Busses, Caves, Coffins and Dogs!

WHOAH! Hard to top the whale sharks huh?

After 5 weeks in country, Michelle turned to me and said the words I never thought I would hear come out of her mouth.... "I think I'm beached out." Meaning of course that since we had spent the better part of our honeymoon never more than a balut throw away from the ocean she was ready for some mountain time.

Sounds great to me so we set our sights for Northern Luzon. A quick flight to Manila, a cab driver who knew where the McDondalds was and we boarded a morning bus to the mountain town of Baggio. The bus ride took us through sprawling Metro Manila and gave us a real feel for how large this metropolis really is..... up to 15 million peeps!

With an evening to spend in Baggio before our next leg, we set out to explore the market. How different the climate was up here too and after the sun set we really needed those extra layers we brought! As we snaked through steep streets lined with fish, veggies, fruits, rice and slippers (Miche bought a pair to replace her blown out blue ones) it became obvious that this was a very agricultural area of the country. I had read of great coffee and strawberries and we were excited when we stumbled across another large street which contained a variety of food stalls, crafts and booths to benefit several local projects. Why.... It's the Baggio Flower Festival! Very cool and laid back and tons of students around too as Baggio is home to several universities.

The real treat came the next morning as we boarded a bus to head up to Sagada. Our aim was to get some time chilling out.... hiking, caving and make our way over to the 8th wonder of the world the Banaue Rice Terraces.

Here's the view from the bus about an hour or so in...



The road continued for hours, sometimes paved and sometimes not. Sometimes one lane, other times one and a half. Our bus driver knew the route well and the vistas we got in any direction were incredible. After arriving in Sagada, we checked into on of the LARGEST rooms of the entire trip..... great work Miche!

Next we headed out to Echo Valley to take in the limestone cliffs, hanging coffins and crisp mountain air...AHHH. The locals have a long tradition of putting their deceased in coffins in the caves and even sticking off the sides of walls like this!



Fantastic hike with a small local boy leading us through the valley. After such a journey we decided to check out a cafe for a cup of fresh local coffee..... BEST IN PHILIPPINES I say and found another charming pooch! (Note to reader: This image will be compiled into a Dogs of Philippines album at some point in the future)



Our next day was full of adventure as we headed out to explore Sumaging Cave. Known as the "Big Cave" in these parts, this is one of the highlights of the trip for me! Our guide, George, was excellent and briefed us on how the limestone helped form the caves and underground rivers.

Lit only by kerosene lamp we entered the slippery, muddy entrance to the cave and felt the cool air. So cold in face we could see our breath! Chilly, waist deep water gave way to tight squeezes and majestic formations of limestone "flows" My camera just didn't do the low light thing very well, so if you want to find more images, do a google search for Sumaging Cave Photos. Here are a few of the better ones!




After cruising around and looking at the golden formations 500 feet below the surface of the earth, it was time for a swim! Our guide George stayed dry and lit the way while we plunged 10 feet into a crisp dark pool..... Brilliant!

What better way to end a day of caving and hiking than with PIE. Oh, fresh lemon pie tastes so good, and check out that beard!



Up early the following morning, we caught a Jeepney into Bontoc. The views from up top (Thanks for the tip Brian) were stunning. Michelle took the warm route, but I sat on our comfy backpacks and took in the morning air. Clinging to the rails and leaning into the turns, I felt like I was on a diesel powered stagecoach!

Here's the view.....



And here's what it looked like behind me.....



Stay tuned for the world famous, 2000 year old rice terraces of Banaue.

Holy S*%#, Wow!

The title of this post represents my exact words in response to our next adventure.... whale sharks. This is a very difficult blog to write, because no matter what I say here I don't think there is any way I can describe the absolute and complete wonder of swimming next to these massive creatures. I had heard about them, seen pictures, video, I didn't get it, I even considered skipping over this part of the trip. Gabe said we had to go, I had to experience it. He was so right.

We flew into the town of Legaspi where Gabe immediately wrangled up a minivan and a couple of new friends for us to share it with on our trip to Donsal. Donsal is a tiny little fishing village that is speeding it's way into Philippines tourism fame due to the discovery of whale sharks in the neighborhood. The tiny Barangay consists of a single road with rice paddies and grass huts on one side and guesthouses popping up along the other. We settled into a room and made our way out to Barracuda with our new friends Kelly and Jeff for a night of pesto, Tanduay and incredibly out there stories from the extremely chatty bar owner.



