Day 8 - New Year's Eve!
Golden hearted Emile woke us up early and we packed by candle light for the next leg of our trip. No time for his mom's omelettes that morning, Emile led the way and we were on the bus to Puerto Princesa (PP) by 6 AM. Luckily we'd hit the bakery the night before for some sustenance for this day. We were all sad to leave El Nido, but excited to see what PP had to offer, especially for New Year's Eve.
We'd read that the ride was "ass-smacking" and I at least was expecting an overcrowded, steamy, bouncy ride. But the day was overcast and drizzly so it stayed nice and cool, and though our bus got full, it never had people hanging off the sides (though I think a few people were on the roof from time to time). And the roads weren't as bad as I'd dreamed up either. But the scenery was what really made the trip. If it wasn't jungle surrounding us, it was rice paddies speckled with water buffalo and their crane friends flanked by towering limestone walls. We also drove through many small villages that huddled tight on the road. These were filled (sparsely) with palm leaf huts and barefoot kids walking their buffalos or riding sleds pulled by them. On the road we also passed quite a few overflowing jeepneys packed with people riding inside, outside, on the roof, and hanging off the back and sides. Our bus was crowded by western standards, but it was probably 60 people short of what the jeepneys carried.
Thanks to Hanny, when we arrived in PP there were 2 fellows waiting for us at the bus station who took us straight to our new lodgings - a beautiful bamboo place with sculpted cielings and little birds living in all the nooks and crannies. Within 5 minutes of arriving we were at our rooms armed with information about where to go for the New Year's celebrations and how to get there.
We ate, explored, and napped before heading out into the night. We bought "rhum" as it's called in the PHP and cokes and went to the Capital where giant Christmas decorations lit the walkways and vendors sold everything from sandals and bead necklaces to coconut lamps and cheap hair brushes. Strangely, the fireworks here were at 9 PM and then everyone left but the techno music raved on for another hour. We stuck around at some tables for a while, but eventually went down to the boardwalk where another celebration was hoppin. We ate street food (stuffed squid and noodles for me and Brian, a whole chicken on a stick for David and Duck) and watched the fireworks and danced to the ridiculous but fun music playing (tubthumpin) while the Filipinos stood stoicly enjoying their party. It was magic and we couldn't have done it better.
Day 9
Next day Hanny picked us up at our hotel in a little van and drove us to Sabang where the PP Subteranean National Park is located. There we got on the most beat up of bangcas in the highest seas we'd seen and motored through the rain to the park entrance. There we saw long tailed macaques and monitor lizards, both friendly, and were assigned hard hats and life vests for our journey into the cave. Sabang is famous for a 7.5 km long underground river that is passable by canoe. Along with 4 Filipinos and one guide equipped with an arsenal of the worst jokes you've ever heard, we paddled in. The cave was filled with swiftlets, which use sonar like bats to navigate in the dark, bats, and rock formations. The water's brackish, but it's the only place that we saw a sea snake the whole trip. We went 1.5 km in but turned around there because the tide was coming in.
Back in town we had lunch under a palm umbrella on the beach. We got to relax a while then Hanny took us back to PP. We were back before 2 so we went in search of the PP market, which is where all Filipino handicrafts should be purchased if the chance ever arises. It was a quarter of the prices of tourist shops anywhere, and even than the markets in Manila. We all bought big heavy wooden carved bowls (2 USD), coconut lamps (5 USD) and other items that would normally cost 20 to 30 USD a piece. Sorry parents, we'll probably be sending these back with you when you come visit.
Then we went back to the boardwalk to enjoy our last night on Palawan. Sadly, at the boardwalk, and all over the PHP there are heartbreaking kids begging for your coins. It's illegal to beg on Palawan, but that doesn't stop the action, and it certainly doesn't get to the root of the problem. We read that most of South East Asian countries don't have social welfare programs or aid for the disabled, but I still wasn't sure what role the parents play in having kids beg. So instead of coins, we handed out popcorn.
At dinner that night we finally tried the famous birds' nest soup. Emile told us "it gives you power", I don't know. But it wasn't gross, it tasted like egg drop soup. It's made from a cliff dwelling swallow's nest, which in turn is made from the swallow's saliva. Not as gross tasting as it sounds.
