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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Feb 24, 2008 07:00 PM 6 hours on the choppy waters...
How to get from Port Barton north - to El Nido? Back by "bus" to the main road and then another "bus" through the mud, bumps and jungle...
Or other solution: little "pump boat" with motor along the coast. This little boat take max 4 passengers - chey charge 5000 peso per boat to El Nido.
It was grest marine adventure - 6 hours on the choppy waters - but the views of the little islands were so great that I forgot about very hard seat and my wet clothes (a lot of splashing water when we jumped over the waves). Noise of the old truck motor is stronger then any wind... The boat reached El Nido after 6 hours. This is the place who can be compared with the most beautiful islands on the Pacific. I need a rest in this amazing landscape...
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Feb 23, 2008 07:00 PM Port Barton - Philippine last frontier...
Port Barton is a sleepy village with nice beach and few "tourist resorts" ( 6-10 cottages each, electric power only from 6 pm to 11 pm). Sunday. More then 35 deg in the sun. Only slightly more then 100 local people attnended the service in San Isidro church. No priest here, so it was not like the regular mass.
I was swiming in the warm, blue sea at the sunrise. Great pleasure! Then I took a 1- hour walk to the Pamuayan Waterfall. The trail is muddy with many stereams so better tak your slacks with you to cross this extreme parts of the trail. Waterfal is 25-30 m high and quite impressive in the lush, green jungle. It is possible to swim in the little pond at the bottom of the fall. Return will take you another hour or more in the heat of the afternoon.
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Feb 22, 2008 07:00 PM Muddy track to Port Barton...
The marvel of internet: loading my previous entries I was sitting in the dark internet cafe in Puerto Princessa. Five minutes later other traveller from Poland was reading these entries sitting in the hotel three blocks away. After an hour he found me at Banwa Pension and invited me for the meeting with the group of the tourists from Poland. I spent a nice evening with them sipping San Miguel beer and tasting tropical fruits (and speaking my home language again after more then a month).
Only once a day - at 10 am there is a bus from Puerto Princessa to Port Barton on the other side of Palawan. "A bus" is converted army truck with no glass in the windows and hard seats. First 125 km was OK on main, paved road. Then we drove 22 km through the jungle on the bumpy, muddy road - loading and unloading passengers, changing two tyres. We reached Port Barton after 6 hours on this "bus"- Palawan is still great adventure...
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Feb 21, 2008 07:00 PM Subterranean River - the longest in the world?
It is 2,5 hours drive from Puerto Princessa. Half on the good road and the second part on bumpy road full of holes - through the lush jungle... But this National Park is a must if you are on Palawan - nice beaches are in many tropical countries but such a marvel of the nature you can see only here...
Once you will reach the other side of the island they will take you from Sabang by little boat (20 min ride) to the beach where is 5 min walk to the entry to the cave. Watch brave monkeys - the makaks and monitor lizards hunting for food...
Then another, 8-pax paddle boat will take you to the river meandering the cave. They say it is 8-km long but let you know that in fact they will sail with you in the darkness 1,5 km and back. For me it was still impressive: stalactites and stalagmites nnd 50-m high cathedral with a huge stalagmite "candle" in the middle. The Subterranean River of Palawan is on the Unesco World Heritage list.
Excursion from Puerto Princessa took me full day - but it was great day - now it is the time for the meal. Papayas are not ripe yet here but they have delicious pomelos...
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Feb 20, 2008 07:00 PM To Palawan - the outback of the Philippines
They call it in the guide books: the outback of the Philippines. More and more tourists are coming here but it is still destination off the beaten track, the long island famous for the unspoiled nature, great beaches and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
To get there from Cebu I had a choice to take a ferry from Iloilo (like 36 hours, 770 peso, twice a week - I had to wait) or to fly to Puerto Princessa for 2000. Domestic flights are inexpensive in this country - I can recommend Cebu Pacific Air selling ticket in internet... Sorry, no free drinks or snacks on board.
An hour over the blue sea and I landed on Palawan. The airport is only 2 km from the city so I took junky tricycle pyk-pyk-pyk to Banwa Pension. This backpacker accommodation has a lot of atmosphere - many people sleep here. For single room with fan and shared bath they charge 350 peso.
Puerto Princessa is like main town on Palawan. You will find here nice blue cathedral. But for me the main attraction was the kampong on the shore - hundreds of wooden houses on the stilts. It has shops, eateries, laundries... I was wondering there alone accompanied by local kids only, looking the real life. Fantastic experience!
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Feb 19, 2008 07:00 PM Did you hear about Lapu Lapu?
