Blogs from Palawan, Philippines, Asia - page 8
February 28th 2011
Today we rolled out of bed around 11 or 12, had a wonderfully overpriced pizza at our place, and took a leisurely stroll along the beach with Emma and Rosie. It wasn't warm enough to go kayaking and kept sprinkling off and on, so we decided to just relax. We actually found some cool ruins at the top of the hill that seemed to once be a resort...it had paved walkways and steps with smoothed stones inset and what was once a public bathroom with two or three holes in between sky blue tiles where sinks used to be next to small partitions where the toilets once were. After seeing this bit and some of the local's houses, we bought a bottle of Superior rum for 258 (it was 200 in Cebu) and went to our ... read more
This doesn't bode well, economically speaking...
Published: October 14th 2011Asia » Philippines » Palawan » Port BartonFebruary 27th 2011
This morning we took a taxi in the pouring rain and agreed on 200 as a flat fare but the meter was also running so we got a peek at how much it would have been with that -- 201.00. So we're happy with 200 as a standard flat fee from the airport to Fuente Osmeña. The airport tax was an outrageous 200 per person and Ronald had to check his camera's tripod, but other than that, smooth sailing. We ended up being on the same flight as a girl from my diving trip, Emma, so we took a van with her and her friends to Port Barton -- El Nido was just too far away for our time crunch. The lowest we could get the driver to go was 4,000 pesos and there were 6 ... read more
Sweaty but Beautiful; A Tale of the Philippines
Published: February 13th 2011Asia » Philippines » Palawan » El Nido
February 13th 2011
This is a post that could easily turn into a long, semi-coherent ramble about how beautiful El Nido is. I'll try to keep it together however, for the sake of anybody who's come to expect anything from this blog. The whole thing started on Chinese New Years, as the flight we booked left Hong Kong at 1:30 AM on the night of the fireworks. When I say the fireworks, I mean the fireworks. Getting out of the metro at Tsim Sha Tsui, I originally thought that there was an invasion, and bombs were going off. But, looking down the incredibly overcrowded street, there was a brilliant display of some of the most inventive fireworks I've ever seen, to the point of there being a single firework exploding into about 50 others, each going in a different ... read more
January 30th 2011
Puerto Princesa City is a sprawling affair. A coastal city, it is one of the largest municipalities in the Philippines. There is an airport serviced by all of the major Philippine airlines as well as a ferry terminal. The streets are chock full of tricycle traffic and scooters. There are a few shopping centers like the NCC Center where you can find everything from groceries to hardware to musical instruments. The town is noisy and dusty with commerce. After leaving Coco Loco and Roxas we made our way south by mini-van on well paved roads. Puerto is approximately 2 hours drive and the van ride costs 200 pesos. We were clued in on a great hotel in Puerto called the Deep Forest Garden Inn by Felix the manager of Coco Loco Resort. Dina and Zupy had ... read more
January 30th 2011
It wasn’t until the engine blew with a bang that my myriad of concerns crystallized into a single controlled panic. A cloud of dense, oily blue smoke erupted from the fantail and obscured the boat’s wake. One of the three crewmen who had been cloistered in the phone booth-sized bridge hustled back along the narrow starboard deck, stepping over oblivious passengers who were dozing on top of their neon orange life jackets. After shutting down the number two engine and a brief conference in the phone booth, the American man, who was ostensibly in charge of the boat, ducked his head into the small passenger cabin with a plastic smile plastered on his face and announced that we would be two hours later getting into El Nido from Coron City than originally planned. I did the ... read more
January 29th 2011
The young Filipino girl led us up the beach path to a small stilted Nippa hut. Her flip flops throwing sandy rooster tails up in her wake. Thatched roof, herringbone weave rattan walls, a mosquito netted double bed. The rough planked floor promised a future of painful splinters to the unshod and the sand under the hut was visible through the interstices of the boards. The bathroom had a toilet and a cold water shower. The tile floor was gritty with fine sand. The water from the island well is salt tinged. The porch deck sagged alarmingly when walked upon. Two white PVC chairs and a rickety wooden table were the only furnishings. The price was 3,900 pesos per day for the two of us. About $90 US. We agreed to take it immediately lest someone ... read more
January 21st 2011
Tropical islands are a lot like breasts. Most men remember the day that they saw their first naked breast, or at least the first naked breast shown to them willingly and not possessed by their mother, as one of the most important and exciting of their lives. For most men the initial excitement engendered by this first viewing is not reduced upon subsequent repetition. Indeed, after witnessing his second naked breast and noticing it to be different from the first, most men will then embark on a lifelong quest to witness as many breasts as possible in a futile attempt to visually (or sometimes photographically) catalogue all possible mammarian manifestations. This obsession with the female breast is both strange and disturbing as it shows that for most men breasts are defined as much by their shape ... read more
The Winner of “Be Like Happy Loner Traveller” Contest (Birth of “The Filipina Traveller”)
Published: January 20th 2011Asia » Philippines » Palawan » Coron
January 20th 2011
Me, Armie Yuson a.k.a Happy Loner Traveller, created an ALL EXPENSE PAID Travel Contest as my Thanksgiving Celebration to the Successful 1st Year Anniversary of my Blogsite ARMIEYUSON.BLOGSPOT.COM which was on December 12, 2010 and as an opening article for my 2nd Series of Blogs. This is also in line with my Advocacy which is to promote Philippine Tourism, Increase job opportunities to fellow Filipinos and to educate everyone in protecting our mother Earth which is the greatest gift of our GOD to Us. So on December 1 of 2010, I announced the First ever “Be Like Happy Loner Traveller” Contest and I was so Glad that many participated in the Travel Contest that I created. I didn’t expect the numbers, it was for me an Amazing and Successful Record of 2,658 people who joined ... read more
January 18th 2011
The plane was full of holiday makers. Mostly Filipinos with a smattering of westerners all headed south to the island of Busuanga about an hour’s flight via a twin engine turbo-prop. Flying into the island is not unlike the trip into Phuket, Thailand. Limestone karsks dominate the verdant landscape. The airport is small. Very small. The baggage handlers wheel the luggage from the plane to the terminal in hand carts and walk them in. There is a comfortable van that will transport you to the main town of Coron City about 45 minutes away via goat clogged roads. The cost for the ride is 150 Pesos (about $4 US) and the driver will drop you at your hotel of choice. Karen and I chose the Amphibiko Resort based on a recommendation we had received from an ... read more
January 15th 2011
Modern man lives in modern cities in modern countries. Depending on your personal sensibilities, these cities are held to be either technological and architectural marvels that provide modern man with all his comforts and pleasures in a fully integrated, completely controlled and almost totally homogenous environment, or simply as pullulating pustules which irreparably disfigure the earth's skin, pollute the surrounding environment and which are, over time, irreversibly changing mans relationship with both nature and himself. Personally, being something of a romantic, I place myself in the latter group. I have an innate abhorrence of cities and city living, and can only find genuine peace and happiness when away from their stifling embrace. I am also something of a technophobe, and it is this fear that feeds my biggest apprehension as regards cities. Technology is driving modern ... read more
