Last Day In Saigon

Day 49: Ho Chi Minh City
Was really looking forward to my last day in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon to it's mates) because today's agenda included a trip to the ChiChi Tunnels (where the Viet Cong staged their underground campaign) and finishing off with a chance to shoot and M16 on the rifle range.
I've shot a few different handguns in my time but never a machine gun, especially one with a rate of fire up to 950 rounds per minute, 20 inch barrel and a range of half a mile, developing countries are the only place you will ever get the chance to wield such devastating weaponry without signing on at your local army recruitment office for a two year stint.
All for the price of a hot dinner back home....
I had already rebooked my afternoon flight to accomodate this, the tour finished at 2pm so I changed it to the final flight of the day which was 6pm so I could take my sweet time on the range but still have plenty of time for the cab ride if the traffic was heavy.
Then it happened...
First a sniffle.
Then a cough.
I was falling sick again.
For someone who usually gets sick once every three years the averages were beginning to level out as I have now been sick twice in two months, I can only put it down to being off my usual supplements and catching too many planes. On a side note, it can be advantageous to get on to a plane when you are coughing and spluttering, sure fire way to get a row of seats to yourself. Unfortunately when you get to the other end they will have all the thermo sensors to check for H1N1 so you have to take the flight in shorts, slippers and a singlet to cool your body temperature down or else you will be spending a few days in quarrantine.
Which is not great for your body when you are in a feverish condition...
To make a long story short I cancelled the trip to the range and tunnels and ended up going to the War Museum instead (formerly know as the War Crimes Museum), and looking through the exhibits.
The exhibit covers the effects of Agent Orange on the populace of Vietnam (to this day still), atrocities committed by US Soldiers during the war and the general suffering endured by civilians in the region. Pretty harrowing stuff to say the least.

After about an hour in there looking at all that stuff I really didn't give a shit about shooting that stupid gun anymore.

Peace.

Mekong Delta

Day 48: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Today I went to the Mekong Delta.
We cruised along the river in a big canoe.
When two boats had to pass alongside each other it there wasn't much room....I stopped at a village to take some photosI sat at the side of the road for half an hour trying to get a picture of some Vietnamese villagers walking past in their hats while the flag flew in the breeze behind them...
There wasn't really anything else to do out there.

Good Morning Vietnam

Day 47: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Veet-nam!
Wasn't sure how I was going to like Vietnam, a lot of travellers warn against it but I am having a great time over here and apart from the rip off taxi in from the airport I have nothing but praise for this fair city of Indochina. Will try to recount how I ended up here in 500 words or less because I am really keen to get off the keyboard and back into Saigon for my last night on the town.
Seriously though, I have got to start taking some notes because trying to recollect more than a few days on the road without some form of written assistance makes my brain bleed, if I get some times or dates wrong please extend me some understanding...
Ah yes.
Left Chang Mai on Wednesday afternoon for the beautiful Thai city of Bangkok, which is not actually it's real name, dontcha know? Im back over there on Tuesday before my 2 week sojourn to the monastary so will post again on this wonderful city then. Needless to say, I love the Thailand and have found the Thai people the most friendly, centered and down to earth people I have ever met, it must be some thing in the water over there because everyone is so happy, from the bartenders to the guys digging ditches on the side of the road. I only spent one night in Bangkok (cue music NOW) but found Bangkok as welcoming as all Thai cities I have been in, caught up with a few Malaysian Warriors that are based over there now and had a lovely game of pool and an early night for an early flight the next day.And that's the last time I am booking a flight before 8am.
Was so tired that when I got into Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) at 10am the next day all I wanted to do was go back to bed, which I promptly did when I checked in at the guest house at the other end of the trip.
Saigon is cheap! Just had a massive diner or bbq pork ribs, ceasar salad and 3 marguaritas for the princely sum of 240,000 dong.
That's about 2 American Dollars (AUS2.50 or MYR7.50).
Not bad.
The main event for Vietnam was the Grand Final day yesterday, which despite a valiant effort the Saints managed to lose, much to the heartbreak of all assembled.
Made it down to the Cage pub for the Vietnam Swans Grand Final day, not so cheap here though at US$50 which only included beer, wine and soft drink but was a great atmosphere to watch the game with all the other Aussie expats. Met heaps of people and after the game went off with a few crew to another place on the other side of town for more drinks, by the time I got home was completely hammered and looked at my watch to see the time...
8pm.
Well that's what happens when you start drinking at 10am in the morning.

