.... any way the wind blows ...: January 2017

Rocking Out in Palawan

19 to 25 January, 2017 - Puerto Princesa, El Nido, Sabang - (Philippines)

So, another trip comes to a close. We wrapped up in the western Philippine island of Palawan.

First, the beautiful rocky islands of Bacuit Bay, in the northern part. Based in El Nido, with its reasonable beach, the beauty of the archipelago was truly appreciated on a day trip island hopping. This also gave us our final snorkelling time with a small but highly concentrated coral garden featuring an abundance of gorgeous fish.

An Insect Friend
I just love how glossy this large horned beetle is. He looks pretty ferocious, too.

Sunrise at El Nido
This was the view from our place in El Nido. Cadlao Island.

Entrance, Large Lagoon
Coming in to the large lagoon on Miniloc Island in Bacuit Bay.

Rock Formations
Inside the large lagoon, Miniloc Island.

More Rock Formations
As we exited the large lagoon, Miniloc Island.

Our final destination was Sabang, for the World Heritage Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, the world's longest cave navigable by boat.

Like Spiders
The boats anchored off-shore at Sabang, looking sinister. They reminded me of spiders, or a fleet of drones.

Cave Formation
One of the beautiful cave formations in the underground river of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River.

It's Sharon Stone
Can you see the curvaceous figure in the rock formation?

Monitor Lizard
A large lizard shows us his wonderful forked tongue.

Cautious Monitoring of the Situation
Jo and a none too shy monitor lizard.

Local Transport
Heading back to Puerto Princessa on a jeepney. I joined some local guys and rode on the roof.

Multitudes and Miniatures

11 to 19 January, 2017 - Larena-Siquijor, Tagbilaran-Bohol, Doljo Beach - (Philippines)

A blog about the multitudes at Siquijor, and the miniatures on Bohol.

Although we did do some fantastic snorkelling at Siquijor, the wonderful marine life that enthralled us for hours did not require us to do much more than wade in. At low tide, before even getting our feet wet, we watched battalions of soldier crabs rippling across the sand bar. From a distance, each wave was just a single dark mass, like a shadow, morphing into different shapes as it moved.

Further along the squishy sandbar, maintaining their own territory free of crabs, were the scores of sandy coloured sea stars. Sometimes, it was hard to identify if the star was a living creature, or just an impression left behind in the sand by one which had moved on.

And out in the water near the dark patches of spiny sea urchins, were the red, orange, and ochre sea stars, with their blackened knobbly spines.

An Army of Blue Soldier Crabs
For about half an hour, while the tide was at the its lowest point, thousands upon thousands of tiny crabs scuttled across the beach. Taking a step towards them, they would bury themselves in the sand, and in seconds, there was almost no evidence they had even been there.

Crab Individuals - Blue Soldier Crabs
If we stood still for a few minutes, the buried crabs would bravely emerge from their sandy hiding places. They just didn't notice us when we were not moving.

A Spotted Moon Crab
Claws and legs pulled in nice and tight, flattened so that all the toughest shell locks together to create a defensive armour. On the shore, Siquijor island.

Various Sea Stars on the Sand
Generally, they were just laying on the wet sand. At first, we thought they were dead. Every now and then, one or two decided to get moving, and they could muster quite a cracking pace, considering they were out of the water.

Sea Stars
A fleeting encounter between two sea stars.

A Small Knobby Sea Star
Going by a variety of names (see the next picture), we grew quite fond of these abundant echinoderms. Wonderfully colourful and abundant in knee to waist deep water, Siquijor.

Chocolate Chip Starfish
Protoreaster Nodosus, Horned Sea Star, Knobby Sea Star, or Chocolate Chip Starfish.

After a few days enjoying the sun and water at Siquijor, we ferried to Bohol. Day one, take a motorbike out and about, visiting the miniature primates and the miniature mountains.

Philippine Tarsier
Say hello to one of the smallest primates. An impossibly cute nocturnal creature, rarely seen in the wild. The island of Bohol is one of the few places where it is almost guaranteed to see them, in the sanctuaries. This photo was taken in a well known and long established sanctuary near Corella.

