So today is Friday, my last day in the Mayor's office

Over the past couple of days Ive had the opportunity to speak to over 1200 high schoolers about critically important disaster preparedness issues.  I am so happy to have had this opportunity!  Truly, knowledge is power, but like I told the audience... it isn't power in and of itself..   knowledge is only powerful it if is applied.

Every school we visited was so welcoming... once, we delivered the 3 hour presentation to children seated in the pouring rain. . Umbrella's over their heads, they sat attentively and listened.. with apparent interest, to what we were trying to say...   Once, we spoke before an audience of over 800!  We, the speakers spoke a variety of languages, Bicol, Tagalog and English.  The audience danced between each language with ease - I still find it amazing, this ability to jump from language to language to language!

A new group of friends and I gathered last night - we ate wild duck and native chicken with rice.  I was informed that I should be prepared next Monday for a short speech to be delivered to the workers of LGU Lagonoy at the weekly Monday flag ceremony.  I figured this was in the works, but I will need to take time to craft an appropriate departure message to my counterparts.  Then, Ive been told there will be a party to follow... I figured that was in the works as well.  And then of course there is tomorrow... big party at the radio station!  Whether or not we will be going live over the airwaves is still in question... but the show will go on no matter!

I did hear some sad news yesterday... one of my first friends here in the office is soon to become a single mother.  Her boyfriend has no job and apparently no desire for marriage.  I noticed that she seemed distraught lately, but I didnt want to ask what was the matter... Now, she has stopped coming to work at all.  It makes me sad because she is so young... with such potential!  My heart goes out to her, and her parents, who are apparently not happy about the news.  I find this happens all to often here... young girls becoming pregnant and then withdrawing to their barangay to raise children... alone, or to be more precise, with the help of their mothers.  Of course, it is a story I saw during my last PC service as well... it is the story of poverty and it is a woman's story and it is known all to well, Im sorry to say.

Anyway... 5 more sleeps until I travel away from Lagonoy onto my next adventure.  Of course, I am sad.  Friends are wishing me farewell and asking when I will be returning - because surely I must return!

and now, the end is near!

On the home front,  I've begun the process of purging things I have accumulated for no good reason over the past 6 months.  Miscellaneous paper, magazines, ticket stubs, food, simple electronics I will never need again....  I have a good sense that I will be leaving with less that I brought.  For one thing, I'm starting to get requests from friends, "before you leave, will you please give me your _________."  And, as you might well imagine, I have grown especially tired of the limited wardrobe I brought with me!  I will take what I need for Thailand and either toss the rest, or give it all to Choy.  In fact, Choy is going to be a big winner in my departure..... I've just got a feeling about this!

On another front, I have some unfortunate news to report:  The radio station has been off the air for the last week or so.  That meant no "family hour" this past Saturday over the airwaves!  Apparently, an important piece of equipment blew up and arrangements are still being made to finance a replacement.  Hopefully, there will be one last program, because I am ready to sing the big one.... the videoke GIANT!!!  I'm going to do it... Im going to sing Frank's, "My Way"!  I've been practicing...

Of course, the lack of radio did not stop the barkada from forming last Saturday.  All I can literally report is that too much ginebra was consumed, and by all accounts, the team was sidelined on Sunday to nurse wounds!  Somewhere during the fracas, I remember singing "Puff the Magic Dragon" (dear god!)...  Also, I woke up with a hair cut... still not sure how that happened!

Here is something interesting: Essentially I haven't looked in a mirror in 6 months.  In an odd way, that is a rather liberating feeling!  That said, I hope the haircut turned out ok!

This week promises to be busy from a work standpoint. Of course, there is an endless stream of Peace Corps COS (Close of Service) paperwork to begin and then, we decided just last week on one final mission.  On Wednesday and Thursday, we will travel to the Eastern Barangay's to deliver a Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness presentation to 4 local High Schools.  We are estimating each presentation to last about 3 hours.  Since I will have the bulk of that time for myself (Carlos and the Local Fire Marshall are also on the docket) I am busily working on material to both hand out and present.

I've been told that Friday will be a "day of rest" (?)  I am also told that under no circumstances will it be permissible for me to leave Lagonoy Monday night and that the earliest I will be able to leave is Tuesday morning....  something about "painting the town"....

Gotta love this place!

in other news....

Earlier this week, I was pleased to accept an offer to return to my former place of employ, beginning March 16, 2015.  The work I will do has been modified to formally account for the training function I have performed for years in the Phoenix location.  Other conditions remain essentially the same as they did when I left.  I couldn't be happier!
TYG

That was interesting!

A wet wet wet weekend.  The tropical storm essentially passed right overhead with strong winds and plenty of rain.  Sporadic flooding throughout the barangays, but we heard no word of landslides, so that was good.    The Emergency Management office was opened all weekend with folks going in and out...   The office itself served as a gathering spot for the men and women who might be needed for search/ rescue and/or evacuation activities.  Information was very difficult to gather because electricity to the region was halted due to safety concerns.  Cell phones were the only means of communication.  No generator, no internet, no AM radio - we were basically in the dark through the worst of it.  Then the water supply was cut.

I did manage to visit the radio station for a song, traveling the 10 or so miles in the rain by jeepney and padjack... NO topical storm was going to stop that from happening!   I wouldn't miss those gathering for the world!

The sun is shining today though and there is nary a cloud in the sky!

One story.... on Friday at around lunchtime, before the rain started, I was sitting in the Mayors office surfing the net.  Someone approached me and asked if I wanted to go with them to a party!  Sureeee, why not, right?!  I walked outside and about 8 people were sitting in a truck so I hop in and off we go!  Turns out we were headed right back to the east coastal barangay that I visited on Thursday!  When we arrive, I was ushered through the tiny village to someones home.  There is a feast awaiting!!!  So much food!  So delicious!

So, my workmates and I are eating, and I get to wondering... why are we here?  What is the reason?  Are we celebrating something?  Well, yes, as it turns out I am told that we are celebrating an anniversary!!  Well, that makes perfect sense, right?

So we all eat our fill.. by now its probably around 12:30 and we leave the home and walk a bit further into the village.  We join a group men and women who are gathered around a videoke machine at the head of a beach. There are chairs arranged in essentially two circles... there's the men's circle.. and then, the women's circle.  What comes next?  The cases of ginebra, of course... and more food appears... and then the cases of brandy appear.... I really don't know who was drinking more, the men or the women, but before long everyone was having a really good time, I will tell you.

We stayed for another hour or so, and then piled back into the truck for the ride back to work!
So fun!

