Bonus post. LOL. Didn't think there would be much more to report in on today but....here we are again with a few tidbits to share.
Currently sitting at the airport in Tagbilaran City on Bohol waiting for our flight to Manila and breathing a sigh of relief that we had enough money to get through this airport. We had used pretty much all our cash when we checked out of Veraneante and then put the rest on a card. We wanted to set ourselves up so we didn't have a bunch of cash leftover that we'd have to return but....boy oh boy are we cutting it close!
Shuttle from resort brought us to airport so we knew we only needed enough for a tip for that BUT....then we discovered we each had to pay 800 pesos for our checked bag. Fortunately we were able to put that on the card too but then.....uh oh.....now we have to each pay a 100 peso terminal fee which pretty much cleans us out. Our breakfast tomorrow in Manila is included with our hotel but we have our fingers crossed that we can find a spot for dinner that is near the hotel and that will take a card! We are also hoping that we can get on the hotel shuttle from Manila airport as I know we don't have enough cash for a taxi. Oops! Let's just think positive and trust that we will get on that shuttle! :-)
Will update when we get checked into hotel in Manila and let you know how we made out.
OMG!!!! We made it....sort of.....well.....actually .....you may have heard of something called the Amazing Race?! Well, welcome to Amazing Race Philippines starring first place finishers Lynda and Lorrie.
You'll recall that when I last wrote in Bohol Airport that we were pretty much out of cash and fingers were crossed that we would be able to get hotel shuttle in Manila. WRONG! The damn plane landed at Terminal 4 where there is NO shuttle service at all. Not good for two girls who have no $$$ left. Well, actually we had 120 pesos (which is about $3.50). A cab to our hotel was 330 pesos (non negotiable) and so...we had almost resigned ourselves to either taking more pesos out of a cash machine OR asking everyone at the baggage carousel if each would gift us with 20 pesos cuz if 11 of them would do that....added to our 120.....we'd be good to go to the penny! Alternately, Lynda was prepared to sing and dance for cash but honestly....the people here are pretty good singers and I'm thinking they might not be too forthcoming with much cash for her talents...although...on second thought....maybe they would have paid her to stop. Hmmmmm....I'll remember that for next time. :)
In the end, Lynda spied a guy she had spoken with in Bohol Airport, asked me to watch for her suitcase on the carousel, and made a beeline for the guy. The poor man didn't have a chance! He is on his way home to Germany and headed straight for the hospital as for no apparent reason he lost his hearing 4 days ago and they can't figure out why. As well, the man has a knee brace and is on crutches so he's definitely had better days. Lynda had helped him in Bohol as he wasn't able to hear when they were calling our flight and so she just went up to him and said...."I know you're going home and my friend and I are stuck as our hotel shuttle doesn't come to this terminal and we have no pesos left - do you have any you could give us?" He looked at her and said, "I can't hear you" to which she mouthed the words, "do you have any pesos I can have?" He thought for only a moment and said..."sure I won't need it where I'm going....how much do you need?" She mouthed and gestured "200" and he pulled out a 500 peso note and gave it to her with a smile. What a guy!!! He was our hero and as a result we high fives our way out to the taxi line where we were able to purchase a voucher to get us to the Remington where we are now sitting in the bar enjoying an ice latte with the knowledge that we still have enough change leftover to be able to buy bottled water to brush our teeth tonight. Wahoo!!! Seriously, this truly did feel like one of those Amazing Race roadblocks and I'm happy to report that thanks to Lynda....we passed and are into the homestretch now.
Doubtful that you'll hear from us again but heh....we still have a few hours in Manila to get into trouble so who knows what will materialize. :)
Till next time,
L & L
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2016
March 14th pics
Catholic Church....several masses on Sunday. First one starts at 6 a.m.! We could hear them singing as we walked past.
Starfish that was laying on a stump beside the bench we found to sit on at MoMo Beach.
Kids walking down the road. Yep....this is what it looks like to walk down the road in this little village of Looc.
Wood for sale stacked beside the road. I think it looks like art and way to pretty to burn! The back stack is actually individual pieces that have been stacked to dry before tying into bundles. 
The view from our breakfast table on our final morning at Veraneante Resort in Looc on Bohol. What a great place this has been for us to practice a little intentional self-care before the long journey home.Sunday, March 13, 2016
March 14, 2016
Well....here we are....our last full day at Veraneante Resort on Bohol. As luck would have it the Stars have all aligned and we are the only guests at the resort today so we have the pool and the grounds all to ourselves. No one but us and the dozens of birds that call this place home too. Seriously, there are so many of them and they are chirping and singing and tweeting...it is nature's music and a perfect accompaniment to a perfect day. Lucky once again!
Much of our time here at Veraneante has been spent in R & R mode. We were tired when we finished our travels of Luzon and adventures in El Nido so this down time has been a welcome treat. So other than our tour day (which was a FULL day) there hasn't been much to report in on.
Yesterday we did venture out again though. We wandered the quiet streets of village life here in the little town of Looc where our resort is located. We are only 6 km from the tourist centre of Alona Beach where there is lots of hustle and bustle but after our walk yesterday I am 100% certain that the guests at Veraneante are the only non-locals in Looc. And when you consider that there are only about a dozen little cottages at Veraneante...there aren't too many of us.
It was Sunday yesterday and so church was in full swing as we walked past it's open doors and windows. It seems that pretty much everyone here attends church regularly and there are several masses per day at the Catholic Church so....churches are kind of the centre of the community. The sound of voices singing along (in native tongue) with an accompanying guitar was really beautiful to hear in these very simple surroundings.
Our "turnaround" spot was MoMo Beach (about 20 minutes walking from Veraneante) and we were happy when we arrived at MoMo as there was a shady bench to sit down on and a nice cool breeze coming in from the sea. This respite from our very hot walk was happily welcomed! We had been intentional about following the shaded spots along our walk but even though there are lots of banana and other trees along the way....that sun is pretty unforgiving. While we sat at MoMo we watched 3 young boys play basketball on a court that was at best "rough". Everyone here loves basketball - in fact it is their national sport. Everywhere you look you'll see kids bouncing a ball or shooting hoops somewhere. Every little town has a rustic but proper court and every village has one too. The court the boys were playing on at MoMo yesterday was just rough hard ground with exposed roots and rocks but that didn't matter as everyone has the same advantage or disadvantage. There were also a couple of guys working on their boat that was dry-docked on the beach and two other fellows snorkelling in the water in front of us. The beach here looks much like Alona did only a little narrower...there is some seaweed on it but it is pretty clean and the sand is fine and white. Every few minutes while we sat there another group of kids would come along the shore laughing and playing with sticks....poking at the seaweed and dodging the waves.
Our walk back "home" was just as toasty as going there was and by the time we arrived back at Veranante I said to the little server who knew where we were going that I was melting and I think she believed me! Honestly, I could have wrung my clothes out they were that soaked with sweat!
Tomorrow at noon we will take the shuttle from here to the Bohol airport. From there our one hour flight to Manila departs at about 3:30. We're booked back into the Remington and we've been there so many times now it will be easy to find something for dinner etc. In fact, there is a movie theatre right across the road.....do I hear popcorn for dinner? :). Well....maybe not just yet....might be a bit of a shock to the system! In fact, we've both commented that it's been a pretty clean month. Not much here that is processed and I think I could count on one hand the number of drinks either of us have had....it's been a pretty healthy trip.....well....other than my stupid jelly fiasco.....grrrr......
It's almost 2 in the afternoon here on the 14th as I type this and I think many of you are just going to bed right about now on the 13th. Kind of strange when you think about it....here I am typing this in the future and yet in real time.....it's simultaneous. Ah well....too much intellectual stimulation to carry on with that thought so I'll just sign off for now and head back to my lounge chair where a mindless book is waiting to be finished. Yep...I think I'm on book number four since our arrival here a few days ago. :). Oh ya...and then there is the pool calling to me again too....sigh....so much to do and so little time to do it. :)
Maybe I'll have another shake this afternoon. They do a nice job of them here....this morning I had banana/coffee and yesterday I had pineapple. The other day we both had a cucumber/mint that was surprisingly delicious and Lynda has had a couple of mango shakes. Yep...maybe that's what I'll do...order a mango shake. Whew! Decisions are hard work! :)
Doubtful that you'll hear from us again before we're home but....heh....who knows what adventure might materialize and need to be reported.
Till next time,
L & L
Much of our time here at Veraneante has been spent in R & R mode. We were tired when we finished our travels of Luzon and adventures in El Nido so this down time has been a welcome treat. So other than our tour day (which was a FULL day) there hasn't been much to report in on.
Yesterday we did venture out again though. We wandered the quiet streets of village life here in the little town of Looc where our resort is located. We are only 6 km from the tourist centre of Alona Beach where there is lots of hustle and bustle but after our walk yesterday I am 100% certain that the guests at Veraneante are the only non-locals in Looc. And when you consider that there are only about a dozen little cottages at Veraneante...there aren't too many of us.
It was Sunday yesterday and so church was in full swing as we walked past it's open doors and windows. It seems that pretty much everyone here attends church regularly and there are several masses per day at the Catholic Church so....churches are kind of the centre of the community. The sound of voices singing along (in native tongue) with an accompanying guitar was really beautiful to hear in these very simple surroundings.
Our "turnaround" spot was MoMo Beach (about 20 minutes walking from Veraneante) and we were happy when we arrived at MoMo as there was a shady bench to sit down on and a nice cool breeze coming in from the sea. This respite from our very hot walk was happily welcomed! We had been intentional about following the shaded spots along our walk but even though there are lots of banana and other trees along the way....that sun is pretty unforgiving. While we sat at MoMo we watched 3 young boys play basketball on a court that was at best "rough". Everyone here loves basketball - in fact it is their national sport. Everywhere you look you'll see kids bouncing a ball or shooting hoops somewhere. Every little town has a rustic but proper court and every village has one too. The court the boys were playing on at MoMo yesterday was just rough hard ground with exposed roots and rocks but that didn't matter as everyone has the same advantage or disadvantage. There were also a couple of guys working on their boat that was dry-docked on the beach and two other fellows snorkelling in the water in front of us. The beach here looks much like Alona did only a little narrower...there is some seaweed on it but it is pretty clean and the sand is fine and white. Every few minutes while we sat there another group of kids would come along the shore laughing and playing with sticks....poking at the seaweed and dodging the waves.
Our walk back "home" was just as toasty as going there was and by the time we arrived back at Veranante I said to the little server who knew where we were going that I was melting and I think she believed me! Honestly, I could have wrung my clothes out they were that soaked with sweat!
Tomorrow at noon we will take the shuttle from here to the Bohol airport. From there our one hour flight to Manila departs at about 3:30. We're booked back into the Remington and we've been there so many times now it will be easy to find something for dinner etc. In fact, there is a movie theatre right across the road.....do I hear popcorn for dinner? :). Well....maybe not just yet....might be a bit of a shock to the system! In fact, we've both commented that it's been a pretty clean month. Not much here that is processed and I think I could count on one hand the number of drinks either of us have had....it's been a pretty healthy trip.....well....other than my stupid jelly fiasco.....grrrr......