Day 10 and 11
January 2nd we had a flight back to Manila, but time in the morning for more market exploring. At the first security check in the PP airport there's a box with instructions on the proper method of disabling your hand guns that you've walked in with. I guess that means it's ok to walk into the airport with guns. After a sad goodbye to Palawan and a quick flight to Manila we were back at Friendly's and hungry. We found a schwarma restaurant and falafel's never tasted so good.
After food, next stop was what we'd all been waiting for, a gem of Manila, the Hobbit House. Hindley Brigham, if you're reading this, it would be your favorite place on Earth. Supposedly it's been around since before the new Lord of the Rings movies, but the front door is a circle like a hobbit's house. The inside has wooden rafters entangled with vines so that it looks like roots are coming down. There are dramatic Tolkien paintings on the walls and swords and whatnots. It's a pretty big place with a large stage where locals are said to sing faultless Dylan covers, though the show the night we were there was lesser known acoustics. It's actually the best bar scene we've had since being in Asia, they boast over 100 different beers. But what really makes the place special is their claim to "the smallest servers in the world". That's right, all the servers are dwarves. And Filipinos generally are a shorter people, so Filipino dwarves are extra tiny. We were embarassed to ask, but they were happy to take a picture with us. Where else in the world could you go to a place like that?
Our flight the next day was in the afternoon, so we just had enough time to explore Intramuros, the Spanish colonial center of Manila. It was lovely, but we were told most of it was rebuilt to demonstrate what used to be. Most of the original buildings were destroyed during WWII.
It was a strange sensation to come home to S. Korea, to feel at home the way you do when you come back from a long trip. But it was nice to get away to be reminded of how much I love Korea. And we're in English camps now at school, so our days are short which is a great way to ease out of vacation mode. To sum up the PHPs... go. It's too lovely, cheap, and fun to miss.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
El Nido: Philippines Day 5-7
Day 5
So we'd arrived in El Nido at dark the day before, and waking up this day we hadn't the faintest where we'd find ourselves. As always in the Philippines, we were woken up by roosters around 7. Emerging from our huts this is the first thing we saw.
We'd arrived in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. This was El Nido; named after the nests from a cliff dwelling swallow used to make birds' nest soup ("gives you power" we were told), nestled into limestone walls, surrounded by jungle on land and breathtaking islets at sea, it was love at first sight. And I don't think I speak only for myself.
After taking in the view and our huts in daylight, Emile's mom made us breakfast which we ate in the gazebo before walking back to town to provision our island drop off. David and Duck were in charge of beer, ice, and a cooler. Turns out a case of San Miguel, "the only beer that fosters true Filipino friendships", runs about 6 USD, and that's before you return the returnable bottles. Brian and I were on lunch duty. We found a roadside stand with bean soup, roasted eggplant, chicken curry, and rice. Enough for 4 costs 8 USD. But it was exploring the town a few minutes later that we found the real gem of Filipino cuisine. It starts with bananas - tiny ones, that's how they come in the PHP, so they're extra sweet to begin with. Take 2 of these baby bananas and skewer them on a bamboo stick. Step 2, roll them in sugar and pan fry in oil until the sugar forms a crunchy, caramelized crust with hot gooey banana insides. All this for 5 pesos a stick, or roughly 7 cents. From that day on all four of us ate at least 3 of these a day. They also treat potato slices similarly, but for me, the bananas couldn't be beat.
Thusly outfitted we made our way back to Hadefes (our beach huts) and Emile arranged a bangca to drop us at 7 Comandos beach for the day. Marselle and his dad were to be our guides for the next 3 days, but on this day we saw little of them. 7 Comandos was breathtakingly beautiful and Day 5 is contending for my favorite day of our trip. See for yourself.
We relaxed on the beach all day with spurts of snorkeling and swimming mixed in here and there. The snorkeling in the PHP was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Anemones everywhere housed aggressive little clown fish families. The boulder corals that hadn't been dynamite blasted were around 8 to 10 feet in diameter. The antler corals were fire blue and neon green, colors I've never seen in corals. There were tons of blow fish, all uniquely colored and marked. The shallow, snorkelable areas usually had a sharp wall drop off that would've made for great diving.
When we finally went back to town for dinner, everything was candle lit again and enchanting. It was a day well spent. Lots of photos to commemorate it.
Day 6
Next day was breakfast in the gazebo again, but an earlier start in the bangca with Marselle and Dad. This time they took care of lunch, so we left straight from Hadefes on Tour D. First stop was snake island, a jungly little land with a long twisting sandbar that gives the place it's name. Here's Duck's video.
