Day 12 Journeys End

Today was our last day in the Philippines. We skipped breakfast and walked back down to the Cafe to return some dishes from the previous nights 'last meal'. From there we went upstairs to the dentist practice, owned and run by 'family' to use their internet. I was able to check in for our return flight home, before we walked back to one of the many shopping malls to do some last minute shopping and meet up with Gerry and Luis for some brunch.

Afterwards we returned to Luis' apartment and got ready for our journey home. Our taxi arrived at 3pm and luckily we had a quick trip to the airport. So quick in fact that we were able to check in for an earlier flight to Hong Kong. I wouldn't usually comment on the flight, but the landing was eventful at Hong Kong to say the least. We had a really bumpy approach and just as we were about to land the pilot aborted the landing and powered off for another try! This in itself is unnerving, but another passenger in the row beside us started to have a panic attack. He was a big chap and as he was just across the isle from the emergency exit I was worried that he might make a break for it! He was obviously trying to calm himself down with some flexing and stretching, but he was certainly unnerving the two very small stewardess' sitting by the emergency doors! Thankfully we landed on the next bouncy approach, but this poor chap was still showing signs of stress as we taxied to our stand! At least our BA flight back to London was less eventful and we arrived ahead of schedule at 0432 am at the new terminal 5 where my parents met us to take us home.

So what are my impressions of the Philippines? Well, it is very American in outlook, but that's no surprise. It is a mixture of modern and traditional, rich and poor, but again this is no surprise as many developing countries are similar. What makes the Philippines stand out are three things; first its people. There is always a smile and a "good morning Sir/Madam" from everyone you meet, from the waiter at your table to the security guard outside the bank. It is not forced or insincere, but genuine and warm, and it makes you feel good inside that there are still places in the world, where despite everyday problems, people still have time for the pleasantries.

Second is the sense of family. The family bond is very strong and this stands out whenever any gathering takes place. The families are usually large - four or more children is common. Cousins, nephews and nieces are seen on a frequent basis. Large, regular family gatherings are common place and nothing is too much trouble for a family member, however distant by blood or marriage. If you need something all you need do is ask someone within the family, they will know someone, somewhere able to help or direct you to someone else who can. It is quite remarkable and something we seem to have lost in our country.

Thirdly, its food. We have never eaten so well or so much on any of our travels. There is an association between the people and their food. They go together - one cannot be separated from the other. Each meal is large and shared with as many friends or family as possible. Between meals one has to take 'meryenda'. This can be a light sweet snack, but could equally be as large as the lunch or dinner that follows. Our party experience will stick in my mind for a long time. To feed 80 people there were 5 roasted pigs and a whole calf, not to mention chicken and veg and rice and rich sweets! I am amazed that almost all the people we met were short and slim, with all they eat how can this be!!!

We have met some wonderful, charming, generous people, who have gone out of their way to entertain, feed and host us during our stay. We have never met these people before, but they have already become good friends, not just acquaintances.

It is unfair to single out individuals, but a special mention of thanks must be made to Tony and Bella, Romon, Larry, Gerry, Luis and Annebelle. All of these people have been tremendous in all sorts of ways and our sincerest thanks go to them all. We hope to be able to return the compliment if ever they come to our cold, wet shores!

Finally, thanks to Lolo George. It was his suggestion that we come to the Philippines so he could

show and share with us all that he has been telling us about during our many travels together. I know that he is much loved and sorely missed by all of his extended 'family', which was all too evident when we shared all those magical family get togethers. We look forward to our return trip - perhaps for the next birthday party?

Day 10 & 11 Davao to Abe's Farm

Gerry prepared us a wonderful breakfast, of heart of palm rolls, local Chorizo sausage, fish, rice and juice. Clare tucked into hers while I had another excellent massage with Irish. Suitably relaxed I ate a Iate breakfast and then it was time to catch our flight back to Manila.



We were met by a driver who took us to the The Cafe, for some 'meryenda' - snacks, another Bibingka, before we headed north out of Manila to Abe's Farm, at the foot of Mount Arayat. This is spa type retreat about 2 hours outside Manila and is owned by some of the 'family'.

We arrived around 1830 hrs and went straight to dinner. Again we had an excellent meal, pork, chicken, shrimp and local vegetables. Again washed down by great fresh juice. We retired early and slept well in our rustic cottages, awaking to another bright and sunny day.