Despite a late night we were all up with the sun the next day. The local government does a very good job of regulating the tourism and protecting the whale sharks and their environment. After an educational video we were assigned to a boat with 5 other marine explorers, 4 whale shark spotters, a guide and a captain. We spent a good hour trolling the open ocean and I was beginning to wonder if we were going to be disappointed when the boat slowed and our guide jumped in with a backwards shout of follow me!

Gabe on the lookout, beneath the lookout.


We are so ready!




The seven of us splashed in after him but I didn't see anything...then our guide grabs my hand and points directly underneath me. Out of the blue abyss a massive spotted shape forms. It was like staring at a magic eye picture the way it suddenly appeared just a few feet beneath me! I ducked down and swam with the gigantic beast, no thought of my need for oxygen as I kicked alongside in absolute wonder. When I realized that I didn't have gills and I had better make my way up I burst to the surface, took a deep breath and shouted "Holy S*%#, wow!" Gabe got a really big kick out of that :)



We all got back onto the boat with grins lighting up our faces, adrenaline pumping through our veins. The next trip into the drink brought a shy shark who quickly exposed his belly to me as he dove sharply into the deep. Following him was the massive beast that nearly surfaced directly beneath me! We were the first boat out on the water but slowly more and more joined the chase until we counted 17 others in hot pursuit. We searched for the tell-tale shadow, jumped in, swam along an immense gentle creature until it chose to leave us for more exciting adventures down below, then back in the boat and over again. Our final dip brought it all home when we left all the other boats behind and joined a 40 foot giant for a languid swim. It was bad ass.

Kelly's face say's it all.


Our dreams fulfilled in Donsal we left that very afternoon. On our way to North Luzon...

Diving and the Critters of Bohol

When we last left you we were near Bohol. Bohol holds many surprises for those land based, but we started our adventures here on board a dolphin watching boat.

Now for those of you who have seen them in Hawaii, you know they tend to be very acrobatic and get right up near the boat. Not the case here as a pod of maybe 20 was being chased around by 25 or so loud bangka boats for the better part of the morning.

We weren't too impressed with the tour, but we were able to spend the rest of the morning at Balicasag Island. This small island has some amazing snorkeling and a nice beach to relax on. Michelle read her book and walked around the entire island while I chose to snorkel a bit (twist my arm) with our new friend Payal. Since she had never been snorkeling before I'm sure she was stoked to check out the amazing variety of fish and corals that were showing off just below the surface. Here are a few shots from our snorkel adventure... Come visit us in Hawaii Payal and we'll get you certified to scuba dive in no time!






Our day was cut short as rain began to fall, but no worries. The following morning I had a two tank dive booked and had a great time with Alona Divers. A great boat, good divemasters and intense drift dives were exactly what I was looking for. Too bad it was pouring rain! Here are some of the highlights from my final dives of the trip including a batfish, clownfish and some colorful reef shots.







With my thirst for underwater thrills quenched and Michelle's desire to read her book on the beach, we set out for a day of land exploration. Bohol is home to a variety of wildlife including snakes, amazing birds, and our favorite the Tarsier.

Our day began with a great driver who told us a lot about Philippines in general, the history of Catholicism in their country and the unique wildlife of the region. Greg took us first to visit Prony, a 25+ foot python that eats a small pig or two small goats every month!

Next up was a journey into the interior of the island. Chocolate Hills is a region of almost Mario Brothers like humps that rise up out of the land. It's hard to describe them but they vary in size however all have the same haystack shape. Michelle got this photo from the viewpoint...



When we came down from the grueling 100+ step climb to the viewpoint, we noticed this strange creature.....



From what we had read of the Philippine Tarsier this one was way too big, they fit in the palm of your hand, was exposed to direct sunlight (they hide in the jungle during the day and hunt at night) and had of all things, a beard?

Something just wasn't right here so we jumped in with Greg and headed for the Tarsier Center about an hour away in Corella. The guidebook we used described these little guys as a cross between a Gremlin and ET or a real life version of Furby. With their HUGE eyes and heads that can swivel almost 180 degrees this was sure to be a fun afternoon.

Since we had heard that their numbers are dwindling due to habitat destruction, we didn't feel right just pulling off to the side of the road to see these little guys in a cage. We both thought it was best to support an organization that was doing something to help protect the critters. At last, we arrived at the Tarsier Center, a quiet and lush stretch of Bamboo forest. Our guide says that about 10 of these guys come and go in their sanctuary and took our crew into the massive area. In a matter of minutes we had spotted one..... SO SMALL! His head swiveled around and the tiny hands stayed clutched to the branches. Because they have such massive eyes, they can barely see during the day but mainly hunt at night!

