Malapascua Island

to get to Malapascua Island, it's a bus ride from Cebu City to the Maya Port, at the tip of the island, beyond Bogo City;  then a ferry to Malapascua Island

Alex and i got a taxi in Cebu City to the North Terminal and hopped on a 210peso bus at about 5am. it was a 4hr journey up to Maya, at the north tip of Cebu. in actuality it is only 85 miles!   travel is painstakingly slow here !    this was a Cirus Air Conditioned bus ... but they had the most uncomfortable seats i think i have ever been in :(


when we arrived at the Port in Maya, it was raining …i looked at the seas and they did not look friendly :)   we carefully boarded the 100peso banca that would take us to Malapascua Island


the rain didn’t last long, but the seas were a bit rough and the trip there was stop and go battling the waves, but we made it safely.


a ‘porter’ grabbed my big bag and carried it to Mr Kwiiz, which was a 10min walk. i liked this place immediately because of this sign.
this is a recent island initiative … one that i truly support … why can’t we do this in the USA ?

sitting in the dining area, waiting for my room to be prepared … i immediately fell in love … with Baby Zane !    i was there for a week, and i never saw this little baby boy cry or fuss, he was just was always smiling ..... at me :)

i might also mention that he has a huge ‘family’ and someone was always holding him.   he was always clean and had clean clothes on … what a sweet baby !     and, coming from me … that says a LOT !


Divers flock to Malapascua Island to dive with the Thresher Sharks.   they are an interesting species that live at 1,800 feet.   but they come to a certain ‘cleaning station’ at about 90-100 feet, much like the Manta Rays that i saw last year in Indonesia.    Divers leave at 5am in hopes to see them.    they have extremely long tails and very big eyes, so they can see in the dark depths.   they swim really fast into a group of fish, and then stop very quickly, which makes their long tail whip forward and 'stun' the fishes.   then it turns around and eats them!   for whatever reason, they are not compelling for me; which is just as well, because i cannot dive with my cold.    i am just here to ‘escape’ the Michigan cold, and ‘do nothing’ :)      Alex is interested in diving with them.   the first day we canvassed the beach gathering information and prices on:  the Thresher Shark dives, a day trip to Kalanggaman Island, day snorkel trips, and motorbike rides around the island.    

the first day sunset

i was there for 7 nights, and honestly don’t know what i did while i was there … not much :)    time goes so fast when you are doing nothing.    we did take a boat tour to Kalanggaman Island … a very tiny island.     i went in hopes of some good snorkeling.    it was a typical ‘Philippine’ tour.    it left late, we had to wait for another boat to show up, and was over-booked.     i counted 70+ people on the boat rated for 26 passengers :)

we were the last boat arriving on the very pretty island, there were several other tour boats already on the small island and most of the cabanas were occupied - there were lots of people there … which kind of ruined the atmosphere.   i think they need to limit the number of boats/people that can visit each day ... but that will never happen

i had an opportunity to snorkel for 1.5hrs.    the sea was rough, not a problem for me, …but there was little to see.    and the coral was in sad shape.

there were 2 floating signs that said ‘Giant Clam Sanctuary’.    i briefly looked around the signs and didn’t see any, so i headed for deeper water to find the ‘Giant’ clams.    finding none, i retreated back to the floating sign.    yep .. i found some ‘BABY' Giant Clams’… actually lots of them … but they were all quite small … not GIANT, like i was expecting !

most of them were pretty

but some of these clams did not look so good.    they had no pretty colors; and their ‘insides’ looked ‘fuzzy’ to me.  but with my poor eye-sight, i couldn’t really tell until i looked at the photos.   i was right ... fuzzy
this one looks like it is in the process of dying

 and this one looks dead   :(

after this, i had to do some research on Clams … yes these were dying from Coral Bleaching.   a direct result of the water becoming too warm.    this is now a HUGE problem on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, of epic proportions ... and obviously here too …

