El Nido

Day 19: El Nido, Philippines
Imagine stumbling upon a place that no one else has discovered, well it's not completely uninhabited but imagine a place that has not been compromised by tourists, pollution, traffic, noise, imagine a private Eden shared amongst friends who share in cooking, cleaning, working, not out of any capitalistic or egotistic means but a general sense of happiness amongst a common collective.
The Beach (Alex Garland)
Nicely said Mr Garland, and for the most part this passage describes El Nido to a tea, minus the socialist slant. Of course I would imagine it's not quite the sleepy little town it was when he lived in the Philippines in the 90's, inspiring his epic backpacker novel (and horrible Hollywood movie), it's fair to say that most of the people who are passing into the town consider it a little piece of heaven on the Palawan peninsula. It's real back to nature stuff, I ran into one of the boys from last nights drinking session who was walking down the beach earlier when he saw a Pinoy lad who had just caught two huge fish. The boy sold one of the fish to him and they proceeded to cook it up, there on the beach, and have a lovely fish supper right there in front of what is arguably the worlds greatest sunsets.
One little eccentricities of El Nido is that there is no electricity between 6am and 2pm, leaving you the options of either sleeping in or finding something to do which doesn't require electricity. Not a big deal because if you are too hot, well, theres the worlds biggest swimming pool right in front of you, or if you are hungry there's plenty of nice things to eat that can be cooked with a gas stove. Unfortunately espresso machines don't run on gas but it's a small price to pay and it encourages you to get out and enjoy the atmosphere.
Made it down to Baliy Tubay again last night, the band were nice enough to let me sit in with them and play a few tunes which was nice. As I mentioned before I am using my 3mp mobile phone camera is my primary snapper at the moment, got some pics but not half as nice as the Olympus would have taken, am still struggling to download them so will go back and update the appropriate posts when I get them online.
I'm suffering a bit today, we got stuck into the local rum and when I got home I had the urge to take a late night swim in the sea, unfortunately Rosanna locks the gate to the beach at 12pm so I had to scale the 3m fence, injuring my leg in the process. Will be saying goodbye to El Nido tomorrow and off to Coron to dive on WW2 wrecks, will be sad to say goodbye but as MacArthur famously said after his first visit to the Philippines, 'I will return'.

Paradise Found

Day 18: El Nido, Philippines

Greetings from Paradise. After a 5 hour flight to Manila, 1 hour to Palawan, 8 hour by bus from Puerto Princesa I have finally arrived in El Nido. Before I go on, I have to say that this is the best place I have ever been to, narrowly nudging out Koh Phagnan to claim the title. El Nido is situated on the Bacuit Bay achipelago at the top of Palawan, El Nido itself commands a stunning location, sitting between between massive limestone cliffs and picturesque Bacuit Bay with Cadlao Island right in front. Found a nice little guest house for 130 pesos per night (roughly 40 Aussie dollars) which is right on the beach run by a lovely local lady named Rosanna, each morning I walk out straight into the water and have a nice swim across the bay. Unfortunately this is pretty much all the exercise I have been doing and have been out every night since I have arrived, on the flip side I've been drinking the San Miguel Lite which are a steal at 30 pesos a bottle (1 Aussie Dollar) but about a quarter of the calories of most other beers. This is also the first place I have been to where I am staying on budget, despite making no real effort to control my spending. First night in town I wandered down to Seaslugs Restaurant to get my bearings. Ran into a young Australian guy, Tommy, who's family owns the restaurant and sat and drank with him and his mates on the chairs on the beach out the front before heading out to Balay Tubay, a fantastic little live music place that was located around the corner. I must mention that El Nido is a small village, but with everything you need as most places are these days (wifi, internet all available). It doesn't look like it will stay that way though, at the moment there is a plan to dredge the sand from in the bay in front of the town, which will allow ferries into the bay direct from Manila making the town alot more accessible for all. There is no ATM though, to get money out, you have to take it from your credit card, the place recommended by LP charges a hefty 12% on withdrawals, fortunately Tommy let me know you could also withdraw from the petrol station down the road for only 6%. I am almost over the fear that my card won't work when I am overseas, and the obvious consequenses that will occur if i am stranded with no money so far away from everything. Almost.

One thing that has really been a downer is that my so called underwater camera has failed so I have to use my mobile phone to take pics, the camera is only 3megs to really disappointed about that. At this stage I am relying on getting other travellers to email me some of their pics, the one above is taken by a girl called Jodi who runs a blog called Legal Nomads which has been a great resource for me over here. Went for a really nice dive on Friday sans camera, luckily there were an Italian foursome who were along with us and one of them is going to send me some of the pics he took which are absolutely mind blowing. God doesn't seem to want me taking pics of this beautiful place so hopefully my words can do it some justice, I am anticipating a drama when I take it back to the shop in KL as I have thrown away the receipt (the camera model is called The Olympus Tough, I was not expecting it to break). Needless to say the dive was great, the islands in teh achepelago look like they are straight out of King Kong with cloudy mists covering their tops and turquoise blue waters meeting the green tropical water in front of the yellow sands. I am sitting on 12 dives now, I think I will do another 10 and then take my advanced open water which will allow me to descend to 40m, opening up alot more dive options especially wrecks (which are awesome). May have to factor this into the itinerary...

