From whalesharks to volcanos

Hmm, its been another long while i guess since a post. i figured its about time to do another. Actually, its more like i have time to kill today and sit around and type out this crap. Ha! So here we go.

Its been a good time since i left Donsol but not without its share of rough patches. My sliced thumb that i alluded to in my previous post has finally healed but not without me abusing it throughly. My toe nail that i broke in Basey actually gave me a lot less trouble than i thought it would, and the rash that developed last night has for the most part, gone away (still some left on my legs but whatever). Nothing will stop me! Ha!

And for all the travelling that i've done in the past 7 months, i'm very ashamed to announce that only in the last 2 weeks, have i actually spent the night(s) sleeping in a terminal. Why only now? I have no idea. i guess i'm at the end of my journies and i've become so rugged (or cheap, however you want to describe it) that i have no problem sleeping across a bench or plastic chairs.

Anyways, lets start from where i last left off. I left Donsol in the morning with only a thumb injury (the worst of the 4 recent issues i've had lately). Regardless of the hand injury i still climbed on top of the Jeepney for another spectacular ride. After about 2 hrs, i jumped onto a local bus headed south to a port city which would ferry me across to the next island (Samar). So after about a good 6-7 hrs of travelling by bus and ferry, i arrived in Samar in the city of Allen. Actually, more accurately, the port next to Allen. There were no more buses when i arrived at 6:30 pm that night so the local shop owner suggested i wait for the megataxi at 9 pm. Sure, i'll just take it overnight to Tacloban.

Mmmm, bloody messGeez, now i need to go buy more toilet paper

Just chilling on top

9:30 pm came and went, still no taxi arrived. So instead, the owner suggested i wait for the 1:30 am bus from Manila heading south. 2:00 am arrived, still no bus. So by this time i had been kicked out of the restaurant i was camping out in, and relocated myself into the ferry terminal itself. Without anymore reading material (i was going through the Bourn Identity, a really stupid book, can't believe they made it into a movie) i just adjusted myself and went to bed.

4:30 am i was awake again and ready to grab whatever bus i could. Finally one showed up at 5:00 am and i was on my way again. It was a tough ride down to the next city. And by tough, i mean bumpy roads, huge potholes, swerving bus driver and no AC. Oh, and did i mention i was sitting on the very last seat of the bus? So finally i make it to the next terminal and jump onto another Jeepney and headed over to a small town known as Basey.

Late afternoon ferry

So I arrive in Basey, tired, very hungry and dirty as hell. I go to pull out my bag from under the seat of the Jeepney and guess what? the end of my bag catches my left toenail on my big toe and cracks off 1/4 of it. Blood quickly ensues. I really had no choice but to smile about my luck. A sliced open thumb and now a broken, bloody toenail. How was i supposed to dive and surf now?

I like vanishing points now

Whatever. So i headed to the nearest pharmacy (about 10 m away) and patched myself up and picked up some extra antibiotics for the road. I headed for the town tourist office and got, of course, bad news. I had come to Basey hoping to hike through the forest and see some cool landscapes (this was my thinking before i injured my foot of course). However, as usual, there was no solo hiking. I would need a guide. And with no one to share the guide fee with i was like forget it. I spent the night and headed out the next morning.

Southward bound again. I had skipped the entire island of Samar (i wanted to see more of it but it'll have to be for next time) and popped down into the island of Leyte. I arrived at night of course in the town of Sogod. My final destination was a small town known as Padre Burgos which of course had no more shuttles to Burgos. So i finally coughed up 300 Pesos to pay a moto guy to take me. One magical hour later, i arrived at my dive shop. There really is nothing better than being on a bike on a calm night, cool wind in my face, full moon glistening off a wave less ocean, all in the company of singing cicadas and palm trees zipping by.

The diving itself was not too bad. i did 2 dives the next day (even with my sore thumb and busted toenail) which were nice, but nothing really to write home about. I needed to use the internet and the only place to use it was in a town called Massin, about 30 min away by megataxi. I waited and waited on the side of the road. Nothing went by. So finally i walked to 2 km into town and hopped a mega taxi there. A 30 min ride ended up taking closer to 1 hr, at which point basically brought me into the town as the last megataxis were heading out. Perfect. I quickly used the net ( i don't remember why, i think i needed to do something wiht my camera, which in the end didn't even work) and hunted down the last megataxi. Of course out of sheer luck i did jump into the last one. Only, it never really started. Instead, there weren't enough people to make the trip worth while and so i got booted out.