We kept our voices down so as not to disturb them and saw about 4 or 5 in our half an hour. You just can't imagine how small they are and they could really fit in the palm of your hand! Michelle claims she wants one for a pet now.... In fact, our backyard might be just the place.... hmmm?



Our time in Bohol was coming to a close, but the trip was great. Michelle was back to full strength and our next adventure was sure to be amazing. As we headed out on an early ferry to Cebu it was hard to think that we were already at week 5 of our trip! Michelle will have more on the next leg of our adventure, but for now you may want to check out this link...... Whale Sharks on Wikipedia

Survivor Philippines..... Chapter 1: The Visayas and the Temple of DOOM-agette!

Sometimes while you are out seeing the world, stuff just happens. You try to do all the right things.... learn a bit of the language, understand the local customs and watch what you eat and drink to avoid any gastric mishaps. Last weekend the Travel Gods seemed fit to send a zinger our way. More on this in a minute...

Retracing our steps found us taking a quick 45 minute flight from the island of Palawan to our next destination of Cebu City in the island chain of the Visayas.

Here, the goals were simple:

1) Make our way from Cebu City to Dumagette to re-unite with an old friend of mine from Honduras, the lovely Miss Rae.
2) Collect Michelle's missing contacts (Sent from Hawaii with help from Anna and Mat in the US and Rae's permanent address in the Philippines on this end)
3) Do some diving, catch up with Rae, explore the area.

Of these three objectives, none of them went entirely to plan.

First, our Bus from Cebu to Dumagette was running late (no surprises really, we understand Island time). To make matters worse, when she finally did arrive we realized by talking to a few locals that the reason it was running late was that it was having engine problems (again, not a surprise here). After boarding our Yellow Beast bound for points south, she sputtered, coughed, the AC kicked off and there we sat helpless in the middle of swarming traffic not 10 meters outside of the bus station.

Now before you go on any further, please understand that this IS a developing country and these things happen. However, the issue at the time was that our bus not only needed to navigate down to the southern tip of our island (Cebu) but needed to do so in time to make the last Ferry over to the neighbor island of Negros around 9:30pm. So, our 3pm bus had turned into a 4pm bus and now we sit lame and lifeless in the middle of hectic afternoon traffic.

Within 10 minutes the busy bus boys were able to get it fired up and off we limped into some side street not normally reserved for tourists. The discussion to abandon ship with our backpacks had been scrapped and it was our understanding that we would be heading back to the bus yard to get the right part and then continue on our way.



I realize I'm going on and on here, but stick with it....... 5pm, we depart Cebu and make our way through the outskirts of town. 6pm, Bus breaks down in a small town outside of the main city center. 6:02pm, by befriending a local city councilman and heck of a nice guy Bobbi, I'm able to find out that we'll be leaving the pile of scrap metal there in the street and awaiting the NEXT bus which is only 2 towns behind us. 6:04pm, I order pizza at the local place which just happens to be where our bus broke down.



Bellies are full, Yellow Bus #2 arrives, and we are off. Michelle and I breathe a sigh of relief and as the surrounding skies become darker, the road continues to get more and more curvy. Our driver seems not to notice and we go careening around the curves honking, flashing the lights and slamming on the brakes whenever he seems to feel it suits him.

Now here is where Michelle and I differ. At times like this I choose to put my iPod in and fall asleep (which is exactly what I did). She, on the other hand, was the victim of carsickness on a scale she cannot remember since childhood. It didn't help that we could barely see the road and because of the double crowded bus were only able to land a seat near the back of the bus. The aforementioned habits of our driver certainly contributed to her illness and all we could hope for at this time was for the trip to come to an end soon in our destination.

To make this incredibly long and crazy story short.... we made it to Dumagette around 11:30 pm, a full 12 hours after leaving our prior guesthouse in Palawan. No vomiting took place on the bus but we had the strange feeling that this island chain had it out for us. We coined the bus ride the Bus to Doom-agette and hoped that our troubles were over.

Upon waking up the next morning, I headed off to phone our friend Rae and see what the best way would be to meet up. We decided to get a tricycle and head out of town for the 45 minute trip around mid-day. Michelle was feeling better and Rae was managing a dive-shop at a "way too out of Michelle and Gabe's budget place" in Dauin but had arranged for us to stay next door to her! Sounds awesome right!?!?!

And it was..... seeing the beautiful Atmosphere Resort and all of Rae's hard work getting the dive center up and running was amazing. She's in charge of lots of little things and keeps busy 6 days a week teaching PADI courses in the pool, guiding dives out at nearby Apo Island and doing millions of other small tasks that make her one of the hardest working chica's in the dive biz.



