Siquijor Island.  So another plane-car-boat-jeepney journey and we arrived at Coral Cay island resort.  Not a resort as such, it was far more laid back and natural than the neighbouring Coconut Grove resort and had a really good vibe.  Friendly staff and lovely wooden beach huts again with the addition of a pool too. Really liked it.  The beach was again beautiful, white sand, palm trees and gorgeous blue waters.  The only downside to this was the tide.  When it went out, it went really far out.  You could wade of course but the sea was full of sea urchins which are really painful if you happen to stand on a spike!  The fishermen go out barefoot to collect and then sell the sea urchins, they must have feet like leather because you couldnt avoid the urchins!



There wasnt much coral in our part of the sea, which was a bit of a shame but i think i have been spoilt with the amount of reef that has been just a few steps from the beach.  We took some kyaks to a little platform where we could snorkel and there was some nice coral and some lovely little fish, including a Lion fish which was gorgeous and i also saw a Pipe fish which was apparently a great thing to see around these parts.  There were a huge amount of starfish which were beautiful, all different colours, shapes and sizes.  I have never seen so many! We found these little ones in the shallow waters and let them walk across our hands which felt really tickly from their suckers.

On the way back to the shore my kyak capsized and i lost my mask, snorkel and sunglasses! They just sank and couldnt be found despite the snorkel search parties we sent out to look for them! RIP snorkel and mask :( I hope though that one of the fishermen found them and that they went to a good home!

 Pronounced 'sicky hor', this island is, according to legend, the one they call the haunted island.  Watching the stunning sunsets creep in in the evenings, it certainly did look mystical but it is more about the healers that live in the mountains that lend it its haunted reputation.
As the hospital was only a recent addition to the island, the people were healed by these healing doctors with herbs and plants, in fact, people from outside of the island came to be healed for various ailments if their city doctor couldnt help them.  We went to a healing festival and saw some of these healing rituals performed, which was interesting.

As the island is small we got around the whole of it.  There were some fantastic waterfalls we visited that we all summoned up the courage to leap off of and into the pool below! Checking for rocks first of course and after being shown how to do it in style by a couple of local boys.  We visited another beach with some nice coral islands where i saw the biggest Puffer fish i have ever seen.  He wouldnt come out from under his rock though.  I also saw lots of Clown fish which i love, they always come and have a look at you and i have got into the habbit of waving at them and i'm sure they are trying to say hello back.

We seemed to be a spectacle yet again for our fairer skin and hair and also as there were virtually no other tourists in the parts of the island we visited.  This didnt feel weird as  there is such a friendly atmosphere on the island and people always waved and smiled as we zipped by in our jeepney.  It was nice to see a place that isnt ruined by tourism, its barely even touched by it and i hope that it will stay that way.

The hospital was an interesting experience.  I accompanied my friend who had something wrong with her ear.  We walked through the 'emergency room' which was a door off of the street, past a women having her leg stitched up in what looked like what doubled as an office! Very casual.  The doctor was very chatty and gave us directions to restaurant favoured by the locals.  It was certainly a very laid back atmosphere but that is island life it seems.
So it was a relaxing time on Siquijor surrounded by gorgeous scenery and mangos in every meal.  The beaches and sunsets i have seen have exceeded my expectations of what a tropical island should be, over and over again.  I cant describe them and the photos, however stunning, still dont do them justice.

Back in the city again now for the next two weeks and then it is back to the U.K. That is going to be very strange indeed.
xxxx

Apocalypse Now.  Went to the Pagsanjan Falls which lie at the end of the Magdapio River about 2 hours south east of Manila.  It took a while to get there after getting lost a couple of times in random villages, one which happened to be the birthplace of Rizal, but its always nice to get lost sometimes as you see places you wouldnt usually.

The landscape on the journey was very green, lots of rice fields against a backdrop of palm trees and mountains so a nice change from the concrete of Manila.