I think the Vietnamese found the whole event very confusing...
Still can't get Khe San out of my head, will give it a until Friday before getting professional help.

Cliffhanging in Chang Mai

Day 44: Chang Mai, Thailand

I think Chang Mai takes the cake as far as adventure sports goes.

To be perfectly honest, there's not a hell of alot to do in the city, it's all really a jumping off point for all the activities that take place around the mountains and forests outside of the town. You have your pick of rock climbing where you can go out for the day or for a whole week, hiking through the jungle and up cliff faces where you find them, white water rafting (currently at level 3), jungle trekking to meet native tribes in the jungle or a combination of all of teh above. Of course all the ATV biking and zip lining sort of stuff that they have any where there is mud and forest, as well as the paintball and zorb ball options.

As with all my recent trips, time is short and I have Chang Mai firmly marked as a place I need to come back and spend more time at, I did manage a few days rock climbing though which was the main objective of this short journey which I only decided on at short notice after leaving Bali, but such is life when you try and take in a whole continent in 80 days.

Did I mention that Chang Mai is incredibly cheap?

I got a 2 day climbing trip for 1500 baht (MYR150/AUS50) which was unbelievable after how much Bali and Philippines cost for any sort of trip, the room I am staying in is just 400baht (MYR40/AUS13) per night and is in a relly nice, quiet part of town. There's a massive big common area with all sorts of hammocks and lounges and a rooftop chill out area with a great view of the local streets, they also organise tours and trips from there which makes it quite easy to while away the hours in comfort between activities. Theres a tiger park just outside of town where you can have your picture taken with a full grown tiger but from what I have heard the thing is so out of it's head on tranquilisers that I don't think I'll bother to go after all.

A bit sore today after the climbing, there was a bit of rain about so we went to this cavern about an hour out of town. The thing about rockclimbing is that it requires alot of forearm and calf strength, which take a while to build up. Managed a few good climbs, out of them all there was only one I couldn't get to the top of, then we stopped in at a little Lanna restaurant outside of the town. I always try to get the guides to have a drink whenever possible, it's become a bit of a game with me and a few other travellers that I've met to see how pissed we can get them because they always try to keep up with us drink for drink, dangerous when you are drinking with English or Australian travellers. Met a really cool girl from Japan who is celebrating her honeymoon alone because her husband won't take the time off from work and is spending a month in Thailand, travelling between cities and I'm embarrased to say actually completed the last climb I couldn't. I love the Japanese and there sense of adventure, they are always up for whatever is going down. In Perth when I was in my early twenties me and a few friends who worked at the same pub used to share a house and we had a spare room that we rented out to save on the bills, we went through alot of housemates because they couldn't live in such a crazy environment. Eventually we had a few Japanese guys come through and stay who didn't mind the noise, constant stream of visitors and weird hours that were kept in the house.
And that's why I love Japanese people.
Sayonara.