Unfortunately Lobsters went out of season a couple of weeks ago (it's the off season) so no joy there, apart from that though seafood is plentiful and so, so cheap. Will post again shortly because unfortunately time has got the better of me again today and there is barbecue on the beach in 15 minutes which I am heading down to. More photos to come as soon as I sort out the camera issues...

Alamut

Palawan

Day 17: Puerto Princesa, Philippines
Kamusta.
So I haven't posted for a few days, needless to say I am still alive and well, thanks for asking.
Left Manila on Wednesday afternoon bound for Palawan, the wild fronteir region of the Philippines. The unfortunate part of my trip is that I have put myself under considerable pressure as far as the timeline I want to follow, I want to be back in Kuala Lumpur for the Asian Champs AFL tournament on Sat 5th September so need to be back in Manila on in a weeks time. The mistake I have made here is that any travel needs a day set aside for it, once you reach the more remote regions the primary modes of transport are boats and buses, which take considerable time to reach their destination. Overall Manila was hot and cold, I think the Philippines are fantastic but arriving in Manila can be a bit of a letdown and it's not a great example of what the rest of the country has to offer. It's probably why not as many people travel around here, preferring more tourist friendly area like Thailand and Indonesia. Manila gets pretty dodgy after dark as well but as long as you use your common sense you will be very safe, I guess one thing that stands out to me is there are no real pockets of tourist areas like there are in most other countries, even in Ermita and Malate which are the more foreigner friendly areas there are lots of beggars and con-men all around the place.
Took a one hour Cebu Air flight to Puerto Princesa, Palawan and touched down in the evening. The main method of transport here is by trishaw, that is, a motorbike with a covered sidecar attached which can seat two people. Had a look at a couple of guest houses in the town that were mentioned in the guide book but they were all overpriced, a trend I am noticing when visiting a place that has been reviewed in a massively circulated publication. The best way to find the best value (not cheapest) accomodation is by talking to other travellers and the more expensive the place you stay, the less travellers you will meet, as soon as I get to KL it's back to dorm living for me. Had a great meal in a beautiful little restaurant in the town, cheap as chips, first rate and great atmosphere. After that went and watched a local Pinoy show at a bar around the corner, even got the chance to go up and dance on the stage with them, anyone who knows me will understand I love a boogie after a few beers so it was nice to have the opportunity to do so Philippino style.
Next stop is El Nido, an 8 hour bus ride from Puerto Princesa to soak up what has been described as one of the last unspoiled paradises that the world has to offer, they are building an airstrip there now so this probably won't remain the way for much longer. Planning on going out for a couple of dives here then off to Coron for a wreck dive, I can't find a way between Coron and Mindoro so unfortunately that will have to wait until next time I am in the country.
Alamat

Jeepneys

Day 15: Manila, Philippines

I tell you what's really annoying is that once you get the hang of how a city works it's time to leave. That's generally how I feel about Manila now it's time to move to the next leg of the journey, Palawan. One thing that I found very confusing to start with was how to get to your destination by the preferred mode of transport in the city, the Jeepney. The Jeepney is a perculiar mode of transport that is very common in the Philippines, basically a bus made by extending old jeeps that the American Army left behind after WW2 in the Philippines. The owners of the Jeepney really pimp them out, give them names and spray murals on the sides, much akin top the Holden Sandman panelvans of 1970's Australia but a lot less subtle. The Jeepneys travel along the one way streets of Manila, so to get where you want to go you get yourself top a street parallel to your destination and jump into one of these amazing vehicles, holding on until you arrive where you want to go.

Quite a good method of transport, once you get the hang of it.

Hobbiton in the Philippines

Day 14: Manila, Philippines
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone
And I must follow, if I can
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
-The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkein)