When the coral dies, the entire ecosystem around it transforms… the slow decline:
--Fish that normally feed on the coral, use it as shelter, or nibble on the algae that grows among it, will die or move away.
—Bigger fish that feed on those fish disappear too.
--Birds that eat fish, now lose their energy source
—Island plants that thrive on bird droppings are depleted
--And, of course, people who rely on reefs for food, income or shelter from waves – some half a billion people worldwide – lose their vital resource.
sad what is happening to our earth :(


before my time was up, i did get a photo of this Juvenile Bristle Tail Tang

and some adults

it was time to get out of the water for our included BBQ lunch.    it rained a bit and it was another hour or so (that i could have stayed in the water); but eventually lunch was served.    lunch was great: grilled chicken, pork, fresh tuna, rice of course, pancit (noodles w/veggies and i’ve come to really like this local dish) watermelon and soft drinks.     all in all a good lunch.   it was cloudy and i was ready to go; but because we started late, we were staying another couple of hours in not so nice weather.

Alex spent the night there, in a tent, on the ground, with no pad, no fresh water.   it sounded like fun, kind of .... but i had already booked/paid for my room, so i went back with the boat.    we arrived back just as the sun was setting, a long day

the next morning i scheduled a ‘personal island snorkel tour’ … it was not worth the money.   i spent 20+minutes and believed that i had communicated my wishes for my own personal snorkel experience, to a 'smooth-talking-english-speaking’ local.    he obviously paid no attention to what i had said, and sent me on ‘run-of-the-mill’ snorkel tour with a guy and his wife, who could not speak English.  (one of my criteria was they were English speaking, it's difficult to sit with someone for hours and not be able to talk).    in the future i will make sure that i talk directly to the person who will be the ‘boat captain’ and not rely on the 3rd party ‘sales rep’ … grrrrrr

the first stop on my 'personal tour' was at Coral Gardens ….quite a way off shore … the seas had really picked up, but i got in the water and managed to stay a half hour

i hope that on a better day, the coral would look better.    but today was not an ideal day, and i had a hard time seeing any beauty.   it was a huge area of corals, there had to be something there; but i wasn’t going to see it today.

i saw a few fishes.     a Long Beaked CoralFish that continued to elude me time and time again.    it’s a pretty fish, but this is the only shot i got

one nice piece of coral

this was a pretty bright site on the reef … it is a ‘Burrowing Clam’ …. different from the Giant Clams. this one ‘burrows’ into the coral, as opposed to standing up straight.

here is a pic taken from the water looking at ‘my boat’ … not a great day

when you are snorkeling it’s hard to tell just how big the waves are.    you are just part of them and float and bob as they roll.   it’s not until you get out of the water that you realize…. hummm, them are some serious waves !


i took this video of us in the boat to give you an idea of the size of the waves.     the boat was good size and stable, so i wasn’t worried — plus, i had my snorkel gear if i fell over board ;)

i should also mention that with the huge waves, came lots of clouds and wind.    ...i was cold :(

but i persisted.    the next ‘snorkel stop’ was a non-snorkel-stop …. there was nothing there, rock ledges and a deep ‘pit’ …. what a waste.    i managed to find these Spot Gill Cardinal Fish that i meet for the first time in Anda

i lasted 10min there :(      ....disgusted, i got back in the boat.



on to the next ‘non-snorkel stop’ …. the Japanese Ship Wreck.   some people love to dive a ship wreck …i don’t get it …. and i specifically told Mr. Smooth-Talker that i did NOT want to go to the Ship Wreck.    this piece of information he was supposed to relay to my boat Captain.    obviously that didn’t happen.   before i got in the water the captain said ‘last stop’ …. i said no, i get 4, not 3.     i don’t know where he was going to take me next, but i was going to find out and hopefully get my money’s worth.

i got in the water and dove down and took some photos of the sunken ship … exciting, huh?     ....you decide …