The Chocolate Hills
Looking a little greener than we expected. The miniature mounds dot the landscape as far as we could see. The name comes from the colour during dry season, particularly at dawn or dusk. Not seeing them in their namesake colour did not take away from the experience.

After riding about, before returning to Tagbilaran, we decided to look for somewhere to spend the last couple of nights in Bohol, at the beach. Alona beach is where it is all happening, so we thought we would start there. Oh, it was awful. The crowds; the noise; the gringos; the general "holiday makers are here"; the overpriced accommodation. And the beach was not that wonderful. There was not going to be any possibility of getting something beachfront, without paying through the nose. So we spent some time looking at nearby beaches, getting disheartened, and finally, in the failing light, decided to give up and go back to Tagbilaran and "re=group" - assess our options and maybe hop on a bus to somewhere else entirely.

Returning to town, I missed a turn off. (I blamed the poor light, but the next day I realised there wasn't a sign, anyway, and I would have missed it regardless). After a while, we realised we had made a mistake and were not where we wanted to be and would have to double back. It was under these odd circumstances that we stumbled across the much less touristy Doljo Beach. Far quieter, and far better value. Sometimes, we feel so looked after.

The next day, it rained, and rained, and rained. Not torrential, but pretty consistent. And the wind (at the beach, at least), did not ever relax. The windsurfers and kite surfers were loving it, racing past us as we sheltered under the terrace. Occasional let ups meant we could escape and go for a walk for a (wonderful) seafood dinner (chilli crabs and sizzling calamari), but we were a little restricted in our range due to the fear of getting soaked.

The weather stayed somber, but the rain abated the following day. Not beach weather, but we motored around on a scooter for a while before deciding to ride to the Abatan River to do firefly watching. Both multitudal and miniature, it was beautiful to sit on a kayak in the still and quiet night, watching the blinking dots swarm over their selected trees. Just a tree here and there, with a few stray insects wandering to the neighbouring bushes, but the chosen trees receiving a lot of firefly attention. Sometimes, almost all of them would blink in near unison, creating a throbbing and pulsing impression like a firefly night club. Other times, the light would shimmer across the mass like a wave. And then there were times where every firefly seemed to be blinking to their own individual rhythm and style. No matter how, though, they always just looked like Christmas trees with living lights.

Dusk at the Abatan River
We were unable to capture the fireflies in photos. Sitting on a kayak in near total darkness taking pictures of hundreds of pinpoints of flashing lights is a near impossible task with good equipment, but since we were getting wet I was only willing to try photos with the phone in the waterproof sleeve. This turned near impossible to totally impossible. So, here is a "before setting out" picture to act as a memory jogger.

Typhoon Warning - We're Back in the Philippines

5 to 11 January, 2017 - Manila, Cebu, Argao, Boljoon, Moalboal - (Philippines)

We really did it in style, in Manila. Being our anniversary, we splurged at a 5 star hotel (and casino) for a couple of nights. Although we did not make use of the gaming rooms, we certainly made the the most of the included buffet breakfast!

For our anniversary dinner, we headed in to the region known as Malate. Our goal was to find the same restaurant we had dined at, three years ago, for their signature pork dish, and the crispy softshell crabs. We succeeded!

Arriving at Cebu, we checked in to a hotel which, fair to say, could be described as the almost exact opposite of where we spent the night before. It was a room, with a bed, and a spray of water from a hose called a "shower". Clean enough, and well located. "Are you here for Sinulog?" they inquired. "?", we replied. "The festival, are you here for that?" Sounds great, arriving perfectly timed for a festival. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. Parties are fun; crowds not so much. Cheap street food is awesome; jacked up prices for stuff is a pain. Seeing stuff that only happens once a year is random and interesting; missing stuff that is closed or too crowded just has to be stomached.

Sinulog Festival
There was little chance of us getting in to the cathedral in Cebu with the Sunulog Festival on, one of the biggest in this part of the world. We found a good view in an upstairs dining area of 7-Eleven, watching the crowds partaking of mass on big screens.

Fort San Pedro
Hardly anyone was in the fort. I think everyone was at the mass at the cathedral!

Cebu is known for lechon, roast pork. So incredibly good...

