Bees, Ears and Sea Urchins

An early morning walk along Alona Beach for Elijah and me.

Most of the buses, Jeepneys and pedicabs have colourful designs,
but the Finding Nemo bus is my favourite.

Almost all of the shops and restaurants were closed when we arrived at 6:15am so it would have been unusually quiet if it weren't for the hundreds of people waiting to board the 30 or so boats heading out to the islands for diving, snorkelling or sight seeing.

'Tourist police' and a man with a loud hailer were all there on hand to make it work and somehow the boats managed to negotiate their way out. I'm glad we're not staying right on the beach!

There wasn't much open for breakfast but we found something cheap and cheerful, complete with a ocean view and 2 kittens for Elijah to enjoy.

Back at the resort Hamish had breakfast and I had a swim, then we headed out to the Bohol Bee Farm resort - a combination of organic farm, old fashioned handcrafts, restaurants, cafes, a souvenir shop, resort accommodation and a diving business - all right on the water.

We loved the tour - especially the traditional raffia weaving and the hands on bee demonstration.

Yes, those are European bees!

We were brave enough to hold the rack, but no one on the tour was brave enough to take up the invitation of placing our hands on the bees.

As three males, we were interested to learn that males make up only 5% of the bee hive population and are literally only good for one thing, after which they die.

Of course there were samples to try - we all tried 4 different types of honey, I tried the corn coffee, and Hamish and I tried the honey wine - not surprisingly it was very sweet and the tiny sample glass was just the right size.

Bohol Bee Farm make their own ice cream and have cafes and ice cream shops all over the region. The boys weren't too keen about some of the exotic flavours but salted caramel hit the spot.

After many days of instant coffee with powered milk, I enjoyed the real cappuccino at the funky cafe - even though it was still made with long life milk (we haven't seen any sign of fresh milk here).

Thanks to the joys of Spotify, over coffee and ice creams I tried to remedy Hamish's ignorance of U2's greatest hits from the 1980s. Travel is so educational.

We enjoyed the view from the restaurant on the cliff, as well as from the cool platform down at the waters edge.

A terrifically enjoyable morning with great variety - Danielle you would have really liked it.
How to complement this great start to the day? A trip to the doctor of course.

Elijah had woken up with pain in both ears. Past experience with Isaac in Fiji, interpreted by Dr Google diagnosed this as 'swimming ear' - an infection of the outer ear common when you swim a lot.

'Where is the doctor's on Panglao?'
'Not here, sir' (everyone here either calls me Pastor or Sir - something I can't see catching on back home)
'You have to go Tagbilaran.'
I was surprised and saddened that there is not one doctor on this island of tens of thousands of residents and tourists, and Tagbilaran is 30 minutes away if you have a car.
'How long will it take to go and to wait at the doctor?'
'Not long, sir, just half a day.'
Not keen to spend half a day we had decided to wait and see but by midday I changed my mind and decided to get the antibiotic process started.

They had offered to drive and stay with us for no charge, which was very generous. Indeed two staff came with us - one to drive and one to walk us through the process. So the driver dropped Leonil and us at the door of the medical centre, and we walked to the ear, nose and throat centre, spoke to the nurse on duty, waited for about 3 minutes, then saw the doctor. He carefully and gently looked, diagnosed and explained and prescribed the treatment.

The whole process at the medical centre took no more than 20 minutes! And how much would you expect to pay for such a visit? Certainly not the $18 we were charged!

Leonil guided us through the process at the pharmacy, as well as buying some over the ear headphones for Elijah, we bought drinks for everyone and headed back. The whole process actually took no more than 2 hours, half of which was travelling. We were so thankful for the help of the staff and of course gave them a tip.

Finally another walk along Alona Beach enjoying the antics of the tourists - some posing in pretty dresses up to their waist in the water, some flying sophisticated drones, and others gathering around a local man digging the flesh out of the sea urchins he had caught that day.

We were sorely tempted but brave tourist beat us to it and paid him $12 for half a cup of this delicacy.

Finally dinner on the beachfront at a cheap restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet.

Not a bad mix of a day when this time last night I didn't have a plan. Hopefully that works out again for tomorrow!

Snorkelling at Baclicasag Island

Up early for a quick breakfast before the hotel shuttle to the boat. Feeling excited about snorkeling at the famous Baclicasag Island of Panglao, though I was feeling a little nervous about being at sea – as someone who has been seasick on the Manly ferry and waterslides and on the very flat Derwent river, it wouldn’t have been surprising for me to spend the rest of the day feeling sick and not get to snorkel at all. With that in mind we had chosen to had a boat just for us, especially as it worked out to be only $10 more expensive than joining a group.

We walk across the shore to the catamaran and met our pilot Ron. 

He showed great skill and strength in pushing off and guiding our boat as we headed out to sea. 

We liked his captain's chair!

                                          

We headed off towards the dolphins, along with about 20 other boats. 

Every time a pod was spotted, the boats would zoom after them. 