We arrived in Pagsanjan town to be harassed by boatmen all trying to get us to go on their boat, they are so keen that they ride alongside your car on their motorbikes shouting for you to go with them. Its pretty awful.  We headed to the municipal hall where they suggest licensed boatmen and you dont get ripped off.  The harasser ones usually charge you for taking you to the place where everyone goes to get a boat anyway!
Anyway, after arranging our boat ride and after being kitted out with life jackets, we were on our way.  You travel up river for about four miles, over 16 rapids, with the two boatmen hauling the boat up over the rapids with you in it!

  Its a beautiful journey.  This is where some of the river scenes
were filmed for Apocalypse Now, notably Kurtz's empire and the Do Long bridge scenes.  To be honest, it all looked like it could have been in the film and of course none of the original set remains today.  I heard a rumour that some stone steps still existed and there were a few lots that looked like they could have been used but who knows!
I did find myself humming the Doors and pretending to be Martin Sheen (again) but it didnt last long as the river is full of life and the people that live on it.  Lots of waving at the locals and shouts of hello made it really pleasant.

You eventually reach the gorge and rapids.  The gorge is um, gorgeous.  Really green and very peaceful (only a few fellow tourists luckily).  It was nice to relax and enjoy the ride.
We passed a few small waterfalls which twinkled in the sunlight as we journeyed by and the whole thing was very atmospheric.  I can see why they filmed there.

                                                                We heard the roar of the Pagsanjan Falls before we even

saw them, they were magnificent.  You cant really get a perspective in this picture but they were big.  The next stage of the adventure was to sit on a flimsy raft and be taken through the falls into the cave behind them.  This was great.  The water poured down on you with so much force, it felt like someone had just started hitting me on the head!  Brilliant fun though!

After that we headed back downstream which was a lot quicker as we were going down the rapids this time.  I was worried that the boatman at the back was going to have a heart attack from pushing the boat on the way up, so i was relieved that he could sit down for the journey back.

All in all a really good experience and i am glad i did it, not just because of the film but it was a beautiful river and gorge and i havent seen anything quite like that before.  Or been under a huge waterfall.
xxx

                                                            

Wow.  Every image i have had in my head of what my version of paradise looks like, i found.  I have just spent the most amazing week in the most beautiful islands i have ever seen.

We flew to Busuanga island, less than an hour from Manila, then a half hour car journey followed by a 45 min boat ride to Sangat island.  These are the Palawan islands and there are tons of them, we passed so many empty white sand beaches and lush green islands.  Coming into Sangat you could just make out the beach huts amongst the palm trees, not many and it looked absolutely stunning.

The beach huts were all made from natural material and were ventilated so you got the sea breeze and you fell asleep to the sound of the waves.

The food was amazing, really delicious and lots of mangos :) the people that worked at the place were really friendly and i really couldnt fault the place.  It was started up by an English guy who had been here since the 80s and had worked as a diver collecting stuff from the shipwrecks for museums.  The shipwrecks were all Japanese WW2 ships that got bombed by the Americans as they were pulling out of the Philippines.  The divers said they were great wrecks and i managed to snorkel over one gunboat which was in shallow water.  Amazing to see that it has become part of the sea, covered in coral and lived on by fish now.

 We did a couple of boat trips during our time to see some of the other islands, all equally as beautiful, if not more.  There were some gorgeous coral reefs to snorkel around, now protected as reserves and they were truly beautiful, saw more amazing fish!  The snorkeling was excellent.  We also went to a waterfall, after a hot and sweaty trek through a village and some jungle (just like back in 'Nam) it was great to jump into the cold water!

I think my favourite boat trip was to Coron island.  See pic below.  The waters were stunning, really tourquise and blue, the photos dont do it justice.  We trekked up the side of a mountain and then down again to find the most beautiful natural spring lake and not another soul around.  We jumped in.  There wasnt much to see snorkel wise and it was incredibly deep but we did see some tiny pointy looking fish and some shrimps.  It was the most amazing place i have ever been to and i will never forget that sight.  We also went to a place called the Twin Lagoons, yes two lagoons.  They were linked by a hole in the rocks which you climbed a ladder to get over or you could swim under in low tide.  There was some coral around the edges which was nice to look at but there were a few territorial fish, most probably fed up with all the tourists.  It was nice and a bit of a long swim so we were exhausted by the time we got back to the boat.