We decided to clear out of Cebu city, and head to some more islands. But a typhoon warning shut down all the ferries. Potentially two or three days, we were told. So, it was time to make the most of Cebu, the island as a whole.

Interior, St Michaels
St Michaels Church, Argao. The wonderful ceiling murals are considered amongst the finest in Cebu.

St Michaels, Argao
The 200 year old church on the east coast of Cebu island.

From the bus, we spied the town of Boljoon. The church looked beautiful and the town seemed to have promise. So, we decided to have a punt and just get off here.

Altar
The altar of the church of Boljoon, the oldest in Cebu.

Church of Boljoon
Another wonderful building on the eastern coast of Cebu.

The first accommodation we saw looked nice, but was way overpriced for what was included (or not, depending how you look at it), so we thought we would find somewhere else. Trudging through town, not finding anything, we were feeling a little disheartened. Until a couple driving by stopped and offered to take us to their place, where they had a room they rented out. "It's right on the water", they told us. Sure, it was a few kilometres from town, but their place was squeezed on a tiny strip of land between the coastal road and the sea. The room was tiny, basic, and had a balcony where our feet got sprayed on when larger waves broke.

Our Boljoon Find
Sometimes, when you can't find a place to stay, a place to stay finds you! Wandering, bedraggled and disheartened, a couple driving past said they had a room they could rent to us. This was our outlook.

Finally for Cebu, we went to Panagsama Beach, better known as Moalboal. For snorkelling, and for the nearby waterfall. This town was overrun with tourist amenities. Not just hostels, bars, restaurants, diveshops, but the horror of nightclubs. You can't see them during the day. You choose a secluded place at the edge of town, where you THINK it will be nice and quiet. You get the room with a balcony overlooking the water, and you go out for dinner. When you come back from dinner, you find that there is a nightclub, and although it is a few hundred metres away, it is still bloody loud. And your room shakes. And you can hear the bass through your pillow. And earplugs don't help. And putting headphones in and playing your own music doesn't help. And it goes until 6:30 in the morning, seemingly getting louder and louder. We apologised to the hotel staff as we checked out and moved, after all, it is not their fault. However, we should not put up with it out of pity for the hotel.

I Wonder Where They Went
A sign at Panagsama Beach, Moalboal.

A Gecko, Hiding
A gecko underside, on a green lampshade.

The highlight of our stay here, though, was snorkelling. I must say, I never thought swimming with thousands of sardines would be so easily achievable, snorkelling and not diving, and from the beach instead of going far out in a boat.

Swimming With Sardines
Sorry about the bad photo, but 1) it's a phone photo, 2) the case slipped and the lens was not pointing through the clear part, 3) it was too hard to see what I was photographing, and 4) they were hard to photograph, anyway. So I just took dozens of bad photos. However, this sort of shows the sardines. There were thousands, swimming like a swarm. Like an entity unto themselves. Reaching out or diving down, the mass of black would open up and conform to your shape. It was a beautiful experience.

A Hint of the Beauty at Panagsama (Moalboal)
Again, many apologies for the bad photo, but I really did want to show something of how beautiful it was in the water here.

Guam - Snorkelling, Beach Time, and a Good Dose of War History

2 to 5 January, 2017 - Tamuning - (Guam)

Bleary eyed, we arrived at the poshly named "Tamuning Plaza Hotel". We had only talked to them the night before, on the phone, to ensure we would have a room waiting when we arrived at the ungodly hour of 5:45. It seems our room had been given away. Miscommunication led the night manager to treat us as an unconfirmed booking. So now, he found another room on the list where the bookers had not arrived, and he gave that one to us. Chances are, an hour later, he was going to be repeating the process when those people turned up! Not our problem, at least we had a bed to crawl in to.

While snorkelling at Gun Beach, we heard a plane flying low overhead, on its final approach. I had to look up and see what it was. Jo says that's just being a boy. I knew where we were swimming had us under the flight path for the air force base. We had already seen a few fighters to confirm my orientation. But this was a shape I had only seen in books and on the web. The distinctive shape of a B-1 bomber, swing wings at their widest for landing, and the signature four jet exhausts, side by side in a row under the body. I was a little thrilled.