After a stroll and some birding we had breakfast, garlic rice, corned beef and fried eggs and the usual fresh juice, pineapple this time. Clare had a swim in the pool whilst George and I relaxed and took some pictures around the property. The authentic trbal houses and carvings were of particular interest.






Clare then went for a massage and after an hour or so of pumelling, we left for our journey back to Manila. But not before we had a snug with the litter of Jack Russell puppies!

We returned to Luis' appartment where we freshened up and then left to walk to the Cafe for some more Babinkaka. We then took in a local craft shop for some shopping before returning to Luis' in preparation for a get together that evening with Ramon, Larry, Gerry, Manny,George, Tony and Bella. The rum flowed, as did the red wine and we had a lovely meal, jointly preapred by those attending. It was a great way to say goodbye to some of the people who had made our stay so memorable and whose kindness and generosity we can never repay.

Day 9 - Philippine Eagle Foundation

We caught the small ferry from the island around 7am, back to the mainland. We were picked up by Ronny and then dropped Gerry back at his place. We then left for the Philippine Eagle Centre about an hour out of town.

The centre is set in lovely position in the Malagos area. This is lush jungle vegetation and is about 80 hectares in size, although only about 4 are open to the public. This is because, according to our guide JB, that they try and limit the amount of human contact for those birds that they are intending to release into the wild. This makes them more scared of humans and hence less susceptible to hunting.

JB explained that they have about 34 eagles at the Foundation and their aim is to promote, protect and educate. It is all done through voluntary donations and corporate sponsorship. They carry out research and monitor release birds by radio telemetry and GPS.

We had a wander around with JB and in addition to the giant Philippine eagle they have White Bellied Sea Eagles, Brahamany Kite, Crested Serpent Eagle, Pittar's Hawk Eagle and some Macaque monkeys, which they sometimes use as live bait when they are training for release!

They had one eagle on a perch out in the open, and although a male, which is smaller than the female, it was still a magnificent bird with tremendous hooked bill and deadly talons.

After our tour we went and met the Foundation director - Dennis, who is a friend of a cousin .... etc. He was a nice guy and made us very welcome He even made some calls to some friends in a birding society in Manila to check on a proposed visit to a swamp area.

After our visit we returned to Annabelles for another massive lunch with some of the family. As always this was huge by our standard, but 'quite normal' according to Gerry.

After another blow out we returned to Gerry's and went downstairs to his salon for haircuts, foot pedicure and a truly excellent full body massage, by 'Irish', a tiny Filipino girl. Although tiny she was very strong and had good technique. Her size 3 feet where just the right size to manipulate your muscles as she stood on top of your back!

We just had time to wake up and get showered before it was time to go out and join Annabelle and some of the family for a sumptuous dinner at an Italian restaurant - Sparrowe. It was a great meal - we lost count of the number of courses as the food kept coming and coming. Needless to say we were carrying our stomachs as we left an incredible hour and a half later!

Day 8 Samal Island

Today we were picked up by Gerry and George after checking out of the Marco Polo and then dropped our bags at Gerry's place. From here with an overnight bag we headed the short distance out of town to catch a small passenger ferry to take us over to Samal Island and the Paradise Resort.



This is a purpose built resort for the people of Davao to hop over for the day or like us stay overnight(s). It has a water frontage and all sorts of entertainment for guests. The accommodation is made of bungalow style complexes which are very clean, well equipped and comfortable.



We had the morning by the beach, catching up on e-mail and the blog before lunch. We then took a trip out to an old mansion, the first built on the island by the American Foundation. It is now in desperate need of repair, but has wonderful views over to Davao. We met some sweet children who lived there and loved their picture taken.




From there we went to Hagimitt Falls. This is a community project which brings money in by letting both tourists and locals alike take a refreshing swim in these fresh water series of pools and falls. It was great fun.



Afterwards we went to see the worlds largest colony of fruit bats in the world, at the Monfort Bat Cave on the island. These are Geoffroy's Rousette bats and there are about 1.8 million in the roost! The noise is incredible, but the sight of all these bats preparing to take to the sky as the sun began to set was amazing. They are quite small, unlike other fruit bats we have seen in India, but are quite pretty, with a white stripe through their wings.




