Philippines

The Filipino Islands consist of an archipelago of 7100 islands, or rather a more accurate 7107 if a low tide exists, in the tropics of the Western Pacific Ocean. Of all the islands and choices on offer we decided on going to a little place called 'Siargao', pronounced "Shar-Gow'. This due to the SIL (sister in-law) and BIL (you guessed it, brother-in-law to be) who recommend we come over and join them on their school vacation/holiday. They have a mate from China (Andrew Russo & Keiko) who owns a house on the island and is in the process of turning it into a guest lodge. We were to be some of the 'test dummies/victims' for their newly built accommodation.

ATR72 getting us there safely, landing on Siargao's tiny airstrip

Map of the island of dreams, Siargao

From the get go we found ourselves in a place far removed from the rest of Asia - the people, the language (Tagalog) and food resembled a place more similar to what we'd expect from a South American town.

After a short stint in Manila where we met the glamorous Miss M - hair was GHD'd, the make-up immaculate in complete contrast to Cacey's dreads and 'natural' look.... We hopped on a flight to Cebu where we were going to spend a night at the Kukuks Nest. The three of us were feeling rather festive and spent the day in the sunshine sipping on some San Miguels and the infamous Red Horse (this beer is certainly not for the faint hearted with a staggering 6.9% alcohol, you are guaranteed a good time out of every bottle). After a power nap and a few more sundowners we headed down the road to find some food for dinner. By pure chance we stumbled across the most magnificent Thai restaurant - if you ever find yourselves in Cebu, this place is a must! The food was insane! It was a fairly early night for us as we new the real fun would begin tomorrow when Julz and Dave would finally be joining us and the Red Horse train we had been on earlier had left us feeling rather fatigued.

The infamous 6.9% Red Horse

The following day was an early start for us, especially Mel who is not known for being punctual in the mornings. We headed off to the airport where we met our awesome hosts - Russo and Keiko - the most down to earth friendly couple you could ever meet. 5 hours later Julz and Dave finally arrived and we were all off on a plane ride to Surigao followed by a 3hr ferry trip to Siargao. We arrived in what is without doubt the best island I have ever visited. Full stop. The admin involved in getting to the island is well worth the journey as you are greeted by tropical blue waters, palm trees in abundance and friendly laid back locals. You are immediately hit with the fact that this island of Siargao is well off the tourist map as sighting another westerner or 'whitey' is not a common occurrence. Upon landing our hosts had organised us a jeepney (local bakkie) to take us from the airstrip to our humble abode. With a cooler box filled with ice cold beers for the lot of us, surfboards piled onto the roof racks we were off along the road to the other side of the island. I could not think of a better way to start a vacation.

Back of the Jeepney, cooler box in tow. 'Welcome to the island' with an ice cold slap in the face

A typical island Jeepney, ours happened to be of a larger variety. Surfboards won't fit onto this noble steed...

The single tar road connects the western side to the eastern side of the island, all other 'roads' are severely potholed dirt and jeep tracks that lead to the numerous little villages perched all over the island. Barely any western influence is to be found here. No 7/11. No advertising boards, cars or bright lights (except for the infamous karaoke machines) exist here. Nothing but rural Philippines. A true gem of a place. We were excited to have arrived and explore what Siargao had to offer.

Local Baptist Church - a converted house does the trick - quaint

Another church. This one being 422 years old - amazing!

Our typical 'schedule' on the island usually started off with a morning run, followed by some yoga on the grass overlooking the lapping waves (even the grass here at Greenhouse Lodge/B'nB/Hotel/Villa is that pristine blanket substance resembling patches of the Augusta National fairway). All the while our personal Chef Ronnie prepares our breakfast and coffee - fresh fruit, granola, coconut shavings, pancakes etc. Breakfast is usually followed by a trip on the Greenhouse boat which takes us to any one of the numerous reefs of our choice for a day of surfing. Once the tide goes out the reef begins to rear its head and the waves begin to get a dangerous type of gnarly. This quite simply means 'beer&lunch time'. Boat go home. But first.... Island stop. We have a picnic and a few San Miguels on one of the small deserted islands on route. Then mosey on back to the beach cottage, mesmerized by the crystal clear waters on route. The afternoon is spent sleeping, reading, playing cards or continuing to explore what Siargao has to offer on the scooters available to us. Another feature of the Greenhouse is their friendly groundsman/caretaker named Herman who has 'Champion coconut tree climber' listed on his CV under 'skills'. I wish I could say I had that! What a champion and all round friendly chap.