Nice soft coral companions

Some really picturesque coral

Standing around for the next 45 min waiting for the tricycle i was sitting in to go, i had the chance to sit down and talk to some more locals. All the Filippinos are very friendly and love to talk so i didn't mind. Regardless, the total trip to and from Massin took roughly 4 hrs. And in that time, i spent about 5 min on the internet and bought 1 bottle of water. I wanted dinner as well but there just wasn't any opportunity.

Heading down to 32 m, my personal deep record

Why must people litter in dive sites?
Its bad enough when its on the surface
but when it just floats above the coral, it looks ridiculous!

So, after i got back i decided i've had it. There was no food (good or cheap) where i was staying. There was no internet. There was nothing in the surrounding vicinity to do besides dive. And Massin took just way way too long to go. I packed my stuff and the next day was back out. It took about 4 hrs to get to the next town to catch a ferry over to the final southern island i was headed to (Mindanao).

I forgot exactly how long the ferry trip was but again, i arrived at night. It would be over 12 hrs before the next ferry would depart for the island of Siargao. Starving, sweaty, with a sore thumb and toe, i waited outside the terminal till the security guard let me inside. I was supposed to pay the terminal fee to get in but he let me in anyways. I locked up my bags and prepared for some peaceful sleep in the terminal. This was not to be. All night people kept coming and going, banging on my seat as they passed. A different security guard kept waking me up asking me where i was headed.

But in the end i did get some decent sleep. I was too tired to be really bothered by anything so trivial. In the morning (8:00 am) i woke up hoping to get my tix and depart at 9. Now, no one had said anything to me before but now i understood why they kept harassing me all night. This was the wrong port to goto Siargao! Idiots! Another kind security guard directed me to a tricycle into town and told the driver to bring me to the port. Security guards are so helpful in the Philippines.

I arrived around 9ish and found out that the ferry didn't leave till 12. And it would take 4 hrs! Jesus, i guess i could just wait around. I found an internet cafe close by and searched for flights home. With my hunger getting the better of me, i soon left and went to a local shop for some chicken. At first they thought i wanted to use the toilet. I was like no, i want a Menu. Finally they're like oh, men-U! Ha, i will have to remember to say it like that.

When you gotta go, you gotta go

The boat ride was pretty tough. It was hot and very little wind went though the ship. I finally found a nice, however noisy, little cool spot to sit. 4 hrs later, i arrived in a small port known as Dapa. I popped onto a moto and headed to Cloud 9, a world famous surfing spot where they held yearly competitions in sept or oct. Bouncing down the road, the excitement in me started to build. What would the surf be like? How long am i going to stay? I'm going surfing! Its been too long since i was last standing on a board riding a 1 m wave.

Beautiful sunny day

Looking back at Mindanao

I arrived at what was probably one of my favorite guesthouses in the Philippines, or even, of my entire trip. Although a little expensive, the food was decent and the room was acceptable. but what kept me from moving on were the people. Specifically the girls that were working there. So much fun. Can't say enough. I went out with them to the local disco (and i mean local) two times and to a bar another time (6 ppl on a moto!). Great place. Want to go back so bad.

Sunset massageOut at the disco! yes, its a basketball court.Sunset over the surf zone

Surfing was another story. A 5 min walk from my place was Cloud 9, Quicksilver and Jacking/rocking horse. All reef breaks (which messed me up last time in Lombok, Indo) which i was not too excited about but willing to try again. Now over estimating my skills just a little, i grabbed the short boards (7 foot and 7'4") and headed out for Jacking horse. Supposedly a good beginner break according to one of the people staying there. I should have talked to the owner instead but at the time, he was the most experienced.

Contemplating what i would like on my tombstone.
Died challenging Cloud 9?