It's almost 2 in the afternoon here on the 14th as I type this and I think many of you are just going to bed right about now on the 13th. Kind of strange when you think about it....here I am typing this in the future and yet in real time.....it's simultaneous. Ah well....too much intellectual stimulation to carry on with that thought so I'll just sign off for now and head back to my lounge chair where a mindless book is waiting to be finished. Yep...I think I'm on book number four since our arrival here a few days ago. :). Oh ya...and then there is the pool calling to me again too....sigh....so much to do and so little time to do it. :)
Maybe I'll have another shake this afternoon. They do a nice job of them here....this morning I had banana/coffee and yesterday I had pineapple. The other day we both had a cucumber/mint that was surprisingly delicious and Lynda has had a couple of mango shakes. Yep...maybe that's what I'll do...order a mango shake. Whew! Decisions are hard work! :)
Doubtful that you'll hear from us again before we're home but....heh....who knows what adventure might materialize and need to be reported.
Till next time,
L & L
March 11th pics
Some of the things we will see today.
Workers in rice field.
View from the lookout at the Chocolate Hills.
Looking back from viewpoint. Yes....this is the rail on the stairs that we climbed to get here!
Workers jogging up the hill with sacks of rock on their heads.
The stairs up to the viewpoint at the Chocolate Hills lookout. All 214 of them....which in cooler weather doesn't sound like nearly as many as it does in these temperatures!
We made it and here is the evidence.
One of the tiny tarsiers we saw today. Sad to think that there are only 114 of them left in the world! 
Lunch on the river cruise down the Loboc River. One of our entertainment stops along the way. 
Another of the boats on the river cruise. This is exactly what our boat looks like too. The boats don't have an engine on them. They are actually being pushed by a little boat at the back.Friday, March 11, 2016
March 11, 2016
We're back and what a day it has been! At one point I told our driver, Lilo, that I was pretty sure I was melting! Thank heavens for aircon!!!
The staff at our resort knew we were heading out this morning so had our breakfast cooked and ready for us the minute we sat down. Seriously....a girl could get used to this kind of service! :). At 9:00 Lilo was here and we were ready to go. The sun was shining and everything was shaping up to be a perfect day for our tour. Lilo recommended and we agreed that the best route to follow would be to head to our furthest destination right at the outset and then begin to work our way back so off to the Chocolate Hills we went.
The Chocolate Hills are almost dead centre in the middle of Bohol and they are about an 80 km drive from our resort on Panglao. We passed through little towns like Albuquerque....yes folks we've been to Albuquerque, Philippines but Albuquerque, New Mexico is still on the "gotta visit there" list. Rice farmers were hard at work in their fields (harvesting) and when we stopped to take photos and watch for a few minutes....the whole field of workers began blowing kisses to Lynda! At first it was just a tentative wave and a smile from a couple of them but as soon as she returned their gesture....they kicked it into high gear and the kisses and calls for her to join them were coming fast and furious. I think Lilo was getting a little nervous that he might lose his guests before the tour even really began and so the windows were rolled up and we were off again. The drive was really interesting and beautiful and it was great to be able to see just how the farmers harvest their rice here as opposed to what we'd seen on Luzon. On Luzon they'd used the shoulders of the highways to rake out their rice (still in the husk) so it could dry before going into bags en route to the mill where the husks would be separated from the grain. Here on Bohol the shoulders of the road are gravel so they use tarps of varying sizes laying on those gravel shoulders (and occasionally even creeping onto the roadway). Those tarps are filled to the very edges of a single layer of rice (in husks) drying in the sun. Occasionally we would see a tarp that had something other than rice on it....in those cases it was slices of coconut laying out to dry for 3 days in the sun. Those pieces of coconut meat are from more mature coconuts and once they are dried that meat can be sold for more than 20 pesos per kilo and as much as 40 pesos/kilo depending on the season. Lilo explained this to us as he has coconut trees that he uses as an additional source of revenue. He said that coconut is used for almost everything....from laundry soap to food. He also explained that a coconut tree can be harvested about every 3 months. Rice, on the other hand, can only yield two crops per year. Other products we saw for sale along our way included bundles of wood (for burning). I actually think those neatly piled bundles looked more like artwork. Each stick of wood was the same size as the rest and they were all so perfectly fit together prior to being tied....I wouldn't want to take them apart for burning! There were big bundles of bamboo slats (differing lengths). Those slats might be used for building a wall in your home, or for building a fence, or for hitting snakes....yes....there are lots of snakes here! When asked if they were poisonous Lali explained that "of course they are except for the boa constrictors". He added that as long as you don't step on them they will try to get away from you as soon as they see you and that only during the season we're in now....are they a real problem....coming into people's homes etc. Eeeeekkkkkk!!! (We haven't seen any snakes though) We saw woven panels of some kind of palm frond that would be used to build a roof or even a wall. We watched men at work making knives of all shape and size. What an art! They pounded out the steel after it came out of the fire and once they got the basic shape then the grinding would begin. Their grinding wheels spun and sparks flew....it was actually very dramatic to see. Oh yes...and all of this with no safety glasses or even clothing for that matter. How their skin wasn't burned from the sparks that were landing all over them, I don't know! I didn't look at their feet but I'll bet anything that they were either bare or wearing only flip flops. WCB wouldn't be happy here! Traffic was plentiful but nothing like Manila. The style of driving here is more like we'd experienced in Vigan....where there is give and take on the road. Everyone passes everyone and often there are 3 vehicles abreast on the roadway but always there is a little "honk" to say hello....I'm just right here....or I'm pulling out now.....or I'm pulling back in now. Whatever they're saying to one another....it all works. There were people walking everywhere. For the most part women carry umbrellas to protect them from the sun and men cover up with scarves so only their eyes are showing. I think it must be even hotter under all that fabric but Lilo assures me that by keeping the sun off their skin they stay cooler and as well....the fabric helps to keep their skin from getting darker than it already is.
Eventually we arrived at the Chocolate Hills only to discover that to get to the lookout....there were 214 stairs! Complicate that with the fact that it was already 37 degrees and about 100% humidity and that is a LOT of stairs! But...we did it and what a view it was. As we were hauling our butts up that long flight of steps there were a team of workers who were hauling bags of rock atop their heads as they ran up the hill beside the stairs! OMG...how they are doing that I do not know! They have their heads and faces completely covered and sun glasses on top of their face covering so even the slit in the fabric that is there for their eyes is hidden. They literally loped up that steep hill never losing their footing and all the while carrying the extra weight of the bag of rocks on their head! The reason they were carrying everything to the top is that they had a construction site at the top. I'm not sure if they are building a new larger viewing platform or what but whatever it is....it looks like it is all going to be made of concrete. As much as I sound like I'm complaining about the 214 stairs (or should I say 428 cuz you gotta go down them too!) but honestly....it was worth every step. The view is fantastic and the hills are so unique. I can imagine that if we were seeing them when they're brown...it would look like mounds of chocolate out there. By the time we got back to the bottom we were both ready for a drink so a cool cup of fresh coconut water sure hit the spot. Yummy! There was no rush for our departure so rather than hopping back in the car I decided to take advantage of a trio of massage therapists who were working at that location. All three of them were blind and it was interesting to learn that in the Philippines there is a program for blind men and women where they can train or retrain as massage therapists. My guy used to work as a welder and in construction and he has embraced his new work with great success as was evidenced by the great foot massage I enjoyed while taking in the unique views of the chocolate hills. By the way...Bohol used to be underwater and the hills are coral that has a specific type of vegetation growing on it. That vegetation turns brown at a certain time of the year - hence the "chocolate" descriptor.
The next once in a lifetime stop was at the tarsier sanctuary. Those little primates are born with fur and the ability to see immediately. There are only 114 of them left in existence and we saw 6 of them today! The tarsier was inspiration for both ET and Yoda from Star Wars. He is tiny - maybe 5 or 6 inches long with a skinny tail that is as long as his body. He is nocturnal and so all we got to see them doing today was lazing around in the safety of a tree. But...don't feel badly for us....we got to see him up close! Each of them was only about 6 or 7 feet away from us so we had a really great view....they're just really really small. Getting to see this little creature who is so close to extinction was an amazing treat...hopefully something will be able to be done to save the species. Oh ya...I forgot to mention that in order to get to where the tarsiers were perched in the trees we had to climb many many more stairs and none of these stairs were man made or evenly spaced so traversing them required strict attention to where you were putting your feet! It reminded me of a stop in Cairo at the pyramids where our guide instructed us to look down when we walked and then STOP to look up. This place deserved that same instruction. It would have been downright dangerous not to pay close attention to where you were walking and the temptation to look for the tarsiers in the trees was soooo great!
Another interesting stop was at the 2nd oldest church in the Philippines. It was in the town of Loboc and was badly damaged by the earthquake a couple of years ago. There are massive repairs underway but we were still able to wander through the building that houses both a museum and the chapel. Half of the chapel was closed to the public however but we were still able to see the workers atop their perches high in the scaffolding. Once again, safety concerns to not drive work conditions and the young men working at 25-30 feet in the air wore flip flops on their feet and no safety harnesses were in sight. They would jump from bar to bar on their scaffold and looked more like they belonged in a circus than on a worksite. Other than how interesting it was to watch the workers, the age and size of this church was pretty impressive too. The floors upstairs (yes...there were more stairs at this stop too!) were absolutely gorgeous. The floorboards were at least 12 inches wide and solid wooden planks that had been polished by the boots of the million feet that have walked here over the past few hundred years. In the chapel the stained glass windows where the highlight for me. We happened to be there at just the right time so the sun was shining on the perfect angle to shoot rainbows of colour onto the walls inside the chapel.....it was really beautiful.
Another wonderful stop was our lunch break. We decided to splurge and go for the floating restaurant which included a one hour cruise down the Loboc River, a full buffet lunch that boasted a wide variety of Filipino fare, onboard musical entertainment, and a special stop where a local group welcomed us to their shores with a traditional dance and songs. It was very pleasant to be out on the water, the lunch was absolutely delicious (even the little deep fried fish that looked like skinny croutons with eyes) and I especially enjoyed the young jackfruit that had been cooked in coconut milk. That was the first time I'd had jackfruit that way and I look forward to the next time I see it somewhere! I should add here that yes...there were stairs at this stop again! We had to hike down a flight to get to the boats and then at the end of our hour it was another flight back up to the car park area. And really....it's not fair of me to say "splurge" on this stop as the total price was 450/person which works out to about $13 and our lunch was worth more than that!
Although we decided not to stop at the Manmade Forest, but rather to "just take pictures with our eyes" (this description made Lilo laugh!) it too is worthy of mention. It is acres and acres of mahogany trees that were planted sometime in the 50's and that today give the feeling of being in a massive park. The temperatures are lower, the trees are perfectly spaced, and there is not a native palm in sight...it's just a perfect mahogany forest.
By the time we hit the final stop of our tour at the "souvenir shop"....I almost cried when I saw more stairs. Whoever built these places should be shot! OR....I should just stop whining and hoof it up and down them. :). The souvenir stop didn't really appeal to either of us by that point in the day so we decided to cut that stop very short and head back to the resort where we were greeted by a group of kids, who live across the street, and who were all climbing the same tree. There must have been 10 of them in that tree....it looked like the tree was losing the battle but it also looked like those kids were having a ton of fun. It is great to be back to our "home" and we are both looking forward to a day of poolside again tomorrow.