Chang Mai

Day 43: Chang Mai, Thailand
'If you're not happy children, travel wide'
-Soul Rebel, Bob Marley and the Wailers
Well said Bob.
It certainly does the trick as far as re-motivating yourself and having a good hard think about what you value in life, and what do you really need in life rather than what do you think you need. A clean bed, a bit of food to eat, after a while all the rest is really window dressing on what is otherwise a fairly pointless exercise unless you are really passionate about what you are doing. Time has a habit of slipping away when you are on the corporate treadmill, before you know it you've spent a lifetime without really knowing what it is that makes you happy and focussing on moving in that direction. As I said, it's been good to have the time to think about what's important without the constant sideshows that are ever present in this modern life and dust off the cobwebs in the enthusiasm generation plant.
I was in Malaysia for the weekend as an old mate was in town so thought it would be good to catch up on the way through to Thailand. Bali was awesome, I would really love to spend a month or two there or throughout Indo surfing and enjoying our northern neighbour's hospitality. I finally finished the rubbish book that I brought with me from Malaysia, as i have previously mentioned on this blog I am currently travelling with 14kg of luggage which keeps me in AirAsia's under 15kg weight price category but I need to be very careful not to pick up any additional things on the way which will put me over. I restrict myself to one book for entertainment and one book for self development, the self development one was so bad that I would chip away at it in 10 page sessions, I got over the line on the plane from Dempasar so I was glad to say goodbye to it so I could pick up something new.
Stayed in Kuta on Friday night so I would be close to the airport for my flight on Saturday morning, was ,eant to go out for Simon's birthday but I fell asleep watching the footy and didn't wake up until 4am. Must have been exhausted after all those early mornings and late nights in Padang Padang, when I was getting dressed on Saturday morning there was a massive earthquake which rattled the guest house I was staying in. My first thoughts were that maybe another bomb had gone off in Kuta fresh in the wake of JI mastermind Noordin Top's death on Java, fortunately this was not the case and as far as I know there were no fatalities from the earthquake.
Was nearly late for my plane because I needed some shoes for Saturday night (I dumped my old dress shoes to make more room) but could not find a single shop which sold size 11 shoes. I would be getting into Malaysia at 5pm with a view to catching up for drinks at 10pm so only chance was to visit Petaling Street (Chinatown) when I got into KL. I think I found the only pair of size 11 shoes in the whole place which was lucky, it turned out that the planned evening was cancelled due to sickness so I ended up going out with a few of the boys from the footy club instead, one of whom got in a fight with a drag queen and her(?) 5 Filipina friends, who all armed themselves with shoes as soon as the conflict escalated. When I put my jeans on Saturday night I realised the button was broken off the front, I then recalled that I did this in The Bounty on Kuta the previous Saturday night and hadn't noticed because I had been wearing shorts the rest of the time, in The Bounty they have all these Happy Hours, but with a twist... The drinks aren't half price, instead you get two of them, hence the button coming off as my marguerita filled tummy swelled under the strain of so much liquid.
Got into Chang Mai on Monday afternoon and checked in at a backpacker joint, treated myself to a private room because they are so bloody cheap here! The same goes for the rest of the city, Thailand has always amazed me by the variety of western food available to buy, I mean, Malaysia is the king when it comes to the amount of food available but it is mainly Chinese, Malaysian and Indian food on offer. Had a spectacular Ravioli al Raghu from an Italian Restaurant on the main strip, a few Changs then off to bed after booking a rock climb for the following day.
Good times.

Same Same Different

Day 41: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

You know you are in Kuala Lumpur when:

1. The guy meant who's meant to be watching the H1N1 thermal imaging monitor at the airport is texting on his mobile phone instead

2. The immigration officer is listening to his Ipod while he processes your entry into the country

3. There's a 10% service charge automatically added to every bill because if the bar and waiting staff had to rely on tips after their atrocious service they would starve to death

4. The electronic timetable at the underground station counts down to your train's scheduled time, when it hits the scheduled time and no train has arrived it resets itself forward another half hour later. The train arrives whenever it arrives, but when it does it is too full to board.

5. You must visit four Seven Elevens before you can find one with mobile phone credit recharge in stock

6. You must hail 3 cabs to find one that agrees to put the meter on (or to a reasonable fare)

7. It cost you the equivilent of 3 days accomodation in Thailand for 20 minutes internet use at your so called 'free wi-fi' hotel

Get me out of here.

Just kidding.
Selamat Hari Raya Alfiliri to all my Malaysian friends, hope you are having a great holiday and enjoying lots of makan makan with your families.

Just uploaded a whole heap of pics that I took on my phone after my camera broke in the Philippines, have posted them on the appropriate blog entries.

Laser pointers are great

Day 37: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia
You can buy laser pointers in Bali, its fantastic.
Endless hours of fun, particularly with animals and children, as seen in the pics.
Back to KL for Saturday night then on the train to northern Thailand.
Just saw on the news that they killed the mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, 80 of them Australian. Might head down to the monument in Kuta and leave a Bintang there as a show of respect to the poor kids who were blown apart for the crime of visiting a nightclub.