My first time seeing dolphins from a boat.

Then we headed toward Balicasag Island -

 a small beautiful  island with one resort and a few hundred residents. 

Our pilot skillfully brought us close to shore and introduced us to our small boat pilot. 

Small is right – a traditional catamaran with just enough room for the 4 of us in a row. 

He paddled us out to the turtle sanctuary and invited us to hop in and snorkel. 

It was quite deep but immediately we saw a turtle on the sea bed (middle right).

After about 10 minutes here we had seen 2-3 turtles and Elijah had had enough of not being able to stand, so when the pilot said that the fish and coral sanctuary had both a shallow and a deep part, we happily agreed to move on.

As soon as looked down from the boat we were excited. Oodles of colourful fish swimming right below us. We eagerly clambered into the water with our snorkelling gear, though Elijah preferred just to use goggles. Surrounded by other boats and tourists, we were blown away by the number and variety and beauty of the fish.

We particularly loved the drop off, where we would often see the most beautiful fish against the background of the cliff and the deep blue waters. We even saw a turtle here as well. It was great to have the camera and we each enjoyed taking pictures.

   

                                          

After close to an hour our pilot suggested it was time to go. This time we asked for another 5 minutes, as we didn’t want to leave quite yet.

We stayed for another hour on the island – re-lathering in suncream, eating some snacks, and Elijah had yet another swim at the beach.

Then onto to Virgin Island, which we had heard nothing about but was included in the tour. It's basically a transient sandbar with plenty of sea-life in the surrounding water. With about 30 boats around the sand bar, we ‘parked’ quite a long way away, so we got to enjoy the myriad of starfish as we headed to the sandbar.

On the sand bar itself were about 30 locals who set up shop each day to cook and sell food and (slightly) cool drinks to the tourists.

By now it was midday and we could certainly feel the heat on our skin and knew it was time for all good Anglo-Saxons to be inside; even the water was like a very warm bath.

So we sailed back to Panglao, spotting starfish in the water on the way. An extraordinarily beautiful and fun morning enjoying God’s creativity. And He blessed us with gorgeous weather to be on the water – very still, almost no swell - and miraculously, no sea sickness for me. The only challenge was the sun and the heat. We arrived back feeling hot and bothered but delighted and satisfied. Certainly the best snorkelling I’ve ever experienced.

After we’d cleaned up and cooled down we were just beginning to think about our next outing when it started bucketing down. So we settled in for a game of Phase 10 by the pool; Elijah joined in once he had a swim in the rain.

The storm passed and it was time to head out.

I’d learnt my lesson from yesterday, so this time my first question about a beach to visit was ‘is it nice?’ followed by ‘Is it nice at low tide and high tide?’ and only then, ‘Are their places to eat’? The answer for all these questions about Dumaluan Beach was 'yes', so off we went in the shuttle.

This time the beach lived up to our expectations – a long stretch of white sand and beautiful water; and even though it didn’t face west, the sunset was gorgeous.

We enjoyed chatting as we walked up and down the beach, and then joined the locals for some good food at a permanent street food stall. Elijah and Hamish tried ribs for the first time – and were impressed.

What does tomorrow hold? That’s the question I’ll try to answer after finishing this blog. 

Alona Beach

First day at Island World Panglao, a small new resort about 15 minutes walk from Alona Beach.

Morning walk and swim in the beautiful pool – though unfortunately Elijah can’t stand up in any of it. Delicious Filipino breakfast by the pool.

(check out the Filippino chorizo balls on a string)

We then caught the shuttle down to Alona Beach. A lovely beach that is full of life – boats, hotels, resorts and people trying to sell you things. You are never A-lona at this beach. We did find a quiet spot at one end accompanied only by a few locals and some tourists and a couple having wedding photos. 

So we practised our snorkelling – enjoying the large starfish and some colourful fish. Looking forward to better snorkelling at Baclicasag Island tomorrow.

The simplest way to find a toilet was to buy a drink - surprisingly cheap on Panglao's most famous beach - $1 for coke, $2 for coke zero.

Then another swim in front of the 5 star Henann resort before buying a few things and talking with the tourist information booth. Then back in the shuttle for some chill time in our room.

Or by the pool where the view and the wifi is better!

Once we'd had enough shaded chill time, we asked at the desk for a recommendation. Could she suggest a beach which faces west for the sunset and has somewhere cheap to eat? Danaow Beach she said and so off we went in the hotel shuttle.

We were dropped at a simple resort at the beach and walked past the pool and onto the beach. It was then that we discovered that we should have included a third criteria. Not just a beach for the sunset and somewhere to eat, but a beach that was actually nice. The tide was out and there was seaweed and rubbish everywhere. It wasn't pleasant to look at or to walk along, and there was no way we were going in the water.

We quickly looked up how far the walk was to Alona Beach (30 minutes) and set off along the coastline. We picked our way across the rocks and the seaweed, looking in from time to time at the various resorts. And I have to admit, the sunset was pretty spectacular as you can see.