Later, I found out a little more about the party...  they indeed were celebrating an anniversary.... not a wedding anniversary.. but the anniversary of someone's death.  It was a remembrance party, for the death of a loved one that I had just attended!   

it's sort of like the Super Bowl... but bigger

So, in case you weren't aware, the Pope is visiting the Philippines this week.  It is impossible to express just what a HUGE thing this is for the country.  Preparations have been underway for well over a year and the time has finally arrived.  Coverage on the TV is constant.  Signs on the street announce "Thank you Pope Francis for visiting the Philippines!"  You can even buy a Pope Francis t-shirt if you want (I "heart" Pope Francis!).  Pope Francis figurines... Pope Francis bumper stickers...

Manila is filled to the absolute gills with masses of people waiting to get a glimpse of the man.  People everywhere are talking about the Pope's visit.  Get the picture?  This is a huge flippin' event!

And although it might be considered heresy to some, I will state that in my opinion.... the Pope's visit is even a bigger event than the Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Maryweather boxing event being planned for later this year  (if you don't live in the Philippines, you probably don't get that joke!)

Yeah, this visit... its a pretty big deal here!

"When I was a kid..."

We've all heard the joke that goes something like "When I was a kid we had to walk uphill to school in the rain.... both ways!"  Well, check this out    - ->

Today, I traveled out of Lagonoy proper to attend a meeting at one of the barangay's located on the eastern coast.  I was happy to go, as I was offered a chance to speak to local authorities on evacuation issues.  Also, with this tropical storm approaching (doesn't look like it will make typhoon status after all, thank goodness) the weekend looks to be extremely wet.. Anyway, thats the background.

The real story is what I witnessed WAITING for the meeting to start!  So, first understand that all children attending school in Lagonoy (Im sure pretty sure all of the Philippines is like this) wear formal school uniforms.  Having said that.. here is a picture of two girls who passed me while I was waiting:

As you can see... formal uniforms... Notice the long skirts.  Ok, so as Im sitting there waiting... about 50 children go walking past me and I got to thinking... where are they going?  After all, I had been down that beach already and there was nothing there.  Well, as it turns out, they were heading for school!   Here is where they went:

That's right... their path to school has them walking thru the surf!  The girls wear shorts under their skirts... then they remove their skirts and shoes, place them in their backpacks, place the backpacks on their heads, and then they cross the surf... a little more than knee deep at this tide.  The boys are wearing shorts under their long pants... same thing....  I suppose they have towels in there too, although I couldn't see what happened when they got over there... nor do I know how far down the beach the school actually was.  I can only assume this just happened to be high tide, and of course, the exact depth and time of high tide is always changing.. so maybe this is the worst it gets... or maybe not.

In any case, that's quite an interesting way to get to school, huh?  I thought so anyway!

Visitors!

As I've oft mentioned, I tend to create quite the sensation walking down the street  as I travel to and return from work.  Little children rush to me to "Hi-5" the americano...  mothers authentically smile, men offer greetings... it's typically the most rewarding part of my day.

Well, yesterday, all this happened and then I got to my gate, passed through my outdoor living space and entered my room.  About 30 minutes later I hear, "Oh Sir Daniel??  Sir Daniel?!  Are you there?"  Turns out, Steffi (12) and her sister (7) had come to visit.. Steffi was carrying my little Hot Wheels toting buddy (2ish) as well!  They were excited to visit and soon I was showing them pictures I had taken in the village, and during my travels here in the Philippines.  Of course, they were also interested in my family back home, and life in America.  They were also quite impressed (I might add) by my two handsome sons!!!  They stayed and we chatted for probably 45 minutes until I told them that I needed to cook dinner so as to take advantage of the evening light.

Before leaving, they wanted to make sure they had my last name so they could "friend me" on Facebook.  Now, I see Steffi has sent a friend request to Rafe and Eric as well... How great is that?

It's a PARTY!

Had a meeting this morning with the Attorney I work with to map out my last project activities.  Since it's the new year, money is back in the budget and the barangay's are eager to begin projects they've been planning since last year.  There are roads and bridges to be built, evacuation centers to create, emergency boats to purchase, communication equipment to buy.  For my part, Im trying to persuade folks to plan for one more meeting.   A workshop/ training session with three main objectives:  A review of the major regional disaster events of 2014, training on best practices in running an evacuation center, and a discussion on implementation of 2015 disaster preparedness and mitigation projects.  Hopefully, this will happen....

In other news, the past week was full of parties!  The fun started Thursday night, when we celebrated Choy's birthday.   Now, for some reason, Choy has no idea what year he was born, but he seems fairly convinced that it was on Jan 6th.  Who am I to question?!

As I think mentioned in a previous blog, Choy lives a bit aways, in the San Ramon barangay.  It’s a long pajak ride out there costing 20ps rather than the standard 5.  I felt pretty sure where I was going, so once I got to San Ramon proper I paid for my transportation and started walking down a dirt road into the rice fields where I knew he lived.   It wasn't long before I was completely lost.  Everyone I stopped said that of course, they knew Choy and where he lived. This was great, except each person I asked pointed me in a different direction!  I finally got to talking to one family trying to communicate that a) Choy has no front teeth b) Choy is a younger guy, about such and so tall c) that Choy works for the Mayor…. none of this was hitting the spot.. then I mentioned that Choy was great at giving massages!  All this in sign language mind you!   Well, this information was the key!  My new friends immediately made the connection, we all laughed and soon I was on the proper path!!!

Anyway I finally found Choy’s hut - or as he refers to it, his “condo unit”.  It had been significantly damaged by the typhoon, but a few boards here a couple of palm fronds there, some bamboo up there.. and the condo unit was as solid as it ever was or would be.  There were already a bunch of guys gathered for the party and the drinking had commenced.  I was really quite surprised to see just how much food was coming out of the little kitchen!  Lots and lots of food…  adobo, blood soup, wild chicken, entrails, peanuts, raman, it was a true Philippine feast!!  And Choy was working hard, alongside his wife and attending to every detail.  If someone new arrived, Choy would make a chair, or bench or table appear.  If a bowl got low on food, Choy would run to get some more.  His wife was constantly about, cleaning this, sweeping the ground, cleaning this dish or that, cooking.  They were such a great team.  About halfway into the night who should appear but the Mayors son, JB!!!  I couldn't believe it!  Out here in the middle of a rice field… JB appears to honor Choy!!!!   What a moment!  

JB and I got to talking and I even spoke to his wife on the phone.  It turns out they are going to be in LA later this summer and we just might try and connect in the US!  How cool would that be?!!!