And who in their right mind can? Not me. Tolkein definitely had an acute sense of appreciation for the weird, but even he would be taken aback by the Hobbit House Bar and Blues Club that calls Manila home, where genuine Hobbits serve you and entertain with the great hospitality for which the afore titled (and highly fictional) Hobbiton was highly renowned.
Aaah, but we're getting ahead of ourselves now...
Needless to say I reached Manila after a few dramas at the airport, as I mentioned previously the ATM at Changi was broken so I was flying into Macapagal airport with 3 Singapore Dollars and a few Thai baht mixed in for good measure, hungover as all hell from the night before at the Singapore Wombats shindig hoping to god that my ATM card would work in the Philippines when I finally found an ATM, presuming that there were ATMs in the country.
And hope that they had a decent Visa-On-Arrival arrangement because I forgot to check before I left.
And that said Visa-On-Arrival wouldn't cost anything like it does it in alot of other countries.
The brilliant Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Doug Adams maintains that in all situations one must remember to keep a cool head, and remember, 'Don't Panic!' (which is printed on the cover). I can't help but think that The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is based on the Lonely Planet series of guidebooks, one of which I reluctantly purchased but have been pleasantly suprised to find myself referring to from time to time despite the fact that it has become very outdated very quickly (50/50 hit rate as to whether the businesses mentioned exist 1 year after printing). And there I go off on another tangent again.
So obviously I made it to Manila or else I wouldn't be writing this post from the Slouch Hat Inn, Ermita. This is an Australian themed bar/hotel which was recommended by a mate in KL, a bit expensive for the Philippines but all the same a nice way to dip a toe into the water as far as foreign accomodation goes. The ATM at the airport in Clark was also busted, further heightening my tension but I was able to enter Manila without putting my hand in my pocket once but had to get a 5 minute cab ride to the ATM with a predatory cab driver which cost me more that the entire bus trip to Manila. Once I checked in at to the Slouch Hat Inn, had some tea and headed out into the town, a few beers and then home for a big day to come of Jeepneys and Hobbits.
And here's where my inner geek comes out to shine...
The Hobbit House Bar and Blues club is a Lord of the Rings themed bar with a great line up of blues musicians playing all night long. I am a big fan of the Lord of the Rings, it was my 'idle' book, that is to say, whenever I wasn't reading anything else I would default back to this book and read it again. Its close to a thousand pages so similar to painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge, once you have finished it, it's time to start it over again. This club has all these great little paintings of scenes from the book, obviously created before the movies came out so it was a whole different image than the ones Peter Jackson masterfully created for the modern age. The best thing of all is that in the bar you are served (and entertained) by hobbits, that is to say, midgets who complete the illusion of drinking in a bar in Middle Earth. Outstanding!
Leaving Manilla tomorrow for Palawan and the road to El Nido, selamat!

Singapore

Day 13: Singapore
Got into Singapore and headed straight to a backpacker place in Little India. It's been a long time since I have slept in dorm accomodation but it was actually quite comfortable (and cheap). The thing about these sort of joints is the people there are ultra friendly, far removed from the keep-to-themselves types you get when you are spending a few more bucks on a hotel or resort. Met up with a couple of other Australians and some Irish lads and we spent the afternoons around the streets on Singapore, most notably at an Indian restaurant which nearly put one of them into hospital with an extra hot mutton masala. Lightweights :)
Regrettably I never went on a proper tour of Singapore so I haven't really done the tourist thing and seen all the landmarks, no doubt i will be back there some time soon so will have to do it then.
The mighty Malaysian Warriors played against the Singapore Wombats on Saturday, a valiant effort despite a tragically undermanned team due to illness and injury. Went to an Irish Pub called Obama's for drinks afterwards, I think every team in the overseas AFL league is sponsored by an Irish pub. Had alot of drinks there and fell asleep in front of the big screen in the lounge of the backpackers, very early flight the next day and suprise suprise I was worse for wear on the flight to Manila, made all the worse by the fact that the ATM in Changi airport was broken and i was landing in Manila with 3 dollars in my wallet.
Will post tomorrow on how that worked out...

Swap it Out

Day 11: Singapore

The backpack is mighty full right now and just getting by under the 15kg weight category that the airlines are offering (now sitting at 13kg), which makes it very hard to take advantage of all the great shopping opportunities that Asia has to offer. I'm considering buying a Netbook and DVD drive if the price is right but it has to be under 2kg or it will push me over the limit and end up costing me more than it saves me in weight penalties.
The whole clothes thing is the biggest drama, the only way to stop yourself from packing a wardrobe with straps is to practice a method called Swap-It-Out.
The clothes packed are as follows:
3 T-Shirts (One Black, One White, One Colour)
3 Collared Shirts (One Black, One White, One Coloured)
1 Singlet
1 Pair Jeans
1 Pair Board Shorts
1 Pair Sports Shorts
1 Weaterproof jacket
1 Pair Sports Shoes
1 Pair Dress Shoes
1 Pair Sandals
1 Pair footy boots
Socks, jocks
The shoes take up the bulk of the room, would be nice to drop the footy boots or dress shoes from the rotation but will be needing them from time to time so will just have to make do. The trick is to keep this lineup happening but if you want to buy another of any of the above items it must be superior to the old one which must be disgarded, therefore not adding to the overall weight of the pack. This natural selection method dictates that by the end of the trip I will have the ultimate version of all of the above items of clothing, with my wardrobe evolving as time goes on. Keep an eye on the photos posted to see how the Swap-It-Out championships are progressing week-to-week.
Which clothes will be number one when the plane lands in Oz?
Which will be crowned The Ultimate Dress shoes of the championship?
Am I spending too much time sitting at airports thinking about random systems and games?