Skiing, Swimming and Snorkelling - part 2

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We 'did' the snow part in Japan, and now it is the swim and snorkel part - in the Philippines.



We arrived in Manila (Philippines) to darkness after a 5 hour flight from Narita in Japan. After the cold of Suginohara, the low teens of Narita allowed us to dress lightly so we weren't overdressed for the low 30's of Manila.



We took a Grab (like Uber) to our apartment and the journey revealed much about the inequality of society in Manila. Folk in very expensive cars had no time for the many beggars seeking whatever to survive the day. At our apartment we were met with 3 heavily armed security guards. Before we could register at the accommodation, we had to pass the 'temperature test' and explain where we had visited over the past month. We thought it overkill and had no idea what would have occurred had either had a high temperature. Maybe rejected to the street until whatever. Like Australia, the Philippines has banned Chinese nationals from entering. And, those with Passport stamps from China, Hong Kong and Macau within the past 20 days (from elsewhere) could not pass customs. Seems like some in the Philippines have little trust in their government's capacity to effect border protection.



DAY 1



On our first day in Manila, Judy found her knee had 'blown up' again. She had been having trouble with it pre-departure and figured she wouldn't be able to ski. But, on the slopes the knee became well. She thought the walking around Shibuya and Shinjuku may have triggered the inflamation. With this issue, the plans to take a decent walk around parts of Manila got ditched. Being 9:30am and looking for breakfast, we were surprised the little 'local' hole in the wall cafe's were not serving. We later learnt that locals in the area eat breakfast around 6am! With the only options being the American fast food chains at a nearby shopping centre, Judy selected Benny's for some pancakes and coffee. Now we understand the US style pancake; self-raising flour (with extra carb soda) is used to make a light fluffy 'cake'. The serving was huge - 2 'cakes' about 5mm thick the size of dinner plates. Bruce asked the waitress to serve Judy some extra, extra, extra strong coffee (but it still came out weak as dishwater - as the Americans prefer).



We were staying in Ermita, which like adjacent Malate was once a nice area next to the 'Old City'. Time had witnessed a decline and it became increasingly seedy. Today the seediness remains, but the many new hotels and a large shopping mall has witnessed a gentrification and rebirth. At the northern part of Ermita is Rizal Park, a large grassy and treed area with several recreational buildings. We headed there, and from time to time sat on a park bench in the shade of a tree to take pressure off Judy's knee. This had the beneficial effect of allowing us to engage in conversation with locals; a pastime we like. We ambled across the well used roadway to the fortified entrance to Intramuros; the name for the Spanish walled (fortified) 'Old City' of Manila. Like many 'old cities' around the world, it has become popular with tourists and the retail offerings reflected this trend. Intramuros was almost destroyed in WW2 and very few original buildings remain. But, the rebuild was done to reflect a Spanish influence and is quite charming. Within the Barricade walls is a small park; Plaza de Armes. Here is the Rizal Shrine erected to remember the national hero Jose Rizal. We entered the dungeon where he was held and found the end of his life before execution by the Spanish would have been exceedingly harsh. After a light lunch and having had an enjoyable time, we tried a 'tricycle' - a motor bike (some are bicycles) with a small sidecar alongside - back to our apartment to allow Judy's knee some rest.



Later, we ventured out again for some craft beer (at a bar) and locally cooked Philippine food at a footpath cafe. The Pork Sisig and Adobe rice were sensational.



DAY 2



We had a 1pm flight from Manila to Basuanga, an island in the Palawan group situated some South South West from Manila and close to Borneo. The facilities of the domestic airport at Manila was basic but Basuanga can only be described as rudimentary. In contrast to the 'security' measures to which we're accustomed at home, here people were allowed to wander as they pleased.



After a half hour drive, we arrived at our accommodation in Coron. Coron is a scruffy mega-village, not a town. It has evolved to service tourists seeking to explore the nearby dive sites. For us, it had the same purpose but it was also a departure point for our journey to the island of Palawan and the town of El Nida (more on that below).



After arrival we walked into the main street, jostling with tourists seeking adventure and motorbike tricycle drivers seeking fare paying passengers. We found that credit card use is almost non-existent. Apparently the Philippine banks have extortionist charges. We were paying A$7.50 every ATM withdrawal with a max withdrawal of A$200! We booked ourselves a 'Reef and Wreck' snorkelling tour for tomorrow.



DAY 3



What a wonderful day we had. We were taken by tricycle to our Banca boat (the traditional outrigger boat used in the Philippines) and departed with 7 others for a snorkelling odyssey. Though the duration between snokelling sites was sometimes long, the sites themselves were worth the wait. The two highlights of the day were the Lusong Coral Gardens (as we don't have an underwater camera, look at https://www.unofficialguide.ph/lusong/). While we'd seen more colourful coral on Lowe Isles in the 1970's, this reef was extremely diverse in coral types. To us, the lack of colour has to be attributed to Global Warming (bleaching) and Crown of Thorns starfish (which explode in numbers from over fishing).



