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Published: June 13th 2004
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Got a great 360 degrees view across the surreal chocolate hills landscape from the official lookout and tried to look further and have a bit of a hike but the staff looked at us stupid when we asked, no maps, no trails, no idea.
Our friendly S.U.V driver threw a fit at the prospect of driving us down a few dirt roads for a look around the area so we gave up on the idea and got him to drop us off at Nuts Huts.
We were recommended to stay there by Sarah and George and were forewarned that it was probably named after the fragile mental state of the woman who runs it.
The location was superb, and in a steep jungle clad ravine with the wide loboc river running through it. The huts sat along the river bank under a canopy of coconut palms.
We virtually had the place to ourselves and the owners were away, so no nuts so far.
Pitch black at 7pm, we spent our nights sat under the stars listening to the racket of frogs, crickets and cicadas and watching the fireflies between the trees.
Spent the days exploring around the area, the hardest bit of which was actually getting out of nuts huts. You could only get into town by walking along the opposite bank of the river and crossing a series of rice paddies, so we spent time trying to find Juan and Juni who were working on the grounds to paddle us across in their tiny canoe.
Loboc is a nice small town with a crumbling old coral stone church and thank god, not a single tricycle in sight instead they were replaced by a steady stream of motorbikes waiting a half built bridge to wisk you where you wanted to go.
It turns out the bridge (big concrete and much sturdier than the wooden one used in town) was being built by some dubious local politician/construction interest who planned to run it staright through the 16th century Loboc Church. Even the corruption of the Philippines couldnt get away with that and so there it sits in the town center half built and providing shade for bike courriers.
We took a ride to the Tarsier center, the driver, me and Aya holding tight and wishing on the weezing engine and the flat tyres.The tarsiers greeted us with huge staring eyes clinging delicately to thin branches with their big knuckled hands. A tarsier stare isnt really at you but through you and everything behind you to some focal point several miles away. they've also a small grin which is cute at first but turns a bit sinister after a few minutes with its trance-like frozen expression.
THe only active tarsier we saw was a mother looking after her cub ; eyes slowly dilating as she fixed her gaze on me and then, not moving a muscle in her body slowy swiveling her head round owl like to get a good look at Aya.
Imal our boat guide in El Nido was brought up in Bohol and when we mentionned the tarsier to him his dropped his easy smile and looked genuinely frightened.
- "I dont like .. big eyes..."
Despite the cuteness, we were starting to see what he meant.
We finally met the nut after a couple of days. There was a table of guest in the restaurant listening to the incessant monologue of a fifty something american peace corp worker. She banged on for hours about every aspect of her life, how lonely she gets, and cramming in a weeks worth chit chat into a three hour monologue.
We saw her again the next morning standing over the only couple who'd manage to put up any sort of fight to her conversion last night.
They'd given up by now and just sat grumly munching through their breakfast while the woman stood over them hands on hips and ranting shit for a full hour : ... how hard it is working with the Filipinos but how they love her really, the intensive training skills required,
- "they spend more money on training us than on the marines, how windsurfers back home at a much better class of people"
- "the guests love it when I chat to them" ... she ranted at the guests staring at the table
- "but they're not all friendly, I dont know that one over there", this obviously directed at me or Aya.
When the guests were making their escape she finally ran of steam, it was like all the tension have left her body, her voice dropped of and octave and she just mumbled to hersefl "I got to get out of this place", and marched away.
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