I never did get a pic of JB and I.  Maybe Ill have another chance!  Here is a picture of Choy and his lovely wife.  And a few more of the barkada.

On Saturday, I did the radio show (Wonderful Tonight, Eric Clapton) and then jumped on over to another party in town with the guys.  Of course, there was more videoke in store there.. and plenty of good food.  Here's a pic of me singing and then another of my radio crew:

So that was fun.... and if that weren't enough... on Sunday, I got a text from my bud Tony who wondered if I might like to spend the afternoon at his home.  Well, what a wonderful invitation!  So, we ate chicken and drank ginebra and talked.  I shared with him a lot of the stories I have been gathering over the past few months.  Very nice!!

Waiting?

I promised I would write a post to capture the amount of time that I spent actually waiting for something to happen on this trip.

Before I show that log, I want to say this...  waiting isn't really that much of a problem when Im traveling for pleasure.  I have learned that all you need to do is keep you eyes open and the world will unfold in front of you, as it was meant to happen all along.  Ultimately, for me the joy is truly in the ride and not the destination.

Ok... here's my log - remember this is only wait time... not travel time.  You could call it my "Waiting to Travel Log"

Arrive early to Manila airport for departure to Puerto Princesa - 7 hr wait
Wait for bus to Port Barton - 4 hr
Waiting to learn if the boat tour was on or off - 3 hr
Wait for bus to leave el Nido for Puerto - 3 hr
Wait for plane to Manila - 6 hr
Wait to get new ticket following cancellation - 2.5 hr
Wait for new plane to get to Manila - 3 hour
Wait for bus to take me from Manila to Naga - 7 hrs
Wait for van to take me to Lagonoy - 1 hr

Some would call that 36.5 hours of pure wait time...  I prefer:  "opportunity to observe and interact time".

You learn all about the thrill of this when you agree to have a Peace Corps experience!

Love Life!  Live Life!  Be Free!

Manila to Naga to Lagonoy.... jiggidy jig!

So, after a comfortable night, I got back to the airport in the morning around 3 hours early.  The plane eventually arrived and I was off to Manila, finally.   When I got there, the Manila airport was crazy busy, as per usual.  I had a general idea where in the city to find the bus station that I needed to get to, the only issue was getting a cab.  Two kinds of cabs here... the ones that are easy to get (white cabs)... these cost about 10X more.  Then, there are the yellow cabs... fewer of these and people just que up to get one of these.  I took a spot in that line for awhile and just waited.  The line didnt move.  I estimated that there were about 250 folks and tons of luggage in line ahead of me.. This was going to take hours!   And there are no busses, or shuttles or anything like that to consider either... as best I could tell, the only way out of terminal 3 is by cab... I might be wrong...

Anyway, I did a very american thing, I am ashamed to admit.   I pulled my "american" card and jumped the line.  No one seemed to be bothered by it, but it was certainly not a very Peace Corps thing to do.... I mean, I was one person, no luggage.... but I walked right up to the front of the line and quickly got a cab... I was out of the airport and on the way to the bus.

When I got to the station, I learned that all seats from Manila to Lagonoy were sold for the day (!) and that if I wanted a seat I would have to wait until tomorrow.  Nope.. can't do that. So, I went down the street to another station and bought a ticket to Naga, requiring a couple of additional travel hours because its a bit off the path and I would also have to transfer from bus to van in order to get back home.  The thing was this... the bus wasn't leaving for 7 hours!  And the  bus terminal was jammed with people and very limited seating.  So, I left that spot and did some exploring!

Luckily for me, this part of town has a lively market scene going on, and I quickly got absorbed in the culture.  Here are some photos

I grabbed some soup, talked to a few people and the time passed.  Somewhere around 7p... I caught the bus.  Made it to Naga, transferred to van and made it home by around 7a.  Exhausted.

Slept for a few hours, went food shopping in Goa... then went back to bed....   The Palawan adventure had finally, concluded.

Thanks for reading the story of it all!

Imagine this: Plans Change!

ok.. sorry… another station break here… does anyone else see the irony in providence granting me the friendship of three wonderful frenchpersons on the same day that I would commit to reading arguably the finest work of french fiction ever to be written?  Just checking, because, if you are paying attention, sometimes life can just blow you away!

Speaking of being blown away… about my plans for travel to Manila…So, I get back to the airport… sit another two hours and am unfortunate enough to hear the following announcement:

“Cebu Pacific regrets to inform all passengers on flight SJ168 to Manila:  This flight has been canceled due to inclement weather.”  Hello?? Did I just hear that??  The skies had been clear all day!!!  Well, I can tell you, I grabbed my stuff and ran to the counter knowing that there were going to be over a hundred really upset people behind me in line!   

Then the following:  “We regret to inform all passengers on all flights to Manila that all flights to Manila have been cancelled for this evening.  Please proceed to your ticket counter for further booking information.”

In how many ways was this really unpleasant news?  Ok… lets explore that, shall we?

1. I had no place to stay in Palawan and with upwards of 400 people looking for a room, things were going to get pretty dicey very quickly.
2. This was going to incur an expense I hadn't considered in my planning and with the inability to use a credit card in most locations, my options were limited.
3. I had no reason to WANT to stay in Puerto any longer
4. The whole thing surely represented additional delays and aggravations and,
5. I was exhausted

I could go on, but suffice to say… it was not welcome information, eh?!  Not for me nor the Dutch group standing in front of me in line who were being told by the counter girl that this problem was going to cost them an additional (ready?) 30,000 euros in order to rebook!   They were frantic!!!!!  Now, I have to believe that there were some math errors here… but still… can you imagine being told that you owe the airline $30,000 in order to get back home????  As a post-script, I talked to these folks (a group of around 6) and they sincerely believed to the bitter end that the entire cancellation was a fix in order to scam them out of their money… I dont know what their details are… but Im sure you can imagine that these people were really, really, I mean really upset!

Ok… so, back to me!  Again, the moment I hear the word ‘cancellation’ I rush to the counter to find myself about 10th in line.  This would be a good time to recall that, in abnormal situations, systems, training and routines help, right?!  Well, these are attributes that I have found in very short supply in Philippine business practice!  In fact, an utter chaos ensued in front of me that I was growing accustomed to.  Calm, complacent, gentle and kind filipino’s meshing with utterly gnashing westerners wanting action, and wanting it fast!  Suffice to say, getting rebooked on the next flight took hours and a boatload of patience.. even being 10th in line… and I was informed that for some reason, I would need to re-check in the next morning as well!  Wonderful… all the while I am worried that folks are out there were gobbling up all the inexpensive rooms and I would be left with a flop costing $100US!

