. Eventually we sat down and ordered our meal. The British chef, delighted to meet some compatriots, not only sent us special treats from his kitchen but ensured that we actually got both glasses and the wine Hiltrud and Horst had ordered. The fact that it turned out to be white rather than red wine was, by the time it arrived, immaterial.

During the meal we were joined by Lourdes' charming relatives - the youthful looking, 86 year old Charing and her daughter, Eslin. As we ate our meal they regaled us with tales of Tacloban old and new and then told us of a hotel in the town which houses a wonderful collection of photographs. Back on the history trail, off we went and sure enough, pinned haphazardly on boards was a marvelous array of pictures of the war period. If only they could be catalogued and arranged in order - one day, maybe, someone will undertake such a task.

I cannot finish this day without mentioning the evening's finale - the dancing. Back at the hotel the band was in full swing, so five of us joined the group of merrymakers and (so we thought) sat back to watch the elegant, lithe movements of the Dance Instructors and their 'partners'. They were so good. However, it was not long before the DIs came to us and with much persuasion, and naming no names of course (Carolyn, Gaby, Pam, and Sue take note) got us to join them on the dance floor. Unfortunately it cannot be said that any of us, with the exception of Gaby who is a great dancer, was either elegant or lithe. This fact was reinforced the next morning when a friend of Cesca (the young aforementioned niece) told her that it was so funny watching us - a real sight for sore eyes!

A highlight of the trip was going up-stream to the caves on Samar. Traveling in bancas we chugged along, rather intermittently it must be said, between banks of nipa palms standing tall at the water's edge. We passed stilt houses, villages with happy waving children and many dug-out canoes, whose occupants were either cheerfully paddling or waving as they went by, or sitting quietly on the water, fishing. I am sure life could not have been idyllic for those people, but it certainly looked that way to us. We all appreciated the tranquility and timelessness of the surroundings.

Once inside the caves the guide set our imaginations wandering with suggestions of what the stalactites and stalagmites might be. Indeed, some of the crystal formations were so life-like they needed no explanation. (Sony has the rather revealing photos for those who would like to know more.) I think the thought of these was the cause of Sonia's fall after lunch. She was laughing so much that she tripped over a tree root, unfortunately breaking her wrist on landing. However, with bandages, lots of TLC and a plaster cast from the Tacloban hospital, she was able to stay on the island with the other four members for the two extra days. Meanwhile the rest of us had to return to Manila, only sorry that we too could not enjoy another couple of days in the serenity of the islands.

After waving goodbye to us at the airport, the remaining group left Tacloban and headed west across Leyte to the town of Ormoc. This is a town newly re-built after devastating floods some while ago, as well as being the original home of an especially sweet pineapple - a Filipino favourite. Staying in a lovely resort on the coast the group enjoyed the benefits it had to offer with just one outing to the beautiful Lake Danao before they too, headed home.

No MVP tour such as this takes place without many interesting visits to churches, convents, statues and the like and this tour was no exception. Now all that remains of our venture are happy memories, hundreds of photographs and the same question I asked last year - 'Where next, Lourdes?'