The strange shape on the water? 

An inflatable playground connected by a floating jetty to a resort, of course.

We were almost back to the end of Alona Beach where we swam this morning when we came up to a house on the headland and saw a few goats wandering around, which was fine, until the daddy goat came up over the cliff face with his horns pointed straight for Hamish.

Hamish spoke calmly to the goat and placed his hand upon its head and started walking backward. Elijah and I were a few steps behind him and bravely followed his lead and walked backwards too. Eventually the goat thought we were a safe distance from his family and stopped. Fancying himself as a goat whisperer, Hamish tried again, but with the same result, except that the goat pushed harder this time.

Getting the message, we decided that the inland route would be better. By now it was dark and we had been walking for an hour so we all agreed that we should hail down the first tricycle (pedicab) we saw to take us to Alona Beach. After all I had promised the boys a trip sometime during our time here.

Not quite the evening I had intended, but it was a memorable adventure and I was proud of my boys for their perseverance and stamina. It was a fitting reward to enjoy pizza and drinks on the beach.

As well as chilling out on the beach with the live music from the 5 star resort wafting across the beach while we watched the parade of Asian tourists going by, we got to enjoy the massage team in action and see the creative way our restaurant displays their menu.

(yes that's real food on the plates at the back)

Finally back in the hotel shuttle to the hotel for a good nights sleep before an early start tomorrow.

       

Incredible experiences of nature at unnatural prices

(more photos to come when our new wi-fi gets to know us and trust us better)

Our last morning at Loboc.

A lovely chat with Danielle (miss you!) from our balcony overlooking the river before our morning swim and delicious breakfast. 

We then headed off for three incredible experiences of nature at unnatural prices.

First, the Loboc Ecotourism Park. Hamish braved the superman zipline - 520m long and 120m above the beautiful Loboc river. 

Shaun thought he was pretty brave riding the open air cable car. Either way the waterfalls and rapids were amazingly beautiful from way up there. 

An incredible experience, all for just $12 each for the return trip!

Second, we stumbled across the Loboc Nature & Wildlife park. I hadn’t heard anything about this and the entrance seemed unimpressive – a few ostriches in a bare cage, so I was doubtful. But when I asked what we’d see, 24 exotic animals with your own personal guide was hard to turn down. 

The highlights?
Exotic chickens and pheasants, a tarsier, a lion (in a very poor cage which will be improved soon), an owl, 

a bear cat, 

an albino python

 and a crocodile

How much for all this you want to know? $5 each!

Third, we made for the Pangas Falls. Not as secluded as the other falls we visited, but not nearly so difficult to get to. We loved their beauty and power. 

Hamish bravely jumped off the falls.

Elijah bravely jumped off the platform.

Shaun bravely took the photos.

After about 30 minutes, the noises that sounded like thunder developed and the rain started to pour down. Where else would you go but in the cave behind the waterfall, where we waited to see what would happen. This wasn’t just practical but an awesome experience in itself.

How much for this wonderful experience? Waterfalls, toilets, shelters, a ticket seller at the road, an observer at the falls and a guide in the water, all for the princely sum of $1 each!

Someone needs to help the Filipinos charge more, especially us tourists.

When the rain didn’t stop and I began to be a little nervous about the drive back along the dirt road, we decided to get out and soon headed off. Thankfully the rain did stop about 10 minutes after we left. It's actually the wet season here, but this year has been very dry, though it still looks lush. So far we have had about 40 minutes total rain in 7 days – good for us but bad for them. Hopefully for their sake it will start raining soon.

We started the long loop back to town to the mall again to replace our suitcase. One of the wheels broke off when we got out of the car at Richmond station, and it wasn’t long before the whole corner had broken off. The new suitcase was cheap by Australian prices, but not quite as cheap as our nature experiences. Together with a couple of t-shirts it came to over 5000 pesos (~$180), a sum so large that the salesperson asked to see my driver's license before I could use my credit card. Tougher security than the guards at the door of the mall - they just ask to see whichever compartment of your bag that you want to show them, and then touch your lower back as you walk past in case you are silly enough to conceal your gun there. 

We braved the supermarket again (more impressive than braving the cable car or the zipline!) 

before heading off to our final accommodation on Panglao island.

Looking forward to exploring tomorrow. Also looking forward to returning the car. It has been great to have the freedom to get around, and for me it's the only way to go long distances and not get travel sick, but I am not going to miss driving on the the right side of the road at an average speed of 40 km/h even when it's not peak hour and you are doing your best to overtake slow vehicles. And the roadworks! It seems every road is being worked on in some way or other, or is in great need of work! Sometimes there are workmen sitting on a chair waving a red or green flag to let you know whether you can proceed, but most of the time you just have to work it out. Worst of all are the cross intersections. We haven’t seen one set of traffic lights or a round about, and only one stop sign, so we all just make it up together and hope we don't get to know the other drivers too closely.  

The two best days of any overseas holiday? The day you pick up the hire car and the day you drop off the hire car.