Till then,
L & L
The staff at our resort knew we were heading out this morning so had our breakfast cooked and ready for us the minute we sat down. Seriously....a girl could get used to this kind of service! :). At 9:00 Lilo was here and we were ready to go. The sun was shining and everything was shaping up to be a perfect day for our tour. Lilo recommended and we agreed that the best route to follow would be to head to our furthest destination right at the outset and then begin to work our way back so off to the Chocolate Hills we went.
The Chocolate Hills are almost dead centre in the middle of Bohol and they are about an 80 km drive from our resort on Panglao. We passed through little towns like Albuquerque....yes folks we've been to Albuquerque, Philippines but Albuquerque, New Mexico is still on the "gotta visit there" list. Rice farmers were hard at work in their fields (harvesting) and when we stopped to take photos and watch for a few minutes....the whole field of workers began blowing kisses to Lynda! At first it was just a tentative wave and a smile from a couple of them but as soon as she returned their gesture....they kicked it into high gear and the kisses and calls for her to join them were coming fast and furious. I think Lilo was getting a little nervous that he might lose his guests before the tour even really began and so the windows were rolled up and we were off again. The drive was really interesting and beautiful and it was great to be able to see just how the farmers harvest their rice here as opposed to what we'd seen on Luzon. On Luzon they'd used the shoulders of the highways to rake out their rice (still in the husk) so it could dry before going into bags en route to the mill where the husks would be separated from the grain. Here on Bohol the shoulders of the road are gravel so they use tarps of varying sizes laying on those gravel shoulders (and occasionally even creeping onto the roadway). Those tarps are filled to the very edges of a single layer of rice (in husks) drying in the sun. Occasionally we would see a tarp that had something other than rice on it....in those cases it was slices of coconut laying out to dry for 3 days in the sun. Those pieces of coconut meat are from more mature coconuts and once they are dried that meat can be sold for more than 20 pesos per kilo and as much as 40 pesos/kilo depending on the season. Lilo explained this to us as he has coconut trees that he uses as an additional source of revenue. He said that coconut is used for almost everything....from laundry soap to food. He also explained that a coconut tree can be harvested about every 3 months. Rice, on the other hand, can only yield two crops per year. Other products we saw for sale along our way included bundles of wood (for burning). I actually think those neatly piled bundles looked more like artwork. Each stick of wood was the same size as the rest and they were all so perfectly fit together prior to being tied....I wouldn't want to take them apart for burning! There were big bundles of bamboo slats (differing lengths). Those slats might be used for building a wall in your home, or for building a fence, or for hitting snakes....yes....there are lots of snakes here! When asked if they were poisonous Lali explained that "of course they are except for the boa constrictors". He added that as long as you don't step on them they will try to get away from you as soon as they see you and that only during the season we're in now....are they a real problem....coming into people's homes etc. Eeeeekkkkkk!!! (We haven't seen any snakes though) We saw woven panels of some kind of palm frond that would be used to build a roof or even a wall. We watched men at work making knives of all shape and size. What an art! They pounded out the steel after it came out of the fire and once they got the basic shape then the grinding would begin. Their grinding wheels spun and sparks flew....it was actually very dramatic to see. Oh yes...and all of this with no safety glasses or even clothing for that matter. How their skin wasn't burned from the sparks that were landing all over them, I don't know! I didn't look at their feet but I'll bet anything that they were either bare or wearing only flip flops. WCB wouldn't be happy here! Traffic was plentiful but nothing like Manila. The style of driving here is more like we'd experienced in Vigan....where there is give and take on the road. Everyone passes everyone and often there are 3 vehicles abreast on the roadway but always there is a little "honk" to say hello....I'm just right here....or I'm pulling out now.....or I'm pulling back in now. Whatever they're saying to one another....it all works. There were people walking everywhere. For the most part women carry umbrellas to protect them from the sun and men cover up with scarves so only their eyes are showing. I think it must be even hotter under all that fabric but Lilo assures me that by keeping the sun off their skin they stay cooler and as well....the fabric helps to keep their skin from getting darker than it already is.
Eventually we arrived at the Chocolate Hills only to discover that to get to the lookout....there were 214 stairs! Complicate that with the fact that it was already 37 degrees and about 100% humidity and that is a LOT of stairs! But...we did it and what a view it was. As we were hauling our butts up that long flight of steps there were a team of workers who were hauling bags of rock atop their heads as they ran up the hill beside the stairs! OMG...how they are doing that I do not know! They have their heads and faces completely covered and sun glasses on top of their face covering so even the slit in the fabric that is there for their eyes is hidden. They literally loped up that steep hill never losing their footing and all the while carrying the extra weight of the bag of rocks on their head! The reason they were carrying everything to the top is that they had a construction site at the top. I'm not sure if they are building a new larger viewing platform or what but whatever it is....it looks like it is all going to be made of concrete. As much as I sound like I'm complaining about the 214 stairs (or should I say 428 cuz you gotta go down them too!) but honestly....it was worth every step. The view is fantastic and the hills are so unique. I can imagine that if we were seeing them when they're brown...it would look like mounds of chocolate out there. By the time we got back to the bottom we were both ready for a drink so a cool cup of fresh coconut water sure hit the spot. Yummy! There was no rush for our departure so rather than hopping back in the car I decided to take advantage of a trio of massage therapists who were working at that location. All three of them were blind and it was interesting to learn that in the Philippines there is a program for blind men and women where they can train or retrain as massage therapists. My guy used to work as a welder and in construction and he has embraced his new work with great success as was evidenced by the great foot massage I enjoyed while taking in the unique views of the chocolate hills. By the way...Bohol used to be underwater and the hills are coral that has a specific type of vegetation growing on it. That vegetation turns brown at a certain time of the year - hence the "chocolate" descriptor.
The next once in a lifetime stop was at the tarsier sanctuary. Those little primates are born with fur and the ability to see immediately. There are only 114 of them left in existence and we saw 6 of them today! The tarsier was inspiration for both ET and Yoda from Star Wars. He is tiny - maybe 5 or 6 inches long with a skinny tail that is as long as his body. He is nocturnal and so all we got to see them doing today was lazing around in the safety of a tree. But...don't feel badly for us....we got to see him up close! Each of them was only about 6 or 7 feet away from us so we had a really great view....they're just really really small. Getting to see this little creature who is so close to extinction was an amazing treat...hopefully something will be able to be done to save the species. Oh ya...I forgot to mention that in order to get to where the tarsiers were perched in the trees we had to climb many many more stairs and none of these stairs were man made or evenly spaced so traversing them required strict attention to where you were putting your feet! It reminded me of a stop in Cairo at the pyramids where our guide instructed us to look down when we walked and then STOP to look up. This place deserved that same instruction. It would have been downright dangerous not to pay close attention to where you were walking and the temptation to look for the tarsiers in the trees was soooo great!
Another interesting stop was at the 2nd oldest church in the Philippines. It was in the town of Loboc and was badly damaged by the earthquake a couple of years ago. There are massive repairs underway but we were still able to wander through the building that houses both a museum and the chapel. Half of the chapel was closed to the public however but we were still able to see the workers atop their perches high in the scaffolding. Once again, safety concerns to not drive work conditions and the young men working at 25-30 feet in the air wore flip flops on their feet and no safety harnesses were in sight. They would jump from bar to bar on their scaffold and looked more like they belonged in a circus than on a worksite. Other than how interesting it was to watch the workers, the age and size of this church was pretty impressive too. The floors upstairs (yes...there were more stairs at this stop too!) were absolutely gorgeous. The floorboards were at least 12 inches wide and solid wooden planks that had been polished by the boots of the million feet that have walked here over the past few hundred years. In the chapel the stained glass windows where the highlight for me. We happened to be there at just the right time so the sun was shining on the perfect angle to shoot rainbows of colour onto the walls inside the chapel.....it was really beautiful.
Another wonderful stop was our lunch break. We decided to splurge and go for the floating restaurant which included a one hour cruise down the Loboc River, a full buffet lunch that boasted a wide variety of Filipino fare, onboard musical entertainment, and a special stop where a local group welcomed us to their shores with a traditional dance and songs. It was very pleasant to be out on the water, the lunch was absolutely delicious (even the little deep fried fish that looked like skinny croutons with eyes) and I especially enjoyed the young jackfruit that had been cooked in coconut milk. That was the first time I'd had jackfruit that way and I look forward to the next time I see it somewhere! I should add here that yes...there were stairs at this stop again! We had to hike down a flight to get to the boats and then at the end of our hour it was another flight back up to the car park area. And really....it's not fair of me to say "splurge" on this stop as the total price was 450/person which works out to about $13 and our lunch was worth more than that!
Although we decided not to stop at the Manmade Forest, but rather to "just take pictures with our eyes" (this description made Lilo laugh!) it too is worthy of mention. It is acres and acres of mahogany trees that were planted sometime in the 50's and that today give the feeling of being in a massive park. The temperatures are lower, the trees are perfectly spaced, and there is not a native palm in sight...it's just a perfect mahogany forest.
By the time we hit the final stop of our tour at the "souvenir shop"....I almost cried when I saw more stairs. Whoever built these places should be shot! OR....I should just stop whining and hoof it up and down them. :). The souvenir stop didn't really appeal to either of us by that point in the day so we decided to cut that stop very short and head back to the resort where we were greeted by a group of kids, who live across the street, and who were all climbing the same tree. There must have been 10 of them in that tree....it looked like the tree was losing the battle but it also looked like those kids were having a ton of fun. It is great to be back to our "home" and we are both looking forward to a day of poolside again tomorrow.
Till then,
L & L
March 8th pics
Roadwork en route to airport. 
Wonder how,paving crews in BC would respond to this new issue equipment? 
Preparing the crack with a hand trowel before the tar is poured....also by hand!
Off to recycling?
My view from inside the trike. 
Still my view from inside...this is the front window!
Roadside,store. Check out the bottles,on the stand....they're gas. That is a Philippino gas station folks. 
Official farewell at El Nido airport. 
In the jeepney out on the airstrip headed to our plane. 
Hello Cebu...almost there. 
Lunch of applies to share at Veraneante. We must have been hungry when we ordered! Calamari, shrimp, jalapeño poppers, and a chicken salad. Oh ya....total bill....about $12! 
View across the pool at lunch. That is our bungalow straight ahead...last one on the right. Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! March 4th pics
Reception area at Novie's in El Nido. Our room is he first one on the left past reception.
The stairs down to Los Cabanas. A long climb down and an even longer one back up. All worth it in the end though.
Chairs waiting for us at Los Cabanas. 
"Hurry up,and take the photo Lynda! There are two little jellies trying to get me out here." 
Lynda floating in front of Los Cabanas. How come the jellies aren't going after her? 
Live music. Nice! 
Now this is the life!