We explored and snorkeled there until lunch. M and D cooked up 6 or 7 whole fish over an open fire and gave us adobo sauce for it. Filipino adobo sauce is soy sauce and vinegar with hot chillies soaking in it. They use it on most meats and it's delicious on rice too. They also provided a cucumber salad, bananas, and rice. We ate on the beach before going to see a hidden cave on another nearby island. There David climbed around with Emile, who was on Tour D with another group, until they reached a high perch. But we didn't stay long before boating over to the Cathedral Rock. This is a cave in the limestone walls of an islet that looks like a Gothic cathedral archway. Again, we didn't stay long, but moved on for our last beach of the day where we stayed for some hours. We had the place to ourselves besides a friendly island dog. 90 foot palm trees, white sand, and a limestone cliff behind it all made a beautiful setting for an afternoon. And the walk into town that evening at sunset was, well, just look at the pictures.
Day 7
Next day rivals Day 5 for my favorite. We had breakfast in town for a change and Marselle and Dad picked us up there for a kayaking trip in the lagoons. First stop, Small Lagoon. The lagoons are amazing because they're surrounded by sheer limestone cliffs and on the edges they're shallow so you can snorkel, but in the center they're extremely deep. This contrast makes the water color even more intense than in other places. Unfortunately, Small Lagoon was over crowded while we were there. But it was still lovely.
Next we went to Big Lagoon. It was huge and there were a few sub-lagoons off of the main hunk. In one of these David and Duck discovered the set for the next season of Survivor. I'm not much one for reality shows, but it was such beautiful scenery I'll try and watch some of it.
We explored Big Lagoon for a few hours before heading to our lunch beach, which was equally spectacular. Whole fish with adobo sauce again couldn't be better. And it was on this beach that Marselle showed us Secret Lagoon. This is a tiny lagoon that's nearly a cave because the limestone walls around it almost enclose it. In fact, you have to climb through a small cave/tunnel to get there. We did some more snorkeling there before going to our last stop of the day, one more perfect beach. We ate up every second of it.
That night was our last in El Nido. We had one more forray into town where David found a monkey friend. His little hands felt like rubber when they grabbed your fingers. Next morning we had a bus ride planned to Puerto Princesa for New Year's Eve.
Check back soon for the last PHP post.
So we'd arrived in El Nido at dark the day before, and waking up this day we hadn't the faintest where we'd find ourselves. As always in the Philippines, we were woken up by roosters around 7. Emerging from our huts this is the first thing we saw.
We'd arrived in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. This was El Nido; named after the nests from a cliff dwelling swallow used to make birds' nest soup ("gives you power" we were told), nestled into limestone walls, surrounded by jungle on land and breathtaking islets at sea, it was love at first sight. And I don't think I speak only for myself.
After taking in the view and our huts in daylight, Emile's mom made us breakfast which we ate in the gazebo before walking back to town to provision our island drop off. David and Duck were in charge of beer, ice, and a cooler. Turns out a case of San Miguel, "the only beer that fosters true Filipino friendships", runs about 6 USD, and that's before you return the returnable bottles. Brian and I were on lunch duty. We found a roadside stand with bean soup, roasted eggplant, chicken curry, and rice. Enough for 4 costs 8 USD. But it was exploring the town a few minutes later that we found the real gem of Filipino cuisine. It starts with bananas - tiny ones, that's how they come in the PHP, so they're extra sweet to begin with. Take 2 of these baby bananas and skewer them on a bamboo stick. Step 2, roll them in sugar and pan fry in oil until the sugar forms a crunchy, caramelized crust with hot gooey banana insides. All this for 5 pesos a stick, or roughly 7 cents. From that day on all four of us ate at least 3 of these a day. They also treat potato slices similarly, but for me, the bananas couldn't be beat.
Thusly outfitted we made our way back to Hadefes (our beach huts) and Emile arranged a bangca to drop us at 7 Comandos beach for the day. Marselle and his dad were to be our guides for the next 3 days, but on this day we saw little of them. 7 Comandos was breathtakingly beautiful and Day 5 is contending for my favorite day of our trip. See for yourself.