Bali Kampung

Day 36: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia
So I've decided to stay on a few more days in Bali, it's been really nice staying in Padang Padang which is alot less busy than Kuta and daily activities revolver around surfing, surfing then more surfing. The swell has dropped now which means more breaks are accessible, I'm happy to say I've got my mojo back and am able to get some really good rides. Thank heaven for small mercies.As I mentioned previously, over the last few days I've got to know the guides a bit better, the team consists of Andrew (owner), Ina (Andrew's wife and camp manager), Steamy (safari manager), Coyon (guide), Putu (guide), Wayan (cook) and Stefano (all rounder). The guides are all Balinese, there's a bit of a class system in which the Balinese (with there own distinct language) hold themselves in higher esteem than the Indonesians (from Java, Sumatra, etc) who come down here for work. There doesn't seem to be much Islamic influence around the place, but perhaps thats due to Ramadan and they have all gone back to their hometowns for Raya.
After surfing yesterday the subject once again got onto the illegal cockfighting which takes place down the road at Uluwatu, after a few Bintangs we made our way down to the secret spot where the fights occur. As an animal lover I wasn't sure how I would take the cockfighting but I found it to be quite entertaing and not at all as cruel as one might think. The animals are dispatched quickly due to a steel spur which is attached to the rooster's feet, one good strike from the rooster will kill it's opponent dead in seconds flat. Will post a great video as soon as I can get it uploaded.
After that we went down to the Mexican restaurant which is run by the biggest dickhead I have met in a long time, and that's really saying something. The walls are plastered with all his rules and regulations (no splitting bills, no alterations to the menu, no reservations) it was like something out of the Seinfeld Soup Nazi episode. Here's an example of the sort of conversations that took place:

Us: We are just waiting for 2 more friends to arrive, we'll just sit at this table for two until they get here
Dickhead: Look, are you sure they are coming because I'm really busy here tonight
Us: Well if they don't we will just stay at this table for two
Dickhead: Look I really need to know, it's going to get really busy
Us: Yeah you mentioned that...

Us: Where's the toilet
Dickhead: Oh you need to wait until it gets dark then you can go by the road (it was broad daylight at this stage) or around the corner, wherever you can.
Note: There is a perfectly functioning toilet right behind his restaurant.

Apparently this guy is some big wave surfing legend, there are about 50 photos on the wall of him surfing a wave at Uluwatu, frame by frame. What was strange though is the guy has this little step next to the counter, like from an aerobics class, which he jumps up on when he gives the orders to the cooks in the kitchen. From what we can deduce the reason for this step is so he can always look down on the chefs (he's only about 5ft5) as the counter is only about 4 feet high and there is no other reason for it and none of the other staff are allowed to use it, just him.

I will steal that step before I leave Bali.

The Rooster

Day 35: Padang Padang, bali, Indonesia
Greetings again from the majestic Padang padang Surf camp in Bali, Indonesia. I can't believe a whole week has come and gone since i have got here, it looks like logistics will mean I will have to extend my stay slightly which I am not going to lose to much sleep over.
On Saturday a massive swell came through which put all of the local breaks (Padang Padang, Impossibles, Ulawatu) well off limits to anyone but experienced big wave surfers forcing any intermediate or beginner surfers onto one break, Jimayan Beach. When you take into account the number of people that is, it makes for one really busy beach, I'm talking hundreds of surfers, all fighting for a wave in the same small stretch of ocean. The swell is dying down now and it looks like the local breaks will be surfable tomorrow, looking forward to getting back into the water at my favourite places and hopefully getting some nice waves over the next few days. As I mentioned my original plan was to stay at the camp for a week and then head north into Jakarta and Sumatra, I then changed my mind to fly to Cambodia instead to stay at a guest house where you work with the orphans around Angkor Wat for a week before the Grand Final party in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). I got a reply from the guest house today which says they can't take my booking at the moment due to a religious holiday which means the place is closed for a week, which leaves me a bit up in the air as to where I'm going at the moment....
With the waves being a bit inconsistent now we've spent a bit of time with the local guides around the place as well as the other guests who are staying. Lauren and Renie have moved on to the Gilli Islands, sophia has moved to kuta, Peter has gone back to Singapore, Andy back to Uni in the UK which leaves just four of us in the camp. Laurent, the French guy, recently left after his wife arrived in town so they are going travelling around the country for a bit, he checked out of the camp a week ago but was still participating in the twice daily surf sessions, staying at a villa around the corner. The interesting thing about this villa is that in the courtyard, about a metere from the guests window, there lives a rooster in a cage. Anyone who has ever stayed in Thailand or rural indo will know that these things start to crow at 4:30am sharp, every single day, at the top of their lungs, which is near impossible to sleep through, even if you had earplugs in.
Which Laurent didn't.
So each day in the camp you can hear this rooster crowing, no big deal because we are staying about a kilometre away so it's no big disruption but this poor guy has this thing right next to his window when he is trying to sleep. After 4 days of this the poor guy was at his wits end.
So why, you might ask would the owners keep a rooster right next to the guest bedrooms when they are trying to attract customers to their business, after all, no matter how nice the place is it's a dealbreaker to potential guests to know that they will be woken up at 4:30am every morning by a noisy animal just inches from their ear.
The reason is that this rooster is still around and not in a chicken stew is that he is being bred for the cockfights which take place every weekday at Ulawatu, around he corner. Every day the locals gather around to bet on which rooster will win, many locals raise their animals for this sport and this rooster is the pride and joy of it's camp and needs to be reared in a safe place where he will not get 'rooster-napped' by an overzealous neighbour and thrown into the ring before his time. On a side note, Simon, the other Australian has become quite obsessed with this roosted now and made an attempt to steal the rooster after a night on the margaritas, he can confirm that security is very tight around this bird.
Tonight we are off to watch the cockfighting once we can determine the location of the event (which is guarded in secrecy), we have a good lead from one of the instructors on where it's being held so will post again on how the evening played out.


