getting back to Bohol. a Fast Ferry from Camotes Islands to Cebu City, arriving around 11am
there are 2 boats leaving Camotes for Cebu City: 8am and 5pm ... up at 6am and on the tricycle at 6:30. Jane said that the 'short cut' to the Port at Poro was too bumpy and too steep for the tricycle, so we would have to take the 'long road'. i am pretty sure that my trusty tricycle driver took the 'short cut' .... at one point i thought i was going to have to get out and push the motor bike to the top of the hill. the roads were rutted and slanted to the sides, and everytime we crossed a stream bed, i thought i was going to fall out, tumbling down the ravine. i think that was the scariest transport i have ever taken. i was happy to get there in one piece.... and even before the ticket booth opened thanks to the 'short cut' :)
after checking in my bag, i met the most delightful little girl. she spoke very good English and was obviously 'taken' with me. she came right over and snuggled right up to me. we went through the photos in my phone and i showed her the snow on my deck, Monarchs (which she knew about), turtles, and swans... and of course, Mufasa. she was very sweet. this is her and her 'adopted' Mom...Mom told me that, not sure why she felt it necessary
once in Cebu City, the next Ferry left at 11:40 ... i had just enough time to hope on board and travel down to Tagbilarian
i watched Geo Storm ... and enjoyed it .... as much as i could ... it was FREEZING in there. it wouldn't have been so bad if they didn't have the fan on full-blast. i had to complain twice to 2 guys who were on their phones before one of them finally got up and did something.
returning to Panglao, Bohol, with Kevin, Nadia, Pat, and Viana, was the right thing to do. i got to visit with them, a little snorkeling, out to dinner, and re-group for the next segment of my adventure.
i joined them to several parties with their friends, and girlfriends that i had met at other parties.
i am the blonde one ..... and much older :(
i’ve seen very few sunsets here, due to the location-positioning; but one evening the sky was on fire
i did a little bit of snorkeling. my Olympus camera had been ‘fogging up’, so i put it in a bag of rice until i got to Indonesia. so, i was forced into using the GoPro, still with unacceptable results.
this is a Jansen’s Wrasse
and a Spotted Box Fish - Female
it was nice to see healthy soft corals again :) that is a Yellow Cigar Wrasse enjoying his home
one day the water seemed colder than usual, so i headed in shallower (warmer) water and spent some time warming up and seeing who lives in these waters. this was a JellyFish (non-stinging, i think)
i spent a lot of time watching these 2 well-camouflaged fishes, participating in some type of mating-dance. i've tried to identify them, but have not been successful so far
the shallows are very interesting, if you are patient, and it's pretty easy to do when the water is so warm :)
also got to visit with my little kitty friend who had some issues with his ears and face, since i’d been gone
but they had been treating him with some medicine and it looked like he was healing. poor baby :(
my last day, i got in the water for a snorkel. the waves were coming in pretty good, but that wasn’t going to stop me. i wasn’t out there long before i saw this small golden jellyfish pulsating through the water. it was the size of grain of rice. i swam as fast as i could to get out of that area. unfortunately, i wasn’t fast enough. i felt that same ‘prickling’ on my back again, then on my neck, then on my sides. DAMN ! how could this happen to me again? i took my shirt off in the water, hoping to release them before they stung me further; and headed for shore. i was out pretty far, so it probably took me 15min to get out of the water. i stopped at a store and bought a bottle of vinegar and enlisted Nadia’s help in 'dousing' all the areas that i couldn’t reach—over and over again. they had already started swelling and itching.
she started covering me with Tea Tree Oil, which alleviated the itching temporarily. i was miserable for another 3 days, before the itching subsided. i wanted to crawl out of my skin ! how could i get so unlucky twice ! i am a JellyFish Magnet :(
my last night we had another birthday party to attend. the birthday party featured a wonderful tasting pig. i like how they delivered it in a cardboard box, sized to fit perfectly :)
and a live band … with this new high-tech drum set … WoW, who knew ! it was a fun night. those Philippino girls know how to dance and party !
back on the road again: back to the Tagbilarian Ferry Terminal to Cebu City for my flight out at 5pm.
the next morning it was POURING rain. i was going to take a tricycle, but splurged on a taxi in order to arrive dry.
when i checked my bag at the Ferry terminal they charged me 100pesos ... it seemed like a lot, and i objected, but he said that was the price. when i went through security, there was an older gentleman behind me and asked me how much they charged me for my bag. i told him, he said, 'go back there, they are trying to rip you off, i paid 20pesos.' i marched right back and protested, they eagerly refunded me 80pesos .... grrrrrr
i arrived at Cebu Airport in plenty of time for my flight
thank you all for following along on this 2 month journey in the Philippines. i appreciate your emails and comments, it makes me feel more connected.
stay tuned for the last month of adventure ....
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