Evenings were spent lolling around in the bar having a beer or wine and playing a bit of pool before walking back to the hut along the beach to watch all the hermit crabs scatter and look at the milky way.  You could see so many stars on a clear night, it was lovely.

We borrowed a kyak and went around the corner to another beach for more snorkeling as the reef around the island was stunning.  You had to swim a bit of a way out but it was worth it.  Saw lots of big Parrot fish (my favourites) and huge Trigger fish - one had teeth - plus a sea snake that i gave a very wide berth to.  I snorkeled so much, every night i felt like i was floating on top of the water!

It was really sad to leave Sangat island but i felt completely satisfied that it had met my expectations of what paradise should be.  The hammock was great too!

Back in Manila now.  Noisy and dirty and hot.  Its getting hotter now as it goes into summer here.  We spent sunday morning at a market that sold fresh fruit and veg and arts and craft stuff.  I wanted to buy loads of stuff but i have a baggage limit unfortunately.   There are still a few things to do around Manila but i am mostly look forward to seeing more islands.  Our next trip is in a few weeks where we are going to spend a couple of weeks on an island that the locals believe is haunted! Should be interesting.
xxx

Above - Coron island.

Magic hour on Sangat island.

Went out last weekend with some ex-pats who are also teachers here.  We went to dinner at my favourite Thai restaurant here and had the most delicious dessert in the history of delicious desserts.  It involved mango, which is always a winner (have i said how delicious the mangoes are here?!) and was in in a sticky sweet rice with coconut flavour.  Oh my god THE best ever!  Its real name is Khao Niaow Ma Muang and no i didnt memorize the name, i had to look it up on the tinter.  I highly recommend it!

Later that night we ended up at an art space type club thing called B Side.  An underground movement of Hip Hop DJs and B Boys.  Two were having a graffiti art paint spray off which was great.  So good to have stumbled onto a scene like that, i would never have thought i would see that kind of thing in Manila and it isnt something you would see if you were just passing through.  They are part of a group called The Collective which is connected with that area i went to a few weeks ago with the Mogwai cinema.

Weather has been a bit rubbish this week, quite cloudy and dull although still pretty warm.  I hope the sun comes out soon.  It doesnt seem to stop the sunsets though of which i now have hundreds of photos of.  I cant help myself though, each one is so stunning.

Hoping to go to some rapids this weekend, a river ride through a gorge where they filmed the river scenes for Apocalypse Now, i am very excited about that!  Its meant to be beautiful too.

xxx

Apo Island.  After an hours plane ride at a ridiculously early hour to an island called Dumaguete, we were collected in a truck and taken to the beach.  Here we got on a bangka, which is a small wooden boat with two wooden or bamboo outriggers.  It was a choppy crossing over to Apo Island and we got drenched, well i did.  It was fun though and all part of the experience.

Apo Island was lovely.  A tiny island surrounded by coral reef.  There are only two resorts on the island so it was quiet.  Our resort was cut into the mountainside and next to the village, above the dive shop.  Food was good - delicious fresh fish - and the people who worked there were so nice and friendly.  In fact, pretty much the whole village was friendly and very welcoming.  The rooms were basic, no shower or running water just a trough of fresh water to chuck over yourself!
We were invited to the local 'disco' on the saturday night which was outdoors and involved everyone kind of cha-chaing about the place, of course we joined in.

The snorkeling was amazing.  I saw so many lovely fish, Clown fish (Nemo's), Angel Fish, Parrot Fish, huge Guppys, Sea slugs, Star Fish....but the highlight had to be this huge turtle.  He was really big and was just nonchalantly gliding along, not bothered by us at all.  I swam along with him for a while, it was just fantastic.

