It has been over a month since I left Canada. I spent a fantastic week in Vancouver with my brother and his girlfriend.
I managed to attend an Olympic hockey game and get into the VIP section of the Molson tent thanks to my friends Pat & Brandy.
The weather was amazing while i was there. Perfect for a pint on the patio, even the flowers were blooming! The Olympics made me proud to be a Canadian. What a great place fill up on Canadian pride and start my year long adventure to Asia.For all of you who do not know where I am (which is probably most of you) I have found myself in the Philippines. I flew to Manila on Feb 24th. I was really jet legged from the flight. The front desk attendant laughed a little when I called to inquire if it was 6 am or pm. Needless to say I had a really good sleep for the next several days. I only spent two days in Manila. I am sure there is plenty to see there but i was anxious to leave the traffic and people of the big city for the slower pace of an island called Palawan, an hour flight West of Manila. I will explore Manila when I am relaxed and ready for its energy.
From Manila I touched down in Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan. It is much slower than Manila but is still a bustling little city none the less. The main mode of transportation is a tricycle, a motor bike modified to carry up to four extra passengers. There are hundreds of them. All you have to do is stand on the side of the road and motion your hand downward as if you are fanning the ground. A tric will stop and take you where you want to go. I stayed in a great place called Banwa Art House. It oozes charm, great tunes and features a sweet bamboo lounge with a wall of cascading vines and plants.
The first night in town I met Sean, a South African and Jason, an American. They were traveling together on a three week vacation from teaching English in Korea. We ended up at a local restaurant called Fresh. It just happened to be there first year anniversary party. The place was packed and the live music rocked. Due to the lack of seating we shared a table with another Canadian, Larry, and his family. The night was the perfect mix of great conversation, dancing and drinking. Puerto was a great welcome to the island!
I spent several days touring around as Puerto is a great launching pad for day trips. Sabang, two hours from Puerto, features an underground river. It is 8km long. A boat takes you 4km into a dark tunnel with narrow passages and huge cathedral spaces. I have never seen anything like it. While in Sabang I tried a local delicacy called Tamilok, a small worm 3 inches long. It grows in mangrove trees and tastes like oysters. Filipinos like to dip it in vinegar, they like everything with vinegar!
From Puerto I took a Jeepnee four hours North to a sleepy, seaside town called Port Barton.
It is a great place for island hopping, snorkeling, walking to sandy beaches and waterfalls. Unlike most travelers i have the luxury of time and so I have decided to stay here for awhile. I rented a little cottage on the beach for a month. It only cost 5000p or $100 for the month, good deal! I met a local family, Rudy, Irene and Rodina who I have been spending a lot of time with.
Irene is teaching me to cook local food. My favourite is rice with mongo beans and dying (dried salty fish). She also showed me how to hollow out a coconut with a tool called a kudkoran. It is a sharp spoon attached to a wooden seat. The coconut is scrapped on the spoon until the flesh is grated. The coconut can be used for various dishes.
Mostly we spend our days fly kites, make clay sculptures, crocheting, cooking, watering the garden and take naps in the afternoon. Life is much simpler here partly due to the heat and partly due to the lack of power during the day. Port Barton only has power from 6-12pm.
Some of my special moments so far have been a night boat ride under the stars with phosphorous in the water. A full moon party and a shower in the jungle at a waterfall with fireflies and snakes. Anyone care to join??