Welcome to Cloud 9

So two problems were inherent right from the start. First, the board was way too short for me. I probably couldn't have stood on it even if the break was easy. Second, the break was not very easy to surf. The wave formed way too fast, it was too shallow, and there a constant current. in fact, there were 2 different currents. If you were in the crash zone (where the wave comes down) the current hold you in, if you were outside of the crash zone, the current pushed you out. So all these things added together, compounded by the fact that it was a long paddle out and my arms were really out of shape, made for some really, really, really frustrating surfing. I went out 3 times in 2 days. Twice at high tide and the last time at low tide. Not a great idea considering the waves are breaking over a reef. Didn't take long before i got smashed by a wave, pushed under and dragged along the reef. For my troubles, i got a scrapped up left knee. Injury number 3.

This is what it looks like when you get sucked under by a wave.
Notice the very shallow water
This was snorkling btw, not much to see out there,
but sometimes there is something interesting.

Finally, forcing myself to swallow my pride ( i had too, i hadn't caught a single wave in the past 3 sessions) i grabbed the 8 foot mini mal and headed back out to jacking horse. This board has always been my favorite length and design because i've caught the most waves with it. Not having a great day out on the waves, but much better than the past two, i soon realized that its not me, its the board. Its the board damnit! Turning in that day after 3 long hrs battling the ocean i was told all the problems associated with Jacking horse. Great, what a waste of time! The next day i would goto quicksilver.

Some other good surfer at Cloud 9

Out and up early the next morning on what was to be my final day was as usual, bittersweet. In the first hour, i caught more waves then i had in the previous 3 days. I was back in the zone! Catching waves left and right. It was all about the break i soon realized. I should have came here days ago! So much easier to read the wave form and paddle around.

Walking out to C9. Its pretty shallow at low tide

But the icing on the cake came from the last wave that i rode that day. And this time, i mean i actually rode a wave! It is one of those special moments that come far and few between. After about 2 weeks of surfing in various places around Indonesia, i have finally done it. It wasn't the biggest wave. It wasn't the hardest break. What it was, was the culmination of 15ish days (4 in Siargao) of paddling, near drownings, scrapped knees, bruised stomach and bad hair days. I paddled with the wave, popped up and turned! Gliding over the forming wave front, staring through clear aqua marine waters at the passing reef, gives the sense of accomplishment like no other. I have to surf some more.

Crazy bastards

I wish i didn't have to leave, but it was time to go. I called it quits the min i returned back to my place after riding my first wave. I needed to leave on a high note. Now was the best time. That night we went to the disco and i said by to all the friends i had made over the last few days. It was sad to leave but then again, its life as a traveller. I left at 4:45 am the next morning.

Nudibranch!

Woken up by my driver, 1/2 asleep, 1/2 tipsy from the alcohol the night before, i jumped onto the back of the moto and headed back to the port of Dapa. I popped into a med sized pumpboat and headed back to Surigao. 3 hrs later (supposed to be a 2 hr trip) we arrived and i walked to an internet cafe where i booked my flight home (finally). An hour later i jumped into a Jeepney which took me to the bus terminal. 3 hrs later i was in Butuan, where i caught another bus to Balingoan. Another 3 hrs later i arrive and immediately jumped onto a ferry headed to Camiguin. 1.5 hrs later i was hanging off the back of a Jeepney heading to my place.

Camiguin, home to 7 different volcanos

I finally sat down for my first meal of the day at 7 pm. The place i wanted to stay was full so i moved in next door. I went crazy for the food. 1/2 fried chicken with rice, 120 Pesos. What a steal. So after a full day of traveling, sweaty and stinky (i had run out of deodorant a few days back, who would have thought that can of Axe i bought in manila would die so fast?), an itchy spot here and there was pretty normal right? As the itchiness began to get worse i began to suspect mozzys were kicking my ass. I finished up my meal and headed back to my room where i gave myself the privacy and comfort to scratch myself all over.

What was happening? Were there bedbugs or something around? It was itchy all over. Even my face wasn't spared. I stopped for a second to take a shower and soon realized what it was. Some kinda allergic reaction to something. Damn, probably my dirty clothes or something. I popped open my med kit and pulled out the Calmen lotion, which was bought in China over 1 year ago. When i was in China I used a dirty towel on my face and it puffed up just like my face was now. I suspected the same issue this time. I slathered that pink cream all over myself and the itching soon stopped.

Damn its itchy

At least till this morning. But whatever, i'm fine now. Its almost all gone (as well as the tube of Calmen) and all is better. And to think, i was going to toss that tube less than a mere 48 hrs before because i thought it was useless.

