Underground River

My second full day in Puerto, I woke up early to go with Ann and MC from Manila to the Underground River.

We got to the bus terminal super around 5:45 though the jeepney didn't leave until 7.

This made me a tad bit nervous, as our tour of the river was scheduled at 9:30.

It took 2 hours to get there. The roads were bumpy and the seats too close together. I ended up with bruised knees and a bum even achier than the day before.

Once there, we waited a really long time. There was a line for paying the environmental fee, a line for hiring a boat, and even a line for the restroom which cost 5 pesos.

At the Sabang port

And we were way late. We ended up sharing a boat and a tour with an Italian guy and his Japanese girlfriend.The boat ride was quite pleasant, but the underground river was a bit underwhelming. The tour guide tried way too hard to be funny, and you couldn't see all that much since it was dark.

Heading out

On the boat

Gorgeous cliffs

The river

Oh I'm so excited

Another tour group

Stalactites

This was supposed to look like something...
What do you think?

The exit

Vines

I sat next to a nice Filipino grandmother whose children and grandchildren were visiting from the US and sharing a boat with us.

After the tour, we waited for a really long time for our boat to take us back to Sabang. 

Waiting for our boat. We had to take number 23

Natural wonder of the world marker

At the beach

Once there, the last bus was about to leave. My companions all wanted to go back to Puerto, but I wanted to see the waterfall, so after much debate, I decided to go.

After the tour

Trail to the beach

Can you find the monkey? Sorry the zoom was broken

The hike to the waterfall wasn't all that strenuous, just very precarious, going over very rocky shoreline. At the waterfall, I tried to climb it, thinking that I had read somewhere that there was more than one. There wasn't, but I got a nice view from the top of the falls as well as a bunch of scratches and dirt in my clothes.

Yay for waterfalls

Looking down from the top

Dang that's a lot of ocean

When I got back to Sabang, I tried to find a way to get back to Puerto. So, I did a really me thing to do and just started walking the 77 km back to Puerto Princesa, hoping someone would stop for me. I walked for a good long while, getting more frustrated with every mosquito bite I got and every curve I rounded. Just as I was about to give up hope, an old guy asked me if I needed a ride. He had a red dinged- up helmet, a backpack front-strapped on his body, a jacket worn backwards (presumably to protect him from bugs), and a chicken for cock fighting strapped on to the front of his motorcycle. 

I was desperate at that time, so I asked him if he was going to Puerto, and got on with his affirmative. After a while, we stopped at his friends' house for refreshments and a smoke. Seeing the country from the back of a motorcycle was amazingly exhilarating. I had a smile plastered on my face the whole time. We took another pit spot at another one of his friend's establishments where I was served a green coconut (buko) and Energen, a sort of sports/cereal/milk drink served hot. We hung out there for a while and Samso smoked at least three cigarettes. 

When we headed out, it was getting dark, and the stars were coming out. I hadn't seen stars since moving to Korea due to all the smog and light pollution! He had to stop at one point and put a light on the front of his bike. Everything was fine and dandy until we got a flat (presumably because of my added weight on the back of the bike). Samso left me on the side of the road to get his tire vulcanized, during which another Filipino came back twice to ask if I needed a ride, which I refuse. When he came back, we kept going, and he dropped me off at the Banwa, I tried to give him at least a little bit of money to help with gas but he refused. So yeah... Good times in the Philippines.

Honda Bay Island Hopping

The next morning, Jek and I had breakfast at Jollibee, a Filipino fast food chain, comparable to McDonald's or Burger King. We then headed to the tourism office so I could reserve a spot for the Underground River tour the next day (only 900 people are allowed to go each day to protect the site). We met up with two other girls from Manila who were going to the same place we were, so we split transportation costs.
The four of us crammed into a tiny tricycle and headed to Honda bay.

Me and Jek

Jummy breakfast

Taho, a soft tofu and sugar syrup drink

The four of us renting snorkels

Somehow we all managed to fit in there, plus Jek

Once there we paid the fee for the boat and preservation of the area and bought lunch. We then headed out on our island hopping adventures.

We're on a boat

Coral!

In the sand

The shoreline

Part of the atoll where we ate lunch

It was amazingly beautiful

View from the porch where we ate

Food time

Rice and chicken and seaweed dipped in vinegar. Yum.

Fresh from the ocean

With Dexter, our boat guide

Running to the water...

Swimming to the mangroves

 I swam through the grove of mangroves, making sure not to touch the ground, since there are stone fish in the area. It was amazingly calm and peaceful, with birds chirping and the rush of the ocean in the background.

