It’s More Fun In The Philippines
3 & 1/2 weeks in the Philippines!
the pearl of the orient seas! (27th July – 21st August)
The Itinerary
The Philippines consists of a whopping 7107 islands! Our time here has mostly been divided across 4 of them; Luzon (North), Palawan, Cebu and Bohol.
Our itineray looked like this:
Week 1: Manila > Puerto Princesa > San Vicente > El Nido
WEEK 2: El nido > Coron
Week 3: Coron > Manila > Cebu City > Moalboal > Oslob> Cebu City > tagilbaran > pangalau
Week 4: Taglibaran > Cebu City > Manila > Banaue
It’s cheap and relatively easy to travel domestically within the Philippines so we have been using a combination of buses, ferries, flights and tricycles/jeepneys to bounce around the place.
Neither myself or Karina have visited the Philippines before so this past month has been packed full of firsts and new experiences for us. Perhaps most exciting has been our PADI Open Water Certification- we can now scuba dive up to depths of 18m! Our trip has been defined by beautiful landscapes, fascinating marine life and breath-taking underwater scenery.
Here’s an overview of some of the highlights of our trip by each of the places we visited…
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines . It’s the place where Karina and I reunited to begin our trip and has been the city in which we’ve returned to catch several flights.
Personally I am not a fan Manila. Like most SE Asian cities, it is crowded and polluted. Only there’s few points of interest here and an inordinate amount of poverty. Plus the locals stared and cat called us a lot more; which on occassion made us feel a tad unsafe.
We did visit Intramuros though, the 16th century Spanish quarter, which offered us a glimpse of history and culture; plus we enjoyed a few beers at a Buffalo Grill- with a hilariously unexpected “Rock Show”.
Puerto Princesa
- Victoria GUESTHOUSE & COTTAGES
During our stay in Puerto Princesa we stayed at a local guesthouse tucked away in a quiet jungled canopy, a 10 minute tricycle ride from the centre of town. It was a great base for us to begin our time in Palawan. Not only did the owners help facilitate our day trips but also hooked us up with their recently opened sister guesthouse in San Vicente, which otherwise we would never have found.
2. Clarkville Beach
A 3 minute walk from our guesthouse was a mangrove rich bay edged in coconut trees. Here, Karina and I lazed in the sun, read and chatted about life. The waters here were too shallow to swim in but we amused ourselves by the hundreds of crabs that scurried up and down the beach.
They each had one claw noticeably bigger than the other and would hold it up menacingly above their heads as they paced. Whenever we’d approach they would duck under their claws for cover. The beach was chorused by the popping of the air bubbles made from their retreat. Magical!
3. Iwahig Firefly Watching Eco Tour
Having never seen fireflies up close before, the Iwahig Eco Tour was a real highlight for me. We sat 3 to a boat and were slowly rowed down river alongside the mangroves.
Trees baring a certain flower would twinkle like fibreobtic Christmas tree lights; covered in fireflies.
Whenever our guide flashed his laser pen in their direction their bellies would blaze extra bright, assuming the pen was an attractive potential mate. He also pointed out various constellations in the sky.
4. Baker’s Hill
On our drive to the Eco Cruise we stopped for a bite to eat at Baker’s Hill; a countryside eatery complex. Our balcony location at the resturant offered lovely views of the sunset.
I ordered my first serving of Halo-Halo. A popular Fillipino dessert with mixtures of shaved ice and evaporated milk. It’s served in a tall glass and comes with a variety of toppings.
I had coconut (standard!) and our tour guide Joy had CORN!.. OF THE CORNFLAKES and SWEETCORN variety!
MIND = BLOWN
Starving, Karina ordered spaghetti with tomato sauce…
On first bite Karina was *RAGED! Disgusted, she claimed the resturant had served her pasta with luke warm ketchup. (They hadn’t, it was just heavily processed sauce). As it happened I rather liked it- the concoction tasted a lot like canned spaghetti. She eventually got over it, but her reaction really made me and Joy laugh!
(*She has struggled to find satisfying meals in the Philippines- everything contains pork– even the VEGETATRIAN SPRING ROLLS.)
4. Underground River, Sabang
Day 3 we journeyed to Sabang to cruise the Undeground River; both a UNESCO heritage site and the one of the world’s longest underground rivers.