In late breaking news, Simon has just purchased a fighting rooster that he brought back to the camp.

A Day At The Beach

Day 33: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia
Another day in paradise...
Have I used that line in this blog yet? If so, please forgive me, I've had such amazing luck on this trip finding these little pockets of heaven here in Asia that it's hard to articulate just how nice it is over here.
The blogging has been a bit irregular of late due to the demand on the one computer at the surf camp, as well as being the only one for the 8-15 guests staying the staff also use it for downloading photos of the daily surf sessions, doing the daily online surf report as well as all the miscellaneous tasks that go hand in hand with running a business in Bali.
First of all, the camera is working again after I finally found a new battery in Kuta so will be posting a stack of photos over the next few weeks, these go all the way back to El Nido and coron so I'll be adding those to the relevant previous posts on the blog. Got some great snaps over the last few days including some of the biggest surf all year round, so big that even the intructors wouldn't go out in it. Good times.
The average day at Padang Padang camp starts around 6am when everyone gathers around the common area and loads up the vans for the first session of the day. On a side note I plan to create one of these for my house when I get back to Oz, along with a few of the other features that Bali has down to a tea. It's generally decided the night before which break will be most suitable, given the abundance of beaches around the area there's always one which is breaking well on the day given the swell and tide conditions. Get to the beach about 6:30-7, surf for about 2 or 3 hours (depending on conditions), head back to camp for breakfast which is made by the camp team and meet with the other team and compare notes (there are two teams which go out, beginners and advanced).
From here it's rest and relaxation time, you can read a book on the comfy hammocks, go for a swim in the pool, watch a dvd, play tennis, order a masseuse or jump on a motorbike (scooter) and head into the village to run your errands or watch the surf at the local breaks.
The next session starts in the afternoon (again, he timing is dictated by the tide and conditions), the vans are loaded up and head to the beach, surf for another 2 or 3 hours then back to the camp for lunch.
As I mentioned there's quite a few people staying in the camp so after lunch, a swim and a shower, everyone will head into the local village for dinner at one of the many restaurants on offer, sip a few Bintangs and enjoy some nice food. It's usually pretty late by the time dinner is finished, from here everyone retires to their respective room for a sleep, however a few nights we have taken the 30 minute cab ride to Kuta for cocktails and seafood, this generally sees sore heads the next day as the drink specials and volume of alcohol present around Jalan Legian make it difficult to maintain your composure for very long a time.
The last week has flown by, time flies when you are having fun and I'm quite sad to know I have to leave this place in a couple of days, have made some great friends and had an awesome time but I will definitely be back here as soon as I can manage it in the near future.
Jumpa lagi!

Padang Padang

Day 31: Padang Padang, Bali, Indonesia

Aah Bali, these guys know how to live.

Got in to Dempasar Airport on Monday night and was picked up by the transfer to Padang Padang Surf Camp for a week of sun, surf and relaxation on the holiday island of Bali, Indonesia.

I used to surf heaps as a teenager but it's been quite some time since I have been out, my fingers were crossed that I would still have the muscle memory needed to manange the cat like balance required to ride the waves without falling off.