As it turned out, I should have had more faith in my dear friend, the filipino.  As soon as I left the airport, I found a tricycle and explained my situation to the driver.  All he said was, “no problem Sir, I know just where you can stay if you dont mind not spending too much for limited accommodation!”

Now, how wonderful is that?  How many other ways could he have taken that situation?  That’s what Im saying about this place… everywhere you turn people take joy in helping other people!  You have to experience it for fuller appreciation but maybe you can get a flavor from my stories.  I will say again, It is easy to love this place, despite the inefficiency and the rain!

My driver took me to a home.  The family was eating dinner, but he explained my situation and wondered if they might have a spare room for me to let for the night.  Of course they did.  So, for 500ps (around $10US) I got my own room, a bed, bathroom, towels and linen all to my own.  The family could not have been nicer and even offered me food from their dinner table.  I declined and went across the street to a small restaurant instead.

Talk about ups and downs of travel, right?  … honestly, I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried.

Isn't LIFE GRAND??!!  I just have to say, I have been so blessed by this experience!!  Are you ready???  TYG!!!

las Cabanas photo's found!!

so, I spent a lot of time last night and I FOUND the photos from las Cabanas!  Here are some of the best ones.

a most despicable man

The trip to Puerto was long, but uneventful.  I took a van, so it was far more comfortable and speedier than the ride to PB.  Anyway, I went straight to the airport under sunny skies.  The only problem was that I arrived a good 7 hours ahead of flight time.   I felt I needed to be cautious, given my proven experience that 'anything can happen'.  So, I hung around the airport... and it's boring because the Puerto airport is like a third world postage stamp.... colorful, but very small!

At around 4pm, I decided that it might be good to go down the street and find some food.   I felt this was good timing... eat, have a couple beers, get back to the airport by 6... two more hours till flight time...  Sounded like a perfect plan!

I ended up at a place advertising on a chalkboard "International Food!  Happy Hour!"  I ended up ordering delicious shrimp curry.  As Im sitting there a man walks over to me to strike up a conversation.  Turns out that he is from Kansas.  He's talkative and quickly informs me that he is retired (67 yrs old) and 'living the life' here in Palawan.  So far, so good.  I like to hear success stories!

He goes on to tell me that he married a filipina and he enthusiastically pulls from his wallet a picture of his bride. She is beautiful.  She is 19  (I'll save you the math, thats a 48 year age difference).  Turns out he met her in a brothel in Angeles City, the center of the sex industry in Manila (how romantic!).  Essentially, Angeles City is the worst, seediest part of Manila, which is already a really really dirty and seedy place to begin with!  What he tells me next is nuanced, so I hope I can do a good job of describing how horrible this man really was....  Anyway, he moved her away from her family to Palawan because he liked Palawan better than the city she grew up in.  He was just so angry with her because he felt that all she did was ask him for money to help her family.  It turns out that her family had suffered greatly through Typhoon Yolanda last year, losing their house and most of their possessions.  He felt she was constantly nagging him to help her family get back on their feet.  "I told her, 'when we got married, I promised to take care of YOU, not your family too'".  Besides, he was paying for her medical treatment, which, since she had genital herpes, was quite expensive.  Ok. so the marriage was losing its luster!

They finally agreed on a compromise... since, if they hadn't met, she would still be working as a prostitute to funnel money back to her destitute family, he had reluctantly agreed to offer the family a monthly stipend of 400ps a month (around $10US) to cover for their loss in income due to the marriage.  He felt this was very fair.

All this I got in the span of a beer.  But he went on....  she was off visiting her family, which she does far too often in his opinion.  And boy did she have a surprise coming to her when she returned!  He was going to kick her out of his house permanently!  Apparently, he was kind enough to buy her an iPad type device as a Christmas gift.  He even bought her internet access!  Guess what she did?  She went to visit them and then quickly sold the device so that she could give the money to her family....  he just wasn't going to abide this.... it was just too much... how dare she???!!!  Yep, as soon and she got home he was going to throw what little possessions she had right out in the street and he didnt care how she would get back home to her family... he was done with her!!!!!  He didn't work all his life to let a two bit whore drain his money from him a drop at a time!

Well, how about that... does a story get any worse?  Honestly, I felt sick in my stomach just hearing him.  I just had to leave, paid my bill, and walked out.   Could a human being be more awful than this?  I am sure....  of course...  but sitting next to this depravity for even just a little while just pissed me off.

I think its the first time Ive been pissed in the past 5 months!

drinks at sunset - parting ways with el Nido

las Cabanas was a wonderful destination and the perfect place to both watch a sunset and also conclude my el Nido experience.  Located at the far end of a remote beach, the only thing out there is a resort and beachfront bar.  There were a lot of 'rich and famous' sort of people here.  It reminded me a lot of Shirley Heights in Antigua, sans the music and height.  Amazing photo opportunities everywhere.

Sadly, I have very few photos.  Somewhere toward the end of the sunset, I realized that my camera batteries were dying.  I had been taking picture after picture... with no battery!   All is not lost however... I did give Anneleu my email address and once they get back to Paris, she promised to email me.  I know they took a ton of pics as well..... so I'll just use theirs !

I did manage to get a couple shots, here is the best of the lot

Somehow, I got to talking with the owner of the resort.  Im not sure if he was american, but his english was spot on.  Anyway, he described his resort as a sort of commune in that, everyone who works at the resort also lives at the resort - so, they've formed really close ties to each other. - like family  You got that vibe just hanging around.  I mean this resort is really down the beach!  So, it was a very cool spot.  I ordered a banana mango rum and the guy throws three mangos, two bananas, ice and a boatload of rum in a mixer... nothing to it!  

It was here that I parted ways with Damion and his crew of two.  They were off to Leyte (North of Manila) in a few days to visit the beautiful terraced rice pattys there.  I departed before them because I had packing to do, was rising early and didnt want to drink too much.  So, it was back to el Nido.  I had dinner in town, then crashed. The next day would be a long one... long bus back to Puerto, plane to Manila, taxi to Pension....  Little did I know how long it would turn out to be!

A beach picnic!

Before I continue with the narrative, I need to clarify something regarding one of my posts yesterday.  After rereading, I realize that I failed to explain where I went after I was driven out of my nipa due to the moans and groans of passion.  Well, remember that I was on the beach.  And, remember that it was NYE.  Finally, remember all of my discussions over the past few months about the "fun loving" filipino!