'Another fresh 'nut please Herman.... Pina colada's anyone?'

The humble abode

Greenhouse private boat and surf taxi

Front yard/porch

Lazy day's

Dinner is another family affair as chef cooks up the fresh produce he acquired earlier that day from the market - fresh fish, squid galore, avo dip, Japanese rice - 5 star cuisine. I love this life. Please let it never end.

'Shats' guesthouse - where 2 ply is always at hand.... Nowhere near as good as the Greenhouse. Funny sign though

Main Road, Siargao

Fresh produce - tonight crab (large) is on the menu

One fine Sunday we decided to venture out to Bones Bar, down near Cloud9 surf break. The occasion? Manny 'Pac-Man' Pacquiao vs 'Sugar' Shane Mosley for the world title belt. Manny Pacquiao is dubbed as the pride and joy of the Philippines and hailed from the exact island we were on. He grew up there! The vibe at the bar was fantastic as we cheered arm in arm with the other locals. The Red Horse beer (6.9% vol) was flowing as well as the Tanduay Rum and Coke -a dangerous blend we were wisely told not to mix. We knew today was going to be a big one when we started cracking open bottles of wine after spending the morning sipping on the ever trusty Red Horse and local rum. As the day (it was 11am when the bout began) grew on we found ourselves making many new friends including a couple of locals who convinced us that a trip down to the karaoke bar was a great idea. It sure did seem so at the time.... Off we went, Cacey on a scooter with two locals (one it turns out is known as the town bicycle - looks like we were hanging with the wrong crowd) and Mel and I drove on the other scooter down to the 'beach front' to one of the many burger/karaoke bars (this is quite a strange concept the island has going as all the bars are open with tables along the street so no-one can really hear what they are singing as there is a major sound proofing issue between bars). 

Manny 'Pac-Man' bout

And a knock down in the 4th round

We spent the afternoon singing along to classics like Bon Jovi and Elvis, as the sun began to set we thought it wise that we start making tracks home. The trip home was rather interesting, 3 on a bike is not really practical as we soon learnt. Driving home at a staggering two kilometers an hour (safety first) all was on track until somehow we hit a pebble or something and the next thing we knew all three of us were now in a puddle of mud with the bike on top of us, after some much hysterical laughter and one times wet jean pant, we managed with the help of some locals to get back on the bike and find our way home with no further mishaps.

Some of the heartwarming things we saw on the island included children playing hop scotch in the street. Simple games. A boy throwing a paper jet, sprinting after the airborne device, laughing and smiling ear to ear when doing so. This was very refreshing to see as the youth I have come to know (not that we are that old) are all too fixated on the latest iPad, iPhone and other gadgets to boot. The local inhabitants take pride in their little town as an early morning run through the streets would reveal them sweeping the stretch of gravel in front of their respective houses. A friendly 'Hey!' would be screamed by the local kid's every time we went past.

Old school kids games. Smiling ear to ear - the way it should be!

Characters

As the time flew by and slowly the group grew smaller and smaller it was back to just the three of us for a few more nights on this island of paradise. Our last day was spent on the boat snorkeling and boogie boarding followed by a serious tan session on our very own private island.

Group surf session

Pulling up to the desolate island for a picnic

Desolate? Naught, there's a random there on the left. Get him!

