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Published: March 5th 2009
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Hi all hope everyone is well back home.
So the last time i wrote was about a week ago and i have been a busy little traveler since, so here we go.
I left off last time that i was dying in the internet cafe from not sleeping and waiting for a ferry. So i went to the pictures and got out the film at about 3.30, the ferry left at 4. So i had to jump on the train and zip across Manila, then i had to get a trike through the city to the docks, thankfully this is the fastest way to travel round the streets and its cheap. Sadly they drive like maniacs and you cant really see out the window to judge just how bad the driving is. Its great fun, and a good way to wake me right up again. I got to the port and onto the ferry which was basically a cargo ship from San Nicholas shipping, the ferry itself was ok, a Cargo hold on the bottom with the area for people filled with little camp beds that you sit/sleep on for the 20hr ride and its only 800pesos. So just passed
out on there for the journey, well most of it anyway.
Also got dinner, breakfast and lunch included bargain. One criticism i had was they wake you up for breakfast at 6.30am with a dvd playing we had Abba in concert, wat a great way to wake up, then if Abba in concert wasnt enough we then had Steps in concert on after, classic. A nice easy journey.
The ferry arrived onto Busuanga Island and we got a trike to Coron a cool little town, I spent 2 days here Scuba diving with a company called Coron Divers, did a dive at Barracuda lake which was strange as it has layers of salt and normal water so you dive through the layers, also its a thermal lake which has a thermal layer at about 15m deep where the temperature got up to 38 degrees as hot as the hot tub back home. Which is a strange feeling, also saw loads of shrimps which pick at the dirt on your hands, a little ticklish.
The next day i dived on what Coron is famous for its WW2 Japenese wrecks which were amazing, did 2 dives, on one dive it was
Jeepney
Stuck in the mud. a huge gun boat with bombs still inside and anti air guns mounted on it, really cool diving inside the wrecks going through the corridors of the boat exactly where people would have been living and working, was a great experience and I recommend it to any divers, plus was alot of marine life in and around the boats which was good. So amazing diving. The next day I said my good byes to Taryn who I had been with in the Phillies and then got a bangka boat to Palawan island, destination El Nido.
The banka ride was good a little expensive at 2200pesos but was a 6 hour ride going through the tropical islands and deserted beaches, also there was only 4 of us on the boat,( Me, Mark, Kenny and Hannah who i am still travelling with now.) So got to El Nido a quiet little town, stayed in a resort on the beach, and did some island hopping. This entails hiring a boat for the day which the 4 of us did and the bangka man takes you to a few islands to snorkel, swim and chill. Was a really good day as we got
to swim in crystal clear lagoons, and drink beer on white sandy beaches, plus a beautiful meal of fresh fish for lunch. Really great way to chill out.
The next day we had to get a bus and we headed down to Port Barton, sadly the bus was full but in the Philippines this doesnt matter, so we all sat on the roof of the bus with all the ricebags and luggage. This really is the only way to travel round these islands as you get complete panoramic views of the bays, jungle and rice paddy fields with the buffalo and poeple working side by side. So we got dropped off at the junction to Port Barton, where a man was tryin to sell us a trike to get there for about 600pesos each, so we waited around and thankfully a truck cum along and we hitched a ride in the back to Port Barton for only 100 pesos each. Bargain.
Port Barton was a cool little place and we ended up gettin a room for the 4 of us which was basically the families house, ended up having a few drinks with them and doing sum Kareoke in there
Barracuda lake
Through the thermal layers living room great fun. Easily could have spent more time there but sadly had only a night, so the next day on top the roof of another bus and off to Salvation Junction, from here we had to wait around for a Jeepney to Sabang, so had a pot noodle type fing, and then it turned up.
Now i fort the bus was full, this jeepney was a whole new level, there was atleast 20 people in the back of the jeepeny so we had to go on the roof, which was full of rice bags, rucksacks, about 15 other people and a 15ft long boat! This was an interesting journey holding on for dear life, great fun.
Eventually got to Sabang stayed rite on the beach, loads of places to stay at good value and we then headed off to the Underwater cave system, which is meant to be one of the longest in the world, we went at about 4pm which was great as we was the only people in there, they caves were great all stalactites and crazy rock formations in the shapes as the guide pointed out of a lions head, mushroom, bananna and of course
people praying, people hanging up side down, the virgin Mary and Jesus. Also thousands of bats in there as well and we saw a snake. Really good fun and they are trying to get these into one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and with really good reason.
The next day we headed off to Puerto Princessa the capital of Palawan and we arrived here in time for the Labuan Festival, had a great day of watching the street parade with everyone all dressed up and dancing down the street, then we headed off to the the Colosseum which is the big ampli theater here, and got to watch sum man singing infront of a huge crowed of people and then the mayor here actually joined in with this dude and did a bit of Kareoke style, couldnt have ever imagined old Ken Livingston doing that. Then we had the beauty pageant of Ms Puerto Princesa after, was funny to watch one of these things and the whole crowed was loving it, then went for a few drinks was a really good day.
So now im here in Puerto tryin to work out how to get off this island which i could chill for a long time on, will be here a few days chilling as the next ferry doesnt leave till Sunday. Oh well i could be stuck in worse places, like Elm Park. hahaha
So hope everyone is well and enjoying the weather back home, im gonna probably go for a massage soon and a mango shake, quite possibly the nicest mangos in the world are grown in the philippines. Good times. Also you get a bottle of San Miguel beer here for about 35 pesos = 50 pence. Bargain.
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