All I needed to do was walk about 200 meters down the beach and I fell into a new barkada.  I had the opportunity to meet Mel, a local mechanic, and his friends who welcomed me over to their table to drink rum.   Of course, they thought my story was quite amusing, and soon we were laughing and diving deeper and deeper into inebriation.  I stumbled home at around 4a and all the ruckus had ended by then...

ok... back to the story... where was I?  oh yeah, sea kayaking in the wake of a tropical storm.  At first, we were wondering if we could even rent the kayaks at all, given the coast guards' ban on sea travel.  In retrospect, this fear was ridiculous, given my knowledge of filipino adherence to rules and regs.... Anyway, renting was a snap.  We jumped into the surf and soon were traversing across the bay to a distant shore.  Luckily, my friends had one of those nifty waterproof bags you see around these days, so I was able to toss my camera, phone and other stuff inside.  My biggest fear in all of this was not really death, because I did have a life vest.  My biggest fear was losing my eyeglasses.  I have only one pair now and if I should lose them, well, I'd be sunk (tee hee!)   So, I found a cord nearby and attached the cord to my glasses and then to my belt loop.  Voila!  Problem solved.

As it turned out, the distance to our destination was alarmingly deceptive.  We had imagined that in a few short strokes we would be there.  In fact, it took us over an hour.... it was hard!  And it was scary!    What looked like calm seas... well that all changed once we got out there.  The waves were large! And there were currents out there to contend with!  And the wind was against us!  There wasn't a time that I felt we wouldn't make it, but I can honestly say, I was definitely nervous!

Anyway... here is what the effort was for:

Pretty sweet beach, right?  So, we stayed here all day.  Anneleu and Alex had snorkels and masks, so they did that. I basically, explored the beach, swam, slept, ate bananas, mangos and crepes....  relaxed.   Damion spent most of his time reading what looked like some obscure ancient french poetry.  I have no idea what it was.  Anyway, we had a blast!

There were others here as well.  I met up with a guy named Robin, who was an american living in China.  I wish I had gotten a picture of this guy, because he was a trip.  He had long hair and was wearing a skullcap... He and his friend were with two beautiful asian women who had just arrived from San Francisco.  Robin talked a mile a minute.  He has apparently been traveling for years around Southeast Asia and had so many stories to tell...  Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan... he has seen it all.  He was quite vague about how he funds these adventures and I wasn't going to pry.  We talked at length about China, and particularly about government in China, and even more particularly about how you don't want to cross the government in China.  He said something like, "you can do anything you want in China, legal or illegal, just don't upset the government.  If you do, they will like, 'disappear you!'  One day you will be there... and the next... you will be gone!"  Anyway, Robin was very friendly and easy to talk to.

Oh, here is a picture of me and my buddies, and another of the beach:

Thats Alexandra to my right, Damion and Anneleu.  So around 4ish, we decide on a new plan.  Drinks and watching the sunset.  They had been to a fun spot in el Nido previously and wanted to go there, and that was fine with me, so we departed. Again, it was difficult rowing, but in the end the return took only 45 minutes.  Maybe we were getting better at the work, but I think the current was more in our favor on the way back.  In any event, we made it to el Nido without either boat capsizing, so I was happy about that.  And, I didnt lose my glasses!

Next stop, happy hour at las Cabanas!

tumbling tumbling dice

So, I awake the next morning thankful that each couple seemed to have been all played out from their NYE romping.... and at this stage, I am torn... as you might recall from my initial itinerary, my plans on 1/2 were unplanned... because my flight back to Manila was not until 8p on 1/3, I had the option of staying an extra night in el Nido on 1/2, traveling back to Puerto during the day on 1/3 and going straight to the airport... or I could leave Nido on 1/2 and use 1/3 to explore Puerto a bit more.

I gambled.... since I hadn't done a tour.. and since the tour guides seemed very confident that the storm had passed (in fact it had, and skies were clear), I chose to stay an extra night in el Nido.  I found another place in town (seeya later Doublegem.. thanks for the memories) and this place was the cheapest yet... less than $10US.  As it turned out, I liked it better.... it was right in the thick of things... was basic, but did have private bathroom...

The point is... I really really wanted to see el Nido beyond the shoreline...   So, I reserved a spot with a tour guide not far from my hotel

The next morning, I awoke and went to see about the status of the tour... who should I meet there?  My French friends of course... they had booked with the same tour guide as I!!  Now, this is really really odd since there were probably a hundred tour guides in town... and they had booked BEFORE me... really really coincidental... we were all amazed.... Anyway, we wait and wait.. first the tour is on... then they don't know... and we wait... for like 3 hours.  talking and waiting.. and the tour guides are very nice but so disorganized, it was actually funny.  Hard to imagine that they do this every day.. honestly.

Long and short of it... .the tour is cancelled.. all boats grounded.  When returning our money, the guides mistakenly give my French friends an extra 600ps!  Nice!  We are left considering how to spend the day.   Ok.. this next part might not represent the safest decision I have made in my life, but my friends convince me that what we should do is take matters in our own hands and rent sea kayaks and do a tour ourselves!!!!  And that is exactly what we did.... I mean, the sky was clear.. the sea looked calm enough.....

We use their 600ps and buy a nice picnic of fruit and crepes and chips... and head off.. on the high seas... in kayaks.... to explore a brave new world.  Damion went with Annelue and I paired with Alex.   Yet another adventure had begun!

A mostly quiet New Years

New Years Day ended up being almost an exact duplicate of NYE, as it turned out.  All tours cancelled, curry for dinner, Rasta Bar, barkada.. by now we were all becoming good friends.  Being with such an eclectic group was fun... I was especially bonding with my new French friends.. they were Parisians and spending about three weeks traveling the Philippines.  I believe Damion and Annelue were a couple... and I also think Damion might have been brother to Alexandra.. but I didn't press that subject, being more interested in what they did for a living, and their political views, and their travels.  Anyway, they were intelligent and fun to be around.  Annelue in fact, holds a pretty high level position in the French government working directly with the Prime Minister... so there's a lot to talk about there, right??

Anyway, the highlight of this day was a wonderful one hour massage I received on the beach for less than $10US.  I read a lot... and of course spent the evening with curry, then barkada... then bed.

Perhaps the next day would be better... the skies were certainly clearing.. if only the sea would cooperate!

New Years Eve Surprise

So if you are following this, you'll understand that when I awoke the next day, it was 12/31/14.  I did have two nights booked in el Nido, but remember that I arrived a day early, giving up a night in wondrous Port Barton.   After checking out of my initial flop, I moved to the place I had reserved online... the Doublegem hotel, about a mile or so out of town on a beach called Corrong Corrong.  Before I left, I did have a chance to walk into town only to discover that due to high seas, the Coast Guard had cancelled all tours.  Bummer...  the rain was falling and it was pretty gloomy overall.  Boo!..