So that should bring things back up to speed. Surfing has been the highlight of the past 2 weeks, and a close second to the whaleshark. I plan to finish up with some more diving, diving, diving. Hey, i'm in a country with over 7000 islands, what else am i going to do?

Welcome to Donsol

So the beach isn't the prettiest. So the water isn't the clearest. Whatever. Out there, deep in the dark murky water lives one of the greatest creatures every to live.
The sea was rough that day my friends. Like an old man trying to send soup back in a deli, the waves pounded our little craft.
Up and down we went in the waves, miles from the shore. Other boats looked just as helpless as ours. Yet we persevered. The sun was gone, masked by the ugly clouds above, warning us to go home. But we did not falter. We continued to challenge the ocean in hopes of but a brief glimpse of one of the great beasts.

Stories of the recent typhoon which swept through the country were still fresh in our minds. The local kids just laughed at us as we boarded our craft. News of a second typhoon, this time from the opposite coast, had just begun to filter through the town.
Faces were grim as we set sail into the open waters. Over an hour we battled fierce winds and heavy waves. The rain was starting and yet none of us wished to turn back.

"BUTANDING! BUTANDING!" Suddenly, we were all torn from our dreams of heading to shore. Back into conciousness, we scrambled about the deck. "BUTANDING!" he kept repeating. "Everyone, get ready! Hurry!" The excitement in the air was almost palpable.
Off in the distance, there it lay, waiting. The boat quickly swung around to get in front of the monster.
I donned my mask, checked my snorkel and jammed my feet into my far too small fins. With my camera at the ready, we quickly jumped in. The water was dark, cold and murky. I surfaced quickly only to find the pontoon nearly in my face ready to knock me out with the next big wave. I dove under, into the dark murky waters and surfaced a few feet from the other insane members of my party. Only those with a lot of crazy would be doing what we were doing.

With waves crashing over our heads and snorkels, we heard the frantic shouts of our leader, beckon us to follow him. Are you crazy? You want us to swim towards this massive beast? Tossing fear aside, i pushed against the waves as hard as i could to follow the other lemmings. To our own doom, i thought.

Where was it? What were they shouting about? Hey look, a piece of garbage. That's an odd thing to find out here miles from shore.

Then i saw it.
Those white spots.
Everywhere.

It could be nothing else.

They will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Ladies, and Gentlemen. I give you...the worlds largest fish!

The pictures are poor i'm sorry, but like any other amazing sighting of the rarest kind, what do you expect.

I'll try again tomorrow, weather permitting of course. This is, after all, the whaleshark capital of the world.
-bk

the best of times with my best friend

I will miss...

the TV
Hot water
AC
Clean, cockroach and bedbug free room
Minibar
Working lights
Real door locks

Private bathroom including
Bath tub
HIGH pressure shower
Clean toilet
Clean sink

These things are all nice and great. And of course i want to have them all the time. But in the end, i've been living without them for so long, they don't really matter that much to me anymore. For the last 10 days, i've had all the above listed luxuries, but none of them, and i mean none of them, compare to having dinner, a drink, sharing a laugh, and chilling on the beach, with none other than my best friend.

Welcome to the Philippines

The past 10 days have gone by far too quickly. I wish she could have stayed longer. If just only to chillout and do nothing (not that we didn't already do lots of that). Its not to share memories, not to tell eachother stories, just to sit there and talk to someone that knows you like no one else. I didn't think i would miss it that much. I know i will miss it till the day that i see her again.

So for a recap. My best friend arrived (late mind you!) in Puerto Princesa on a rainy Saturday evening. We quickly hugged and headed for the hotel van that was to take us to (or more accurately, me) to civilization. We checked in and headed out for some food. I took her to Henry's (still the best i think, no one makes 'em better than Henry!) and we gobbled down some street food. From there, we headed back to our place and chilled out for the rest of the night.

Next morning, we hopped into a tricycle and zipped over to Honda Bay, just 10 km from PP. Picturesque according to guidebooks and brochures, i'm sure it was if it was a little but sunnier. But we still had a good time. She chilled on the beach while i grabbed the snorkeling gear and headed out for the water. This was my first interaction with the reefs out here in the Philippines and i must say, i'm not as disappointed as i thought i would be. I've been told by other divers that the Philippines is for macro stuff (the little things, its called macro, i assume, b/c you need a macro lens to shoot them) and before, that stuff never interested me. But after snorkeling around for a little bit, i saw some really colorful and amazing things. I think i will have to do it some more on some different islands.