There I am

There was even a chicken there

This dog got our leftovers

:)

We got to feed fish and snorkel and ate lunch on the second island. The only bad part was that Jek was stung by a box jellyfish on her arm when we were about to leave for the third island. She was given salt to rub on the sting, but her hand quickly swelled up. She managed to go through the rest of the tour though.

There was rain on the mainland, but we stayed dry

The last island

I have a tree growing out of my head

Our boat

Happy swimming time

After we got back, the girls took a rest, and I went to the cathedral for mass. I had only packed shorts and t-shirts, so I had to take my sarong to cover up, but still felt a little inappropriately dressed. There was even a sign at the entrance prohibiting short clothing! Afterward, we went for dinner at a street vendor and visited the local Fiesta. The one spectacle that struck me the most was the kpop performances. There was a group singing kpop songs live in Korean! The Hallyu Wave really has penetrated all of Asia.

The inside of the cathedral

There were some girls dressed in costume at the fiesta

My first day in the Philippines was a blast and the following days were just as fun, if not more so.

The Philippines

I made it back to Korea safely, and now it's time to let you guys know what I've been up to for the past week in the Philippines. It's been quite an adventure. Just so you know, my camera died about halfway through the trip, so I wasn't able to chronicle everything, but I'll share with you as much as I can.

After finals were over, I went to go celebrate with my friends and then headed straight to the airport. The plan was to stay in the jimjilbang at the airport and relax after a stressful week, but it was full. So I ended up on the hard benches in the foyer.

The end-of-the-semester feast

Baby octopi

All the foreigners and our Korean friends

When I got to Puerto Princesa after a 5 hour layover in Manila, I was struck at once by the overwhelming heat and humidity. I started sweating pretty much as soon as I got off the plane. Instead of taking a tricycle to  my hostel, I decided to walk and see a bit of the city at the same time but got lost. I wandered around, periodically asking for directions before finally making it to my destination. The Banwa Pension is a very clean, friendly establishment, and the staff is very helpful.

The outskirts of Manila from above

Yay clouds

The airport

This is a tricycle, a motorcycle with a cab and another wheel attached

 After I checked in, the girl at the front desk, Yogs, gave me a list of recommended restaurants. On the way, I met another worker from the Banwa who gave me directions. I hadn't even eaten such a large portion of seafood for such a low price, and it was delicious as well.

First night's dinner of tuna steak

 After dinner, I bought myself a 5 liter jug of water that I affectionately termed water baby. Near the hostel, there was a street basketball game going on. I stopped to watch, cradling my water baby, and felt very conspicuous.

Playing ball

The women's dorm room

The open air common area

The bar and doorway to the rooms

The paintings by a local artist were for sale

Once back in my room, I met the other girl staying there, Jek, a Filipino from Manila, who is a civil engineer. We got along very well and decided to go island hopping together the next day.

I have so much to share that I'm going to break this up into several smaller posts, but for now, I'll share some things that struck me about the Philippines.

First of all, everywhere I went, people would greet me with a "Hello" or "What's your name?", particularly the children. This seemed very unusual, since in Korea, people don't usually seek out foreigners like that. However, it was nice to be able to be understood and to be able to speak English to everyone again, as most of the population of the Philippines can speak enough to make themselves understood.
People saying hello to me was nice. What I didn't enjoy so much was the incessant honking. In Manila, I walked outside of the airport for a while, and literally every third car would honk at me. It was quite irritating. During my last morning in Puerto, I was also yelled at several times by dump truck loads of children being transported to school. They were all piled into the backs of huge dump trucks, and most that passed let out a communal shriek upon seeing me. I suppose I was a bit conspicuous with my light skin and hair and orange backpack, but it was far from pleasant. It didn't help that I was grumpy from almost no sleep the night before.

Secondly, the prices were very cheap. The whole trip, housing and transportation included, I spent less than 300 dollars, less than the cost of my flight to get there. A cheap meal could be had for around 2 dollars, an upscale meal for five, and 375 ml of rum for around a dollar.

Third, I doubt I will ever stay in hotels when traveling, at least not if I'm by myself. I suppose this is true not just in the Philippines, but staying in a dorm room, I met tons of new people that I would have never come across if I had stayed alone in a single room. I met people from England, Australia, Japan, Italy, Morocco, France, and Sweden, just to name a few. These people made my travels a joy and ensured that I was rarely alone. We split costs on transportation, got to know each other, and ate and drank together. My trip would have been a far less satisfying experience if I had not been able to share it with my fellow travelers.

Well, that's it for now. The next post will have more pictures, I promise.