Escape to the Philippines ~ Pt.1

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Better late than never...




Hopyeong - Roxas




After four months straight in South Korea Fran & I were very ready to embark on our holidays to the Philippines on December 23rd. We left immediately from school and grabbed our packed bags then hopped in a taxi to Pyeongnae where we waited for the airport bus. We were lucky it wasn't incredibly cold as we knew we were headed for warmer weather and didn't want to take up all the space in our bags with jackets and jumpers. I'm always anxious when going somewhere; Did I bring everything? Are we going to get there on time? Fran remains cool-headed & sometimes I wonder if he's laughing internally, as he reminds me that even if we've forgotten something, we have the essentials & we've made more than one train/bus/plane through some good old fashioned running.

He was right. We made the flight without a single problem, finding ourselves sitting in Cebu airport at 3am. None of the shops were open. No food. Nothing to drink. I found myself wondering if maybe I should have grabbed that huge bottle of Absolut for $16 and what was pretty much a lifetime supply of Cadburys (the real stuff, from the U.K.) for $22 at Duty Free. Then we could have been drunk with a sugar rush at three in the morning. Hmm.




Roxas - Boracay



Eventually we found ourselves in Roxas airport. Its kind of like a shed. And it was a bit unnerving to see at first. But by the time we came back through it at the end of the trip, used to the Filipino ways, I found myself thinking, 'You'd never be able to arrive for your flight this late, meet people this helpful, and board with so few problems at JFK!'

Our taxi driver's name was Larry. He owned the first metered taxi in Roxas. We paid $60 for a 4 hour taxi ride. (And if you include the fact that once he dropped us in Caticlan, he had to drive all the way back to Roxas making his an 8 hour journey, you will realize that most people spend at LEAST $60 on gas/petrol alone for a journey like that.) I very much enjoyed the views from the windows of the taxi on our journey.
All the time there were dogs, chickens and cows crossing the road. And so many churches. Some crumbling, some new, all of them a testament to the time when the Spanish ruled here. There were rice paddies which seemed to go on for miles until they stopped at the foot of the palm-tree covered mountains. It seemed almost every road we drove on was being worked on; filling in pot-holes, building new bridges. Larry pointed out cockfighting farms, and Fran tried to count the masses of people that always seemed to be hanging off every trike we passed. (Usually 15 or so on the really full ones!)




I remember being filled with so many sensations as this new country opened up before me. There was the innocence of the children. Something I've come to recognize the more I travel is the innocence which binds all children together, regardless of their background or circumstances. One day, walking down the street in Boracay, there was a little boy, no more than three, walking his dog on the sidewalk alongside. The dog was absolutely tiny - fitting, for a boy so small. And he had only a piece of string to tie around the dog's neck and hold onto.




I was a little intimidated by a vision of paradise I'd only ever seen on TV, or in other's photos, but I quickly found myself relaxing into $1 beers, the warm sun & crystal clear waters.




Christmas colors are there on Boracay year round; the whitest sand I've ever seen, the greens of the palms and their coconuts and the red of the bodies soaking up the sun. It was refreshing to leave the Koreans who pride themselves on making their skin so white, for bodies of all shades and shapes. I will never forget their smiles; they will always be with me. Filippinos are the jolliest people I've ever met - even in the face of tragedy. And it is contagious. Before we knew it, we were joining in, smiling always, and suddenly more at ease than we'd been in months.




Our first night on Boracay was Christmas Eve. After dinner we found ourselves a nice table on the beach across the footpath from a place called Nigi Nigi Nu Noos. We were taking in the sights and sounds, sometimes remembering that we wouldn't have to set an alarm to get up in the morning... And then there was a blackout. The whole island was left without music and lights - all we had left was the crashing of the waves and the reflection of the moon on the water.




Day 1: Merry Christmas!




We woke up and slathered ourselves in a bottle of sunscreen, (as we've been living in winter) enquired about the ant problem in our room & whether or not we could get some towels - yes and no respectively- and then we hit the beach!