We relaxed on the beach all day with spurts of snorkeling and swimming mixed in here and there. The snorkeling in the PHP was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Anemones everywhere housed aggressive little clown fish families. The boulder corals that hadn't been dynamite blasted were around 8 to 10 feet in diameter. The antler corals were fire blue and neon green, colors I've never seen in corals. There were tons of blow fish, all uniquely colored and marked. The shallow, snorkelable areas usually had a sharp wall drop off that would've made for great diving.
When we finally went back to town for dinner, everything was candle lit again and enchanting. It was a day well spent. Lots of photos to commemorate it.
Day 6
Next day was breakfast in the gazebo again, but an earlier start in the bangca with Marselle and Dad. This time they took care of lunch, so we left straight from Hadefes on Tour D. First stop was snake island, a jungly little land with a long twisting sandbar that gives the place it's name. Here's Duck's video.
We explored and snorkeled there until lunch. M and D cooked up 6 or 7 whole fish over an open fire and gave us adobo sauce for it. Filipino adobo sauce is soy sauce and vinegar with hot chillies soaking in it. They use it on most meats and it's delicious on rice too. They also provided a cucumber salad, bananas, and rice. We ate on the beach before going to see a hidden cave on another nearby island. There David climbed around with Emile, who was on Tour D with another group, until they reached a high perch. But we didn't stay long before boating over to the Cathedral Rock. This is a cave in the limestone walls of an islet that looks like a Gothic cathedral archway. Again, we didn't stay long, but moved on for our last beach of the day where we stayed for some hours. We had the place to ourselves besides a friendly island dog. 90 foot palm trees, white sand, and a limestone cliff behind it all made a beautiful setting for an afternoon. And the walk into town that evening at sunset was, well, just look at the pictures.
Day 7
Next day rivals Day 5 for my favorite. We had breakfast in town for a change and Marselle and Dad picked us up there for a kayaking trip in the lagoons. First stop, Small Lagoon. The lagoons are amazing because they're surrounded by sheer limestone cliffs and on the edges they're shallow so you can snorkel, but in the center they're extremely deep. This contrast makes the water color even more intense than in other places. Unfortunately, Small Lagoon was over crowded while we were there. But it was still lovely.
Next we went to Big Lagoon. It was huge and there were a few sub-lagoons off of the main hunk. In one of these David and Duck discovered the set for the next season of Survivor. I'm not much one for reality shows, but it was such beautiful scenery I'll try and watch some of it.
We explored Big Lagoon for a few hours before heading to our lunch beach, which was equally spectacular. Whole fish with adobo sauce again couldn't be better. And it was on this beach that Marselle showed us Secret Lagoon. This is a tiny lagoon that's nearly a cave because the limestone walls around it almost enclose it. In fact, you have to climb through a small cave/tunnel to get there. We did some more snorkeling there before going to our last stop of the day, one more perfect beach. We ate up every second of it.
That night was our last in El Nido. We had one more forray into town where David found a monkey friend. His little hands felt like rubber when they grabbed your fingers. Next morning we had a bus ride planned to Puerto Princesa for New Year's Eve.
Check back soon for the last PHP post.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Manila and Coron: Philippines Day 1-4
Day 1
It was Christmas Eve and David, Duck, Brian and I were off to the Philippines! We arrived in Manila around 11 PM and took a cab straight to our hostel. Friendly's Guesthouse certainly lived up to the name. When we arrived and checked in, the guys at the front desk told us there was a Christmas Eve party going on upstairs in the common area. We went up to check it out and lo and behold, there was a full scale feast of all kinds of pork and beef and chicken for the carnivorous amongst us, and even fish and veggies for me and Brian. There was Filipino brandy and rhum flowing freely, and Benjie, the most friendliest of the friendlies kept bringing us bottles of wine. And even better still, it was all free!
We enjoyed the scene and the vittles for a while before heading off to an early bedtime because our flight next morning was an early one.
Day 2 - Merry Christmas Day!
But the flight was delayed a couple of hours, so we got the free lunches pictured below. They were terrible, so we played hand jive for keeps with em. Then we were off to Busuanga Island and the city of Coron. Once our little prop plane landed we were into a jeepney (the public transport of choice for longer rides) and off down the dirt road to Coron. The jeepney dropped us right at our lodging - Crystal Lodge (see end of post for contact info) to be precise; best damn place I've ever slept. To get there you have to walk down a tiny alley, then onto a boardwalk beside a mangrove thicket and on out over the water. The entire place is built over the water on stilts, wholly out of scrap wood, bamboo, and wicker with the exception of the tin on the roofs and the porcelain of the toilets. Bathrooms, by the way, in the Philippines are called comfort rooms, or CRs, and most are just a toilet bowl, no seat, no back filled with water. Most CRs come equipped with a water spout and a big and small bucket. To wipe, you fill the small bucket with water and rinse yourself. To flush, you fill the big bucket with water and dump it in the bowl. I don't know how you dry off, I brought tp.