To get to the mouth of the cave we had to take a bangka to an otherwise inaccessible part of the island. We had to then queue for a boat to enter the cave beside a dazzling bluish green lagoon (pictured). We witnessed a boy get bitten by a monkey! LITERALLY MY WORSTNIGHTMARE His mother’s blood curdling scream left me totally traumatised. I hope he got his rabies shot in time…
Inside the underground river “The Fear” continued; bats swarmed the tunnels and filled the taverns with their high pitched squeals. The cave was doused in dreariness; which was such a startling contrast to the tropical paradise outside. The overpowing stretch of guano (bat poo) bought tears to my eyes. I made sure to keep my mouth closed and eyes down most of the time! The rock formations inside were impressive though; they cast eerie shadows with distinctive features. Some looked like religious scenes such as the Last Supper, the Virgin Mary and Jesus, whilst others resembled boats and dinosaurs.
San Vicente
As mentioned earlier, we struck gold with our accomodation in PP with the owners fixing us up with their sister b&b on the West Coast of Palawan in a sleepy fishing village called San Vicente. Due to poor transport links this area is underdeveloped and very much off the beaten track. There are no shops or restaurants in the village and Victoria is, at present, the only guesthouse on the beach.
There were no other guests during our 2 night stay; meaning that, aside from the locals, we had the beach to ourselves. The joys of low season!
1. Beach Life
We were truly spoilt here.
In the morning we’d watch the local fisherman cast out their nets and return again in the late afternoon to drag in the day’s catch; a process aided by the help of the locals. After school, children would flock to the beach to splash about in the sea. They’d jump off anchored boats or play around with tattered shuttlecocks and badminton rackets.
Instead of plugging in my iPod, I chose to soundtrack my days with their laughter and the sound of the waves.
2. Food!
The guesthouse provided all our meals;
which meant we were served fresh seafood in abundance. I got to try squid in black ink and ate grilled fish and calamari with rice and curried greens for most meals. I also tried my first ever plantain- AMAZE! Being the only guests, we received VIP treatment- every meal was like having our own private banquet. If we weren’t such ladies of leisure we might have found it all a tad embarrassing!
3. the sunsets were glorious.
The chef’s two year old son was also adorable. Here he is with the guesthouse cat, hiding from the rain. By the last day he’d worked up enough confidence to sing and dance for us (though he got shy infront of the camera).
5. Biker Chicks!
Though we arrived at Victoria’s Cottages by van the only way to leave was by motor-bike!
I have never ridden one before and was terrified that myself, the driver and my 80l rucksack would topple off but the 20 minute drive was nothing short of exhilarating! Fortunately my luggage was strapped to the bike rather than myself so I was able to sit back and enjoy the ride.
We drove through a lush jungled canopy, with water buffalo and rice terraces peppering the views. Wind in my hair, I felt alive!
We were dropped off at a junction to thumb down our next ride; chickens and stray dogs wandered along the dirt road infront of us and a local man picked guava fruit from a nearby tree for us to snack on during our wait.
El Nido
Sun, Sea and Snorkelling!
For me, El Nido was one of the top places we visited during our PHILIPPINES trip.
Spectacular limestone formations provide the backdrop to this laid back backpacker town and rise dramatically from the sea in whichever direction you look.
The seascape is breathtakingly beautiful; both above and underwater (El Nido is rumoured to be the inspiration behind Alex Garland’s “The Beach”- no Leonardo though *sob*)
We spent our two days here Island hopping around the Bacuit Archipelago on organised bangka trips.
We kayaked through crystal clear lagoons and jagged caves, swam under water to access of secret pools/beaches and snorkelled over marine-rich coral reefs. Numerous times Karina and I twirled around in the sea or floated on our backs shouting ” PARADISE!” We also met some really lovely people on our trips.
CORON
We took a 7 hour boat from El Nido to Busanga Island where we spent 6 days. I took anti-sickness tablets and pretty much slept the whole way through, Karina read an entire book!