Tomorrow....tour A. Thursday, March 10, 2016
March 10, 2016
A couple of little observations before,I start on today:
Everything here is "old school" and "simple" and for the most part it works really well. For example Novie's used a white board posted at registration so they could track who was in what room and when rooms were coming available etc. It was interesting to see as they also included where guests were from and how they had booked their room. Another example is where we currently are and there is just a little desk in the corner of the dining area that is where all the resorts business is taken care of....no office needed. An example of less efficiency caused by the old school methods was at the ferry terminal where tickets were purchased across the street from the terminal in a separate lineup. At that line they wanted you to take a little piece of paper and write down names and ages of travellers as well as destination, ferry time, and whether you wanted aircon seats. You then give that paper to someone who prints off a ticket and takes your money. From there you cross to the terminal where you stand in another line to get your ticket validated and then you have to go through yet one more line where your validated ticket is confirmed and finally you line up to get onto the boat. Definitely a make-work project!
Here we are at the end of day two of doing pretty much nothing at all and it feels darn good! We've just lay by the poolside (in the shade of a pomelo tree) and gotten up only to climb into our massive (and it really is huge) saltwater pool. Today we were the only people who stayed back at the resort so we had the place all to ourselves and it felt like we truly were living the life of the rich and famous.
Actually, we did do one thing today....we learned how to play a local game. It is a game that is popular in many Asian countries and Africa too. I'm not sure of the name of it but it is the game where there are a bunch of "holes" in a piece of wood and two players move rocks from "hole" to "hole" in their bid to win the game. Today Lynda and I played two games and we each had a turn at winning. The really funny part is that neither of us really knows quite what we did to be able to win our game but heh....maybe the strategy light bulb will go off with the next game. :)
Tonight we ventured out to Alona Beach, the touristy area of Pangleo island. Alona is like a metropolis compared to our little resort oasis. As busy as it was we enjoyed our time at Alona as we people watched and had a nice dinner at the Last Horizon resort and restaurant. The meal was good but the entertainment was sooo pleasant. It was a band that consisted of a keyboard player, a drummer, and two singers. All of their music was the good old easy listening stuff....the tunes from the crooners and that big band era. It was perfect! Our ride to and from Alona was a shuttle from our resort so we didn't even have to pay for our transport. Our resort is only about 6 km from Alona but it takes about 15 mins to drive there. Remember often roads are gravel and although there are no posted speeds....it seems like the average is maybe 15-20 km/hr at most.
One of the things we saw en route to Alona was an old church that was devastated by the earthquake a couple of years ago. In fact Bohol was right at the centre of that 7.2 earthquake (that had more than 3000 aftershocks) and then it further suffered from an even more devastating typhoon just a few weeks later. The resilience of the people here is phenomenal!
Oh ya....and last night I held bar tending class. Yep, felt like déjà vu and it was fun. Bartender here is husband to Wynne (hostess who met us at arrival) and he is son of the family who owns this resort (resort staff are pretty much all family). Anyway...bartender is self taught and lacking in confidence so it was fun to answer his questions and to give home a few little hints that I can already see are being incorporated. It was reminiscent of the first time I went to Troncones (Mexico). They are still using the procedures I suggested to enhance efficiency for the bar staff at Roberto's (a restaurant there). Guess that bartending I did all those years is coming in handy as I leave little tidbits of that learning in my wake.
Tomorrow is our tour day and so we've pre-ordered breakfast and our driver will be here to pick us up in our private (air conditioned) van at 9:00 a.m. The cost of our full day tour is 2500 pesos plus we'll have to pay our own entrance fees into any of the attractions we want to visit. Each of them is only 100-300 pesos so all in all the whole day will be less than $100 for the both of us to be able to see and do everything there is to see and do on Bohol! Lucky us! :)
Before I sign off I must tell you about every time Lynda and I come back into our room. I like to keep the air con on so there is that immediate respite when I open the door. Lynda on the other hand has to don her parka and scarf to go to bed! It really is hilarious and I truly appreciate that she is such a great sport....putting her winter clothes on to go to bed and all. :)
Lynda just relayed something I need to share with you too.....she said I look pretty funny right now. I'm wearing my p.j.'s that say "so tired" on the front of them and I'm sitting on my bed with the keyboard on my lap and my iPad propped up against my pillow to my left so I'm looking over my shoulder. She says she should take a photo cuz it looks so crazy but I won't let her so you'll just have to let your imagination do the picture for you. :). I now have a crick in my neck and the only reason this keyboard is staying on my lap is because it is stuck to the sweat on my legs...yes....Lynda is wearing a parka and I'm still sweating! We are on the equator after all people....sweating here makes a lot of sense!!! :)
Till next time,
L & L
Everything here is "old school" and "simple" and for the most part it works really well. For example Novie's used a white board posted at registration so they could track who was in what room and when rooms were coming available etc. It was interesting to see as they also included where guests were from and how they had booked their room. Another example is where we currently are and there is just a little desk in the corner of the dining area that is where all the resorts business is taken care of....no office needed. An example of less efficiency caused by the old school methods was at the ferry terminal where tickets were purchased across the street from the terminal in a separate lineup. At that line they wanted you to take a little piece of paper and write down names and ages of travellers as well as destination, ferry time, and whether you wanted aircon seats. You then give that paper to someone who prints off a ticket and takes your money. From there you cross to the terminal where you stand in another line to get your ticket validated and then you have to go through yet one more line where your validated ticket is confirmed and finally you line up to get onto the boat. Definitely a make-work project!
Here we are at the end of day two of doing pretty much nothing at all and it feels darn good! We've just lay by the poolside (in the shade of a pomelo tree) and gotten up only to climb into our massive (and it really is huge) saltwater pool. Today we were the only people who stayed back at the resort so we had the place all to ourselves and it felt like we truly were living the life of the rich and famous.
Actually, we did do one thing today....we learned how to play a local game. It is a game that is popular in many Asian countries and Africa too. I'm not sure of the name of it but it is the game where there are a bunch of "holes" in a piece of wood and two players move rocks from "hole" to "hole" in their bid to win the game. Today Lynda and I played two games and we each had a turn at winning. The really funny part is that neither of us really knows quite what we did to be able to win our game but heh....maybe the strategy light bulb will go off with the next game. :)
Tonight we ventured out to Alona Beach, the touristy area of Pangleo island. Alona is like a metropolis compared to our little resort oasis. As busy as it was we enjoyed our time at Alona as we people watched and had a nice dinner at the Last Horizon resort and restaurant. The meal was good but the entertainment was sooo pleasant. It was a band that consisted of a keyboard player, a drummer, and two singers. All of their music was the good old easy listening stuff....the tunes from the crooners and that big band era. It was perfect! Our ride to and from Alona was a shuttle from our resort so we didn't even have to pay for our transport. Our resort is only about 6 km from Alona but it takes about 15 mins to drive there. Remember often roads are gravel and although there are no posted speeds....it seems like the average is maybe 15-20 km/hr at most.
One of the things we saw en route to Alona was an old church that was devastated by the earthquake a couple of years ago. In fact Bohol was right at the centre of that 7.2 earthquake (that had more than 3000 aftershocks) and then it further suffered from an even more devastating typhoon just a few weeks later. The resilience of the people here is phenomenal!
Oh ya....and last night I held bar tending class. Yep, felt like déjà vu and it was fun. Bartender here is husband to Wynne (hostess who met us at arrival) and he is son of the family who owns this resort (resort staff are pretty much all family). Anyway...bartender is self taught and lacking in confidence so it was fun to answer his questions and to give home a few little hints that I can already see are being incorporated. It was reminiscent of the first time I went to Troncones (Mexico). They are still using the procedures I suggested to enhance efficiency for the bar staff at Roberto's (a restaurant there). Guess that bartending I did all those years is coming in handy as I leave little tidbits of that learning in my wake.
Tomorrow is our tour day and so we've pre-ordered breakfast and our driver will be here to pick us up in our private (air conditioned) van at 9:00 a.m. The cost of our full day tour is 2500 pesos plus we'll have to pay our own entrance fees into any of the attractions we want to visit. Each of them is only 100-300 pesos so all in all the whole day will be less than $100 for the both of us to be able to see and do everything there is to see and do on Bohol! Lucky us! :)
Before I sign off I must tell you about every time Lynda and I come back into our room. I like to keep the air con on so there is that immediate respite when I open the door. Lynda on the other hand has to don her parka and scarf to go to bed! It really is hilarious and I truly appreciate that she is such a great sport....putting her winter clothes on to go to bed and all. :)
Lynda just relayed something I need to share with you too.....she said I look pretty funny right now. I'm wearing my p.j.'s that say "so tired" on the front of them and I'm sitting on my bed with the keyboard on my lap and my iPad propped up against my pillow to my left so I'm looking over my shoulder. She says she should take a photo cuz it looks so crazy but I won't let her so you'll just have to let your imagination do the picture for you. :). I now have a crick in my neck and the only reason this keyboard is staying on my lap is because it is stuck to the sweat on my legs...yes....Lynda is wearing a parka and I'm still sweating! We are on the equator after all people....sweating here makes a lot of sense!!! :)
Till next time,
L & L
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
March 8, 2016
I'm feeling so "grown up" all of a sudden and loving it! :). As much as Novie's was an amazing home away from home for our stay in El Nido....it feels pretty darn good to be settling into a new place where there is hot water, a full menu restaurant, shuttle service, white fluffy towels, 2 big beds (vs 1 big and 1 small at Novie's), a swimming pool (yeah!!), lounge chairs by the pool, full bar service, ....need I go on? I suspect you've got the picture. :)
As we took our two trikes to the airport in El Nido this morning everyone at Novie's came out to wave good bye and wish us well on the rest of our journey. I think it is safe to say that they don't get too many visitors who look like Lynda and I at their place. (Mostly backpackers and a tad younger than the two of us). We set off in our trikes at the previously agreed price of 250 PHP per trike for the 20 minute trip to the airport. At first it was just the usual bumpy road but then it turned into gravel where there were holes the size of large watermelon and I can tell you that when you're in a trike....hitting one of those holes feels like the bottom has just fallen out of your world! Along the way we passed a trike that hadn't been so lucky as it was on its side in the ditch, a van/bus that was so overfilled that there were an additional half dozen or so hanging on to the roof for dear life, and every other type of vehicular traffic you might imagine. When we finally arrived at the entrance to the airport (remember it is a private airstrip in El Nido) we had to pass through security. My trike was in front which was fortunate as I had the plane tickets that would afford us entry. All was good with our paperwork and we were good to go. Security also checked my trike drivers licence and he too got the "all clear" so I was off in the direction of the terminal (another 3-4 mins up the gravel drive). Lynda on the other hand didn't do so well. Her trike driver didn't have the proper documents and as a result wasn't allowed on the airport property. In the end...she had to fork over another 100 pesos to another trike driver to bring her and all her stuff that remaining several minutes up the road! Eventually we arrived at our destination where we passed the time (you have to be there minimum 2 hrs ahead) with a couple who were on vacation from Halifax. When our flight took off for destination Cebu.....it was like being on the Screamer at Disneyland! The pilot actually backed up our plane so he could get his tires right on the line that was the start of the runway, revved up his engines till they sounded like they were going to blow up and then gunned it. We were glued to the backs of our seats until lift off a few second later and in an hour we had landed in Cebu.
Arrival at Cebu Airport felt like we were in an alternate reality....everything was so....."civilized". That is not to say that El Nido isn't civilized....it's just very rustic in comparison. We caught a cab for 300 pesos (no trike for us here!) and made our way to Pier 4 so we could catch the ferry for Tagbalaran on Bohol. Lady luck continued to be with us and we made it just in time to catch the 3:30 ferry. Not bad considering that we didn't even lift off from El Nido until 1:00! The 2 hour air conditioned ferry cost 500 pesos each and when we finally landed in Tagbilaran we knew we were almost done for the day. A taxi took us right to the Varaneante Resort (about 25 mins) where we were greeted by Wynne who had a warm smile and a glass or fresh juice to welcome us to this little oasis.