We were excited that she had the following day off and Michelle was stoked that she could take part in Rae's morning Yoga course! I was excited to set up some diving, hike to a waterfall and talk story with an old friend.....

That is until the next day. Michelle took part in yoga as planned, but really wasn't feeling that great. Her stomach had been bothering her for a while but by Thursday afternoon it was clear that something wasn't right. Her pains continued as we treked to an amazing waterfall and told Rae all about our wedding. By the time sunset on Thursday, Miche was not a happy camper. She tried to tough it out and by Friday morning we made the decision that it was time to head to the clinic 5 minutes down the road.

Rae was nice enough to let us borrow her car and we embarked on what we thought would be a quick journey. Not so as the looks on the faces of the locals at the clinic told us that we should probably not interfere. It was a frustrating moment where we understood that we would have to wait like everyone else and the employees at the clinic falsely thinking we demanded to be seen ASAP because of the color of our skin. We made the decision to make the 45 minute drive back to Dumagette on the advice of Rae and try to see a doc at the Siliman University Medical Center.

Now.... remember I'm driving an unfamiliar car, in an unfamiliar place, weaving through traffic but obeying the rules of the road. I see and I assess the situation... bikes, dogs, children, motorbikes, Jeepneys, cars, SUVs, big crazy honking careening Yellow Busses. You name it and I'm dealing with it. Michelle is groaning in pain and mind you I have no idea where I'm heading. I know the road leads to the town but don't know where the hospital is so I dial Rae on our travel cell phone (which quite luckily we picked up used the day before in town) and she gives me directions.

From this point on we feel like we are in good hands. Our entry to the second leg of our journey has been rough. Michelle is in some crazy pain but as our luck would have it the Doc is a sweet older lady who recognizes the symptoms and signs and admits Michelle immediately.

48 hours in a Philippino hospital may not sound like a good time to you all, but we made the most of it. Our Air-Con room had a TV with plenty to watch on it and the staff were terrific. She was diagnosed with some sort of Aemobic Dysentary (sp?) and we were told it was quite common in the area with both locals and Westerners. Sleep was difficult for both of us as every few hours the nurses would come in to take BP or administer meds. She was given tons of fluids through her IV and by the second day was able to take in a bit of food.

Silly Hospital Photo not included as per Michelle's request

We consider ourselves very lucky that this happened where it did. Siliman is a very good facility and by the time we were able to leave we had a great respect for the Doctors and nurses there. Things don't work quite like they do in the West however and I found myself running off to the neighboring pharmacy a handful of times over the weekend as they don't just get the meds for you but rather write you a scrip and then let you shop around for the best price! Can you imagine if that happened in the states?

So, all in all an unplanned visit to the hospital took only a few days out of our trip and cost us around $200 US. We are happy to have travel insurance but were both amazed at the bottom line.... anyone want to guess what it might have cost in the States?

Here we are now a week later and Michelle is almost 100%. She finishes up her meds soon and each day her appetite has come back more and more. Here she is at breakfast today with good healthy stuff like Muslei and Fruit!!!



We managed to get one nice day of diving at Apo Reef before leaving Negros, but were not able to have Rae as a guide as she was busy back at the resort. With our guide Lemi, I chose to do 3 amazing drift dives (Michelle joined for the first) and have nothing but good things to report from Apo Island. From blue ribbon eels, sweetlips, randall's shrimp gobys, a massive school of big eye jacks, several huge 100 pound grouper, schools of barracuda, hawksbill turtle and a man sized bumphead parrotfish they have done a great job keeping it safe as a Marine Sanctuary.

We know that problems with the reefs persist here in the Philippines with dynamite fishing and cyanide fishing along with anchor damage and overfishing in general but the areas seem to be holding on. Each time you visit one of these parks there are fees that you must pay. The fees go to patrolling the are against poachers and for general maintenance. It sure would be nice if we could get something like this going at Sharks Cove.... hmmmm.

Here are some shots from our dives at Apo including the Remora that hitched a ride for half the dive on my calf!






Our journey finds us now on the small island of Panglao off the coast of Bohol. We took a fast ferry over (i put the iPod in and fell asleep and Michelle did NOT get sick) and met a nice American gal, and a Canadian couple. I'll tell you all more about the diving, dolphin watching and more later but here are a few photos to get you started....




Finally, as our trip winds down we look back and find comfort in a few things.
1) Even though it sucks to get sick, we are glad it happened where it did.
2) Travel Insurance might actually pay off this time!
3) Good friends at the right time in a journey can be amazing.... thanks Rae!
4) Never sit in the back of a Philippino Bus
5) Health care is too expensive in America.

