Visayan Excursion

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Cebu was a surprise. I had my first couchsurf, and I my host was a lawyer who isn't as stiff as you'd expect him to be. He's very easy going and very flexible with who he could hang out and we had many great conversations. The second day I was there, we met with two more couchsurfers and went to a beach 2 hours from the city for a night. Moalboal beach, it was. We also went to a waterfall which was very developed for touritsts, with stone-walled swimming area, etc. It was still a lot of fun. It's nice to hook up with locals because they know the things to see and good places to eat. He also gave me good info on where to pick up some diving. I had a lasting memory in Cebu, even though I was plagued with severe heache and cold for two days. He was kind enough to treat me to supper and and a few drinks at this place on a hill that overlooks the city. Oh, and one time we went to this presentation on a high-class penthouse project that has jsut been completed and they were selling studio suites for it, where we had free cocktail foods. There was a Filipina singer/comedian there who was absolutely relentless with hitting on men and jsut generally making them feel awkward. She was probably one of the funniest people I have ever seen. I would definitely surf more couches in the future.

Then I ferried to Bohol, took a multicab to Alona beach on Panglao island. This beach is more or less built on the foundation of diving, as there are some nice dive spots. I spent 3 days at a dive shop run by Germans to get my training, in which I did 4 dives. Also, I took two dives two days later, one was the locally popular Black Forest reef just off of Balicasag island. The beach itself was fairly touristy. Like resort after resort, dive shop after dive shop, twice-the-price stores, etc. It wasn't really my favorite place to just relax, although the young Czech couple I took my dive lessons were pretty genuine and sociable. I showed them the cheap places to eat, 15 minutes walk from the beach front. Also 15-minutes from the beach front, but on the complete opposite side was my accomodations, Cassanova Gardens, at 300p/night for a single room with shared bathroom. On this beach, that was very cheap. I wondered weather I was the only person staying there other than the employees, because almsot every night, their formula to kill boredom was playing pool, drinking beer and wine (actually pretty moderately), and going hard on the karaoke to 3am. I only complained one night so the turned it down, but the next night it was back to normal. It was kinda annoying, considering it was relentless, but it was fiesta time there in Panglao, and I know that the story of such a gongshow resort is not an ordinary experience. Now that it's over, it was not a big deal, because I've learned to sleep through so many noises while in Asia. And let me tell you, you learn how to deal with she-men pretty quick, because they're in conversation pretty normal. For example, the first night I arrived, I treated the work staff to a hearing of me singing a Tagalog song (you don't have to be good to do karaoke, you just have to try in Asia). Almost every night after that, the she-man said in her low-pitched woman's voice with dire earnesty "C'mon Quincy, sing Kisapmata." The last night she (or he) heckled me so much, but for me my no was no, simply as a display of willpower. The manager of the place invited me to his family's fiesta meal in Panglao Town, so of course I joined them for that. If I didn't exactly feel cozy at the beach, I at least made a few friends (the kind you never talk to again), experienced some fascinating sea life (jack fish, not the kind we eat, barracudas, seagrass ghost pipefish, etc) and came out with a full stomach.

So then I went to Tagbilaran city, back on the mainland of Bohol, and I made a trip to see the famed Chocolate Hills in Carmen. This is a series of thousands of similar shaped hills that in dry season, turn brown and look like chocolate (or at least brown). Philippines has 3 sights that are in submission for the vote on 7 New Wonders Of The World, and so far I've seen the Underground River in Palawan, and the Chocolate Hills. The Banaue rice terraces are left, and more than likely I will be heading that way for a day.

After Tagbilaran, I went back to Cebu for a day to hang out with my couchsurfer buddy again. We went to this awesome place for supper that is like a tent with likely 50 barbecue shops inside. You choose your raw meats and then they grill them for you and serve it to you. I went with two pork sticks, one chicken gizzard stick, one longanisa stick, and one chicken skin stick. For those of you who have never tried gizzrd, it's actually good. I still can't stand liver, but gizzard is completely different. The next day, since my flight was at 10pm, we attended a wedding (actually renewal of vows) and experienced great buffet at the top of a Spanish hotel/club. By the time I left, it was hard to leave, because knowing locals is the best experience one can have while on the road. Anyway, I will probably see him again some day, especially if I ever go to Cebu again.

I've got 10 days before I fly to Thailand, and I already miss the Philippines. Time is really going by fast now, because I will be traveling someplace almost every day now, just so I can have some time to return to Manila and see some friends.

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