There is a reef which is a nature reserve on the other side of the island so we headed over there too.  It was raining on this day and there was a bit of an undertow in the water so we did a drift snorkel.  We got in on the one side and let the current carry us all along the reef to the other end of the beach.  We saw lots of lovely fish again and a sea snake (at the bottom luckily) and a huge school of clown fish which we swam in for a while and who kept coming over to have a look at us.
The last part of the island we snorkeled at we saw lots of the same fish and here the coral was really colourful and pretty.  When the sun shines on it, it illuminates it and it looks amazing.  I was floating about watching some Angel fish when all these bubbles started rising upwards from the clams at the bottom of the sea.  As the sun was shining, it made the bubbles look like silver blobs of mercury floating upwards.  I didnt want to get out of the water.

Finally the sunsets.  The best i have seen ever, in the world.  The colours through the palm trees were stunning.

The islands really are beautiful and the amount of coral reef is fantastic.  The local people live such a simple life on the island, most of them fishermen, and they seem pleased that you come and visit and look at their coral.  A lot of the money supports the protection of the reef and it was great to see that it hasn't been wrecked by tourism, the island and the reef.
There are only the two resorts and they are tiny so there are never more than about 20 visitors on the island at a time and there weren't even that many when we were there.  Its a great relaxed atmosphere.

Back in Manila now.  Instead of being lulled to sleep by the waves, its now traffic again!  But in a couple of weeks I am off to another island called Sangat where there is more reef to explore, some Japanese wrecks from WW2 to snorkel over and a hammock with my name on it!
xxx

Friday night was an interesting evening.  We went to see some plays that were put on in someone's house, who was an artist and had paintings and sculptures on display for sale.  It was all for a charity and there was lots of free wine and food.  The plays were funny, short and to the point and took place in different areas of the house.

The house was amazing, quite big, open plan in a 70's way (bit like in The Ice Storm) but with a lovely pool just outside.  It was the clientele who interested me though.  A combination of English and American expats, some of whom had lived here for years in their fancy gated community.  Nice people and i wanted to ask everyone how they ended up living here in Manila because i do wonder why.

This has nothing to do with the pictures on here.  These are from a part of Manila called Quezon city.  Its the indie area, which is their version of Camden market i suppose, only much smaller.  Lots of junk shops and 2nd hand shops, retro stuff and good little places to eat but the creme de la creme was the Mogwai cinema.  Named after the furry creatures from Gremlins, its a little indie cinema which i shall definitely be visiting as an alternative to the multiplexes.

It was really great finding a place like this in Manila, it is what Manila is missing and needs more of instead of all those huge malls (we went past the 'Ali Mall' named after Mohammed Ali after 'The Thriller in Manila').  We bought some clothes that were so, so cheap and had lunch in an Italian restaurant there, Bellini's, which was really good food.  We went with one of Nadia's colleagues, an Australian named Ollie who has been living in Manila with her husband and kids for 7 years.  They have had enough and are leaving this year but it was great to go around with her as she knows the city really well.

We went back to Greenhills (the bonkers market) on the sunday for supplies as we are going to Apo island next weekend.  I managed to purchase a great North Face rucksack for a very cheap price so i am pretty pleased with that.  It is a nutty place though as there is so much of it and quite exhausting!
Nothing like a jump in the pool to finish off the day so we did that as the sun was setting - lovely.

I cant wait to go to Apo island next weekend.  I'm sure there is a hammock with my name on it and a mango or two.
xxx

 I just cant get over how beautiful the sunsets are here.  I'm sure i have bored everyone with all these pictures and i can assure you, its not the last of them but its better than watching the telly.

I have found out that although Manila is polluted, its mostly car fumes and there are a great many improvements that are being made to cut down on those fumes.  People are offered money to get their cars switched to environmentally friendly engines and that has been really successful so far.

All car registration plates end in certain numbers or letters and for one day of the week, if your car ends with an R for example, means you cant drive in the            
city that day.  Its a really good idea as it cuts down on the traffic.   I wonder if i should tell Boris?