Padand Padang Surf Camp is awesome! Run by Andrew and his wife Ina, it embodies everything that the world has come to love about Bali. From the wooden wind chimes that jangle gently in the breeze, the hammocks and sitting mats on which to relax, snooze or read a book to the thatched huts full of ultra comfy bamboo furniture the place is built to recline and chill out either before or after the twice daily surf sessions.

The camp is inhabited by a diverse mix of nationalities, as I write there is a Korean car designer (Sophie) swimming in the pool with an Aussie dive instructor (Simon), Dutch chef Mika is reading a book, French Sales Exec Lon is showing Austrian Brigitte Nielsen lookalike Lauren the snaps he took today on his camera as her Italian boyfriend Renie chooses his favourite Jack johnson mix to play on the camp's stereo. Diverse indeed.

The group dynamic changes daily as people arrive and leave, everyone spends the evenings together exploring Padang and Kuta's restaurants and bars, last night we enjoyed a fantastic seafood restaurant on the beach at Jimomaliya Beack sipping margaritas as the sunset which was so nice that the drinking session was still in full effect at 3am this morning.

Not so good for the 6:00am surf session in the morning though....

In other events, I took the new Olympus Tough out in the water yesterday and am just waiting for the seals to dry before I download some pics, so happy to have a camera again!

You're All Winners

Day 28: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Well the Asian Champs are long gone and a great time was had by all. Not sure if I have gone into any sort of detail on the who's and why's of the AFL in Asia, so first it bears explaining that their are alot of Australian expatriates working in Asia. Alot. Not entirely sure of the whole story behind how it all got started and once again I find myself pressed for time so lets just say that at some point in time a few Aussies put a social team together (Singapore maybe?) which spread from city to city and now there are teams in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam (2 here), Dubai, Bali, Jakarta and Cambodia. So every year one country will host the championships and all teh teams will converge on their town for the tournament and general shenanigans that follow having so many expats in one place. Needless to say this year was no different.
As I mentioned in the last post I was horribly sick on Friday and Saturday so missed the whole bloody game, really disappointed but still managed to make it out on Sunday for the Sunday session at Criib Club in KL. A very messy day by all concerned, margaritas flowing and tall tales of the weekend from all parties, you could almost hear the sigh of relief from the city as the players eventually made their ways to the airport and back to their jobs, wives, families and reality. Serously though, seeing 500 footy players descend on a bar is a sight to behold, bouncers panic, barmaids tense up and duty managers take point at the bar, luckily though everyone was behaved for the most part so the worst inconvenience suffered by anyone was a sore back from the owner carrying the money made at the bar to his car at the end of the night. Good times.
Had a dream on Saturday night that I was on a plane that crashed in the water, not exactly the best thing to be thinking about when you are due for a long plane ride over the ocean. But what can you do? We've all heard the stories of similar situations where the party concerned has cancelled their flight or boat or whatever only to see the worst happen but I simply couldn't waste a ticket, not in these tough economic times....
On the plus side, Canon replaced my camera which was very nice of them, fresh with a printed set of instructions on how to take care of your waterproof camera.
Haha

Sick In Malaysia

Day 22: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I told you I was sick
-Enscription on headstone of Elmer Hodges, Key West Cemetery
So farewell to the amazing Philippines and hello Malaysia. Again.
Left Coron airport (where you are gently reminded to check your fireams at the counter) for a flight to Manila then Clark airport. On the way passed a campaign poster for a local candidate in the upcoming election which proclaims 'I can't promise aything, but I will do my best'. Lost in translation perhaps. The Cebu air flight to Manila had a really nice touch where they play little games along the way to win gifts, for example if you can produce an expired drivers license you win a Cebu Air mobile phone cover, which I could because my license expired at the end of July and I cant for the life of me meet the requirements for renewing it overseas (not having a residential address does not compute). The flight actually left early, which would have been annoying if you missed it, can't say I have ever come across the situation where a plane leaves early. Stayed in a weird hotel when I got into Manila which boasted a playground room, a underwater room and an incomprehensible 'geometry' room, I ended up checking out of here after about an hour and caught the bus to Angeles City instead (full of hawkers walking up and down the isle which was a nice touch), having an early flight the next day and not wanting to miss my flight. Two hours on the bus, another hour on Jeepneys I was in deepest, darkest Luzon (it was about 1am by now), then all of a sudden turned a corner and there it was, like Las Vegas in the Philippines. Got a good nights rest there then flew to KL the next day and checked in around Bukit Bintang. Went off to help set up The Asian Champs AFL tournament the next day, assembling goal posts and marquees etc and finished up there around 4pm. Got back to the guest house then started feeling very tired, massive headache and fever which stayed that way for the next 24 hours which meant I wasn't able to play in the big game the next day which was a massive disappointment. Alot of people got very nervous when I told them I was unwell, medical masks are huge over here, but if it was h1n1 then I must say it is highly overrated because I still made it out for the afterparty in the evening and am right as rain today.
Anyways, rushing now to get to the final party of the weekend (always rushing!), hopefully will get time to come back and flesh out a few of these posts in the near future but just wanted to get something down while it's fresh.
Jumpa Lagi!

