Philippines from the Air

I'm not normally one of those geeky tourists that takes pictures from the window of an airplane, but as we flew over the Philippines today, I couldn't help myself. En route from Tokyo to Singapore, the Japan Air Lines 747 I was on flew right over the Philippines at 40,000 feet, about 50 miles southeast of Manila. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous, so I snapped a few photos.

The one (at right), in particular, looks like an island that is just barely submerged under water. I have heard that the snorkeling in the Philippines is some of the best in the world. I know an American who once went to the Philippines, and never went back (well, except to visit). He now runs one of largest outsourced call centers (I've probably spoken to some of his staff!) in the Philippines. I've actually worked with him in the past; they do some game development, as well, but they handle telephone support for many online games in Asia. Perhaps I'll have to pay him a visit some time, and after Hawai'i got me hooked on snorkeling, I'll have to be sure to get some gear. :-)

Greetings now from Singapore; I'll be here through Saturday, when I head back to Japan.