The Varaneante is a family style resort made up of different sized little cabanas that all front on to the garden and outdoor pool. There are birds twittering in all the trees, an occasional hammock strung up between trees, and complimentary breakfast included in your stay. Our room is very large and the bathroom has clearly been very recently redone. The staff are so pleasant and willing to accommodate that it will be easy to stay here for a week. There is a complimentary shuttle to the tourist area, Alona Beach, (about 15 mins away) that runs every evening at 5 pm and back at 9 pm as well as a complimentary shuttle that will take us to the Bohol Airport when the time comes for us to depart on the 15th. We were able to get a flight directly from Bohol to Manila for $91 CAD on the 15th so are happy about that too.
I'm sitting in the outdoor dining area/reception lounge as I type this and it is now the morning of the 9th. The only negative thing I have to say about our new home away from home is that the beds are pretty firm and that may take some getting used to for me but Lynda slept like a baby last night so I'm gonna follow her lead and find a way to make this new bed work for me. :). The weather this morning is a little on the grey side but...who knows that may burn off through the day and even if it doesn't it's still plenty warm and the pool is calling me. There are even a few books in a little lending library here that I'm going to avail myself of. So....until there is something new to report....bye for now. :)
Oh yes....before I sign off....I've been meaning to include something about the prices here in comparison to home.
Gas is almost exactly the same as ours at 34 PHP/litre (which is about $1)
A typical Filipino breakfast of meat, rice, an egg, and a banana or other piece of fruit is usually about 150-200 pesos (approx $5)
A nice dinner (seafood or other meat) is around 300 pesos ($9-$10) and pasta will be a little less than that.
Beer is about $2/bottle and cocktails (and they don't skimp on the booze) are about $3/drink.
Bottled water is about $2 for a litre sized bottle.
.....so as you can see....cost of living on vacation here is definitely less than it is in Canada!
Till next time,
L & L
As we took our two trikes to the airport in El Nido this morning everyone at Novie's came out to wave good bye and wish us well on the rest of our journey. I think it is safe to say that they don't get too many visitors who look like Lynda and I at their place. (Mostly backpackers and a tad younger than the two of us). We set off in our trikes at the previously agreed price of 250 PHP per trike for the 20 minute trip to the airport. At first it was just the usual bumpy road but then it turned into gravel where there were holes the size of large watermelon and I can tell you that when you're in a trike....hitting one of those holes feels like the bottom has just fallen out of your world! Along the way we passed a trike that hadn't been so lucky as it was on its side in the ditch, a van/bus that was so overfilled that there were an additional half dozen or so hanging on to the roof for dear life, and every other type of vehicular traffic you might imagine. When we finally arrived at the entrance to the airport (remember it is a private airstrip in El Nido) we had to pass through security. My trike was in front which was fortunate as I had the plane tickets that would afford us entry. All was good with our paperwork and we were good to go. Security also checked my trike drivers licence and he too got the "all clear" so I was off in the direction of the terminal (another 3-4 mins up the gravel drive). Lynda on the other hand didn't do so well. Her trike driver didn't have the proper documents and as a result wasn't allowed on the airport property. In the end...she had to fork over another 100 pesos to another trike driver to bring her and all her stuff that remaining several minutes up the road! Eventually we arrived at our destination where we passed the time (you have to be there minimum 2 hrs ahead) with a couple who were on vacation from Halifax. When our flight took off for destination Cebu.....it was like being on the Screamer at Disneyland! The pilot actually backed up our plane so he could get his tires right on the line that was the start of the runway, revved up his engines till they sounded like they were going to blow up and then gunned it. We were glued to the backs of our seats until lift off a few second later and in an hour we had landed in Cebu.
Arrival at Cebu Airport felt like we were in an alternate reality....everything was so....."civilized". That is not to say that El Nido isn't civilized....it's just very rustic in comparison. We caught a cab for 300 pesos (no trike for us here!) and made our way to Pier 4 so we could catch the ferry for Tagbalaran on Bohol. Lady luck continued to be with us and we made it just in time to catch the 3:30 ferry. Not bad considering that we didn't even lift off from El Nido until 1:00! The 2 hour air conditioned ferry cost 500 pesos each and when we finally landed in Tagbilaran we knew we were almost done for the day. A taxi took us right to the Varaneante Resort (about 25 mins) where we were greeted by Wynne who had a warm smile and a glass or fresh juice to welcome us to this little oasis.
The Varaneante is a family style resort made up of different sized little cabanas that all front on to the garden and outdoor pool. There are birds twittering in all the trees, an occasional hammock strung up between trees, and complimentary breakfast included in your stay. Our room is very large and the bathroom has clearly been very recently redone. The staff are so pleasant and willing to accommodate that it will be easy to stay here for a week. There is a complimentary shuttle to the tourist area, Alona Beach, (about 15 mins away) that runs every evening at 5 pm and back at 9 pm as well as a complimentary shuttle that will take us to the Bohol Airport when the time comes for us to depart on the 15th. We were able to get a flight directly from Bohol to Manila for $91 CAD on the 15th so are happy about that too.
I'm sitting in the outdoor dining area/reception lounge as I type this and it is now the morning of the 9th. The only negative thing I have to say about our new home away from home is that the beds are pretty firm and that may take some getting used to for me but Lynda slept like a baby last night so I'm gonna follow her lead and find a way to make this new bed work for me. :). The weather this morning is a little on the grey side but...who knows that may burn off through the day and even if it doesn't it's still plenty warm and the pool is calling me. There are even a few books in a little lending library here that I'm going to avail myself of. So....until there is something new to report....bye for now. :)
Oh yes....before I sign off....I've been meaning to include something about the prices here in comparison to home.
Gas is almost exactly the same as ours at 34 PHP/litre (which is about $1)
A typical Filipino breakfast of meat, rice, an egg, and a banana or other piece of fruit is usually about 150-200 pesos (approx $5)
A nice dinner (seafood or other meat) is around 300 pesos ($9-$10) and pasta will be a little less than that.
Beer is about $2/bottle and cocktails (and they don't skimp on the booze) are about $3/drink.
Bottled water is about $2 for a litre sized bottle.
.....so as you can see....cost of living on vacation here is definitely less than it is in Canada!
Till next time,
L & L
Sunday, March 6, 2016
March 6, 2016
It's official....I like beer. :). Well.....as long as it is San Miguel Apple Flavoured or Lemon Flavoured beer that is. ...and the Bonus is....it's cheaper than water!
You're getting a combination of the 5th and 6th events in this post as blogging was not in the cards for me last night.
To set up for our tour A (on the 5th) we had to rent snorkel and mask. Lynda wanted flippers too so they had to search every corner of El Nido to get a pair that would fit her feet. I told them my feet were big enough without flippers and I think I heard them heave a sigh of relief. LOL.
Our tour departed our accom at 9 a.m and we knew from the photos and what we'd heard from others that we were in for a great day but in the end.....Wow! Gorgeous! The stuff dreams are made of. Deserted beaches, sugary white sand, and warm waves lapping up on the shore. Yep....we are a lucky pair!
The not so lucky part is that at our lunchtime stop I was just standing chest deep in the gorgeous azure water happily chatting to a couple of guys from the UK when all of a sudden I felt a stinging sensation on my back (I was facing the shore). Within mili-seconds that sensation had also wrapped itself around my upper arms and chest and by the time it was all over my lower arms had taken several hits as well. The jury is out on exactly what it was that stung me but what I do know for sure is that it was some gelatinous thing (or things) that were long and thin and very very attracted to sticking themselves to me! I was able to get the ones off my arms and chest (and the bits that were stuck to the front of my bathing suit) but the ones on my back were out of my reach. Thankfully one of the fellows I was talking with braved the pain he too would have to endure and plucked them off my back. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! I walked back toward our boat where our tour guide, Jason, was preparing for lunch. He jumped right in the sea with fresh water in hand and began to wash the remaining stingers from my body with that fresh cold water. If nothing else that cool water sure felt good on the burning stings. The sting isn't unbearable but it is very irritating and what is kind of unbearable is how long it lasts. Here I am almost a full 24 hours later and the burning/stinging is still alive and well on my worst sting sites. The real complication came in that I had an allergic reaction to the stings which was likely exacerbated by the fact that there were so many stings as well as their location (upper body). Within an hour I was sneezing non-stop and my nose was running like a tap. Our tour was only 1/2 done when all of this happened and certainly we would have returned to shore if I began to have difficulty breathing but the breathing was okay and so at our next stop I stayed on the boat and then at the final stop I found some shade to lay down on the beach but boy was I glad when the trip was over and we were back to the room. I had some Benadryl in the room so took a couple of those right away and got into bed. Interestingly the Benadryl didn't seem to do a thing and as time passed my symptoms seemed to get worse. What had once just been burning at the sting sites had grown to include a prickly sensation in my mouth and throat as well as gripping muscle pains and spasms in my chest, back, and legs. Once that started it didn't take long to decide that a dr might be a good idea so I could get blood pressure checked etc. Soooo....Lynda and I hopped into a tricycle and he honked his way down the road as though he was an ambulance en route to the emergency room. When we arrived at the dr office we found nothing more than a sign saying that there is "no doctor" and a woman standing there to tell us that there is no doctor until next week. ( I guess our hotel had phoned ahead to let them know we were on our way as everyone was quite worried about me - especially after they saw the number of and my body's reaction to the sting sites). As luck would have it ....and we are pretty lucky you know.... There is another dr in town but he is "very expensive". But heh....didn't I just pay a bunch of money to have travel insurance for just this scenario? So what the heck...who cares how much he costs - lets go! As our trike drove up to this dr office we could see that we had arrived just in time to catch him as he was already getting into his car to drive away from his office. He turned around and in we all went. I'm actually not sure how to describe what we saw so I think I'll take a breath here and start a new paragraph. :)
