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