"Ma'am, Sir, Massage?" "Boat ride?" "Diving?'' "Sunglasses?" "Pearls?" Were the calls we heard up and down the beach. But it was worth it. At breakfast we encountered some of Fran's countrymen & watched rugby. Our o.j. was in fact Tang - and not a very good version of it - and the iced coffee was instant. But we soon learned what to ask for. Nor did we mind too much as we set ourselves up with some beach chairs, San Miguels and an umbrella.




Dinner was Friday's special Christmas buffet - known as the best on the island. We were also entertained as we ate by traditional Filipino dancers. Fran discovered his favorite drink that night, it's called 'Go Coconut!' and is a tropical blend served in an actual coconut. He enjoyed many of these over the course of our three Fridays visits. We decided to walk down the beach that night. It was gorgeous & we had the opportunity to watch people celebrating (it took over 2 hours). We also were able to stop and try to contact some people from home to wish them a Merry Christmas & pass on our good feelings as it was just turning midnight & the day ending for us.




Day 2:




Consisted of Jess hunting for a bathing suit which fit, swimming lots, exploring talipapa (the market), and enjoying the slowly setting sun. The only downfall was our horrible dinner at a place called Coco Locos. We'd ordered Blue Marlin with lemon butter - which was tough and took over 35 minutes, "How could you mess up a dish that simple?' Fran asked. Oh well, the mash were amazing.





Day 3: ATVs, Explorations & Trouble in Paradise




Headed out early and flagged down a trike to take us to find some ATVs we could rent after having breakfast at a German restaurant on the main strip. After trying numerous places for a reasonable price, we donned our gladiator gear (spent 10 minutes trying to find a helmet to fit Jess' peanut head - the 4th one finally worked thanks to the chin strap) and took a spin on our new rides.





We followed our guide, Roger up to Mt. Luho and took in the spectacular views overlooking Puka Beach and a few other beaches as well as checking out the interesting animals (something related to the Tasmanian devil, some monkeys, peacocks & dead/dried snakes). It was a lot of fun & the most 'driving' I'd done in 6 months!




Afterwards we took a trike to Bulabog beach to see the kite/windsurfers and take a walk down the beach which runs parallel to White Beach. We found a beautiful cove beach which we had all to ourselves - we couldn't believe it! And then we saw the millions of jellyfish on the shoreline. Ew! We tried to climb a huge rock and look out at the sea but someone up there was charging! (I have no idea if it is legal, but I can't really begrudge them their income now can I?) So, we spent the next 30-45 minutes picking up rubbish on the beach of the cove we found. It seems to be a party spot even if it's not great for swimming. I wish someone would convince all tourists to even commit 20 minutes of their vacation to doing something as simple as picking up some trash & depositing it where it belongs. Imagine what a difference it would make!




For dinner we went back to Nigi Nigi Nu Noo's. I had a Greek salad and fish sticks. Fran had a fish platter. I met a girl named Lana outside the bathroom and invited her and her boyfriend, Peter to come sit with us. They're a couple from Sweden on holiday. Fran went to the bathroom a little while later and met another lady (who's name we've forgotten) and invited her over as well. She's a Filipino from just outside Roxas City who lived in England and is now living in Switzerland. I listened to her stories of her 3 Internet boyfriends for a little too long & then finally, the bar closed & we were 'forced' to head back to our room.




That night Jess had trouble sleeping due to the wildlife. Outside one window was the rooster who didn't know when to crow (so he did it always), there were monkeys fighting on our "balcony", sheep bleating somewhere in the distance (yet close enough to be loud!) And Fran unfortunately got food poisoning from his fish platter dinner. 😞


To be continued...

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Photos

I peered over my shoulder on the flight...
...and this is what I saw

Comments

[rodeo]

hello
i had a good time reading your blog. we are going to the philippines next month and we are excited to see boracay.