White Sands and Cave Pools

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White Sands and Cave Pools



Leaving the beautiful Polaris Dive Resort and arriving at DapDap Resort in Anda brought us crashing back into reality. At half the price, we were not expecting much, but the contrast was stark. A bumpy 700m driveway took us down to DapDap, recommended in our guide book. It looked a little run down but we went ahead and took a look at a room. It was the old thatched style but had four beds and looked passable. It was easier to just take it for the night and reconsider in the morning.



We went down to see the beach. It was a small, pretty bay but it was hard to get into the water due to rocks that came right up almost to the high tide mark. Useless for swimming! We met a German family who were just checking in to the hut next door and they were in the exact same situation as us. They were not happy with the place but it was easier to stay a night. They had two kids similar age to ours and were traveling for six months. We spent some time playing on the beach with them. At sunset, they headed into town to look for other options, but we just went to get showered up. I wasn't sure how the kids would react to a cold shower as they'd not had one in a while. As it turned out, they loved it. The water barely came out of the shower head so it was easier to keep it coming out of the tap and just use the bucket scooper local-style! While they played in the shower, it gave us some time to set the mosquito nets. We'd realized that the windows were slatted but had no screens, so would allow every mosquito in the world to come in and dine on us!



We went down for dinner at DapDap's restaurant. This solidified the need to move out asap. The restaurant was enclosed with no view over the ocean and was brightly lit and completely lacked any environment. This wasn't helped by the fact that we were the only ones there, and it was deadly silent apart from the slight creaking noise of the disco ball whirring around (yes, they had a disco ball!) The food was pretty awful. Everything was dripping in grease (literally!) and/or super salty. Whereas the kids had been quite healthy at Polaris eating lots of fruit and even raw carrots in Kyla's case, here they pretty much ate white bread for dinner. I guess the old saying rings true, "You get what you pay for." More expensive and edible beats cheap and inedible any day!



We decided to just go to bed after dinner. The kids were pretty excited about their first time sleeping under a mosquito net and couldn't wait to go to bed in their "tent." I, meanwhile, cursed every time Jake called me back for water, then his blanket, then his toy Jeepney! Each time I had to unset and then set two mosquito nets. Very annoying!



Bright sunlight streaming through the windows woke Jake and Kyla up early at 6:15am. After a grease-laden free breakfast we took a tricycle into town to look for other accommodation. The town was very much like a town in Central America, centered around a town square and church. The beach was better here as it was sandy out into the ocean and the sand was blindingly white, but it still lacked that certain something that I was hoping for. It was not paradise! Still, in town we'd have more freedom to come and go as we pleased and we'd have more restaurant choices and access to mini-marts etc. At DapDap Resort, getting a coke or even a bottle of mineral water could be a challenge!



We checked into a place I'd seen online called R & S Seaside Unit Accommodation. It was just a bunch of rooms over a minimart but it was central and clean with a/c and hot water. We even had a little kitchen where we could make coffee in the morning or sometimes Top Ramen for lunch! A big improvement on DapDap. Scott and I agreed that it was one of the nicest rooms we'd had on the whole trip, and I think the kids agreed. They loved having the "den" at the top of the bunk bed, and they loved having a bit of home comfort - cartoons on Nick Jr channel. All in all, so worth the extra $10/night compared to DapDap. We had a tricycle take us back to DapDap and packed while the driver waited. I felt bad for the owner. She'd been lovely and accommodating but it just wasn't the right place for us. Our main regret was saying goodbye to our new German friends, but we all arranged to meet up for dinner later.



As the days passed, Anda grew on us. The town was so quiet and serene and had a kind of old-world charm with roosters, cows, and goats grazing at every turn. When we walked home at 7pm to start the bedtime routine, it felt as if everyone else was already asleep!



We explored a few of the cave pools in the area and Kyla was super excited to swim inside one. Even though she wanted to, we wouldn't let her swim in the most famous one as there was about a 15 foot jump to get in! We ended up getting a tricycle back to DapDap a few times as we found a nice beach close by. There was a rock-free channel where you could get into the ocean, but only if the locals hadn't been picnicking there. They'd often eat freshly caught sea urchins and then toss the spiky shells back in, turning the sea into a minefield. We even warmed up to town beach. You just had to avoid it on the weekend as there were big family groups of locals getting completely stumbling drunk by midday!



One day we decided to flashpack by paying to use the pool at the fancy Anda White Beach Resort. It was an infinity pool with a gorgeous view of the beach below. From what we could tell there were only two rooms occupied there so we got the pool to ourselves for most of the day. The entrance fee you paid could all be used on food and drinks. Unfortunately, the food wasn't that great, and we all agreed that the food at our usual town restaurant, Coco Loco, was far superior. At least they had ice cream and shakes - hard to screw up!



Our time in The Philippines is almost at an end. We have one night in Tagbilaran city before flying out back to Thailand. I'm sad that another section of the trip has ended. Time, slow down please!





*** Please scroll right the way down for more tropical white beach photos ***

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