Our rain shelter

Also saw my first sea horse! Well, more like second if you include the one from Coron. But i found this one on my own, and purely by accident as well. I was in less than 1 foot of water trying to take my fins off when i realized the leaf that i looking as wasn't flowing around exactly the same as the others. At first i thought it was stuck. Then i thought that maybe it was a different type of leaf. Then i thought it might be a well cameflouged pipe fish. I looked at it for over a min before realizing that it wasn't any of the above, but instead, a seahorse. How cool is that? Never thought a seahorse could be cool, but hey, your interests are bound to change right?

The view from our shelter

Anyways, i soon realized that my best friend was yelling at me, telling me to get up so we could scoot off to the next island (it was island hopping day). I must have looked like i had just drowned or something. What else would someone be doing floating in less than 12 inches of water not moving. Ha! So we puttered off to the next island and before she could get some more sun, the rain started. I knew it was coming so luckily, we secured ourselves a nice shelter in which to hide. Not much to do that day after the rain, but eat a fish, of which i had very little.

Mmmm, fresh yellow spotted fish
(i don't really know its name, but it weighed like 3-4 kg)

Next day we dragged ourselves to the local bus station, stuffed ourselves onto a Jeepney and headed North to Sabang, home to the most famous natural attraction in Palawan. 3 hrs on a bad road, with no leg room, AC or toilet does not make for a happy vacationer. And as always, as we approached our destination, the Jeepney stopped more, and more, and more frequently, probably just to spite us. Anyways, we finally arrive on what is probably one of the best, quietest beaches i've seen in some time. One kilometer of untouched, beautiful sand surrounded by mountains on one side, limestone rock on the other and limestone cliffs in the background.

My sentiments exactly!

Its so much cooler to be outside

The beach was quite, quite nice

We settled into the guest house on the far end of the beach which didn't make things very convenient for us, but that was not really an issue since the place had good food and great ppl. Only issue, at night there was some loud banging music which carried long and far across the water to annoy us all night. That and the chickens have no idea what time it is and crow all night long. Oh, and the lovely rat that came to harass us the first night.

Sharing a double bed, with a mozzy net for protection, we went to bed the first night in Sabang. Now, i love mozzy nets like nothing else and cannot live without one. But i have to admit, when you're living in one, it feels like you're stuck in a box because you never want to go out of it. In addition, with only temporary power at our place (lights out at 11 pm), the only thing we had for illumination was my flashlight. So when my best friend wakes me up in the middle of the night telling me that there's something in the room, i have to admit that i'm just a little freaked out as well. Where the hell was my knife? Crap, its outside of the mozzy net. I'm not going out there.

At first i was really groggy, and thought that there was something inside of the net. So that of course instantly freaked me out. Especially when something brushed against my leg. Of course it was nothing more than my reading material but still. In the moment, it was creepy. Then becoming more and more conscious, i tell her, don't worry, there's nothing in the room. I use my flashlight, waved it under the bed to scare off anything that might be down there before i risked my face by looking under. Nothing there of course. No worries, back to sleep.

Thats of course when i heard it as well. A scurrying, twitching, scratching sound coming from underneath us. It had such intensity i even felt it through the walls and in the bed. Ok, fine, a little over exaggeration here, but i did actually feel and hear the sound. It lasted for less than a second but the fear struck me for just a little while longer. In a dark room, with only a flashlight and a mozzy net casting strange shadows everywhere, the mind begins to wander. Fortunately I soon figured out the sound was coming from under the floor, outside of our room. What was it? A rat? Chicken? Who knows and cares. It was fun, just not at the moment.

It didn't take us long to realize that we didn't have enough money for our stay and someone (of course me) would have to journey back to PP to get cash and use the net to book our flight back to Manila. But before I regale you with that 11 hr journey, i'll talk about what we were in Sabang to see. The Underground River! Apparently the worlds longest underground river system (i'm not going to argue with them but in Mulu, they told me theirs was the longest underground river!). We decided to hike there instead of take the boat since my best friend wanted to see the jungle and get some exercise. Now i'm all up for exercise and everything, but the jungle? Really? I've been there before and vowed never to go again more than once on this journey. But of course, she wanted to go so what the hell, lets do it. We started off our 5ish km journey around 10:30 am and was quite a bit easier than i thought. We walked along beautiful deserted beaches and through Jurassic like limestone forests.