I made it to the Doublegem but imagine my surprise when they take me, not to the facility advertised in Trip Advisor, but to a nipa hut right on the beach... and when I say that... I mean the water was like 6 feet away at high tide!!!  Well.. that looked promising right?  This was a rather expensive place.. I think I paid upwards of $50US/ night.  The nipa was basic, with outdoor toilet and shower... but it looked adventurous!  As it turned out it was, but for the wrong reasons.

Without a tour, there was not much to do here.. particularly outside of el Nido proper.  So, I read, walked along the beach between the raindrops and generally got my feel of the environment.  I went into town for lunch... went back home... showered, changed, and then went back to town for dinner (more curry, yum!) Well, of course it wasn't long before I found myself at the Rasta Bar... and lo, who should be there but my complete barkada!!!!  And they were waiting for me... even saved me a seat right in front of the stage!!!  I tell you, some great people here!!!  Well, it was New Years Eve so of course we drank beer and had more laughs and the music played..... and I had more beer but it wasn't long before I started feeling the same feelings I was feeling on Christmas Eve.  Anyway, things were jamming on the beach and in the bar.. and the fireworks... I mean soooo many fireworks....  ridiculous amounts.. like a war zone... Anyway.... I left... was home before midnight, drunk and feeling rather miserable about things.

Ok... so the weird part starts now...  this nipa hut Im in... what I didn't mention is that it is one nipa, split into four units... each separated by a network of palm fronds and bamboo.....   so.. essentially, there is this illusion of privacy right.... but audibly.... well, you can hear just everything.... every.thing..... Ok.. so it starts getting pretty awkward when the first couple arrives (american, from Iowa, as it turns out... I gather this without much trouble mind you...)  and they start going at it....

And then the second couple arrives.. I had met these folks on the beach earlier in the day, they are from the Czech Republic.... and they start....   well all this action might be interesting if indeed, I weren't feeling so down and out about my own situation, right?!!  But I had to leave this aural orgy... this, this cacophony of desire....  In short, I had to leave the room I paid for.... at like 2am.... and it was raining... and well.. that was how I spent New Years Eve 2014.

Rastaman Vibrations!

I was being teased by Mother Nature... shown the beauty of Port Barton only to be forced away due to an impending storm.  In some ways, it made those few short hours even more precious to me than if I had stayed.  Thank you God!

Ok... so thankfully, the trip to el Nido (arranged by Dan) was far more pleasant than the trip the previous day.  This time, I travelled by van and, even though the weather was worsening, the trip was far and away more pleasant - and of course, I moved at a much more rapid pace.  In the van with me were other tourists - all european, all very very kind.  It wasn't long before we arrived (approx 4 hours) and I sighed with relief... I had made it to my destination ahead of the storm!  I roamed the streets for awhile, taking in the sights and getting lost on more than one occasion but found a decent, but inexpensive hotel.  It was a nice place, in town.  There was not much to do though, since the rain was pouring from the sky.  As night fell, the rain briefly stopped and I made my way to dinner where I grabbed some curry.  As I was sitting I got to talking with a German guy who was solo as well and who was really quite friendly.... amazingly so, I might add.  In fact, I will say that nearly without fail, everyone I had run across was awesomely cool...   German, Russian, Aussie, New Zealander, Italian, and French.   So, as we ended dinner, he asked me what my plans were.  Having none, he invited me to join him as he was planning on meeting with some other friends at a bar in town.  Sure, why not?!Here is a picture of the place he took me to:

Ah, so my Peace Corps experience was finally coming full circle in divine order!  That is, the cultural experience of my first tour (the Caribbean island of Antigua) was meshing with my second experience.. the Philippines - here in el Nido!  This "Rasta Bar" is an exceptionally cool destination, located as it is, at the end of the earth!  You find all manner of people here, mostly those seeking adventure, nearly all with interesting stories to tell.. the kind of place you might brush with celebrity and vagabond alike.  In short, radically hip!!  It wasn't long before I fell in with a great 'barkada' (Tagalog for 'group of friends').  Each person of this group of 8 (not including my German friend), as best I could tell, had been traveling solo around the world for the past 15 months - even though, there seemed to be 4 couples - I recall there was a couple from Portugal, one gal was from Prague, someone was from Budapest.... all over.  Anyway, while one went to say, New Zealand for a few months, the other went to Amsterdam, one to Madagascar, while the other went to South Korea... like that.  They all worked with an international organization that promotes environmental education, and I believe they work to promote school programs.  Every now and again, they would meet together as a group... couples reforming... and have a few weeks of fun before heading out again.... independently.  I swear....  the experience they described sounded intoxicating in itself!!  Talk about living with a capital L!

After all this traveling, they could not have been more kind... and soon we were all laughing and playing some card game I had never played before.... the live Rasta music jammed... the beer flowed....  it was so much fun!  I really felt like a rock star.. I have to admit!  Here is the view looking the other way from the Rasta Bar.  Yes, the water was that close!:

So... somewhere this first night, as we were playing cards and laughing, who should appear but the FRENCH group whom I had first seen on the bus heading to Port Barton.  Well, what I didnt mention in my last post was that in PB, as I was sharing happy hour with Dan and his fam, this group arrived at Cassandra's Cottages looking for a place to stay.  I got a chance then to meet Damion, Anneleu, and Alexandra.  They seemed like great people but were having trouble finding a place to lay their heads.  Anyway... here they show up again at the Rasta Bar... and I quickly introduced them to my other group of friends..... well, this was turning into quite the party, huh!??

A station break

So, I would like to pause from this narrative to relate some other interesting tidbits...

First, I wanted to report that the gift giving experience before I left Lagonoy was really rewarding, especially for me.  Although I received no physical presents myself, the gifts I received through giving were precious beyond measure.   As it turned out, prior to departing for Palawan, I did become "Americano Santa", walking up and down the street with my bag of gifts for the children, who were all out, excited and celebrating Christmas day.

