My Filipino adventure begins...

Another post means another overseas trip - this time to the Philippines! After over a year of bussing it back and forth between Canberra and Sydney and being subjected to the billboard at Sydney Airport telling me to go to Philippines, I finally succumbed. And what a great time too with the sales on, I managed to score return tickets to Philippines for $320 return from Sydney including checked baggage on Cebu Pacific Airlines. Throw in three domestic flights (Manila, Cebu, Boracay) and I had a solid ten days of travel around the country for $550 total. I went on this trip with friend from work, but given how busy we were in the lead up, we didn't manage to plan much. As such, this was a very last-minute spontaneous trip.

Just a heads up, this trip was not as positive as many of my other trips. In addition, this trip didn't really involve much sightseeing (rather it was much more about relaxation on beaches). The cities of Manila and Cebu didn't offer me very much in terms of enjoyment or positive experiences (frustratingly long waits, extreme traffic to get anywhere, mugging). As such, I'll probably focus these blog posts more on the positive aspects of the trip while pointing out some of the pitfalls of the Philippines.

Manila's Ninoy Acquino International Airport has been rated the worst airport in the world several years running, and after flying into it, I understand why. The amount of unnecessary security checks and lack of facilities makes it a tough place to relax and kill time. But trying to get out of the airport is what truly seals its fate. If you fly in during peak hour (3-10pm), good luck trying to find a taxi. We queued for three hours trying to get a metered taxi before we relented and placed our faith in a driver soliciting us from the sidelines with a car ready to go. The catch? It was four times the expected fare (granted it did end up only being the equivalent of $40AUD). And even after getting into the car, it took us almost 40 minutes to even get out of the airport. My tip: try to fly into Manila in the morning. Not the best first impression of the Philippines.

Having been used to the Europe mentality of travelling, we set out on foot for some sightseeing the next day. While things were relatively close compared to the distances I walked in Europe, the heat, humidity and pollution definitely made it harder. While I managed to tick off quite a lot of sites in a day of walking, in hindsight, I would recommend a taxi (or perhaps a driver for the day). It also didn't help that while walking through Chinatown, I felt a pair of hands on the back of my neck. In a short struggle, the thief had yanked my necklace off my neck and had hightailed it into the crowd with his accomplice. This was a reality check moment for me. I wasn't in Europe. I wasn't in Australia. I was in a developing country where even though I was not well-off by Australian standards, to the people on the streets here, I had wealth that they could never comprehend. After my anger and shock subsided, I was left with a sense of pity for the people who had to resort to these measures to get by. Like I said, reality check.

Aftermath of my necklace being yanked off my neck

Fast forward a day, and we were leaving Manila and flying in Cebu. After taking two hours to drive 13km, we finally reached our hotel in Cebu to find out that we were actually meant to be on the island of Bohol that night. The ordeal of getting to the hotel in the first place meant that we were in no mood to travel another several hours to reach our Bohol accommodation, despite it being beachfront. Bohol was recently ravaged by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2013, and is famous for Panglao (beaches), the Chocolate Hills (pictured below) and tarsiers (smallest primates in the world). As a consolation for not staying there, we decided to day trip there the next day. However poor planning meant that our 2-hour ferry didn't arrive on the island until 1:30pm and we needed to return on the 6:30pm ferry. Oh well. As we got off the ferry and walked down the pier, we were accosted constantly by guides offering tours and transportation. After half an hour of a very persistent guide following us and an ineffective search for a metered taxi, we once again relented in order to not waste any more time, and had him drive us to the Chocolate Hills for 1,800PHP ($55AUD). Unfortunately this was all we had time for given that it was a 3-hour return trip. On the drive there, we saw the effects of the earthquake as our guide Emilio told us about his life and family. Turns out he was quite a nice and genuine guy - it's so hard to tell though when people harass and follow you in the street asking you to buy their services. After ten minutes of torrential downpour (our only experience of the wet season on the trip), the skies cleared as we reached the Chocolate Hills. I must say the view was stunning. However it did end up being an 11-hour return trip (including waiting time) just for 15 minutes admiring the Chocolate Hills. Tips: get an early morning ferry to make the most of your time, hire a driver for the day, stay the night at Panglao.

The Chocolate Hills of Bohol (or as one my friends called them: "Forest Boobs")

Fast forward to the next day and we travelled four hours by Ceres Liner bus south to Noordzee Hostel in Boljoon, in preparation for an early morning departure to Oslob to swim with whale sharks. This place was great! Perhaps as a result of not having such great luck on the trip so far, I was ecstatic being here. It was so nice to stay in a beachfront place with genuinely nice staff, away from the hustle and pollution of the city. That afternoon we swam and explored the beach, and that night we ate and drank to our hearts' content in the hostel's bar/restaurant. It honestly was the most relaxing part of the trip thus far.

The hostel had its own little private pier for relaxation

That night, thoroughly full and satisfied, I drifted off to sleep to the soothing drone of the air conditioner feeling for the first time like I was on holiday.


HBL signing out from Boljoon, Philippines.

Next up: Having a whale (shark) of a time...