Beautiful little limestone cove. Oh and look, there goes our guide

Hermit crab brawl!

Lazy ass guide

This was a stunning private beach

Back into the woods to climb over 200 steps

View of the bay

2 hrs later, after fighting a little sprinkle from the sky, many wooden and concrete steps, we appeared at the entrance of the cave. Our guide had left us a while back to fight the jungle on our own, and of course, we find him lazying under a table when we arrived. We drank the little water that we had and waited around for the park boat to take us in. Amazingly, out of the trees popped a fair sized monitor lizard. He just looked at us, walked up a little and then turned and went to go harass some other tourists. Quite an interesting experience, meeting a tame(ish) lizard of that size. Apparently, it will even take food from your hand. Not that i was going to try or had any food to give him. It would have been neat to do though. He walked over to another table of tourists that did have food and scared the crap out of them. Quite hilarious.

Mmmm, tourists

We finally got our chance to board one of the tour paddle boats around 1:30 that afternoon. My best friend and I boarded in the front which was kind of a mixed blessing. Sure, we got to sit up front, we even got to hold the light. Only problem, there was only one light. And the guide/operator sat at the back. So throughout the whole tour, we had no idea what he was saying. And his English got especially muddled when he told us to point the light at certain objects within the cave. Regardless of his poor English skills, i ignored him anyways as much as possible and just looked at what i thought was interesting.

Entrance to the Underground RiverOur turn!

Just another cave? Nope. This one was quite original in many ways. It was big. Not as big as Deer cave in Mulu, but a good size. Especially one chamber which was like over 60 m above us. Another plus, there's a river flowing through it! So the entire cave had been cut out of the limestone over centuries of flowing water. Just sitting there, with control of the torch of course, was quite nice as you floated past strange formations and through amazing passageways. Another top cave in my opinion. But I must admit, so far every cave i've seen will only live in the shadow of Deer cave. I'm one tough cookie to impress now as far as caves go.

Getting closerSorry, its hard to take pics in the dark!
Just imagine instead that we're going really really fast!
Lookout!
Uh, there's nowhere else to go is there?
Uh, forgot the name of this famous formation, can you suggest any?

The next day i was up and out of the room at 7 am to catch the jeepney back to PP. I of course volunteered to do this because i didn't want to lie on the beach all day while my best friend did. So off I went at 7:30 am. 3 bumpy, ass aching hours later i arrived in PP. From there i jumped onto the next jeepney, went 10 min into town, then used the net for 1 hr booking flights. after that, i went to the restaurant next door, ate for about 30 min and headed off to the bank. From there i took another jeepney and headed back to the bus terminal to catch the 1 pm jeepney back to Sabang.

So at this point, i've pretty much been sitting on my ass in various types of chairs for the past 6 hrs (with the exception of walking to/from the bank, net cafe, and restaurant, totaling probably no more than 150 m). So fine, i'm not in the best of moods at that moment. I board the jeepney at 1 pm, quite happy with the fact that its empty and that there would be plenty of leg room for me to relax. 1 hr goes by before it finally moved. God, the breeze was so nice. We pulled out onto the road and headed off. Less than 3 min, we had stopped again. We pulled into a construction site and loaded the jeepney with about 15 bags of cement. Fine, whatever, there was still plenty of space for me to move around. 3 min later, we pulled back into the bus terminal. WTF is happening here? For the next hour, the jeepney continuously filled up wiht more and more ppl. Finally, at 3 pm, after sitting for 2 hrs in a hot tin can, with no breeze, with no leg room, and an already bruised ass, we headed back to PP.

Another 3 hrs I sat on that stupid jeepney. It was the most hellish ride in recent memory i've ever had. My bonus? The last hour sitting in the terminal in PP, they loaded the entire rooftop up with cargo. Whats wrong with that? Oh, nothing, just that as they approached PP, they literally stopped every 10 m to drop off another box to some store/restaurant/family. God, my patience was really wearing thin. I climbed out of the jeepney (out the window) when it got into Sabang and literally had trouble walking! It was a nice 1 km limp on the beach back to my place.