How do you think that scene unfolded?  Imagine all of the children in the street, and then I walk up and give a small "hot wheels" car to an excited 3 year old boy?  Was I mobbed?  Were kids jumping up and down asking for their treat, or were they indifferent?  I was curious myself how the whole thing would unfold, actually.  I'm pretty sure I know how it would play in poor streets of the US, or Antigua, another country where I have lived.  Anyway, here is what happened:

I pulled out the hot wheels car and gave it to the small boy who always yells "americanooooo!" when he sees me.  Other children were about..... none of them held out their hand, asking for THEIR toy....  they just looked at the the boy who had been given a toy and looked as amazed as he!  So then, I passed out a t-shirt to another boy, some crayons to a little girl, a pop up book to another... and continued walking until I had given out everything I had.  I ended up giving a plate to Ericella, an older woman who is grandparent to a little 2 yr old girl whom  I had given a dress (because this little girl is always gleefully running down the street naked as the day she was born!).  Ericella was very grateful too... they all were!  On my way home for lunch today, my little friend who yells "americanoooooo"  was there in the street... playing with his hot wheel!  It made me happy!  All in all it was a very cool moment in my Philippine adventure!

Ok.. two other pieces of Philippine trivia that are completely unrelated:

Fact #1:  I have eaten a ton of rice since I got here.  Filipinos eat a ton of rice!  I mean a lotttt of rice! Its amazing that they are so small and thin - you should see them shovel the rice!!!  Ok... how much? Take this into consideration: as a country the Philippines imports only 10% of the rice it consumes as a nation.  That is, they self produce 90% of the rice they consume.  Got that?  Ok, next fact:  as a country, the Philippines is the largest importer of rice in the world!  Put your head around how much rice that is!!!  I was pretty astounded by that statistic.

Fact #2:  The Philippines flag is the only national flag in the world that is flown in two different positions.  This way, when they are at peace:

And this way when they are at war:

I know, pretty geeky, but I thought that was interesting.  Anyway, back to my story!

Idyllic

Arrived in Port Barton around dinner time....  gotta be the most remote place I have been, excepting a tiny little island in Greece (Anafi) that Jean and I once had the pleasure exploring for a week.

There is nothing here, excepting beauty - and Dan,  Ethel, and Kassandra.  As I've mentioned, I'd reserved space in Port Barton - one of two tiny cottages on the beach, called Kassandra's Cottages.  This past year, these cottages received a coveted award from TripAdvisor, receiving the highest honor for accommodation in all of Palawan.  And I had reserved 50% of their available space.  Here is a picture of where I stayed

Here is the view looking the other way

When I arrived, I was greeted by the sweetest little girl, Kassandra was her name.   She informed me that these were, in fact, HER cottages!  Kassandra was 8 years old and, after allowing me through the gate, she introduced me to her father Dan, and mother Ethel.  After 10 minutes in their company I quickly understood why this place had received the honor it had.  What hosts!  Dan (probably around 45 yrs old), an americano from Chicago, had moved to Port Barton about 18 years ago.   Somewhere along the way, he met Ethel (certainly no more than 28 yrs. old).  Now, I have to say...  Dan has a very very enviable set up going on... First off, Ethel is absolutely stunning, in both appearance and spirit.  And along with his daughter Kassandra, and his location on one of the most amazing beaches I have ever visited... well... its a perfect gig!

He invited me to happy hour on his deck along with his family; Kassandra offering me a piece of cake that she said she had just made for my visit! He and I easily sat there together, laughing and talking and watching the sun go down.  Ethel, for her part, alternatively played with a kitten, practiced yoga positions, and generally shined her light while Kassandra was pleased to show me the artwork she had created from pieces of driftwood and other sea stuff.

It was just about perfect.  There was only one problem looming on the horizon...  I had booked two nights in this idyllic spot, but there was a tropical storm fast approaching!  I had every reason to be very concerned that my exit from this paradise would be delayed...  after all, it was sheer hell getting here, right?  What would that road look like after 10 inches of rainfall?  Crossing rivers instead of streams, landslides instead of unpaved road?  Even though I had just arrived, I understood that given the speed of the storm and the need for prudent decision-making, I must leave the following day, if I was to be assured a visit to el Nido, where I had also advance purchased two nights of lodging.  Oh, this was a very difficult decision from one perspective, but a rather easy one from another.  As much as I wanted to stay, and as road weary as I was, I could not stay trapped in Port Barton!  So, the next morning, after eating a couple bananas and drinking freshly brewed coffee (!) with Dan, I made my hasty departure from Dan, Ethel, Kassandra and Port Barton.  El Nido awaited, and I would be there for New Year's Eve, come rain or shine!

Onward! The trip to Port Barton

Again…  I have to stress that because of several factors, travelling here can be difficult. 

1. Language barriers
2. Filipino’s always say ‘yes’, even when the mean ‘no’
3. There is an aura of disorganized complacency that is almost comical if it weren't so frustrating.

For example, Puerto is not a large city.  It was easy enough to catch a tricycle from my pension, and the driver said he  knew where I needed to go to catch the only bus of the day which, according to the internet leaves at 9a.  The driver understood english enough and dropped me off at the station and after confirming with a few people standing there, told me that this was where I needed to be.  Of course, I had arrived around 2 hours early because I needed to plan for the unexpected.  

While I sat there waiting, I spoke ‘the international language’ with a nice fisherman who was sitting there with his wife and family.  He was a rugged looking guy, and he assured me that where I was standing was the spot to be to catch the Port Barton bus.  So, I sat, paced, ate some crackers, drank water…. and waited.   While I was sitting a lovely young woman came by and asked if I wanted a mani/pedi while I waited.  Tempting, to be sure but I  decline.  Imagine my surprise when my fisher friend accepts the offer!  So, he’s sitting there getting his mani/pedi and the clock is tick, tick, ticking away.  9a passes and I am surprised that I am the only person who has shown up for this trip.  I mean, I know Port Barton is rather isolated… but this is the only bus all day that is heading there…..  So, as my heart rate begins to rise, I start asking more and more people about the location for picking up this mysterious bus.  Finally, a man tells me that I am in fact, NOT in the right place and where I need to go is across the road and down aways.

Holy S***!  I grab my bags and fly on over, feeling certain that at 9:15a the bus had surely gone, dashing my plans to go to Port Barton.  Did I mention that I had pre-paid for a room in Port Barton?  If I didn’t get there, I would forfeit my room and be forced to pay for an extra night in Puerto, which as far as I was concerned, I had seen and done.  

Well, as it turns out the bus had not left.  Thats was the good news.  The bad news was that, after arriving two hours early,  I was just about the last person to board and I did not have a decent choice of seat… and it was a type 3 bus = torture!!!!!!   I settled on one of the few remaining seats located up front in a tiny space right next to the diesel engine, which I understood, that while covered, would be both noisy, smelly and hot.  

