BANGKOK to MANILA to CEBU to BOHOL
We flew from Bangkok to Manila on the midnight flight, two hour stopover! then flew on to Cebu. Then ferry to Bohol. Full night/day travelling.
09.12.2013 - 10.12.2013
Monday 9th December 13 (day 100)
Our flight from Bangkok to Manila was just over 3 hours long and pretty uneventful. I think I managed a nano nap and was hoping more was to come later. Arriving at Manila airport at 4ish am was our introduction and entry to the Philippines. Even though we had a thru flight we still had to clear immigration and collect our checked bags and recheck them in for the next flight.
Approximately 2 hours waiting at Manila airport for our next flight to Cebu which was only about 2 hours. Patrick was on a different flight to us which was to depart just 20 minutes after us. Still no sleep we landed in Cebu and after collecting our checked bags took a seat to wait for Pat's flight to come in. We had been sitting less than 5 minutes when he came walking up to us, he only had a carry on bag so did not have to waste time waiting for luggage.
We are not staying in Cebu. The plan is to catch a ferry to neighbouring island of Bohol.
I enquired at the taxi counter for price of taxi to the pier and was shown a set price of P475 = $12. I guess we should have taken a metered taxi but not sure if they would have been cheaper or not. Turns out the pier was a lot further away than I expected and was glad for the air con taxi cab. Driving through the outskirts of Cebu town was pretty busy and our taxi driver was of the kind that did not like to sit behind anything, so we made unnecessary good time to the pier.
The next ferry to Bohol was 11am so we had over an hour to wait. The price for one way was P520 = $13 or return P620 = $15.50 so of course we purchased the return ticket as we have to come back here to Cebu to fly out again on the 17th.
Luckily the water was calm and the just under 2 hour ferry boat trip was smooth sailing. All three of us were pretty knackered and running on empty. Arriving at Tagbilaran ferry pier we were met by Mike - a guy we are going to hire motor bikes from. I have been speaking with Mike via email for a couple of months and almost seems like an old friend. He is an older English guy who has made the Philippines his new home and has a very good business hiring motor bikes on a couple of different islands. And man could he talk. Seemed to chat endlessly the whole time as he drove us to the hotel which he had booked for us for the first night. Perhaps it was because we were overtired or perhaps he had not spoken to westerners for a while, but he gabbled on the entire time. Nice bloke all the same.
We checked into the hotel and had a little rest before heading into Tagbilaran City to find some food. There is absolutely nothing remotely close to our hotel where we can buy food so a trip into the city on a tricycle was the go. They told us at the hotel the price should be about 30 piso = 75c going into town and 80 piso = $2.00 coming back. We managed to squeeze into one at a price of 25 piso = 60c, with Lyn and I barely fitting in the side car and Pat sitting on the bike behind the driver. These noisy little vehicles are definitely made for the size of locals not the size of normal people - us tourists. The locals squeeze 6 to 8 bodies, where we really where sardined in just the 2 of us, but all the more fun.
The ride into the city was about 15 minutes, but seemed a lot longer due to our limited comfort and heavy traffic. We were dropped at what seemed to be the centre which was outside of a shopping mall. Patrick was keen to find another ATM and try his card that did not work in the machine at the airport, so we tried a few with still no success, so our next objective was to find food.
We had a walk around and supermarket that was in the shopping mall and were all astonished at the price of alcohol. Bottle of spirits going at $4, $3 and even $2 per bottle!! Unreal, surely this must be a nation of alcoholics with prices like this??
Next up we had to find food, which was not so easy due to a power outage a lot of places were closed or the places that were open were too dark to see what they were serving. A cop out I know but we ended up eating at Jolibee - which looked like a Philippino version of McDonalds - but at a fraction of the price. There actually was a Macca's in town also, but I thought at least going a bit local was better than going to an American chain. We ate fried chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, an ice cream sundae and a large pineapple juice all for under $5.00, try getting that at Macca's.
Lyn and I headed back to the hotel in a trike that I negotiated at just 30 piso = 75c and Patrick stayed on to try and find some night life!
Tuesday 10th December 13 (day 101)
Feeling much more human after a good nights rest, I think we had caught up on any lost sleep.
Breakfast was included in our hotel price which was a fried egg and a couple of slices of sweet bread toast. Bummer Philippines has sweet bread too! Coffee was a instant sachet and some hot water, so not a great country for a good cup of coffee either. But not to worry we ate and then packed up our stuff cause our motor bikes were ready and waiting.
Lyn and I are of course leaving most of our stuff here at the hotel because there is no way we could possibly carry all of our luggage on a motor bike that is already carrying the both of us. So we packed one change of clothes, our togs, a few toiletries, camera and computer stuff. With the help of Patrick carrying one of our bags under the seat on his bike we managed to load up and were ready to hit the road.
Slight delay caused by an argument/misunderstanding with the price of the room. Guy who rented us the bikes quoted different price to what the hotel wanted to charge, but we finally got it sorted out 1000 piso = $25 for the twin room, 850 piso = $21 for the single. By now it was almost midday when we finally hit the road.
This was perfectly timed with the start of a rain shower. No wonder it was so steamy. We decided to head off anyway, the rain was light and it was cooling on the bike. First stop was for fuel for our bike, Patricks was full, but ours only half way so it's best to take off with a full tank.