The second highlight was stopping at a small island of pure white sand for a delightful lunch under the many tall swaying coconut palms. The aquamarine waters were perfect for snorkelling, and the colourful little fish a delightful distraction.



On our return to Coron, the boat stopped at another wreck site (the various wrecks were WW2 Japanese naval ships sunk by the US). Here, though, several other boats had moored. The waters were quite literally crowded with a multitude of snorkellers. We were thankful that we'd been taken on a journey wherein there was only 'our' boat exploring each site.



A surprising aspect was the many drum lines littered across the waters we travelled. We learnt these drum lines were in fact part of a massive pearl industry. Each drum line was joined to another, with about a 1 kilometre spacing. In between were floating pods with ropes attached that contained the 'pearl' clam. We'd seen many hawkers on the Coron streets flogging bracelets, etc. featuring pearls. We now realised these were the non-marketable by-product.



DAY 4



We felt like a day off, so we had one. Other than attend to electronic 'chores', we did very little and really only went out to confirm our departure tomorrow and have dinner. In hindsight, our batteries needed recharging.





DAY 5





We'd booked a 5 day 4 night 'cruise' with Tao Philippines (https://taophilippines.com) to take us from the island of Basuanga to Palawan. We were transported to the wharf in readiness and with 20 others had to have our bags checked by a 'sniffer' dog. With our bags in a line, in came an officer from the "Dep't K-9" with the smallest Jack Russell we'd ever seen. We boarded the (larger) Banca boat and departed Coron.



The Banca boat visited several of the 'wreck' sites we'd already visited and we chose to stay aboard. We wanted to reserve our energy for the Lusong Coral Gardens. We were again 'amazed' at the variety of corals, and the many technicoloured small fish. We learnt that the region was populated in the 1970's (having previously been devoid of islanders - save for a few fisherfolk). And, those that came pursued fish stocks with such vigour that the industry has been wiped out by overfishing. While (apparently) slowly returning in numbers, we failed to see a fish in size that would be called 'legal' in Australia.



The Banca continued on to several more 'sites' where we again snorkelled the clear warm waters. Eventually the Banca arrived at an island with a row of Nipa huts; huts with thatched Coconut leaf roof and walls elevated off the ground. This was to be 'home' for the night.



Once 'settled', Bruce wandered around the sandy shore and came upon a local village. The men were engaged in boat repairing, net repairing, etc., while the women were focussed on family chores or gathering the drying fish from the tables for overnight. All the fish were about 150mm long. The sheer quantity suggested it was their way to gain cash income at Coron.



With cold water showers, we prepared ourselves for dinner. As with lunch and similar to the meals on following days, the food served was traditional Philippino with an accent on vegetables, rice and fish (the latter sadly, always heavily overcooked). Though unspiced for the western palate, the meals were greatly appreciated by us. There were canned soft drinks and San Miguel (bleagh!!!) beer, so we chose to have water. In hindsight, that was a good decision. The firm offered Pineapple Juice laced with Rum, and though Judy tried it, she wasn't impressed.



Sadly, later in the night Judy became the victim of the 'trotsky's' from something errant; probably at lunch.



DAY 6





With a longish day on the water, we all departed at 7:30am. Along the way the Banca boat stopped at a small village on a nearby island to buy fish for lunch and dinner.



We had 4 stops for snorkelling, with one being at a large sandy island that was good for stretching our legs. We found that in the water the sand was exceedingly fine while on the beach it was quite course and difficult to traverse.



We stayed at another island with similar features as the previous night. And, with cold showers, similar food and ambience, it was a routine we found comforting and relaxing. Though Judy had taken a drug 'stopper', the impact of the 'trotsky's remained (though diminished).



DAY 7



The Banca boat departed later (8am) and the journey was shorter, allowing more time for snorkelling stops.



After 3 days of tropical bliss, we moored at the 'base' camp on Palawan island for 2 more nights. The site was at the far north of the island and quite isolated. The nearest village was Dipnay (to locals, and San Fernando to the government).



In our (now) luxurious Nipa hut, we'd awaken, mosie the few steps to the aquamarine sea for a bodily awakening experience before heading through a path of flowering Hibiscus and Bougainvillea to the shower. On day 1 we'd initially baulked at there being only cold showers, but we now welcomed the experience (but please don't ask us to do it in a cold climate).



Our meals were delivered to us, and we spent the two days swimming, each having a daily hour long massage, Judy enjoying Yoga classes, and generally being treated as if we were royalty.



DAY 8





With no wifi connection during the whole trip, there was a sense of some sadness as we departed in a speedboat to the nearby wharf and onwards by van to data linked world of El Nido.



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There are more pictures, but you need to scroll down to see all.

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Photos

Our last beer for a while
We found a micro craft beer pub in Manila. It was to be our last beer for a while.

Island life
Children on a remote island gathering wood fuel for mum to cook dinner.

Gathering drying fish
Fish are cut and laid out to dry. Each evening, the catch is packed away to ward against overnight rain.

Home (temporarily)
Nipa huts used by Tao for our overnight accommodation.

Banca boat
The Banca boat that we journeyed upon on our trip with Tao.