10min later and we were motoring off to a couple of large rocks off shore.     this actually is probably a good snorkel spot on a different day.    not really any coral there, just the rocks, but there were shallow areas and deep drop off, so i saw quite a few fishes.    fortunately, my boat captain coached me on where NOT to go because of a ‘strong current’.     so my snorkel area was very limited.     another 15min and i was cold and done.

i thanked my Captain, and his wife, who could speak a little English .. it wasn’t his fault.  

when i made this ‘deal’, i did not have the correct change.   so i owed Mr. 'Smooth-Talker' another 100pesos when we finished.    Fat Chance !     ... If i see him again, he’ll get an ear-ful, and not one peso more.    live and learn, and then learn again   :)


Alex returned and we went to dinner.     it really is nice to have someone to have dinner with and share the day’s experiences, good or bad.    i will say we had a couple very nice 'classy' dinners

the next morning, Alex and i walked to the north end of the island.     it was sunny and hot!     we walked up to the LightHouse ……. which shockingly provided no views.    ...that was a hot sticky climb for nothing.    then we walked down to the beautiful beach and spent several hours in the shade.    neither of us needed any more sun, and it would have been unbearably hot.   when we arrived, the tide was out and we put our towels down, by the time we left, our feet were almost in the water.    there are huge tide swings here

  

it looked like the clouds were forming, so we found a guy with a motorbike to give us a ride back.    neither of us had any interest in walking.     we returned to our rooms just as the skies let loose again.   it has rained every day we’ve been here.     we really thought that after that Tropical Storm-Typhoon, all the rainy weather would be gone for awhile … not …



the next day Alex went for a dive with the Thresher Sharks.   i called a guy that we met the first day and asked him if he would take me on a motorbike tour of the island.    what a great day we had !     such a nice young man, Roland   .... he posed me 'here', and posed me 'there', for lots and lots of photos of the beautiful views.

when i got back and looked at all the photos he took.   i then realized he was taking photos of 'ME'   ... i was centered in every one of them !

 ... i didn't mind being in the photos, as a 'footnote' ....but i really wanted photos of the beautiful views  :(      more than ever, i realize how important 'composition' is in a photo, and i had to do a lot of cropping.     but he was sweet and was having fun  :)    
he totally choreographed this photo   :)

we took photos from high up on the cliffs where 'kids' jump into the water ..... a VERY high cliff ... crazy !

there were beautiful views everywhere you looked.    the water was amazingly clear

 then down to the beach

past where Alex and i were, and up some steps that someone painstakingly took a lot of time to design and build

to where a Dive Shop, Resort, and Restaurant once stood before Typhoon Yolanda destroyed it the morning of 8 November 2013.   Malapascua took a direct hit from the super-typhoon Yolanda, the strongest typhoon ever measured in the recorded history.    (unfortunately, that record has probably been beaten a time or 2 since 2013 The typhoon left Malapascua almost completely devastated with more than 95% of all buildings totally destroyed or severely damaged.

many were rebuilt, but this one was not.   this is the remains of what appears to have been a very nice Resort.    the bar at the restaurant

overlooking this 

the building in the distance is what's left of the Dive Shop on this beautiful beach

i was taken by how much time, effort, and money someone(s), put their heart into this making this Resort .. lots of small ponds/waterfalls, now overgrown .... and to have had to walk away from it all -- destroyed

i should also mention that while Roland and i were at one of the beaches, we ran into Mr. sweet-talking-english-speaking jerk that i booked my personal snorkel tour with.    he recognized me right away with a smile, and i let him know how angry and disappointed i was in his performance.    he shrugged and got on his motorbike and left.   there, i felt better  :)     if anyone is reading this blog and looking for reviews ... his name is Jason .... find someone else !

