Rocky Road to Pandan

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We left El Nido on the 9.30am mini bus after a big drama when the mini van drove off with our small packs on board before we could stop it. All our documents money cards and passports were in them. Very worrying! The man at the bus station assured us that it would return in a few minutes. It did finally returned 15 minutes later packed with a group of tourists they’d picked up on the roadside also wanting to go to Puerto Princessa only returning to the bus station to pick up a ‘spare wheel!’ Us???



Fortunately our bags had been dumped in the back and after retrieving them we had the job of squeezing ourselves onto the remaining seats. So much for getting to the bus station early to get a good seat!



Once in Puerto Princessa we spent the night in a cute little pension room and flew out the next day to Manila. We spent the next night in a grotty room in Manila before checking out at 3.30am for our flight to Mindora.



We met a German couple at baggage claim were also going to Pandan Island so after a short tricycle ride we met up again at the bus station and the haggling began. It was 7.15am and the next bus to Sabylan was due to leave at 9am.We checked out other buses without success so tried to charter a mini bus. Our group had now grown to 8. The cheapest price we could get to was 3500 pesos haggled down from 4000. This was still way overpriced almost 1000 a couple instead of 140 pesos each on the big

Bus. We reluctantly agreed until we saw the mini van. It was falling to pieces. An Aussie guy who’d done this journey before insisted it wouldn’t make the journey as the road was so rough. We all agreed and trooped back to the bus station.



Our bags were loaded into the back compartment along with the spare wheel and we queued to get a ticket resigning ourselves for the one and a half hour wait.



When we reached the front of the queue we were told ‘bus full you can go on the 11am bus’.

This was getting worse by the minute, the sun was beating down, there was no shade and we now had a three and a half hour wait1



Just as we were retrieving our bags they called ‘It’s ok Ma’am you can go, see the conductor on the bus’.



We all piled onto the bus and were directed to the back seat where there were six seats. We were told we had to squeeze seven on the back and one could sit on a seat in front.When the bus finally set off there were several empty seats near the back so Stan and I quickly sat on two together.

As the journey progressed more people got on with seat numbers, we were moved on one place down the bus. The road was horrendously rough and being at the back didn’t help. Half way into the journey the bus was completely full. The seats were arranged three and two. Next to us was a family of five squashed onto three seats with one child being constantly sick. Nice!



Next stop more people got on. We closed our eyes and pretended to be asleep. Two guys came down the buss muttering our seat numbers then resigned themselves to standing when we made no response.



Finally three hours after starting the journey and lots of bumping around we arrived in Sabylan. We jumped on a tricycle to the port and boarded a flat bottomed boat to the private Island of Pandan.



Unfortunately as it was Easter Sunday the owner of the Island had allowed the local boats to bring hoards of day trippers and the whole place was screaming children and boats playing karaoke music at top volume.



We decided to escape the noise and go for a snorkel. Within minutes my mask began to leak so I told Stan to go and find the reef and I’d go back.. I noticed a huge trigger fish and quickly tried to clear my mask as I looked back in the water it was swimming towards me with aggression in it’s eye. I kicked furiously but was unable to see as my mask was filling up again, My leg went into a cramp – panic! Fortunately the fish had backed off so I limped back to shore.

Later I spoke to someone in the dive shop who confirmed that several people had also reported an aggressive trigger fish in that same area and it is known to bite. Phew I had a lucky escape, I’ll know to avoid that area in the future!



Shortly after sunset all the boats had gone away. Peace and quiet at last!



By 9am we were in bed listening to the waves gently lapping the shore just a few feet away from our front door

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Photos

Jeepney
The local way to travel

Holes in the road
diversion over dry river bed