Mai (the owner) showed us around our cabin. We stayed in the last hut farthest out on the water and it must have been the best hut on the block. It was breezy, so no bugs and it stayed cool, the view was gorgeous, and we had our own picnic area and hammock outside. Mai and her husband Ronaldo were great too. They arranged our island hopping, recommended places to eat, helped us get food together for lunch on the beach, and were great company just hanging around the common kitchen. Their nephew Morgie was there on holiday and he showed us the ropes (he's 5). He was especially helpful in the realm of Good Cat/Bad Cat (the 2 furry friends at Crystal) politics and current events. As well as pointing out the most excellent dead squid in the fish trap.
Around Coron town all of the tricycles (transport of choice for short trips) were decked out in reindeer heads, scuba divers wrapped in tinsel, lights, glowing stars and flowers, and other Christmas paraphernalia. Everyone wanted to personally tell you hello and Merry Christmas (and later in the trip, hello and Happy New Years).
That evening we climbed the 700 some odd steps to the summit of Mt. Tapyas where there's a big white cross and an amazing spot to watch the sunset over Coron Bay. It was hot going for our winter acclimated bodies, but well worth our efforts. I imagine it was the most merry Christmas anyone could have when they're half the world away from home.
Day 3
The day after Christmas Mai arranged an island hopping excursion for us with her friend Joy and Joy's husband as our captains. Mai cooked us some rice and put the food we'd bought at market (2 kilos of tuna steaks for 2 USD and fresh veggies) the day before together and we were off. Joy's bangca (the Filipino narrow boat with wide bamboo outriggings) was the tiniest we saw the whole trip, and the water was choppiest that day. But it made for an exciting, constant bailing adventure. First stop - Siete Picados, a marine wildlife reserve where there's never been any dynamite fishing (a common reef wrecker in the Philippines). Unfortunately, it was an extremely windy day (the boat to El Nido that left that day had to be rescued by the coast guard, in fact, the one the day before that sank) so the water was really murky and we were cold as it was only 8 AM, but we still managed to see some beautiful reefs and colorful blow fish and best of all, a harribon! They say there are only 100 of these small eagles left in their native habitat (normally further south than Palawan), but we saw one that morning.
And from then on the day just got better. Next stop was Lake Cayangan. The hike up takes you to a small cave and gorgeous vista of the almost physically painfully beautiful lagoon from which you've just climbed. The lake itself is brackish and clearer than bottled water. The sunken canoe picture below was taken at around 25 ft. and it looks just like it did in person. And that's when the batteries died in the camera for the day. But after swimming and raft paddling there we went to the similar but perhaps more spectacular Barracuda Lake. Both are surrounded by greenery and limestone cliffs. Second to last stop was lunch on a beautiful beach that I don't know the name of. Joy and her husband roasted up our fish and okra on an open fire and doused with the traditional Filipino adobo sauce (soy sauce and vinegar flavored with hot peppers) and salsa it was the best food we ate in that country. We ate and lounged for a few hours before finally heading to the Skeleton. This is a ship wreck, the shallowest part of which is at about 20 feet, but that's the upper tip and it's sloped steeply down from there so it's tough to snorkel without fins (as we tried). From what we could get down to see, it was impressive.
That night we took a tricycle to the hot springs not far from town. They were lit with the paper stars that may have been permanent or may have been Christmas ornaments. It was beautiful and the water was perfect after a chilly day out in the wind.
Day 4
The next day we were up early to eat banana pancakes and get on the boat to El Nido. We had plane tickets to Puerto Princesa, but opted to skip the flight+bus ride for the boat. We found out later that this was a risky move but our trip was next to perfect. And when we got home we had an email waiting saying that the flight had been cancelled anyway and we get a refund! We're so lucky. We were on that pleasure cruise for about 8 hours and arrived in El Nido at night, so we had no idea what to expect the next day. But walking the streets at night was surreal. The town only has electricity from 8 PM til 6 AM, so from around 6:30 til 8 everything's candle lit. We arrived around 7 and walked past candle lit street side shops, racing the other passengers to find lodging for the night. Lucky for us, we found Hanny. Hanny lives in Puerto Princessa, but his brother owns Hadefe's cottages, and he told us we could get a room there.