i haven't said too much about Mr. Kwiiz where we stayed, other than i met my little Baby Zane boyfriend there, and they don't use straws.     it was on a 'back street', where the locals live, and not on the main beach.    which would be nice and quiet ... we thought ... until the first morning.    when we heard the roosters crowing

i actually like hearing a rooster crow in the morning, reminds me of my Grandparents farm.   however, this was not just one rooster.    what we learned was that out our back door was a 'Rooster Farm' .... and there were 20-30+ roosters ... all crowing at the same time.    ok, now that's a bit much
they were all beautiful birds

and, the unfortunate part of this, for the roosters, is that they are being raised for Cock Fighting  !     they attach razor blades to their feet, and only the winner comes out alive  .. i don't have to tell you my feelings on that subject.    but it is a favorite Philippines 'pastime' on Saturdays and Sundays    :(


other than that, i have mixed emotions about Mr. Kwiiz as a place to stay.     the food was basic but really very good, and cheap... that's a big plus.    their English is not very good, and they didn't seem very willing to do anything, nor were they very flexible with their bookings and requests.     although the sheets were clean, as far as i could tell, they were stained and thread-bare.    but i was there for 7 nights, and at the end, the girls began to 'warm up' to me.

i needed to plan my next move.    this is always a struggle, especially without good WiFi.   fortunately, when i was in Anda, the guys helped me get my cell phone set up to use as a 'hot spot' so i could get internet through the cell phone signal.    this turned out to be an amazing life-saver!   it works really well as long as you have good cell service, which was pretty good most of the time, ...slow, but working.     Alex was leaving for Germany, and it was time for me to go too.

the Camotes Islands were on my original list of places to visit.    so i started researching:   which of the 3 islands do i want to be on?   what part of that island?    do i want peace and quiet, or noisy-lively where i might meet some people?    which facility do i want to stay at... or can i afford to stay at?   not knowing if i will like it there or not, how long do i want to book for?    how do i get to the island?   once on the island, how do i get to the resort?   and where can i get some more money before going there, because there are no ATM machines on the islands.

after a couple of days, i had it figured out ... at least the major parts.

Malapascua Island summary:   it's a small, rather flat island.   2km x .5km (about 1.5miles x 1/3 of a mile), they say you can walk around it in 1-2hrs.     no cars, nor tricycles because all the 'streets' are sand ... only motorbikes with horns, which they use frequently.   it means, 'i'm coming through get out of the way'.   this is TOTALLY normal for the Philippines, and the sooner you learn this, the better  :(    

i really like islands with sand streets and no cars ... there are a few:  Caye Caulker in Belize; Gili Air in Indonesia; Ko Lipe and Ko Kraden in Thailand .... my kind of places !

there are a lot of families living in the interior with little more than a roof over their heads.   it's hard to see.   most were born there and will die there, never knowing anything else.    but all seem happy; there's a lesson there.    it has some beautiful beaches and scenery.   there are some nice 'resorts' there, that serve very nice meals, if you want to spend your money that way.   but, there is little to do except diving, eating and relaxing; and no snorkeling from shore  :)

one more photo of Baby Zane ...he looks like he has a halo  ;)   ....and that little girls is a beauty

on to the Camotes Islands in the next blog.

Limasawa Island, Typhoon, and Leyte Exit

i am leaving Padre Burgos and heading south to that little sliver of an island called Limasawa

a nice SunRise for a new beginning to a new short adventure

i left most of my luggage at Peter’s and headed for the dock in Padre Burgos for an 8am banca, costing 50pesos.   on the dock i soon learned that there was no 8am banca.      a construction banca was being loaded, but i was told they would not take passengers.   ok …. then i saw 2 boats approaching from the direction of Limasawa.    they docked, i asked a lot of people, but couldn’t get an answer, then someone said they might leave at 12 or 1.    this is so EXASPERATING !

the thing you hear and learn about the Philippinos as a people:   if you ask a question, and they don’t know the answer, they won’t just say they don’t know, they will give you an answer, whatever it is.   i don’t know if this is because they are embarrassed that they don’t understand, or they are just getting their laughs for the day :)    at any rate this is absolutely true !