There were a couple sets of flip flops outside the front door but Lynda and I could see that inside was no cleaner than outside so we left our shoes on! Immediately inside the door was the dr's desk and right in front of that was a small "treatment area". Between the treatment area and the dr's desk was an old plastic chair that I was to sit in for my examination. In the treatment area a nurse was working on a man who had some very serious lesions all over his body. I have a guess about what he might be suffering from but I think I'll just leave that to your imagination. She was swabbing his sores with gauze and tweezers and he was sitting there shivering. The dr asked Lynda to write my name down in a book for him (just a plain scribbler). He asked her to leave a little space above my name and I'm assuming that is so he'd have room to be able to jot a note about the treatment provided to the person whose name was above mine. At the same time he called another assistant out to take my blood pressure as he asked me to describe my symptoms. His assistant hooked me up to an automatic BP unit (you know the kind that we can buy in the drugstore) and as the final numbers came up his eyebrows rose too and he asked...."is your usual blood pressure 237/125?" To which I replied, "NO!" He said "do you have a headache?"...and I again said, "No, not really" and then my inside voice said....but I sure can feel one coming on!!! His assistant then brought out a stethoscope and manual BP cuff which the dr velcroed onto my same arm....you know the one with the WORST of the stings on it!!! OUCH! and proceeded to take my BP again. This time Lynda was watching over his shoulder and thankfully her old nursing training kicked in and she was able to see that I was 150/90 - a much more suitable reading given that the first one indicated I should be keeling over any second! The dr took a third reading (yes....on that same arm!) with that little machine again and this time it was consistent with his manual reading so he breathed a sigh of relief. I should also add here that the dr couldn't see very well....he needed a flashlight and his glasses to be able to read anything and all the while that he is working he is also making some crazy small talk about how he's not supposed to do surgery here and that "they" don't like it when he does but ...he says, "how many people would die if they had to travel the 6 or 7 hours to a recognized surgical site. So when it is just a stabbing or some other emergent circumstance...he just does it." I think it was at this point when Lynda looked at me and mouthed the words, "you're not staying here no matter what he says!" I nodded my agreement as I too had already ascertained that the standard of practice here was not quite up to the standard I've grown accustomed to. :). On the upside...the dr did seem to know what he was talking about regarding my issue and he was also able to give me some meds right then and there. So as we left both Lynda and I had one more unforgettable experience to add to our collection as well as enough prednisone for me to be able to take 3 tonight and then two more days of 3/day. Dr had also given me 10 daytime antihistamine that I could take each morning. Both Lynda and I had fingers and toes crossed that the 3 oral prednisone tonight would be enough of a kick to get this allergic reaction headed in the right direction because the alternative was to have the dr give me an injection and I wasn't 100% confident that would be a smart thing to do! BTW.....this very expensive dr charged me a total of 1500 PHP for the visit and the meds....heck....the experience alone was worth the $45! :)
Now here I've written all of this about that stupid jelly something or other and his/their stings and I haven't said much at all about the amazing things we saw and did along the tour today. It's actually really hard to put the beauty we saw into words as no words can really do justice to the magnificence of nature. The limestone rocks that jutted up out of the crystalline water around our boat were awesome. Black and white dotted with green plant life standing tall and proud beside us.....it felt as though we were in a painting or a magazine feature story. Our boat was really smooth even though there was the occasional section of open water where waves got a little choppy. The boat was long and narrow with wooden pontoons hanging out on each side - I suspect that is why it felt so stable even in choppy water. Every beach we saw was made of icing sugar fine white powdery sand that never gets hot - no matter how much sun shines on it. It really is amazing to experience that phenomenon. When I think about how hot the sand on the beaches at home gets....it is always a shock to be reminded that white sand never gets hot at all. I think the reason is that it is made up of crushed coral as opposed to crushed rock but my wifi here isn't strong enough for me to check that so if you want to know for sure...you'll have to ask Mr Google yourself. :). At one of our stops (secret lagoon) we actually had to climb through a tiny hole in the rock wall to access the lagoon that is, according to our guide, a combination of fresh and salt water. I'm not sure about that though as it tasted pretty salty to me (not that I was drinking it!). The magical bonus we got at secret lagoon was that we were the only people in there. We waited for dozens to leave before climbing in the hole (it's a one way hole) and our reward was that it was just us (only 4 of us in fact)...and we had that whole lagoon to ourselves for a good 5 minutes. As we were leaving several new groups arrived and we were reminded as we saw/heard them coming of just how lucky we'd been! On our boat were two other Canadians from Montreal (Edith and Michel) and 3 people from Poland. Edith and Michel are super nice and may have some accommodation advice for us on Bohol (assuming I can make that happen while I do my homework today). As we near the end of our trip and after my ocean experience yesterday....any place with a pool will gets bonus points from me. :). But I digress....back to tour A..... So.... the water is crystal clear and the colour of it changes from emerald green (which is what we saw in Big Lagoon - estimated to be 80+ meters deep), to the barely blue that sits along the edges of those white sand beaches with the coral just below the surface, and of course that perfect aquamarine azure shade that only exists in picture perfect places just like this one. We visited papaya beach that has that name because it used to be covered in papaya trees but today only 3 papaya trees are left as the coconut palms have edged them out. This beach is actually one that you can be dropped off at for an overnight camp out. It would be rustic but kind of magical at the same time.....kind of like being on Survivor for just one night. :). We saw the cliffs where those birds live that people climb up to retrieve their nests for the spit I think cuz they use it as a delicacy for eating. (again...you can check Mr Google if you want more on this). All in all....it is just plain gorgeous and worth a visit if any of you are thinking about it. They seem to be very conscious of maintaining the integrity of the region (ie: guides are educated and inform their guests about the do's and don't's of visiting the Bacuit), there is a 200 peso/person fee to be allowed to visit the Bacuit, and locals seem to have a real appreciation and respect for the region that is their home. So even though I had a run in with a jelly of some sort...this is their home too and I came for a visit so was fair game.
Which reminds me of Lynda's attempt to cheer me up last night (and it worked). Once I seemed to be headed in the right direction and some of my symptoms began to subside and Lynda was feeling like she might be able to go to bed and sleep without worrying about me she told me this little bedtime story (complete with hand gestures) that made me laugh so much it started the sneezing/coughing/runny nose all over again (but it was worth it). The story goes something like this.....Once upon a time in a land where beautiful white beaches line the shore of picture perfect tropical waters there was a white girl who came to visit the legend that was the Bacuit near the town of El Nido. That girls name was Lorrie. Now as it happens, Lorrie doesn't like the open water all that much....she's nervous about what creatures are under its surface as she's had some history with sharks and the like. In spite of this, Lorrie decided that since she was in the land of the Bacuit...she really must swallow her fears and visit the places that photo journalists dream of. She was having a fantastic day out on the boat...the tropical breezes were cooling as the boat skimmed across the surface of the azure water .....destination....somewhere magical..... Lorrie was feeling more confident and increasingly comfortable each time the boat stopped for an excursion. The water was crystal clear and so surely there couldn't be anything to worry about in that perfect water! At one particularly long stop where many people were snorkelling, Lorrie met a couple from Manchester and they were having a great conversation standing chest deep in that perfect 'see clear to the bottom' water. Little did they know that as they stood there visiting another conversation was underway in that same water at the same time. A group of jellies were wiggling along enjoying the majesty of their surroundings too when one of them spied a sight they'd never witnessed before. This was a meal that would last their entire colony for a month! If only they could get there in time before that tender white meat morsel moved! They urged one another on as they slowly made their way in the direction of this veritable feast and little by little ever so slowly they lessened the distance. Jelly A called to Jelly B...."come on....you can do it....we're almost there.....keep coming" and Jelly C called to Jelly D "OMG this is gonna be good!" By the time Lynda got to this part of the story she was laughing as hard as I was and the stress levels had been reduced accordingly and since we all know the end of the story already....I'll just leave it here and hope you enjoyed Lynda's story as much as I did. :)
It is now 24 hours since the stings and even though I'm still stinging (at worst sites) and sneezing like a crazy person....I am certain that I'm on the mend and will continue to move in that direction. Today is a very quiet day for me....need to give my body some time to recover from yesterday and need to give myself the peace of mind knowing that I'm not going anywhere near the ocean today! Lynda on the other hand is back out on the water and I'm sure she is loving it. She headed out for tour B this morning and so it will be another full day of sun, sand, and surf for her and the rest of the folks in her boat. I'll be happy just to see the photos and hear her stories. :). My job today will be to figure out our next steps. We were able to get one additional night here at Novie's in El Nido so it will be 5 nights in all by the time we depart. Not bad from the 2 we originally booked heh?! :). When it is only $45/night and such a great location and really a very comfortable room....it makes no sense to leave too soon. So....we'll be hitting the road again on the 8th and by the end of today I'm hoping to know by what means and to where we'll be going. While I'm at it I will book our hotel in Manila for that final night before we fly home too as we don't want to take a chance being stuck on another island and not able to make our flight home! We've got too many other things on the 'to do' list not to make it back as scheduled. :)
Our power is out and it's about time for me to go in search of something for lunch so I guess I'd better get semi dressed - pretty hard to put a bra on with all these stings in that general area but even more scary to think about all the damage I might do to those who see me if I don't. :)
Till next time,
L & L
P.s.
One of the things you can do for jelly stings is to dowse the affected area with vinegar to kill any still live stingers that might continue to inject the victim with their toxins. I did that last night for mine and we decided to save the vinegar just in case Lynda came home with stings of her own today. Fingers crossed that she doesn't!
P.P.S.
Lynda just returned and she is sting free and had a great trip! She is tired and can hardly wait for a shower so I'll have to wait to hear about her adventures as will you..... :)
P.P.P.S.
Tour B was also AMAZING and Lynda had another great day. She even hiked up to a lookout at Snake Island (a spit of sand that is only visible when the tide is out) so she could see the views from above. On that island she even saw the single resident monkey who happens to be very aggressive and so is labeled as dangerous! The good news is that she didn't look as much like lunch to him as I did to those jellies! LOL. Her boat rides were much longer and across some open water so a little rougher, it was a larger boat and had 5 staff to the 12 guests, and once again she enjoyed a delicious lunch that had been prepared on the boat. Of those 12 guests two others of them were from Kelowna - go figure! Small world!
Till next time,
L & L
You're getting a combination of the 5th and 6th events in this post as blogging was not in the cards for me last night.
To set up for our tour A (on the 5th) we had to rent snorkel and mask. Lynda wanted flippers too so they had to search every corner of El Nido to get a pair that would fit her feet. I told them my feet were big enough without flippers and I think I heard them heave a sigh of relief. LOL.
Our tour departed our accom at 9 a.m and we knew from the photos and what we'd heard from others that we were in for a great day but in the end.....Wow! Gorgeous! The stuff dreams are made of. Deserted beaches, sugary white sand, and warm waves lapping up on the shore. Yep....we are a lucky pair!
