So we checked into a dirty stinky hostel that we pre-booked. Big mistake, thanks again Lonely Planet. But we decided to ride it out till morning as we were leaving the next day so we rolled out our own sheets, pillows and sleeping bags to protect us from the sliver of dirty foam mattress and prayed for morning. Our destination the town of Coron on the island of Busuanga which is part of the chain of Palawan (love an archipelago). A place put on the world map for it's brilliant wreck diving. We rolled out our own sheets, pillows and sleeping bags to protect us from the sliver of dirty foam mattress and prayed for morning.
The next day we arrived in Busuanga, via a Cebu Pacific Airlines ATR-72. A rather pleasant flight through mountains and clean air until we landed and pulled up on a short and bumpy runway. The airport was in a paddock surrounded by lush green hills and farmland. It was a lovely site, even if the plane seemed out of context. We spent the next 3 days relaxing by the seafront at SeaDive which was literally "on" the water. Dave did 5 wreck dives and a thermal lake over 2 days and I joined him for the last 3. The ships which included supply and cargo as well as a war ship were part of a Japanese convoy during WWII and were sunk by a flock of American fighter planes. They were amazing if not somewhat claustrophobic to dive in. We were also lucky to see lots of beautiful Nemo‘s, a yellow spotted boxfish (teeeeeeeeeeeny and very cute) along with the normal lion and reef fish.
The Manila sprawl, from the ATR on our way to Coran
An island off Coran...an example of the beauty the Philippine archipelago
Our sole plane at Coran airstrip
A beautiful sunset at dinner from SeaDive
Yet another sunset
And another evening's sunset
I really miss work...this pic is for all you sucker's in your office chair
The entrance to Barracuda Lake, one of Dave's dive sites
On our day off we hired a moto and rode to a village that we were told we could hire a kayak from. We arrived, drove around a bit and then found ourselves in somebody’s back yard. The man who owned the yard was very nice and helped us find a boat we could hire. On offer was a tiny wooden canoe that was so narrow our bum's didn’t fit in it so we sat on the bamboo crossbars. With our one paddle we made our way to the shallow reef of the 7 islands. But before we could snorkel we had to also make our way across a drop off of deep water to a pontoon where we would pay for an entrance ticket. As we made our way towards the pontoon the canoe suddenly started to take on water, but we couldn’t scoop it out… so Dave jumped out, I jumped out and before we knew it, there we were floating with a dry bag, thongs, hats, other miscellaneous items, a missing paddle and a canoe full of water and submerged. It was pretty deep and I freaked out a little not knowing which items to save and what we were going to do. Luckily the man from the pontoon came over in his identical canoe, tied us to the back and took us to his floating platform. This man had no teeth, was most likely 80 and was still able to pull our boat up, fix it with fishing line, as well as haul me up onto the pontoon too. Then he took us back to shallow water. He was very nice and I am so glad he was there to save us!! Thank you Bleeding Gum's Murphy!
The 7 islands, with the Pontoon in the distance
Dave and Bleeding Gums fixing our 'canoe'
Me recovering on the pontoon from the boating accident...
After we recovered we snorkeled with Nemo's and other beautiful fish
The Village we borrowed the Canoe from..
We headed back to Manila for 2 days of exploring…a plane ride and taxi journey to our new residence called Sohotel. We weren’t sure what to expect, but after that last hostel we didn’t care. We arrived at a rather strange looking motel, like a bit blue factory. As we alighted the Taxi there were heaps of staff who were very friendly and helpful. We sat in a waiting room that looked like a bus. Then we were taken to a room which included a big comfy bed, clean large bathroom, desk, room service, a/c, wireless, phone and cable TV. Bargain!! The only rather entertaining feature was the place doesn't hide that it will cater to those who wish to engage with Customer Care Ladies. For example you can hire a room for 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours. You get toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, soap and a condom on arrival. There is a small little menu of sex toys you can order through room service, your room has it‘s own foyer with and extra door so staff can‘t see in the room when they deliver stuff and there is a window, but it‘s the size of the TV and has it‘s own door to block out the light. But apart from that we saw and heard nothing of these ladies and their patrons while staying there.
The waterfront off the bay of Manila
Malate Church, on Church day
'In Need of a Customer Care Assistant?' Well they were right next door to where we were staying, convenient much?
Let's not forget the special items you can order through room service. For those curious souls 'click to enlarge'.
The next two days we spent locked up in our room or walking the streets in search of malls and supermarkets. These places offer excellent AC and security, everyone is frisked on entry. We wandered shops, saw the delightful 3D Toy Story 3 and had a coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Then walked home in search of Jeepney’s which are the chicken bus (public transport) of the Philippines. These fully aluminum stretched jeep’s are blinged, pimped out and filled us with envy knowing we only get Hitachi trains to ride at home.
A classic Jeepney! (see the blue Sohotel in the background)
More Jeepney's
Some local ink, on a 45 year old man.