there was guy with a small banca (my least favorite option), but he wanted 500 pesos for the private trip, no deal.   another backpacker showed up and a guy yelled at the construction boat, and told him it was ok to get on.    so we both got on, only to be told by the SAME guy that said it was ok, ...to get off :(     i was walking down the dock to go back to Peter’s, when the guy with the small boat motioned for me.    he had 2 women who were going to Limasawa,  and i could go for 100pesos.   oh man, that boat was small, and 3 of us ?    i looked at the sea, it looked pretty calm, and the 2 women did not look like they had a death-wish … i reluctantly got in.


i tried to relax, but it wasn’t easy … it was ONLY an hour trip over open water :(      the nice lady facing me tried to reassure me that it would be ok, and she was with her mother … certainly she wouldn’t endanger her own mother.

eventually we made it …… i took this photo once we safely reached the Limasawa shore … small banca !

soon i was on a habal habal to Dak Dak Resort. this place has a very large property all along a beautiful beach.

it is run by a woman and some of her grown children.   she has 5-6 ‘huts’ right on the beach, that share a bathroom.    i had booked a hut. ...she showed me the hut, it was nice enough with a fan.    but she encouraged me to also look at her air conditioned private rooms (she only has 2), and of course, they were more expensive.   they were up in the ‘big house’

with a nice porch, and they would prepare my meals for me (extra); i had access to the refrigerator and cold water, and there was WiFi on the porch …

i still wasn’t sure i needed to stay in the big house.    then i started to ‘hear the fine print’ … if i stay in the hut, i cannot go on the porch, nor use the WiFi … they would prepare my meals, but i would have to eat them by my hut. …..she really wanted me to stay in the private room, with A/C, so she gave me a $10 discount.   it sounds kind of ‘underhanded’, but i really liked her, and the room was quite nice :)

the night before i left Peter’s, the Chinese were so loud in the dining room, that i went outside and sat by the water with my laptop.     when i got into my room my back, shoulders, and neck were itching like crazy, then during the night it was even worse.    i figured i had gotten bitten by mosquitos/bugs, even though i saw none.

so now, i was hot and sweaty and my back was itching me something terrible, and i really don’t think i could have tolerated a sweaty night with only a fan, with my skin that i wanted to crawl out of.      by this time i was really miserable.   she gave me some ‘special power oil’ that she said would help the itching.   of course, i couldn’t reach my back, so her daughter applied it to my back and massaged it…. i asked her to take a photo because i couldn’t see it.   i didn’t know how horrible it was until i saw the photos.    my back was covered in welts !   they were also on my shouders and under my arms..... and on my butt cheeks !   i was a mess

i started to think about this … there is no way i could have been bitten by an insect(s) that many times without my knowing it !    i started thinking, … i remembered that when i was snorkeling the day before..... remember the photo of that JellyFish?    during the snorkel, i felt something ‘picking’ my back and butt.     i am quite sure now, that i snorkeled through some jellyfish larvae (called sea lice) , and they got inside my shirt and pants and stung the hell out of me.   i don’t think i’ve ever been so miserable !


they fixed me a nice dinner, including fresh garlic shrimp, and we visited. her oldest son lives in Chicago and is a physical therapist. she has a beautiful piece of property, (their investment), but lives so simply (not in the big house). i eventually retired to my A/C room, which by the way, had very fast WiFi right from my bed. i was, however, up ever couple of hours continually applying the oil all through the night.

i had heard about the snorkeling at the Marine Sanctuary and an ‘Island Lagoon’ on line, so i hired my habal habal driver, Marlin, and he took me there.   my idea of a ‘lagoon’ and what i found was totally different. i almost booked a room at the ‘lagoon resort’ … thank God i did not !    this was not a ‘lagoon’ in my opinion

i asked Marlin to pick me up in 2hrs, hoping i could entertain myself for that long.      it was a Saturday and there were lots of island kids in there, jumping and screaming and having fun.     why did i come here on the weekend ? …because i never know what day it is !    actually i took this photo after all the kiddos had left.   it is pretty, but not what i would all a lagoon

i got in the water. the waves were raging and slapping up against the lava rock ledges. i was telling myself that this was a mistake. then i looked down … the first thing i saw was a large Spanish Dancer ! OMG … how could that be ?

it was down 12’ … i dove down to get a better look and take a photo or two.   i even saw the Egg Rose !