Heading east along the coastal road, which was also the national highway, we passed through many little towns and villages. The road definitely hugged the coastline as most of the way even though there was no beach the water flush up to the road wall. Very pretty. The road surface was not too bad - cement road so a constant bumping along, but at least it was sealed and no major potholes. Considering we saw many big churches that have been half demolished due to the recent earthquake, there were no big cracks in the cement road that made it too uncomfortable. A few of the bridges along the way still seemed to be under repair, but they were still passable if only by single lane.
We had to stop a few times along the way when the rain became a little heavier and the raindrops were stinging our faces as we rode along. But it was still light enough that the little bit of wet that we did get soon evaporated as we rode into a few km's of sunshine. And it was still very hot so not unpleasant to ride in the light rain. By late afternoon it had stopped completely.
One of the main reasons I wanted to come to this island of Bohol (besides the natural beauty) was to see Prony the worlds biggest python snake kept in captivity. I had viewed many photos on the internet and watched video clips on YouTube of this beauty and was very excited to be able to see this animal in the flesh. Imagine my horror and disappointment as we passed a huge bill board announcing 'view the preserved body of Prony!' Preserved?? that means it's dead right?! Yes, unfortunately the giant snake had died just last August from a heart attack caused by too high cholesterol. I was so disappointed!!! But it sounded like the snake died from too good a lifestyle. We did stop and paid the P25 = 75c entry fee to see the big stuffed snake. OMG this beast was massive, hard to believe this taxidermic body was from a real live snake. It would have been such an amazing thing to see alive, but alas I was too late. We did manage to half hold another huge python that they are feeding up to replace the recently deceased giant, but although it was already a big snake it would be years before it was the size of Prony. We were also able to take photos with a smaller snake that was hung around our neck. Lyn was very brave, and after severe harassment from Pat and I she finally unwillingly held the snake. For some reason Lyn is not fond of holding snakes where I think it's cool. RIP PRONY!!
There is still a strong Spanish presence here, evident in the style of churches, and the fact that the population of the Philippines' are very religious and practising Catholics. The giant stone church structures just about line the roadside. And the town names, we rode through places named Alburquerque, Lila, Valencia and Garcia Hernadez - where we stopped for lunch of a road side purchased rotisserie chicken P150 = $3.75 and some sweet bread rolls (there are no other kind) purchased from a bakery for P10 = 25c each.
Moving further away from Taglilaran City we kept an eye out for an ATM hoping we would not have to return to the capital city to get money. There was a bank in every town and village but only the local bank that accepted local cards only. Finally we reached Jagna and found a different bank that had a visa, master card sign and we were able to get some much needed cash. The card I have worked just fine but the banks here hit you with a P200 = $5 fee every withdrawal - but that's life we just have to add it into the exchange rate we are getting. Patrick's card was again rejected, like it had been in Taglilaran last night. Worst part was his transaction shut down the ATM which kind of angered the locals who were also waiting to use the machine. He wanted to give it another try so after half an hour when the ATM come back online he again tried his card which again did not work and shut down the machine once more. We then had to wait another half hour for it to come back online so Lyn could draw more money on my card for Patrick. By now the locals waiting for the ATM were most unimpressed and I think were glad when we got on our bikes and left town after the final withdrawal. At least we managed to get some cash.
Around 5pm we made it to Anda, a place we were told had a beach. Although Bohol is an island there are only a couple of places around the coastline that has beach where is it pleasant to swim. The rest is either where the water comes right up to a brick wall that is supporting the road or it's mangroves and mudflats. We pulled into a resort to check out the price of a room as it would be dark in an hour and we did not want to be riding around in the dark looking for a hotel. The first place we stopped was owned by a English couple and they offered a bungalow for P4000 = $100 or an aircon room for P6000 = $150 but could not guarantee there would be a constant power source. These prices were way out of our league and this place did not even have a beach, just an 2 metre drop off to the sand and water below. We decided to go further even though they assured us they were one of the cheapest resorts around, yeah right!
Just outside Anda township we rode off the road on a rocky dirt track that lead to accommodation right on a lovely little white sandy beach. The manager was not there so while someone was off to find him we went for a swim in the lovely clear warm water. The sun was just starting to sink. It took ages for anyone to come so I went to the place next door and saw what they had to offer. I managed to negotiate a room with 2 beds for P900 = $22.50. By this time, which was an hour later the manager of the first place had finally showed up. They did not have a room with separate beds so my place was a better option for Lyn and I. Patrick felt guilty that we had summonsed the manager and then were not staying so he took a room there, which was fine as it was the same price for him in both places.
Our bungalow is basic, with cold shower, as they all were. But the shower water was not freezing cold and with the constant humidity and to wash off the salt from the sea it was just fine.
It's definitely hotter and more humid here than it was in Thailand or Sri Lanka - but not unbearable - not for me anyway.
It was well and truly dark by the time we had checked in and showered so we had dinner at the hotel. Nothing spectacular but it was easier than going out to look for another place to eat. P555 = $14 fed the 3 of us with a beer so pretty good value even though it was overpriced.
I headed off to bed early, a slight headache, not enough fluids today I think.
Posted by Cindy Bruin 02:32 Archived in Philippines Comments (0)