At this point we broke all the rules of Philippines travel. Brian and David split to go look for Brian's shoe (fell off pack on the boat, never recovered). Duck and I followed Hanny through the enchantingly, but nervously dark streets to the beach where we waited for someone to come from the lodge with a flashlight. 2 men came. One with a light, one with a motor bike. It didn't occur to me until I was out of site down a pitch dark dirt path in the woods with a strange man driving past a graveyard in the Philippine night that perhaps I should not have separated from Duck. But luckily for us all, Hanny and Emille and their entire family turned out to be angels and El Nido probably isn't a part of the Philippines where your guard needs to be up. But these things and more we wouldn't know fully until the morning.
More to come on our Philippine adventure. For now, the contact information for the wonderful places we stayed. From the four of us, I'd say they get 8 thumbs up.
Friendly's Guesthouse www.friendlysguesthouse.com
Crystal Lodge (Mai and Ronaldo)+63(920)801-6058 http://www.divecal.com/CrystalFS.htm
for boat to El Nido Sea Dive Resort (you can pay with visa, approx. 50 USD)
Hadefe Beach Cottages 09209523280 and 09206005975 (have to google island code, I don't know it) www.geocities.com/hadefes.cottages
It was Christmas Eve and David, Duck, Brian and I were off to the Philippines! We arrived in Manila around 11 PM and took a cab straight to our hostel. Friendly's Guesthouse certainly lived up to the name. When we arrived and checked in, the guys at the front desk told us there was a Christmas Eve party going on upstairs in the common area. We went up to check it out and lo and behold, there was a full scale feast of all kinds of pork and beef and chicken for the carnivorous amongst us, and even fish and veggies for me and Brian. There was Filipino brandy and rhum flowing freely, and Benjie, the most friendliest of the friendlies kept bringing us bottles of wine. And even better still, it was all free!
We enjoyed the scene and the vittles for a while before heading off to an early bedtime because our flight next morning was an early one.
Day 2 - Merry Christmas Day!
But the flight was delayed a couple of hours, so we got the free lunches pictured below. They were terrible, so we played hand jive for keeps with em. Then we were off to Busuanga Island and the city of Coron. Once our little prop plane landed we were into a jeepney (the public transport of choice for longer rides) and off down the dirt road to Coron. The jeepney dropped us right at our lodging - Crystal Lodge (see end of post for contact info) to be precise; best damn place I've ever slept. To get there you have to walk down a tiny alley, then onto a boardwalk beside a mangrove thicket and on out over the water. The entire place is built over the water on stilts, wholly out of scrap wood, bamboo, and wicker with the exception of the tin on the roofs and the porcelain of the toilets. Bathrooms, by the way, in the Philippines are called comfort rooms, or CRs, and most are just a toilet bowl, no seat, no back filled with water. Most CRs come equipped with a water spout and a big and small bucket. To wipe, you fill the small bucket with water and rinse yourself. To flush, you fill the big bucket with water and dump it in the bowl. I don't know how you dry off, I brought tp.
Mai (the owner) showed us around our cabin. We stayed in the last hut farthest out on the water and it must have been the best hut on the block. It was breezy, so no bugs and it stayed cool, the view was gorgeous, and we had our own picnic area and hammock outside. Mai and her husband Ronaldo were great too. They arranged our island hopping, recommended places to eat, helped us get food together for lunch on the beach, and were great company just hanging around the common kitchen. Their nephew Morgie was there on holiday and he showed us the ropes (he's 5). He was especially helpful in the realm of Good Cat/Bad Cat (the 2 furry friends at Crystal) politics and current events. As well as pointing out the most excellent dead squid in the fish trap.
Around Coron town all of the tricycles (transport of choice for short trips) were decked out in reindeer heads, scuba divers wrapped in tinsel, lights, glowing stars and flowers, and other Christmas paraphernalia. Everyone wanted to personally tell you hello and Merry Christmas (and later in the trip, hello and Happy New Years).