Island sunset

Pictures just don't quite do it justice

We then ventured back to the local village where every local seemed to now know us (this may have something to do with our Sunday adventure down at the beach front) where we captured this awesome place as best we could before heading back to our pad for our last supper prepared by the infamous Ronnie - truly an amazing chef. The following morning we were met by the most awesome sunrise to bid us farewell - I am sure this was the islands way of saying, sorry for you suckers look what you will be leaving behind....

Chilled (stuck) boat


We sadly had to bid farewell to our friend Mel who we had finally converted in to a true backpacker - no GHD or MAC make up found in her possession ! Now just the two of us remained and we decided to try out one last island before heading off to China for some family bonding time. Bantayan Island here we come!

We chose to go to Bantayan on a whim after a quick gander on the internet. The trip there included an easy 3hr bus journey and another 2hr ferry ride - this is a seriously quick journey in comparison to the ones we have had to take since embarking on this South East Asia adventure. Apart from ourselves, not one other tourist was to be seen on either of these modes of transport. Bliss. Arriving at the islands port of Santa Fe we were greeted by white powder sands, quiet roads and heaps of friendly folk. Bicycle taxis being the main mode of transport, we decided to grab one and head down to the 'main strip'. All 100meters of it. 5 whole restaurants, a market and a bakery. Awesome. After dumping our bags and going in search of a place to stay we happened to meet a dude called Remy, short for Raymond. He had something in mind when we asked if he knew of a cheap place to stay. Onto his scooter we climbed and proceeded 2km out of town, along a small cliff path better suited for walking. Flashback: Last time there were 3 of us on a scooter we ended up in a heap on the muddy road. Needless to say we hung on this time.

He stopped outside a big blue beach house. This was it. His cousin was the caretaker and there was space to stay! He told us the German owner was in Europe for the holiday and the garden cottage was available. It came with fridge, use of the main house kitchen, Weber braai (yesyesyes!), hammock, free access to the coconut tree out front and a sun lounger. Pot of gold! Bantayan we have arrived! Later that day Remy introduced us to yet another cousin (he is related to almost the whole island - not sure I want further details) who hooked us up with possibly the newest & swankiest scooter on the island - 'night rider' it was dubbed - with it's black racing rims, automatic clutch & disco flicker feature. We were set for the island holiday of a lifetime, take two....

Granny cottage on the cliffs

New chommies are cooking up a seafood dish of note

Great morals upheld on this island

Our new chommies - old and skinny is a hit

Valentine's treat

 Buzzing down the island streets one is greeted every few hundred meters with a cheery 'hello sir, ma'am' or 'hello friend, hello friend'. Kids chase after you and attempt a running high five. A foreigner/whitey is not something they see everyday as is evident by their hearty cheers when you ride past. There is thankfully a lack of tourists that frequent this idyllic spot and I do hope it stays this way as it is yet another gem on the Filipino archipelago i'd recommend going to visit.

Jeepney spotted on Bantayan Island - sure beats RSA taxis for design points

The days were spent running in the mornings, followed by a hearty bowl of oats and fresh fruit and then it was off to the pristine white sandy beaches for a day of sun tanning and snorkeling. The afternoons were spent lying in the hammock reading a good book before heading back to the beach for sundowners. This place is bliss, the beauty of this island is breathtaking - I have never seen a sunset like the ones we saw on Bantayan island. 

Amazing

Panoramic shot

Time flew and before we knew it we were back on the ferry heading off to Cebu to catch our flight to China. The Philippines has to be one of the best places we have been to on this adventure. The people are friendly and are not out to score a buck out of you every time you walk past. The natural beauty cannot be described or captured on film, you have to go there to feel, see and experience the magic of this place. As Jimmy once made his Facebook status 'I am in the postcard' I think that says it all about the Philippines.

INSIDE the postcard....

If you ever get the chance to go to the Philippines, don't think just go - whether you are looking for a relaxed holiday vacation or some water sport adventure, this place has it all. The 'Greenhouse' is an amazing place to stay if you ever get to Siargao and the best part of all about going to the Philippines is that it is a super cheap destination and one of the most beautiful places you could ever go to in your lifetime!