YIKES, it felt like someone drove a knife from my nostrils up through my left eye.    WoW, that was painful !    i tried going more slowly a few more times with the same results.

and decided that my cold would now prevent me from diving down while snorkeling too :(

i surface-snorkeled here and there and back again, seeing nothing else; the waves getting larger and larger. time to fight the kids for the ladder and get out.

i found some sun and took a nap. when i got up, it was quiet and the kids were gone. i needed the ‘Comfort Room … oh, ok, up there

so happy i did not book here !     it was really off the beaten path, and down many many rocky steps; and would have been VERY difficult to navigate with more than just snorkel gear in tow.   this is the 'entrance'  ....  ???

Marlin took me back, i got cleaned up, had another nice dinner and visit; and asked about snorkeling tomorrow at the Marine Sanctuary ... which is actually where i should have gone.    tomorrow was Sunday, everyone would be going to Church, but after that, she would find a way for me to get to the Marine Sanctuary (only accessible by $$ banca).

more good WiFi and power oil during the night.

around noon Sunday she returned, she looked real pretty dressed for Church; and i asked again about the Marine Sanctuary… eventually it was arranged.      however, she was not comfortable with me going there ‘alone’ … so she had Gay, one of her daughters go with me.    oh geez …. :(


we got in banca, ...actually i slipped and fell in the water getting in … klutz !      now she was probably more convinced i needed watching :)     and we were off to the Marine Sanctuary.     it encompasses a very large area along the shore.     i was extremely pleased when i got in the water. it was so clear !


and the coral was in great shape and there were lots of fishes !!!!!!!!      yeahhhhhh success !

i had read a review talking about the ‘room size’ Table Coral here … and here it was !     .... amazing !   

 

i snorkeled to the north, looking up every once in awhile checking for Gay … then turned and headed south .. so happy to be here !    i have seen 2 or 3 Moorish Idols swimming together … but never a school of them !     they are so graceful with their large dorsal fin trailing in the current

a lot of different fishes swimming together over the beautiful .. and even more importantly, SHALLOW reef !

i tried to dive down once again to see how it would be today … another knife into my eye … ok … i’m not doing that anymore for awhile.    thankfully it was shallow enough where i didn’t need to :)

i had snorkeled quite a way to the south and looked back to check on Gay … i didn’t see her anywhere,,, then looked forward, and saw her climbing lava rock over lava rock following me … ugh … with the goats following her ... i felt really bad :(     …but no use stopping now.      she was doing what she was told.    it was obvious that the children did EXACTLY what momma wanted — they were a family, a strong loving unit !

this was such a healthy LARGE soft coral organism … WoW !

this is a Black Belt HogFish

more pretty healthy corals

this very colorful fish is a Yellow Tail Corlis ... very fast little bugger

i have never been able to get close enough to these Long Nose ButterFly Fish.    today was a special day

this momma goat and her baby were looking for food on the lava cliffs

i had read that it was best to snorkel the Marine Sanctuary in the morning because once the sun fell over the rocks, it would be cold.     they were right.    i had no choice but to get here in the afternoon, and now i was getting cold.