The not so lucky part is that at our lunchtime stop I was just standing chest deep in the gorgeous azure water happily chatting to a couple of guys from the UK when all of a sudden I felt a stinging sensation on my back (I was facing the shore). Within mili-seconds that sensation had also wrapped itself around my upper arms and chest and by the time it was all over my lower arms had taken several hits as well. The jury is out on exactly what it was that stung me but what I do know for sure is that it was some gelatinous thing (or things) that were long and thin and very very attracted to sticking themselves to me! I was able to get the ones off my arms and chest (and the bits that were stuck to the front of my bathing suit) but the ones on my back were out of my reach. Thankfully one of the fellows I was talking with braved the pain he too would have to endure and plucked them off my back. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! I walked back toward our boat where our tour guide, Jason, was preparing for lunch. He jumped right in the sea with fresh water in hand and began to wash the remaining stingers from my body with that fresh cold water. If nothing else that cool water sure felt good on the burning stings. The sting isn't unbearable but it is very irritating and what is kind of unbearable is how long it lasts. Here I am almost a full 24 hours later and the burning/stinging is still alive and well on my worst sting sites. The real complication came in that I had an allergic reaction to the stings which was likely exacerbated by the fact that there were so many stings as well as their location (upper body). Within an hour I was sneezing non-stop and my nose was running like a tap. Our tour was only 1/2 done when all of this happened and certainly we would have returned to shore if I began to have difficulty breathing but the breathing was okay and so at our next stop I stayed on the boat and then at the final stop I found some shade to lay down on the beach but boy was I glad when the trip was over and we were back to the room. I had some Benadryl in the room so took a couple of those right away and got into bed. Interestingly the Benadryl didn't seem to do a thing and as time passed my symptoms seemed to get worse. What had once just been burning at the sting sites had grown to include a prickly sensation in my mouth and throat as well as gripping muscle pains and spasms in my chest, back, and legs. Once that started it didn't take long to decide that a dr might be a good idea so I could get blood pressure checked etc. Soooo....Lynda and I hopped into a tricycle and he honked his way down the road as though he was an ambulance en route to the emergency room. When we arrived at the dr office we found nothing more than a sign saying that there is "no doctor" and a woman standing there to tell us that there is no doctor until next week. ( I guess our hotel had phoned ahead to let them know we were on our way as everyone was quite worried about me - especially after they saw the number of and my body's reaction to the sting sites). As luck would have it ....and we are pretty lucky you know.... There is another dr in town but he is "very expensive". But heh....didn't I just pay a bunch of money to have travel insurance for just this scenario? So what the heck...who cares how much he costs - lets go! As our trike drove up to this dr office we could see that we had arrived just in time to catch him as he was already getting into his car to drive away from his office. He turned around and in we all went. I'm actually not sure how to describe what we saw so I think I'll take a breath here and start a new paragraph. :)
There were a couple sets of flip flops outside the front door but Lynda and I could see that inside was no cleaner than outside so we left our shoes on! Immediately inside the door was the dr's desk and right in front of that was a small "treatment area". Between the treatment area and the dr's desk was an old plastic chair that I was to sit in for my examination. In the treatment area a nurse was working on a man who had some very serious lesions all over his body. I have a guess about what he might be suffering from but I think I'll just leave that to your imagination. She was swabbing his sores with gauze and tweezers and he was sitting there shivering. The dr asked Lynda to write my name down in a book for him (just a plain scribbler). He asked her to leave a little space above my name and I'm assuming that is so he'd have room to be able to jot a note about the treatment provided to the person whose name was above mine. At the same time he called another assistant out to take my blood pressure as he asked me to describe my symptoms. His assistant hooked me up to an automatic BP unit (you know the kind that we can buy in the drugstore) and as the final numbers came up his eyebrows rose too and he asked...."is your usual blood pressure 237/125?" To which I replied, "NO!" He said "do you have a headache?"...and I again said, "No, not really" and then my inside voice said....but I sure can feel one coming on!!! His assistant then brought out a stethoscope and manual BP cuff which the dr velcroed onto my same arm....you know the one with the WORST of the stings on it!!! OUCH! and proceeded to take my BP again. This time Lynda was watching over his shoulder and thankfully her old nursing training kicked in and she was able to see that I was 150/90 - a much more suitable reading given that the first one indicated I should be keeling over any second! The dr took a third reading (yes....on that same arm!) with that little machine again and this time it was consistent with his manual reading so he breathed a sigh of relief. I should also add here that the dr couldn't see very well....he needed a flashlight and his glasses to be able to read anything and all the while that he is working he is also making some crazy small talk about how he's not supposed to do surgery here and that "they" don't like it when he does but ...he says, "how many people would die if they had to travel the 6 or 7 hours to a recognized surgical site. So when it is just a stabbing or some other emergent circumstance...he just does it." I think it was at this point when Lynda looked at me and mouthed the words, "you're not staying here no matter what he says!" I nodded my agreement as I too had already ascertained that the standard of practice here was not quite up to the standard I've grown accustomed to. :). On the upside...the dr did seem to know what he was talking about regarding my issue and he was also able to give me some meds right then and there. So as we left both Lynda and I had one more unforgettable experience to add to our collection as well as enough prednisone for me to be able to take 3 tonight and then two more days of 3/day. Dr had also given me 10 daytime antihistamine that I could take each morning. Both Lynda and I had fingers and toes crossed that the 3 oral prednisone tonight would be enough of a kick to get this allergic reaction headed in the right direction because the alternative was to have the dr give me an injection and I wasn't 100% confident that would be a smart thing to do! BTW.....this very expensive dr charged me a total of 1500 PHP for the visit and the meds....heck....the experience alone was worth the $45! :)
Now here I've written all of this about that stupid jelly something or other and his/their stings and I haven't said much at all about the amazing things we saw and did along the tour today. It's actually really hard to put the beauty we saw into words as no words can really do justice to the magnificence of nature. The limestone rocks that jutted up out of the crystalline water around our boat were awesome. Black and white dotted with green plant life standing tall and proud beside us.....it felt as though we were in a painting or a magazine feature story. Our boat was really smooth even though there was the occasional section of open water where waves got a little choppy. The boat was long and narrow with wooden pontoons hanging out on each side - I suspect that is why it felt so stable even in choppy water. Every beach we saw was made of icing sugar fine white powdery sand that never gets hot - no matter how much sun shines on it. It really is amazing to experience that phenomenon. When I think about how hot the sand on the beaches at home gets....it is always a shock to be reminded that white sand never gets hot at all. I think the reason is that it is made up of crushed coral as opposed to crushed rock but my wifi here isn't strong enough for me to check that so if you want to know for sure...you'll have to ask Mr Google yourself. :). At one of our stops (secret lagoon) we actually had to climb through a tiny hole in the rock wall to access the lagoon that is, according to our guide, a combination of fresh and salt water. I'm not sure about that though as it tasted pretty salty to me (not that I was drinking it!). The magical bonus we got at secret lagoon was that we were the only people in there. We waited for dozens to leave before climbing in the hole (it's a one way hole) and our reward was that it was just us (only 4 of us in fact)...and we had that whole lagoon to ourselves for a good 5 minutes. As we were leaving several new groups arrived and we were reminded as we saw/heard them coming of just how lucky we'd been! On our boat were two other Canadians from Montreal (Edith and Michel) and 3 people from Poland. Edith and Michel are super nice and may have some accommodation advice for us on Bohol (assuming I can make that happen while I do my homework today). As we near the end of our trip and after my ocean experience yesterday....any place with a pool will gets bonus points from me. :). But I digress....back to tour A..... So.... the water is crystal clear and the colour of it changes from emerald green (which is what we saw in Big Lagoon - estimated to be 80+ meters deep), to the barely blue that sits along the edges of those white sand beaches with the coral just below the surface, and of course that perfect aquamarine azure shade that only exists in picture perfect places just like this one. We visited papaya beach that has that name because it used to be covered in papaya trees but today only 3 papaya trees are left as the coconut palms have edged them out. This beach is actually one that you can be dropped off at for an overnight camp out. It would be rustic but kind of magical at the same time.....kind of like being on Survivor for just one night. :). We saw the cliffs where those birds live that people climb up to retrieve their nests for the spit I think cuz they use it as a delicacy for eating. (again...you can check Mr Google if you want more on this). All in all....it is just plain gorgeous and worth a visit if any of you are thinking about it. They seem to be very conscious of maintaining the integrity of the region (ie: guides are educated and inform their guests about the do's and don't's of visiting the Bacuit), there is a 200 peso/person fee to be allowed to visit the Bacuit, and locals seem to have a real appreciation and respect for the region that is their home. So even though I had a run in with a jelly of some sort...this is their home too and I came for a visit so was fair game.
Which reminds me of Lynda's attempt to cheer me up last night (and it worked). Once I seemed to be headed in the right direction and some of my symptoms began to subside and Lynda was feeling like she might be able to go to bed and sleep without worrying about me she told me this little bedtime story (complete with hand gestures) that made me laugh so much it started the sneezing/coughing/runny nose all over again (but it was worth it). The story goes something like this.....Once upon a time in a land where beautiful white beaches line the shore of picture perfect tropical waters there was a white girl who came to visit the legend that was the Bacuit near the town of El Nido. That girls name was Lorrie. Now as it happens, Lorrie doesn't like the open water all that much....she's nervous about what creatures are under its surface as she's had some history with sharks and the like. In spite of this, Lorrie decided that since she was in the land of the Bacuit...she really must swallow her fears and visit the places that photo journalists dream of. She was having a fantastic day out on the boat...the tropical breezes were cooling as the boat skimmed across the surface of the azure water .....destination....somewhere magical..... Lorrie was feeling more confident and increasingly comfortable each time the boat stopped for an excursion. The water was crystal clear and so surely there couldn't be anything to worry about in that perfect water! At one particularly long stop where many people were snorkelling, Lorrie met a couple from Manchester and they were having a great conversation standing chest deep in that perfect 'see clear to the bottom' water. Little did they know that as they stood there visiting another conversation was underway in that same water at the same time. A group of jellies were wiggling along enjoying the majesty of their surroundings too when one of them spied a sight they'd never witnessed before. This was a meal that would last their entire colony for a month! If only they could get there in time before that tender white meat morsel moved! They urged one another on as they slowly made their way in the direction of this veritable feast and little by little ever so slowly they lessened the distance. Jelly A called to Jelly B...."come on....you can do it....we're almost there.....keep coming" and Jelly C called to Jelly D "OMG this is gonna be good!" By the time Lynda got to this part of the story she was laughing as hard as I was and the stress levels had been reduced accordingly and since we all know the end of the story already....I'll just leave it here and hope you enjoyed Lynda's story as much as I did. :)
It is now 24 hours since the stings and even though I'm still stinging (at worst sites) and sneezing like a crazy person....I am certain that I'm on the mend and will continue to move in that direction. Today is a very quiet day for me....need to give my body some time to recover from yesterday and need to give myself the peace of mind knowing that I'm not going anywhere near the ocean today! Lynda on the other hand is back out on the water and I'm sure she is loving it. She headed out for tour B this morning and so it will be another full day of sun, sand, and surf for her and the rest of the folks in her boat. I'll be happy just to see the photos and hear her stories. :). My job today will be to figure out our next steps. We were able to get one additional night here at Novie's in El Nido so it will be 5 nights in all by the time we depart. Not bad from the 2 we originally booked heh?! :). When it is only $45/night and such a great location and really a very comfortable room....it makes no sense to leave too soon. So....we'll be hitting the road again on the 8th and by the end of today I'm hoping to know by what means and to where we'll be going. While I'm at it I will book our hotel in Manila for that final night before we fly home too as we don't want to take a chance being stuck on another island and not able to make our flight home! We've got too many other things on the 'to do' list not to make it back as scheduled. :)
Our power is out and it's about time for me to go in search of something for lunch so I guess I'd better get semi dressed - pretty hard to put a bra on with all these stings in that general area but even more scary to think about all the damage I might do to those who see me if I don't. :)
Till next time,
L & L
P.s.
One of the things you can do for jelly stings is to dowse the affected area with vinegar to kill any still live stingers that might continue to inject the victim with their toxins. I did that last night for mine and we decided to save the vinegar just in case Lynda came home with stings of her own today. Fingers crossed that she doesn't!
P.P.S.
Lynda just returned and she is sting free and had a great trip! She is tired and can hardly wait for a shower so I'll have to wait to hear about her adventures as will you..... :)
P.P.P.S.