That evening we climbed the 700 some odd steps to the summit of Mt. Tapyas where there's a big white cross and an amazing spot to watch the sunset over Coron Bay. It was hot going for our winter acclimated bodies, but well worth our efforts. I imagine it was the most merry Christmas anyone could have when they're half the world away from home.
Day 3
The day after Christmas Mai arranged an island hopping excursion for us with her friend Joy and Joy's husband as our captains. Mai cooked us some rice and put the food we'd bought at market (2 kilos of tuna steaks for 2 USD and fresh veggies) the day before together and we were off. Joy's bangca (the Filipino narrow boat with wide bamboo outriggings) was the tiniest we saw the whole trip, and the water was choppiest that day. But it made for an exciting, constant bailing adventure. First stop - Siete Picados, a marine wildlife reserve where there's never been any dynamite fishing (a common reef wrecker in the Philippines). Unfortunately, it was an extremely windy day (the boat to El Nido that left that day had to be rescued by the coast guard, in fact, the one the day before that sank) so the water was really murky and we were cold as it was only 8 AM, but we still managed to see some beautiful reefs and colorful blow fish and best of all, a harribon! They say there are only 100 of these small eagles left in their native habitat (normally further south than Palawan), but we saw one that morning.
And from then on the day just got better. Next stop was Lake Cayangan. The hike up takes you to a small cave and gorgeous vista of the almost physically painfully beautiful lagoon from which you've just climbed. The lake itself is brackish and clearer than bottled water. The sunken canoe picture below was taken at around 25 ft. and it looks just like it did in person. And that's when the batteries died in the camera for the day. But after swimming and raft paddling there we went to the similar but perhaps more spectacular Barracuda Lake. Both are surrounded by greenery and limestone cliffs. Second to last stop was lunch on a beautiful beach that I don't know the name of. Joy and her husband roasted up our fish and okra on an open fire and doused with the traditional Filipino adobo sauce (soy sauce and vinegar flavored with hot peppers) and salsa it was the best food we ate in that country. We ate and lounged for a few hours before finally heading to the Skeleton. This is a ship wreck, the shallowest part of which is at about 20 feet, but that's the upper tip and it's sloped steeply down from there so it's tough to snorkel without fins (as we tried). From what we could get down to see, it was impressive.
That night we took a tricycle to the hot springs not far from town. They were lit with the paper stars that may have been permanent or may have been Christmas ornaments. It was beautiful and the water was perfect after a chilly day out in the wind.
Day 4
The next day we were up early to eat banana pancakes and get on the boat to El Nido. We had plane tickets to Puerto Princesa, but opted to skip the flight+bus ride for the boat. We found out later that this was a risky move but our trip was next to perfect. And when we got home we had an email waiting saying that the flight had been cancelled anyway and we get a refund! We're so lucky. We were on that pleasure cruise for about 8 hours and arrived in El Nido at night, so we had no idea what to expect the next day. But walking the streets at night was surreal. The town only has electricity from 8 PM til 6 AM, so from around 6:30 til 8 everything's candle lit. We arrived around 7 and walked past candle lit street side shops, racing the other passengers to find lodging for the night. Lucky for us, we found Hanny. Hanny lives in Puerto Princessa, but his brother owns Hadefe's cottages, and he told us we could get a room there.
At this point we broke all the rules of Philippines travel. Brian and David split to go look for Brian's shoe (fell off pack on the boat, never recovered). Duck and I followed Hanny through the enchantingly, but nervously dark streets to the beach where we waited for someone to come from the lodge with a flashlight. 2 men came. One with a light, one with a motor bike. It didn't occur to me until I was out of site down a pitch dark dirt path in the woods with a strange man driving past a graveyard in the Philippine night that perhaps I should not have separated from Duck. But luckily for us all, Hanny and Emille and their entire family turned out to be angels and El Nido probably isn't a part of the Philippines where your guard needs to be up. But these things and more we wouldn't know fully until the morning.
More to come on our Philippine adventure. For now, the contact information for the wonderful places we stayed. From the four of us, I'd say they get 8 thumbs up.
Friendly's Guesthouse www.friendlysguesthouse.com
Crystal Lodge (Mai and Ronaldo)+63(920)801-6058 http://www.divecal.com/CrystalFS.htm
for boat to El Nido Sea Dive Resort (you can pay with visa, approx. 50 USD)
Hadefe Beach Cottages 09209523280 and 09206005975 (have to google island code, I don't know it) www.geocities.com/hadefes.cottages
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