Hugs to all at home. We keep rolling on and have just more than a week left. Next up WHALESHARKS!!!! Stay tuned.

Gaberaham

Wildlife and Luxury in Sabang

There are few things so quintesentially Philipino as a ride on a dusty twisting road on a jeepney. After a dusty busride through the heart of Palawan with a stop off in TayTay, home of an old Spanish fort and the best meal I've had at Casa Rosa, and a quick stop in the provincial capital of Puerto Princessa, we hopped on our first jeepney. So it was on this elaborately painted, overgrown jeep that we clung (literally clung, as we chose to hold onto the back of the thing rather then sit inside) and bounced over dirt roads through gorgeous limestone mountains on our ride to Sabang.



Sabang is home to the famous subteranean river but nobody mentioned the stunning expanse of beach, relaxed atmosphere and breathtaking pink and yellow sunsets. I was in heaven in our little grass hut under swaying palms on a pristine beach.



After a day of me lazing about and Gabe sweating on jungle trails we made our way along the monkey trail to the underground river that makes the region so famous. The monkey trail took us across beaches and up into the jungle then down into a Indiana Jones scene of wooden bridges and stairways where monkeys oversee your passage from the crazy limestone formations overhead. A monitor lizard or three were there to greet us as we came to the end of the trail and made our way to the river. A beautiful azure pool beckons to us after a hot hike, but no swimming is allowed at the national treasure. Instead a dock awaits us where little bangka boats ferry orange life-vested tourists in and out of the limestone cave like orange centipedes. Our turn came up and like Jules Vernes we floated into the dark and vacuous cave, exploring deep into the Earth while bats screeched above us, Gabe held the flashlight and in his awe he sacrificed his helmet to the dark waters.







We decided to finish our time in Sabang in style. We threw our backpacking budget to the wind and spent Valentines night in a fancy resort. We reveled in every little luxury...hot showers, resort robes and slippers, a minibar, and toilets that flush! We topped off the experience by getting all dressed up for a Valentines dinner. Our romantic dinner was attended on by a stellar resort staff, including Mosa, the dog who decided to curl up at Gabes feet, and Princess, the kitten who terrorized the rest of the restaurant before cuddling in my lap and purring contentedly.








Next stop is the Visayas, and just wait until you hear that story...

Lovely El Nido

I shall pick up where Gabe left off...

After eight hours on the roof of a Bangka, careening past the hundreds of islands of Northern Palawan via the South China Sea we arrived in the quaint town of El Nido. This beach front town, backed up against massive limestone cliffs and surrounded by rocky outcrops looming from the ocean, is quite a sight in itself. Add to that a population of friendly locals, lot's of hammocks, restaurants where you can sip smoothies with your toes in the sand and absolutely adorable children begging to say hello and sing you songs, and you have the little slice of heaven that is El Nido.

We spent our first couple of nights in a little hut backed up against the cliffs...but the early wake-up call of roosters just feet away and motorcycles roaring to work each morning had us packing up to look for something a little more peaceful. Upon the hi recommendations of Michelle and Shelly, we made our way to a lovely place called Sunset Lovers Point...what could be better for a honeymoon. Here we found ourselves a perfect oasis right on the ocean. Many hours were wiled away on our lanai sipping SMB's as we listened to the waves.

The real draw to El Nido is for the island hopping. Just beyond our honeymoon hideaway the Bacuit Archipelago lay before us. This bay of 100+ islands is filled with towering limestone formations. Hidden among the impressive rocks are tiny lagoons only accessible by swimming through cracks in the rock, white sand beaches where you can sit in the sun and soak in tropical rays as well as a vision of the ocean in every shade of blue, healthy coral reef offering more fish then I've seen in years along with so many colors of soft and hard coral. We spent two adventure filled days exploring the islands. What an awesome place!




A sweet hat made by our awesome guide Dodong




Another adventure that must be mentioned is of the culinary sort. Let's call this one Gabe conquers balut. For those of you that don't know, balut is a very popular Philippino snack comprised of a hard boiled ckicken fetus. That's right, fetus. They take the fertilized chicken egg, boil it and serve with a bit of vinegar and chili. This is not my idea of a good meal but Gabe would not be stopped. So despite my thoughts of bird flu Gabe took on balut and I think he won. Our fantastic island hopping guide, Dodong of Seaslugs, was stoked to share his national food with a crazy, hairy American. They bonded over feathers and beaks. You will have to ask Gabe how he liked it...apparently it tastes like chicken!




The obligatory Asia motorcycle adventure, part 1. We named her the green monster. It was a fun ride out to a local waterfall.




On to the next adventure!