The bus was packed to the gills with assorted filipino's: men, women, children, roosters, you name it.  My seat, such as it was, was thinly carved out.  I had about two feet in front of me before the next seat arrived, the engine growling to my right, a woman to my left and for some reason the seat was about 6 inches from the floor of the bus, forcing me to sit in a most awkward yoga-like position.  I was lucky tho (I guess) because there were at least a dozen men sitting on top of the bus along with a busload of cargo.

In this condition,  the bus creaks and cranks out…  we get gas and begin to move… slowly.  How slow?  Guess!  The distance from Puerto to Port Barton is 64 km away (39.7mi).  How long do you think this trip took?  Ready?   Did you guess 8 hours?   Do we have a winner?!!

Thats right, 8 hours!  The bus crawled.  The bus creaked and cranked.  The engine screamed.  And then the bus broke down!  One of the belts snapped!  Luckily one of the guys hanging onto the top of the bus (for dear life, I am sure) happened to be the bus mechanic whose job it seemed was to be around for such an event.  So, we all pile off the bus and he gets to work under the engine to fix a belt, one of which they were lucky to have in stock (along with how many more parts, I wondered).  

I am feeling nervous by this time… I mean, I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, the only tourist… what is the plan if the bus breaks down completely?  This is a contingency for which I had not planned!

So anyway, the gentleman ‘fixes’ the belt.  Well, sort of!  In fact, the bus would break down two more times before we finally made it to Port Barton!!!  

We were on the road…. Road?  Oh, I havent mentioned the road… OMG…about 20 kilometers into the trip, we lost pavement!  I am not making this up….Imagine, this creaky old broken down bus filled to the gills…  moving down a tiny barely single lane dirt road, through the hilly jungle in the rain!  in the mud!  I was a nervous wreck, extremely uncomfortable, yet at the same time, excited.   I was having an honest and true Peace Corps experience!!!!! 

At some point along the way a small group of 3 tourists joined this circus.  I am too far away to discern their nationality, but for whatever reason, feel comfort in the fact that I am not the lone passenger on this bus without a clue.

Arrival

The adventure within the adventure began on time.  Caught the night bus to Manila.  The ‘Manila’ bus essentially comes in three flavors:  1) there is the plush Air Con bus complete with deep reclining seats and bathroom, free wi-fi and even a movie.  2) then there is the Air Con bus.  As best I can tell it is the same bus but without the bathroom, wifi/movie.  Finally, there is the non-air con bus which I can only imagine is hell on earth to ride.  There are only two reasons you would opt to buy a ticket for bus type 3 - either you haven't the money for upgrade, or you are buying a ticket for someone you want to torture.  During the typhoon scare, the PC splurged and set us to Manila in luxury.  I opted to return from Manila, and also take this trip on bus type #2.  This is perfectly fine for me.  There are several small stops along the way where they allow you to disembark, serve nature, and even eat a small meal.  As I think I mentioned these trips are long affairs…. upwards of 11 hours from door to door and sleep is elusive at best, even with the comfy seats.  Anyway, the trip went off without a hitch and I found myself in the bowels of Manila at around 4:30am.  I was nervous of the unknown but caught a cab easy enough and was quickly at the airport where I waited for the 1:10pm flight… I am going to do a separate posts on waits… you just wait!

So, I finds myself in Puerto Princesa after about a 1hour flight.  Caught a tricycle and began scouting for a room.  I had done my research before hand and had a list of potential places in which I was interested (thank you tripadvisor.com).  I settled on a place called the Color Mansion: close to the action, air con, clean, nice owner, shared bath (~$15/nite).  Of course, I had heard by then that there was a tropical storm out there moving my way, so I had that to occupy my thoughts.  How exciting!!!   Nothing like a new years eve tropical storm to juggle your pians, right?!  Anyway, I was pretty exhausted, so after a quick bite to eat and a few beers, I retired.

I awoke early and was eager to learn about the storm.  It was indeed looking bad.  Over 50 people had perished overnight on the island of Bohol (where I went last time) - a giant mudslide just took them out. So sad.  I swear, someone must have cursed that place.  Anyway, this storm was showing no signs of losing force and fears were that it might just increase in intensity as it approached.  It was far enough away for now though and my vacation plans called for me to do a trip to Sabang to visit the underground river.  Well, nothing on the internet nor my Philippines guidebook mentioned that these trips leave at 6:30am and that it is best to book a day ahead!  After some long walking and talking, I just resigned that I had missed out on the underground river.  At some point, I got to talking to a very sweet Japanese woman who was traveling with her family and she suggested that I might be interested in doing an island hopping tour like they were doing.  Hey, that sounded great, and besides, I didnt have any other ideas.   Thing is, as nice as I was, they were traveling as a family and wanted to keep it that way.  Thats fine… this solo traveling doesn't scare me!    Well, it wasn't long before I had jumped a tricycle headed for a snorkeling excursion that would allow me to visit 3 islands in Honda Bay!  

Got to the dock at Honda Bay to witness absolute chaos!  There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of tourists queuing for this boat or that boat, this tour or that tour.   No (zero) organization - and these tour guides do this every single day!  I mean, don't misunderstand, the filipinos working this scene could not be more honest or polite, but the scene is madness because THEY are the only ones who know how the day is going to end, right???   So many languages, lets see, easily this crowd had: French, German, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Russian (I say Russian but there were probably 10 countries in that mix of what I would generalize as ‘Russian” because to my untrained ear, the languages sound too similar).  Oh, I almost l linked in with a group of italians, but that fell through at the last second.  Oh and I talked with a nice couple from New Zealand for awhile.  (Ive got a new place I want to visit, by the way!)

Ok, so I was able to get the help of a nice filipina gal named Emily and she linked me with a great group of folks.  Me being solo helped I might add because I was easier to slip into the boat/group/guide,  I rented my snorkel and mask and we were soon on the water.  There were probably around 15 of us on this bannka…  2 dutch couples and the rest a mix of asian cultures and languages.  

These islands were amazing…   and they just kept getting better with each one we visited.  At the second island, we were treating to a most superb lunch of grilled fresh fish, prawn soup, rice, bananas, pork…. awesome… I mean really amazing!

By the way, Honda Bay gets its name because it is so very deep..  I think Honda means deep in Tagalog!  Who knew?!  Well this made the snorkeling fun because when you ventured off into the water, it wasn't long before the depth dropped, and it dropped rapidly!  This made for some great sites!  

Anyway, we all had a great time… I met some new friends and it ended up being a full day adventure.  I got back to my pension at around 5:30p and was exhausted.  A quick dinner, a few beers and it was lights out for me….. Next morning, I would leave early for Port Barton!!!