1. PADI!
Here we did our PADI Openwater (Karina also did her Advanced) which means we can now a dive to 18m!!! SAYWHUUUUUT
It was so surreal to take those initital few breaths under water; the first time in my life I have able to explore the sea at leisure without having to surface for oxygen. Being neutrally buoyant, we appeared weightless on our fronts, hovering above the reef like underwater astronauts.
We saw heaps of marine life (including turtles!). It was fascinating watching the different species interact with one another- we even witnessed a jelly fish get mauled to pieces by a shoal of parrotfish! (Grim but AMAZE!!)
The course lasted 3 days; during which we had to demonstrate a sufficient knowledge base and perform a range of practical skills in the open water. It was a bit overwhelming at first as the course is pretty content heavy and we were tired from our previous El Nido adventures, but we supported each other and had lots of fun in the process.
We practiced a range of emergency procedures, such as removing our entire kit/ sharing oxygen tanks/ mask flooding etc- which seems daunting on paper but in reality wasn’t all that scary!
We got to dive in Barracuda Lake- which is world-famous for it’s unusual thermocline layers (one of only twos lakes like this in the world- the other in Hawaii).
The Thermocline is an invisible barrier that divides the cool upper layer of water with the hot second layer. The thermocline boundary shifted and bobbed around like a smokey, oily membrane with which we could not mix with the surrounding water. As we passed through it, half our bodies body were incredibly hot, the other half completely freezing!
Unfortunately I didn’t get to dive amongst Coron’s iconic sunken Japanese battleships but Karina did on her advanced course and said they were amazing.
2.Maquinit Hot Springs
Though most of our time in Coron was spent diving, we did get a chance to visit Mount Maquinit Hot Springs.
Adorned in lanterns and with sea views, this Spring looked more like a 5* resort than a natural hot water pool. It was a great excuse to chill with our diving friends and relax our aching muscles- this diving malarkey is pretty hard work!
Cebu
1. Moalboal
For us Moalboal was all about the chill.
A busy couple of weeks had left us craving some serious down time. Here we stayed at a Guetshouse with a pool and restaurant with a beachfront view. We managed to get a cheap budget room across the road but still benefit from all the resorts perks.
A few great eateries kept us well fed during our stay– British owned, the quality was much higher than the service we’d grown to expect. We ate homecooked classics such as corned beef hash (with Heinz ketchup!) and great pasta and Mediterranean dishes, even feta cheese and French baked bread! (CanIGetAnAmennnn)
We also did a fun dive here and saw the famous schools of sardines.
2. Oslob, Whale Sharks
We visited Oslob to see the whale sharks! We wished a could have seen them in Donsol under more natural circumstances (Oslob whale sharks are fed) but were unable to do so due to the time of year we visited.
The whale sharks are nothing short of remarkable.
Gigantic but gentle natured; whale sharks are slow moving filter feeding fish.
They spend their days close to to he surface, scooping up plants and other small animals in their enormous gaping mouths. They are the largest known extant fish species and have been measured up to 12m in length! (Though the ones we saw were closer to 4m).
It was an incredible experience to snorkel beside these majestic creatures- one I will never forget. This said, I would urge anyone with an interest to see them to do so in more natural circumstances.
The feeding of whale Sharks distorts natural behaviour patterns and increases the likelihood they will approach other boats. This has sadly resulted in a numbers of whale sharks being injured by motor boat propellers.
Despite the Filipino government overseeing the whale Shark feeding process at Oslob, the practice there still leaves a lot to be desired.
Whilst eco guidelines were endorsed by the tour providers, they failed to be upheld in practice- regularly the 4m viewing distance was breached for ‘Facebook photos’. The feeding boats herded the animals too close to the tourists, meaning it was difficult to keep space between us and the animals (see below). Tourists and tour photographers created lots of chaos in the water; shouting and splashing generating much noise and bubbles.
3. Tumalog Falls
Following our morning with the whale sharks we caught a motorbike to the nearby Tumalog waterfalls.
It was breathtakingly beautiful and the water pool beneath was so cold and refreshing.
There was a 20 peso admittance fee (£0.27) which was a total bargain by anyone’s standards! If only all tourist attractions were this cheap!
Bohol
During our stay in Tagilbaran we hired a scooter for the day and made an entertaining journey to visit Bohol’s infamous Tarsier Sanctaury and Chocolate Hills.
This day was memorable for so many reasons.