Now the best part was, tomorrow i would be taking the jeepney back to PP again. Damn, thats a total of 12 hrs over 4 trips on that stupid jeepney. I was really earning my stripes now. We took of the next morning in the afternoon around 12. The bus this time didn't leave till 2, however, we were smarter and waited outside the bus. One hour into our journey, the bus pulled over for a quick rest. I was like screw it, i'm sitting on the roof (like a local!). My best friend was like are you sure? Isn't it going to rain? i was like who cares! Its an adventure! Sure enough, we jumped off the bus, ran to the back, climbed up on top and sat ourselves down on a nicely folded tarp.

Just chilling on top

All nice smooth roads from here

We probably didn't sit up there for more than 20 min before the rain started. But, with a low setting sun in the background, limestone cliffs and forests whizzing by, cool fresh air, no engine noise, and of course, my best friend, those few min on the roof were the best ride i've ever had. As the rain started to come down, we quickly scurried back into the bus and just sat down, refreshed, for the final leg back into PP.

Contemplating life's greatest questions

Next morning we caught our flight to Manila and checked into a room with one of the highest pressure showers i have ever used. It literally powerwashed away the dirt. Damn that was a good shower. We explored Manila for the next 2 days. I did a little bit less considering that this was my second time here. I actually spent 2.5 hrs in the Bureau de Immigration office convincing the people that i needed my passport back in order to fly the following Sunday. I didn't think it would be necessary but hell, i paid the express fee and i should get my passport back now! idiots. But i was nice about it since they controlled whether i got my visa or not. Stressful day i tell you.

We checked out the fruit market, another big market, the Mall of Asia, and a supermarket. I never did get any jackfruit from Manila. I was quite disappointed. Another thing i'm sad we missed was the fireworks festival they were having at the MOA. Last time it was just pure luck that i stumbled upon a small show. But this time, Canada and France were going to perform! Two shows in one night! A little tired after walking everywhere all day, we decided to skip the first show (Canada) and watch the later show instead. Unfortunately, it started to rain around 8 and didn't stop till well after the show would have finished. Thunder, lightning, the whole works.

Baclaren MarketMall of Asia

Next stop, Boracay Island! Probably, if not the most famous destination in the Philippines. White sand beaches, beautiful blue water, nice hotels, what more could you ask for? We flew in (late of course) and hopped onto a minivan, then pump boat, then back to another minivan before arriving at the Regency Hotel. Beautiful place with not one, but 3 different pools (from what i could tell). We quickly settled in and headed for the beach.

Flying over the Visayas

Boracay beach

Boracay was definitely not what i expected. The entire island itself was way underdeveloped. Rough roads everywhere, ppl transporting roosters in tricycles to the local cock fight (i wanted to watch), no major malls or even a single mall of any sort. It was nice in a sense, but at the same time, not really. Its hard to explain, i just wasn't terribly impressed. I think Sabang was much better.

Looking North up to section 1, or is that 3? Who knows

Mining nose gold for the townspeople

Chilling in the waves

Sailing into the distance

We did have fun anyways, walking around and chilling on the beach. Although the sun was a little lack luster for my best friend to tan in and at night it rained, we still made the best of it. We flew out only 2 days after we arrived. Far too short of a vacation in my opinion. Although the cost definitely made it prohibitive to stay any longer, i'm still not used to this 'high speed' traveling. Ha! What made things worse, is that flying back to Manila (again) would be the last time i got to see my best friend as she was connecting out of Niquoy. Our flight of course was delayed again. So long in fact that she missed her connecting flight and Air Philippines had to shuffle her into another one. I was secretly disappointed that i didn't get to spend just one more day with my best friend but in the end, i'll see her soon enough.

Miss you lots already. I'll be back soon enough though.
Time for some Blank and Jones with Herbie.
BTW, AVBs Imagine set is fantastic! We must go catch his world tour! HAH!

Just some random pics. Nearly glued my fingers together trying to repair my sandals. Who knew that it would come out like water and not thick crap like back home? And it really dries in seconds like it says on the bottle. They don't mess around out here. No worries, i don't really need all my fingers anyways. Just thumb, index and middle. I cut the useless ones that got stuck together.

-bk