Then it was time to return to the hotel for an excellent dinner. Tomorrow we return to the mainland an head straight to the Eagle Centre!

Day 7 Davao

After the party we had a real lazy day. We got up late and really did very little other than some shopping at the local shops. The highlight was when Gerry to us to the local fruit stall holders to try durian and marang.



This island is famous for the durian, but its reputation as the worlds most foulest smelling fruit is well justified. Most hotels ban it from their premises as well as airlines refuse to take it on board due to its pungent aroma. Of course we tried it and a related cousin, marang. The durian was disgusting, tasting of garlic and fried onions with a very pulpy consistency. The marang was more pleasant and fruit like, but still very soft and pulpy.



We stopped off for some more 'safe' fruit, mangostine, which we ate as we went back to the hotel. We then had an afternoon by the pool before meeting up with Larry, Ramon, Eric, Gerry and George for an excellent Chinese meal followed by several desert tastings before retiring to bed - full to bursting again!

Day 6 Bohol to Davao

After an early Philipinno breakfast we set off to the port at Bohol to catch the high speed ferry to Cebu. There are two decks, inside with air conditioning and upstairs on a covered deck - guess where Clare went!

This took around 2 hours where we transferred to the airport for our flight to Davao. This took just over an hour and we , were met there by Gerry, who has a house in the city. By the time we got to our hotel we only had about an hour before we were going to be picked up again by Gerry to go to Annabelle's house, who was hosting the party and whose birthday it was along with Gerry. Apparently this annual thing, with up to 80 guests attending, mainly extended family.

We arrived at the house to be greeted by Annabelle, a larger than life character. She had laid on a magnificent spread, with 5 whole roasted pigs and a roasted calf!



After a huge meal there was singing and several performances by family and friends to entertain the celebrating couple. A slid show showing some old pictures and then it was dancing and drinking, especially Gerry's potent fruit punch! It was hard to drag Clare away when it came time for us to leave around midnight.






It was a great evening and a real privilege to share such a family occasion, everyone made us feel very much at home and most welcome.

Day 5 Island Church Tour

After a long lie in, followed by a swim in the sea and the pool, we had a late brunch at a restaurant on the beach. Again I had a Philippino Breakfast, Clare had Tuna pizza and the others had local pasta, all washed down with fresh juice.

We then went on a tour of the islands most historic churches, but started just up the road at the local bee farm. This is a community project growing fresh herbs, salad leaves and producing honey and honey products. We were shown around by a guide and were able to sample different herbs and inspect inside the hive and see the queen bee. We then got to sample and then buy their local home produced ice cream served in a cassava cone. There were lots of flavours from horseradish, mango, chocolate, durian, ube, avocado, lemongrass, spicy ginger and many more. Of course it was delicious.



From there we went to the first church at Baclayon - The Church of the Immaculate Conception 1727. This is the second oldest in the Philipinnes and the oldest coral stone church. This included a small museum of artifacts displayed in the old convent.

We then went to the Lady of Light Church in Loon. This had a lovely painted ceiling and was made more special by the fact that they were celebrating mass. Outside we met a load of school kids, some of which thought I was Bruce Willis!

We then moved on to the Punta Cruz watch tower. This was built by the Jesuit's in the 1800's as a look out for invading / raiding parties. We watched the sun set from the tower which was quite special.

We then moved onto another church at Maribojoc. We arrived as the bats were literately leaving the belfry! Again as it is Lent, there was another mass going. Again it was very atmospheric and demonstrated the strong catholic faith here in the Philipinnes.

From there we headed on to meet up with another friend - Ino, who is an authority on old architecture, especially on churches and the local buildings of Bohol. He is part of a very wealthy family and has established the Ayala foundation which supports various good causes all over the Philipinnes. Ino gave us a personal tour of the church and of the old Jesuit building next door which has a unique painted ceiling with depictions of heaven and earth. The house is made of wood with beautiful hard wood floors.

We then had a informative film show about Bohol, made and narrated by Ino and then it was time for an excellent meal, eaten outside on a lovely wooden deck overlooking the estuary. It was idyllic, with warm breezes and excellent home cooked food, including the local Bohol vegetable soup, heart of palm, calamari, pork, rice and sweet and sour local fish. This was followed by a mango surprise desert along with Ube Halaya ... a thick rich sweet.