Neither myself nor Karina have much experience with motorbikes so drove super safely and were extremely over cautious. We maintained stiff upright positions the whole day, drove no higher than our self imposed 40mph limit, and kept our distance from everything on the road. We even stopped 10m in advance of our parking point, just to be extra sure we wouldn’t crash into anything!
We looked so lame– which was confirmed when we were overtaken by buses and heckled by locals. It was tragic but totally hilarious. I don’t think I have prayed so much in one day!
The sights were more than worth the drama though. Hours on the the road meant we got a unique glimpse into the surrounding area- we droves by lots of plantations, schools, houses and water buffalo.
The Chocolate Hills did not disappoint.
Many urban legends surround the formation of theses symmetrical hills; my favourite being the tale of two giants who fought for days and in their exhaustion forgot why they were fighting and became friends. The hills supposedly represent the untidied mess that remained. It was raining during our visit which if anything made them look even more dramatic.
We also stopped by the Tarsier Sanctuary. The Philippine Tarsier is one of the smallest primates in the world. They have tiny bodies and HUGE eyes. They can also rotate their heads nearly a complete 360 degrees- freaky little things!
Banaue
In total contrast to the coastal locations we had grown accustomed to on this trip, we decided to end our time in the Philippines in the Northern Luzon to get our countryside fix.
Specifically, we took a 10 hour night bus to Banaue, to visit the world famous Rice Terraces.
2000 years old, the rice terraces in the Cordilleras region were carved into the Ifuago mountains by ancestors of the indigenous people. It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, mostly by hand. The terraces are fed by an ancient irrigation system which gets it’s water from the above rainforests. It is said that if the steps of the terraces were put end to end, it would encircle half the globe!! Impressive right?
Our time in Banaue was nothing short of exhausting! The two days we spent in the region, were mostly spent treking.
We hiked to a natural hot springs during a thunderstorm! Terrifying but thrilling!
We took an epic journey to Batad, where we engaged in several hours of extreme uphill trekking! So physically gruelling (numerous times I thought I was gonna faint/ trip/fall/ die) but despite the pain it was a million percent worth it. The views were incredible. The design of the terraces is remarkable. It was soul-lifting to be that close to nature.
We also got to visit the 30m high, totally freezing, Batad waterfall. Not to be bathed under, unless you wish to die!
Fortunately I bought a gandalf stick for 20 pesos (27p) from a local at the start of the journey which literally saved my life!
The tricycle journeys up the mountain to get to our trekking destinations were hysterical. The fact we were three persons to a tricycle, travelling on unmaintained mountain roads meant our tricycle rides were a constant uphill struggle! We desperately leaned forward in an attempt not to roll back down the hill. At one point the engine strain was so bad I thought the tricycle might explode!
The views from our guesthouse balcony ensured that both night and day we got our terraces fix!
Overall, I had a really good time in the PHILIPPINES.
I learnt to dive, saw some amazing scenery, and got to ride in some weird and wondeful transport!
This said there were some downside sides to the trip. Firstly we hadn’t been prepared for the poverty and found communication much more tricky than expected. Though I had some tasty meals in the Philippines , the quality and variety of food was generally quite poor compared to other Asian contries we have visited (being a veggie Karina had a total ‘mare!). Access to fresh fruits and veg was much less frequent than we’d hoped for and most drinks we drank were canned. Milk was mostly powdered creamer *sob* Plus, cities were saturated with fast food chains- I don’t think I was ever more than 1/2 mile from a Jolliebee! We also saw numerous examples of poor treatment towards animals; especially dog kicking. There was also a lot of trash burning. Culturally, we missed browsing markets and visiting religious monuments. This said, most of theses niggles were generally a product of endemic social problems and high poverty.
Asides from Manila though, I never felt unsafe and generally speaking the people were very lovely, not to mention chivalrous- I don’t think I lifted my bag once the entire trip. I would happily revisit again- there are so many islands and we have only yet explored a fraction of them! It was also low season during our visit- it was VERY quiet. Luckily I was travelling with a friend, but I’d be interested to see how different the vibe is when things are a bit more lively. More importantly I *NEED* to return to the Philippines- if only to attend a Fillipino karaoke! #LIFEGOAL