Tour B was also AMAZING and Lynda had another great day. She even hiked up to a lookout at Snake Island (a spit of sand that is only visible when the tide is out) so she could see the views from above. On that island she even saw the single resident monkey who happens to be very aggressive and so is labeled as dangerous! The good news is that she didn't look as much like lunch to him as I did to those jellies! LOL. Her boat rides were much longer and across some open water so a little rougher, it was a larger boat and had 5 staff to the 12 guests, and once again she enjoyed a delicious lunch that had been prepared on the boat. Of those 12 guests two others of them were from Kelowna - go figure! Small world!
Till next time,
L & L
Friday, March 4, 2016
March 4, 2016
It seems that so much happens and yet when I sit down to type....I can't think of a thing to say!
Last night Lynda and I wandered around the townsite of El Nido and as interesting as it was to be right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of this touristy little city it was good to get back to Novie's where the busy'ness is nothing in comparison to downtown! We spent some of the evening visiting with our adopted "family" and then had a few hysterics once we headed to our room for the night.
We haven't seen too many mosquitos here and as we have air con in the room I didn't bother to put my mosquito net down over my bed UNTIL......a massive cockroach materialized on the wall above the head of my bed!!! Eeeeekkkkkk! In the end my mosquito net was tucked in tightly under my mattress the whole way around my bed and Lynda was on her own with no mossie net to protect her. :) tee hee. :). I did tell her she could come in under my net but she opted to tough it out UNTIL......some other massive creature started scratching on the roof and walls of our room! Double Eeeeeeekkkkkk! Amidst our screams and giggles whatever it was finally seemed to settle down and we were both able to get to sleep.
Don't feel too badly for us though because for $22.50/night each....what can we expect?! :). Actually....it is a really great little place and the reality is that cockroaches live in the tropics which means we are in their "hood" after all. Both of us would totally stay at Novie's again and in fact this morning we booked ourselves in for two additional nights which means we'll be here for 4 nights in total.
Today we spent the day at Los Cabanas (a beach about 10 minutes away) where we sunned and swam and sunned and swam....and oh ya....had a beer or two in there too. :)
Tomorrow we're booked to go out on Tour A so it will be a full day of adventures on the boat.
Till next time,
L & L
Last night Lynda and I wandered around the townsite of El Nido and as interesting as it was to be right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of this touristy little city it was good to get back to Novie's where the busy'ness is nothing in comparison to downtown! We spent some of the evening visiting with our adopted "family" and then had a few hysterics once we headed to our room for the night.
We haven't seen too many mosquitos here and as we have air con in the room I didn't bother to put my mosquito net down over my bed UNTIL......a massive cockroach materialized on the wall above the head of my bed!!! Eeeeekkkkkk! In the end my mosquito net was tucked in tightly under my mattress the whole way around my bed and Lynda was on her own with no mossie net to protect her. :) tee hee. :). I did tell her she could come in under my net but she opted to tough it out UNTIL......some other massive creature started scratching on the roof and walls of our room! Double Eeeeeeekkkkkk! Amidst our screams and giggles whatever it was finally seemed to settle down and we were both able to get to sleep.
Don't feel too badly for us though because for $22.50/night each....what can we expect?! :). Actually....it is a really great little place and the reality is that cockroaches live in the tropics which means we are in their "hood" after all. Both of us would totally stay at Novie's again and in fact this morning we booked ourselves in for two additional nights which means we'll be here for 4 nights in total.
Today we spent the day at Los Cabanas (a beach about 10 minutes away) where we sunned and swam and sunned and swam....and oh ya....had a beer or two in there too. :)
Tomorrow we're booked to go out on Tour A so it will be a full day of adventures on the boat.
Till next time,
L & L
March 3, 2016
Started off this day with me having to give directions to our taxi driver! Yikes! Not sure that is a good sign....although perhaps it just means that I was meant to be rewarded on this one unique time when I was sooooo organized that I actually had printed directions to get to the private terminal we'd be flying out of. :). Wahoo!! Taxi got us to our terminal in short order as traffic wasn't bad at all so we had lots of time to wait around for our 11:00 a.m flight. When you're flying on a private airline this isn't such a bad thing though. :). Complimentary snacks and drinks were available for the taking and continually refilled as the plates were emptied. (sandwiches with the crusts trimmed off, baked goods, fresh fruit, soup with garlic bread, coffee, tea, water, and juice sounds like more than a snack to me though!)
Baggage allowance is strictly monitored on these flights and so we breathed a sigh of relief when our checked bags both came in right on the nose of 10 kg (the maximum allowed without having to pay a very steep additional baggage fee). You're allowed an additional 7 kg between two carry on pieces as well so we were good to go.
When the time came to finally check in for our seat assignment...the girl at the counter must have taken a shine to us because we ended up with exit row seats so a little extra room on this 50 seater plane.
You may recall that I've mentioned before that I'm often recognized (regardless of where in the world I am) and today's wait in the terminal at Manila was no exception. On one of the days that we were touring around Vigan, I got to chatting with a man from Toronto (who is of Philippine decent) and wouldn't you know it....there they were in the terminal waiting for the same plane we'd be catching to El Nido. In no time, Lynda had been adopted and we were "in the family". What this meant was that we now had a ride from the El Nido landing strip into town as well as a family connection that would earn us an additional 20% off our room if we'd like to stay at the same place our new family was staying. They assured us that it was not expensive and so we decided to check it out. True to their word.....it is a cute little place that is about 100 yards from the water and Lynda's and my room is nice and big with air con AND a fan so I am happy happy happy. Weather is toasty warm here....about 32 Celsius and humid. Our new family consists of Evangeline, Claude, Imelda, Rose, Jenna, Carlos, and Carlos' wife....gonna have to pay attention to catch her name again! Evangeline and Claude live in Toronto and the rest of them live here in the Philippines. They are on a family vacation and will end their trip with 5 days on Claude's families private island that they will fly to from Puerto Princessa (where they'll be going after they leave El Nido in two days)
For now, Lynda and I are booked into Novie's Tourist Inn at El Nido for the next two nights. Cost for us to stay here was 1500 PHP/night (about $45 CAD) so again...we're well within budget. :)
Till next time,
L & L
Baggage allowance is strictly monitored on these flights and so we breathed a sigh of relief when our checked bags both came in right on the nose of 10 kg (the maximum allowed without having to pay a very steep additional baggage fee). You're allowed an additional 7 kg between two carry on pieces as well so we were good to go.
When the time came to finally check in for our seat assignment...the girl at the counter must have taken a shine to us because we ended up with exit row seats so a little extra room on this 50 seater plane.
You may recall that I've mentioned before that I'm often recognized (regardless of where in the world I am) and today's wait in the terminal at Manila was no exception. On one of the days that we were touring around Vigan, I got to chatting with a man from Toronto (who is of Philippine decent) and wouldn't you know it....there they were in the terminal waiting for the same plane we'd be catching to El Nido. In no time, Lynda had been adopted and we were "in the family". What this meant was that we now had a ride from the El Nido landing strip into town as well as a family connection that would earn us an additional 20% off our room if we'd like to stay at the same place our new family was staying. They assured us that it was not expensive and so we decided to check it out. True to their word.....it is a cute little place that is about 100 yards from the water and Lynda's and my room is nice and big with air con AND a fan so I am happy happy happy. Weather is toasty warm here....about 32 Celsius and humid. Our new family consists of Evangeline, Claude, Imelda, Rose, Jenna, Carlos, and Carlos' wife....gonna have to pay attention to catch her name again! Evangeline and Claude live in Toronto and the rest of them live here in the Philippines. They are on a family vacation and will end their trip with 5 days on Claude's families private island that they will fly to from Puerto Princessa (where they'll be going after they leave El Nido in two days)
For now, Lynda and I are booked into Novie's Tourist Inn at El Nido for the next two nights. Cost for us to stay here was 1500 PHP/night (about $45 CAD) so again...we're well within budget. :)
Till next time,
L & L
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
March 1st pics
A few of the sights we came across between Baguio, Sagada, Bontoc, Benaue, and Manila over the past two days. (22 hrs in the car!). Hope you enjoy seeing them as much as we did taking them.
CABBAGES
Roadside vendor cutting up a mango apple for us to snack on.
A friend Lynda made along the way.
Rice
You can see how the pis road level terrace just disappears over the edge. How the farmers get down to lower levels (and then back up again) is beyond me!
One of the many villages we drove through.
The terraces of rice and other vegetables were endless along our 22 hour drive!
Workers stopped for lunch of rice, some kind of spinach-like green, and pig intestines (boiled so the smell was horrific!)
Their cooking stove.
Lunch
Lynda chowing down on some intestine.
Lynda reacting to what she just ate!
The view from a private balcony. The lady had a little shop at the front of her house and was kind enough to let us explore and enjoy her view.
Some of the road work we experienced along the way.
Watch out for the wires boys!
A few hanging coffins that were visible from roadside in Sagada.
The oldest Spanish church in the region.
Yep...always room for one more!
Our first glimpse of the famous Benaue terraces. A little misty!
And a few minutes later the mists begin to lift just long enough for us to get a sense of what is there.
Notice the ladders that help the farmer get from level to level.
Lolo (grandpa)
The view from our bathroom...yes...our bathroom!
Lynda going "out" to access our bathroom.
Lynda is on the toilet when she is taking this pic.
Rice shopping in Benaue.
Lynda found our room in Benaue a little chilly!
Wild pig for sale at roadside.
Tricycles at work...how much can they fit on those little things?!
Working in the rice fields
Rice (with husks still on) drying on the side of the highway. From here it will be raked and shovelled into bags ready for pick up by trucks.
Loading the bags onto the truck.
One of the vehicles bestie us.
Shovelling the dried rice into bags.
Bags waiting for pick up.
CABBAGES
Roadside vendor cutting up a mango apple for us to snack on.
A friend Lynda made along the way.
Rice 
You can see how the pis road level terrace just disappears over the edge. How the farmers get down to lower levels (and then back up again) is beyond me!
One of the many villages we drove through. 
The terraces of rice and other vegetables were endless along our 22 hour drive! 
Workers stopped for lunch of rice, some kind of spinach-like green, and pig intestines (boiled so the smell was horrific!) 
Their cooking stove. 
Lunch
Lynda chowing down on some intestine. 
Lynda reacting to what she just ate! 
The view from a private balcony. The lady had a little shop at the front of her house and was kind enough to let us explore and enjoy her view. 
Some of the road work we experienced along the way. 
Watch out for the wires boys!
A few hanging coffins that were visible from roadside in Sagada.
The oldest Spanish church in the region.
Yep...always room for one more!
Our first glimpse of the famous Benaue terraces. A little misty!
And a few minutes later the mists begin to lift just long enough for us to get a sense of what is there. 
Notice the ladders that help the farmer get from level to level. 
Lolo (grandpa)
The view from our bathroom...yes...our bathroom!
Lynda going "out" to access our bathroom.
Lynda is on the toilet when she is taking this pic. 
Rice shopping in Benaue.
Lynda found our room in Benaue a little chilly! 
Wild pig for sale at roadside.
Tricycles at work...how much can they fit on those little things?! 
Working in the rice fields 
Rice (with husks still on) drying on the side of the highway. From here it will be raked and shovelled into bags ready for pick up by trucks. 
Loading the bags onto the truck. 
One of the vehicles bestie us.
Shovelling the dried rice into bags.
Bags waiting for pick up.
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