Afterwards we went to Ino's house, a 1930's wooden house in Bohol. Here we were treated to a cold fruit punch and some crepes served with strawberry sauce and Ube sauce. Again we were really full, but satisfied after another excellent meal.

Tomorrow we leave Bohol by high speed ferry to Cebu, before catching a flight to Davao, where we will celebrate Gerry's birthday with many of the people we have met on the trip so far and numerous others!

Day 4 Bohol Highlights

After a good Philippino breakfast of garlic rice, scrambled eggs, chorizo (pork sausage), mango juice and coffee, we left for a tour of the highlights of Bohol. This included the Chocolate Hills, a butterfly farm, a river cruise lunch and the tarsier sanctuary.

The Chocolate Hills are really an area of raised, isolated hillocks, covered in grass. The chocolate description comes from when the hill's foliage drys out to a brown colour under the scorching summer sun. There is a step way up on of the hills which leads to a viewing area of the surrounding hills. There were quite a few locals and tourists having their pictures taken at the view point and by local photographers who got them to pose in weird positions in front of pictures of the hills.


Having come down and whilst we waited for our private transport, Clare had a lovely mango ice cream which was 'refrozen' over a super chilled metal dish prior to serving. This was topped with marsh mellows and chocolate crispy flakes. - it was delicious.


The next stop was the butterfly farm. This was quite small, but very informative. We had a guide who took us through the life cycle of the butterflies and moths. There was then a walk in enclosure where the butterflies flew freely and could settle on you.



From there it was time for lunch. This was an 'event'! It was a river cruise on a floating restaurant. Sounds very nice, and it could have been without the other passengers and the feeding frenzy that ensued as soon as they were aboard. It was a shame as it put us off our food some what!



We stopped off at a floating pontoon for a local village group to give us a singing welcome and a dance show, which was the best part of the lunch!



Then it was off to the Tarsier sanctuary. This was set up in the hills and was quite a small affair, but it was excellent to see these fascinating creatures in their natural habitat and being watched over by dedicated staff. It is a sad fact that many are taken from the wild for the benefit of tourists to see up close. Unfortunately they don't survive long in captivity and so more are taken from the wild, which ins now threatening their survival, along with habitat loss.




We were lucky to see four of these tiny primates and the guide explained the sanctuary programme and gave us excellent information about the life cycle and breeding of these beautiful creatures.



We then returned to the main town where we stopped at the market. This was massive, with all sorts of stuff on sale. There were fruit stalls selling all manner of exotic fruits, some familiar some not. Of course we brought some for later.



There was also fresh and dried fish stalls, vegetable and everyday item stalls. It was great to see such fresh and varied produce in one place.




After a stop for some local rum, we returned to our hotel for a swim before enjoying our fruit purchases washed done by copious amount of rum and sprite! Then we staggered up the beach for a fish, pork, corn and potato BBQ'd supper right on the beach. A perfect end to the day!

Day 3 Manila to Bohol

Today we flew with George form Manila on an early flight to Bohol, with us came Ramon and Larry. The flight took just over an hour and of course we arrived to beautiful weather, hot and sunny. We took a taxi to our hotel, the Alona Tropical Beach situated on Panglao, an island attached to Bohol by two causeways.

The hotel is small and simple, but comfortable and is situated between two much more expensive ones at one end of a fine white sandy beach. After dropping our bags in our rooms we went for a bit of late breakfast, noodles with seafood and more with chicken and pork. Clare tucked into some fruit pancakes and a mango milkshake.

We then had a quick walk into the nearby village for some more supplies of fresh fruit and then hit the beach for some R&R. The sea is lovely and warm and Clare had a lovely time enjoying it and the sun.




After a few hours it was time to check out the neighbouring posh hotel and have some afternoon tea - well mocha iced coffee, caramel cake, banana turon de Bohol and a huge halo-halo. Larry reserved a beautiful table overlooking the beach at this hotel which will be a lovely spot for our dinner tonight.

We had a gentle stroll along the beach to work off our afternoon snack and check out the rest of the hotels and bars along the short half mile stretch of beach All the bars etc were trying to get customers to eat drink at their place - some had a lovely array of fresh seafood on display to tempt the passing trade.

Now it's time for our cocktails before dinner! Tomorrow we are off to check out the sights of the island.