Coron

Day 20: Coron, Philippines
Operations against merchant and escort shipping afforded the air group its first skip bombing experience against live targets. The accuracy and damage inflicted by this type of attack is of such a high order that any other type of bombing against merchantmen is considered a poor employment of weapons. Communications discipline was of an extremely low order on 24th September 1944. Squadrons should train their pilots better so that it is unnecessary to hold long radio discussions on the shortcoming of the plane prior to determining whether or not the plan can continue on a mission. Unnecessary conversation was also prevalent as well as the exasperating tallyhos.
F.A. Bardshar- Air Group Seven
Comments and recommendations on Air Operation against Coron Bay on 24 September 1944

I take it by tallyhos, the good First Admiral means the whooping and yeehawing of the American Hellcat pilots as they divebombed Japanese ships that September day in the Philippines Bay of Coron, during the height of the World War Two pacific campaign. Not sure how well his recommendations were received, all I can say is that if they had half as much fun sinking the ships as we did diving in them I can definitely understand how their emotions might get the better of them on that fateful day.
Left the beautiful El Nido on Monday morning, destination Coron Bay, on a 6 hour Banka Ride across the water. The weather was quite good considering it is typhoon season, every now and then the telltale funnels of the twisters would appear behind the islands but as long as the other Pinoy passengers along on the ride with us kept a calm demeanour then it was obviously business as usual for the boat crew. Got into Coron in the afternoon and found a room at the Seadive Hotel, which was also the centrepoint for diving in the town, despite one of the other guest house operators claiming that all the rooms in town were full and we would have to stay at her hotel. This was the first sign that something was fishy in the town of Coron...
Booked a dive for the next day on some of the WW2 wrecks out on the bay and had an early night a the boat left quite early. Turned out that the boat was a bit late leaving the harbour as one of the passangers was quite late, about 9:00 the guy who was on the bus with us to El Nido arrived looking a bit worse for wear. I thought it was because he had a big night the night before but he was just pissed off that after he checked his money into the safe at the resort, someone (obviously staff) had gone through it and knocked off half his cash, leaving him just enough to get out of Coron (which he was pretty keen to do by this stage). He was also presented a huge bill for all the drinks that his new 'friends' had consumed the night before at a restaurant in town, a scam that they obviously try on with all new arrivals into town. Needless to say he wasn't a happy chappy at all.
Made it out to the first dive around 11, visibility was very poor and my depth gauge wasn't working at all. As I have previously mentioned the Pinoy divemasters aren't big on health and safety, they were quite keen to take us down 30m into the wreck (open water divers are only qualified to 18m) but a few protests from my mate (only his 5th dive) saw us OW divers stopping at 25m and only on the outside. A short dive, quite nice, then up for a surface interval and lunch. The second dive was the great one though, we went to have a look at the Olympia Maru, a Japanese cargo ship that was sunk during the battle. We were feeling a bit more confident about this one so went right inside the wreck for about 15 minutes, from the top to the tail of the ship then up to the surface. Incredible!
The divemaster dived too long so had to drag his dive computer behind the boat to trick it into thinking he was taking a long safety stop otherwise it would lock up, another little trick to get around the pesky rules and regs that modern diving held dear.
Got back to the resort about 5pm and went out to dinner, suprise suprise the restaurant tried to charge me double what I was meant to pay for the meal. Finished the evening sitting in the hammock on the rooftop, listening to the horrible karaoke singing from the bar across the way, sipping a San Miguel and thinking about fighter planes flying over the sea bombing ships.