Snorkelling, Gun Beach
Gun Beach, near Tumon, Guam.

Picasso Triggerfish, Gun Beach
We saw heaps of these "80's" fish - too much blue eye shadow.

Snowflake Moray Eel
A very shy thing. We watched him for about 10 minutes, and he certainly got an impression that he was quite long. We could watch his body sliding around through an opening, Unfortunately, he was way too aware of us to come out. Taken at Piti Bomb Holes, Guam.

A Sea Star with Six Arms
Sea stars have a great ability to regenerate lost limbs. But this ability also leads to occasional abnormalities. This blue sea star (common name, and I'm not joking, Blue Starfish, scientific name Linckia Laevigata) has an extra arm. Taken at Piti Bomb Holes, Guam.

Hand for Scale
A regular, five armed Blue Starfish. Piti Bomb Holes.

Black Knobby Sea Cucumber
There were loads of sea cucumbers at Piti Bomb Holes, but this was the only one we saw of this variety.

Four days with a hire car on a perfect size island for driving around. We could easily have filled in one more day, assuming the great weather continued. We would have visited one or two more beaches, done one or two more snorkelling outings, but all in all, we left satisfied with what we did.

Defensive Cannon
Guam, and World War II. The island is defined in so many ways by what happened in just a few years in the 1940's.

Spanish Bridge
A reminder of early colonialism, western Guam.

Swimming, Inarajan Natural Pools
Enjoying the wonderfully beautiful natural pools at Inarajan. Waves crash over the rocks and the water can't get back out to sea via the same path. The water flows through a series of scenic pools of varied depth before returning to the ocean a hundred metres or more further along the coast.

Water Flowing In
After the wave crashes on the rocks, the water begins its flow over the rocks, into the Inarajan Natural Pools.

One of the Inarajan Natural Pools
Such a beautiful place to swim.

Synaptid Sea Cucumber
We watched this wonderful creature for quite some time. Using its feathery tentacles, it shovelled sand in to its mouth, extending itself, growing longer and longer, eventually retracting to a shorter bunched up shape and starting again.

Synaptid Sea Cucumber
This wonderfully enchanting sea cucumber, Inarajan Natural Pools, was more than a metre long.

Palau - First Stop in Micronesia

27 December, 2016 to 1 January, 2017 - Koror - (Palau)

Sunsets from planes. Yes, cliched, but looking so good at times.

Descending
On our final approach in to a transit stop at Manila.

OK, I am going to begin with a whinge, and get it over with. We do understand that there is a need to charge some sort of fee for entering the rock islands area of Palau. Let's call it a National Park entry fee, a visitor permit, or whatever. At $50 U.S., we thought it steep. Although valid for 10 days, it hurts the wallet for those of us only going in for one day. OK, so we paid it, and moved on, because that's the way it is. Then, it was a rude shock when we had to pay another $50 to leave the country, called an environmental protection tax, or something similar. Had us leaving the country with a bit of a bad aftertaste.

Speaking of aftertaste, we think it is important to try local foods, particularly if they vary from the norm of what we would get in Australia. Sometimes, it takes a lot of guts to order something. Usually, it doesn't quite marry up with our expectations, whether better, worse, or just different.

Tastes Like Chicken
We ordered fruit bat soup, not quite expecting to find a whole fruit bat in the bowl of broth. After posing for a picture, the boiled bat was taken to the kitchen, fully prepared, and returned for consumption. And yes, really, it did taste a lot like chicken.

The first two days here, we did next to nothing. We went for a few swims, and we ate and drank.

We did make quite an entrance, one evening. We went to a restaurant, were enthusiastically welcomed, and gestures indicated we could sit round the side, at some waterfront seats. On the way, we had to step around the person singing and playing his keyboard. On the way, we had to stop over the cord for the entertainer. On the way, we tripped over an extension cord. On the way, we killed the entertainment.

Waterfront Happy Hour
Koror, Palau.

Eventually, we had to do something other than sit around. We were here, afterall, for the water wonders of Palau. Unfortunately, the famous jellyfish lake is currently not worth visiting. Jellyfish numbers apparently have dwindled, and the site is under serious threat. So, we went kayaking and snorkelling in the rock islands.