Continental breakfast was included with my room; for an additional $2. i am not usually a breakfast person, but had said i would take it; after that first morning, i decided, i would decline. It was 2 pieces of toast, 1 teaspoon each of of jam and butter, coffee or tea. i will be happier with my peanut butter, banana, and crackers.
Before dropping Annelie and i off yesterday at our hotels, we hired Jezrel, our tricycle driver to take us on a tour of the island. He picked up Annelie first and arrived on time at 8am. Off we went. i knew that his tricycle seemed louder and more noisy than some, so i was happy that i came prepared with my earplugs; i needed them !
First stop was a place featured the Century-old Balete Tree
and an area where you sat on a cement surrounded pond, and put your feet in the water. There were little fishes in there that would eat the dead skin off your feet ! i was hesitant at first, but HAD to try it. It felt weird with just tiny little nip. Annelie wouldn't even try it :(
Unfortunately, they also had a poor monkey in a cage. Some asshole tourist had a cigarette and was trying to get the monkey to touch the burning end. i was not shy about grabbing at his arm and telling-showing him how i felt about THAT !
Up the hill they also had a primitive ‘zoo’. Animals in cages :( …bunnies, more monkeys, guinea pigs, parakeets, pigeons, and very large fruit bats.
As we drove to our next destination, Jezrel stopped to show us the top of the mountain that had been excavated away; in the distance in the photo. He seemed disappointed, i said that it was nice that they would use the stone for the roads. He said, no, they were exporting it ... and lots of money was being made illegally and nothing for the people of the island. He said their new President Duterte has put a stop to the mining ... at least that's what he said and seemed happy about it.
Next stop was an old Cathedral from 1885. Unfortunately it was not open that day. I would have loved to go inside and take a look :(
and the largest Catholic Convent in Asia is being refurbished.
Next stop, the Cambugahay Falls. WoW ! i did not expect the water to be so turquoise ! … rope swings, and sliding down the falls for the 'young' kids :) i did not plan very well for the day, and did not bring a swim suit… i would have liked to take a dip, it was hot and it would have felt good!
It actually had 2 levels of falls … very pretty
Third was the Salagdoong Beach ‘Resort’…. that term is used very loosely in this part of the world :) Here we stopped for lunch, and IF i had been better prepared with a swim suit, and even snorkel gear …. we would have spent more time ! It was a beautiful beach …
Lots of rocks from which you could jump … i might have even tried that from one of the lowest platforms … i couldn’t be that much higher than jumping off Mumy’s boat house roof :)
i would have liked to come back here and spend the day snorkeling and 'beaching-it', which i never do … but it was on the exact opposite side of the island and i didn’t fit it into my schedule.
We continued around the island, stopping for a few photos
and went through the largest town of Larena, which was way too noisy, busy, exhaust-smelly for me :)
Last stop was at a series of plank walkways to several little ‘tree houses’ over the water. Jezrel said they can be rented, they were really primative and didn't look too sturdy.
He also explained that at low tide the only water in this Mangrove area is from fresh water springs. The local people come here to do their laundry, in FRESH water. Not sure exactly how that works, but then i am very far removed from the ways of life in these islands!
By the time i got home, it was hot and sweaty, and my ears hurt from the loud motorbike engine, and we got back earlier than i thought we would. So, before dinner i dashed into the water out front of Hambilica to see what the snorkeling was like...‘right out front’. Again, not extremely impressed, but i always seem to find something unusual or new. On the way out, in the shallows, i spotted this little black blob. i have not been able to identify it yet (the non-fish species are a bit harder to research). A slow-moving organism. Probably a Nudibranch or Sea Slug or Flat Worm.
As i observed more closely, i noticed he was not just a 'black blob’, but had a pretty scrawled pattern and depending upon the light, quite bright and striking
Out in the deeper water, i did see this Juvenile Black Snapper, swimming over the wall, i thought was really cute.
He looks like a tiny Orca !
and this might be a type of coral, haven’t found it in a book yet. It was so unusual because it had seaweed-type ‘leaves’ on the outside, but then this pretty soft and smooth spotted inside that sloped into a bowl lined in green and more spots. i hope i don’t find out it is some kind of evil invasive organism again.
It was low tide, so i was able to cross the 'excavation' and walk far enough south to see the SunSet. This was my first SunSet since i've been here ! .... and there were a LOT of clouds
Fun full day !
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