i got out and told Gay i was ready to go; so was she.     she called someone who was now in Padre Burgos, so it would be another hour before someone could pick us up ...with no sun :(     we talked for awhile… soon a banca was passing by.    she waded into the water, and the banca came to shore.    she said it was her ‘cousin’ … she laughed as she said 'half of the island' is related :) ….i am very happy to have met this family;     they truly embody the definition of a family :)

i got cleaned up and visited with the family again.    ‘mom' had mentioned that i should see the sunset and the ‘Cross’


this island is famous for the site of the ‘First Catholic Mass in the Philippines.    in 1521 Magellan landed here and sent a priest to prepare Mass.    there is a large cross, up 450 steps, to commemorate the event.

it was already 5pm…she sent me up the road to flag-down a habal habal.     after standing there for 15min, and no one would give me a ride, a guy finally came and she told him to take me to the sunset, then to the cross.

well, he didn’t listen.    he took me to the site.   everyone talks about the  ...450 STEPS ! ... way up to the top ! ....  i walked up the 450 steps in record time (old lady that i am).   there were a few teenage boys at the bottom that teased me about 450 steps, then followed me up the steps to ‘keep me honest’ :)

i read that it is a beautiful view from up there, you can see 360: the islands of Bohol and Leyte.     unfortunately, i didn’t read the fine print, and i saw nothing but a lot of trees blocking the view.    i guess i was supposed to walk around the trees 100meters and then i could see the view.     i even asked the ‘boys’, but language mishap, although they HAD to have understood ‘Bohol’ :(    so i totally missed the view and the SunSet as well


this is the 'shrine'

and the story

back at ‘home’ ….. this is ‘mom’, Gay and her younger brother.   you notice they are NOT on that nice porch on the Big House ...

dinner and more conversation before bed.   i paid my bill, plus plus plus.     she was ‘noticeably moved' and said i had paid the full price for the room and more, even though she had given me a discount.    i was happy to give more; they accepted me into their family.    that is worth more than $$$.


ok, warning … several days later, i’m now sitting on another beach writing this: weather is perfect; half-moon in the sky, and i’m having several 'rhum-cokes’, so what follows is a bit ‘wordy’ :)

i was scheduled to take the first ferry from the main dock, back to Padre Burgos at 6:30am.    during the night the wind picked up and it started raining.    at 6am ‘Mom' came to my room and said the weather was turning nasty and she had me on a banca ‘now’, right out front with some other tourists.      i hesitated… i’d had my fill of small boats: ‘was it a big boat, with a cover?’ … yes!     ok.    i tossed everything in the bags and headed for the beach … it was a bigger boat than what i came in on, but not a ‘big’ boat.    it was raining, there were 5 other tourists and me on the boat.   we quickly loaded, and covered ourselves with plastic.    the boat captain took off, then stopped and wanted to know if we would pay an extra 100pesos if he did NOT pick up another 3 people.    where the hell was he going to put 3 more people?    there was no room; but what choice did we have?     i was happy that i was in the ‘back’ of the banca … the person in the front acts as the ‘windshield’ catching all the wind, spray and rain,  i know, because i was the 'windshield' twice last year.    now i know to do whatever i can to load first and be in the back of the banca.   today the 'windshield' was a young kid …. i’m playing the ‘senior citizen card’ more and more these days :)


the ride back to Padre Burgos was surreal… the sky was very dark, it was raining, but not much wind.     i wrapped myself in a thick plastic tarp and stayed dry …. and … the seas were eerily calm as bath water … not a ripple !     the air was heavy and it was obvious some serious weather was on the way.     'Low Pressure', i was told.... which i could tell was not a good thing !


we arrived with rain but safely, and i grabbed a tricycle back to the safety of Peter’s Dive Shop.      unfortunately the ‘Chinese’ were still there !!!!!!!!!!!!     ....but 2 new friends awaited me:  Claire from Virginia, but living and teaching in Singapore, and Alex traveling on his ‘sabbatical’ from Germany.


the weather was turning really nasty now and they were booked for a dive and a Whale Shark Tour.   Peter’s provides a 2hr journey to the Whale Shark destination.   they both traveled here specifically to see the Whale Sharks.      it was touch and go: the dive was cancelled but they took off for the Whale Shark Excursion.   they were lucky: the weather broke for several hours enough for them to get there, interact with the Whale Sharks and return through pretty horrible seas.     when they returned, we had dinner together and ‘bonded’.


i also decided that my ‘cold’, now over a week along, and just getting worse, was something that was not going to go away without some Rx help.    i started myself on antibiotics.


i should also mention that we all fell in love with Princess, the little resident puppy.    she is a good little girl.   i pulled many ticks off her the first couple of days; but then she seemed 'clean' .... at least for a few days  :(    my heart continues to go out to these island dogs; some are in such horrible shape.    Princess is young and maybe she has a chance hanging around Peter's ... i hope !

we were all supposed to leave in the morning … but there was a Typhoon warning and the Coast Guard had closed all the ports.     we were stranded.    luckily Peter’s had rooms and we all spent another night, and bonded further.

the next day was full-blown ‘Signal One Tropical Storm', named Basyang (Sanba)   with maximum winds of 65 km/h and gusts of up to 80 km/h.     i have never experienced torrential downpours constant for two days.     the rain just kept coming.

here is a video of the storm from my balcony at Peter's

we hung out, visited, slept, cancelled our plans, and tried to ‘guess’ what would happen the next day.

i was supposed to go north and spend 2 nights in Inocopan and do an island tour to Cuatro Islands.     Claire was headed to Bohol Island.    Alex was headed to Malapascua Island.

Dino found out that the ferries were all cancelled the next day as well; but … possibly, Plan B, the Night Ferry would run to Cebu.      i was going to stick it out another night and head to Inocopan the next day.     but in the end, going with the 2 of them on the Night Ferry and then going to Malapascua with Alex sounded like more fun.     it’s always more fun to travel with someone, than travel alone !      i just needed to find a place to stay.      finally a room opened up at Mr Kwiiz, where Alex had a reservation.      i considered going to Malapascua last year, but never made it; i guess this is my year.      and at this point in my trip, i’m just looking for somewhere warm, sunny and cheap to stay and hang out.     i have no more ‘great snorkel from shore options’ in my bag of tricks :(



Night Ferry and on to Malapascua Island

Dino, the Manager, the ‘miracle worker’ with all the connections, made all the arrangements for us: private taxi, 2 hrs up to Hilongnos; and tickets on the Night Ferry to Cebu City.    this is the ‘3 Musketeers’ ready for departure at 6:30pm  ....  and hopeful that the Night Ferry would not be cancelled.

all the things i had on my list when i stocked up in the ‘Walmart’ in Maasin City on my way to Peter’s … i neglected to go to the ATM.     my bad!      i assumed; there would be one at Padre Burgos.    i was wrong, thankfully Peter's accepted Visa, which i don't like to use, but nice to know it's there as a back up.    but i was out of cash and there are no ATMs on Malapascua either.   when we got to Hilongos,  it took 2 different ATMs, but i finally got some cash.     and i was ready to go

thankfully the Night Ferry was a ‘go’ too.     we were traveling from Hilongos across the sea to Cebu City

Dino had booked us in ‘tourist’ class, which is what we would call ‘first class’.    we had the air conditioned section.   this was good.    for whatever reason, my stomach had not been ‘happy’ for a couple of days, too many pills and i couldn’t eat.    i was happy to be in the A/C. my first experience on a Night Ferry .. this is the scenario.

i loved it !      the ferry left around 9pm and i slept pretty well.    i woke up once and thought i was going to be ‘sick’, but i talked myself out of it, ‘peed' and went back to sleep :)


6 hours later, and we were in Cebu.    at 3am Alex woke me up and said we were in Cebu City … time to go !    the 3 Musketeers were parting ways: Claire on a Ferry to Bohol and Alex and i on to Malapascua.     our ship in the background ...   a big thank you to these 2 for their friendship.

transport and arrival in Malapascua Island in next blog