Philippines. I am already in hot and dusty Cebu City. Ladies are charming here...
Do you remember my sailing through the Magellan's Strait from Porvenir to Punta Arenas on the old ferry boat "Malinka"?
Today I visited another Magellan's place: Mactan Island where, during the fight with the local chief Lapu Lapu he was wounded to death by spear and poisoned arrow. Now there is obelisk on this place and the statue of the chief Lapu Lapu. Lapu Lapu (the capital city of the Mactan island has his name now) is a national hero, Ferdinand Magellan is described as invader.
For us he was one of the greatest explorers... I think that for the serious traveler the monument on Mactan Island is one of this important "cult" places like Ujiji in Africa where Stanley found Livingstone or the grave of Ernest Shackelton on South Georgia. This a place to be...
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Feb 18, 2008 07:00 PM Jeepney - sorry - not my size...
Philippines. Can you imagine a million-people city without city any buses? Joke? No! It is like that here. Almost whole city transport is taken here by jeepneys - converted and refurbished old american jeeps and new versions of such a vehicles. Jeepney ride is cheap: 7-10 peso - like 20 US cents. But you travel in the dust and smog, in the heat and the wind. For me there is another problem: those funny vehicles are very low - definitely not my size (182 cm) - so watch your head Mr Wojtek and ride the Philippino jeepneys - the alternetive is the taxi - 6 times more expensive...
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Feb 17, 2008 07:00 PM Landed! Philippines- different world...
In the hotel in Manado they will probably tell you (like in my case) that airport tax is 30000 INR. Do nat trust them - it is 100000 if you fly abroad...
At 5.30 I took motocycle taxi (ojek) to the Manado airport. 30000 INR for 11 km distance. On the km 7 we got flat tyre, but I reached the airport on time anyway. 28 passengers only in 737 plane (lucky me - a week ago flight was cancelled as not feasible).
After 1,5 hour flight over the blue Sulu Sea we landed in Davao on the Mindanao Island. I got 21-days tourist visa on arrival for free. Taxi to the town after bargaining cost me just 100 peso (they pay here 40 peso per USD). Then I got a dark but cheap fan room at Royal Downtown Homestay for 350 peso - Lonely Planet guide book is accurate.
Davao is big, smoky town. Here are the cathedral and two temples to see - just for one day of stay. But I am already in the different world: after weeks of rice diet in provincial Indonesia here I have a bakery at almost every corner and almost everybody speak some english. People are nice but not as cheerful like in Indonesia. I was a curio there - I saw (in average) one white tourist per 3 days. Here I saw 5 tourists in one day! Much better score...
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Feb 16, 2008 07:00 PM Secret flight to Davao... I have the ticket!
I am in Manado - provincial town in the northern tip of Celebes.
Lucky me! In my pocket I have already an air ticket to Davao in the Philippines!
Thanks to all of you who were searching in the net for the best solution to cross the Sulu Sea. Some of you sent me via Singapore, some via Taipei, Australia, others via Jakarta and Manila.
But in Manado I find out that on Monday there will be (I believe) the charter flight to the Mindanao. Here is my gold-worth info for the fellow travelers:
The charter is not by Merpati or by Sriwijaya Air - at present it is organized by the travel agent from Manado: PT Pilman, Jalan Tikala Ares 1, ph: 62 431 86 21 25 e-mail: pilmantt@yahoo.com It is charter flight - not visible in the reservation systems...
It is departing on Mondays at 7 am (if they have sufficient number of passengers). They charge hefty 180 USD each way but it is still less then round way via SIN or other airports.
It seems to be my last day in charming but corrupted Indonesia. Did I learn some local language? I hope so...
So tomorrow before boarding I can make the announcement:
-The plane is ready for boarding. So lets MASIH_MASIH (everybody) take all his BARANG-BARANG (stuff) and let him go HATI-HATI (carefully) to the plane! Terima kasih SAMA-SAMA (thank you very much!)
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Feb 15, 2008 07:00 PM Bunaken - another paradise island...
World divers know well this little island on the north shore of Indonesian Sulavesi. It is famous for the coral gardens and plenty of tropical fish. Thanks to the nearby Manado airport with direct flights to Singapore, Jakarta and Bali many foreigners are coming the beauty of the underwater world. I am the backpacker, diving was always too expensive to me. I went to the Bunaken Island to snorkel. It is 45 min by junky motorboat from the little Manado harbor. Coral gardens of Bunaken are worth to see - local resorts charge hefty 50000 INR for the rental of mask and snorkel! Pay or bring gear with you and just swim through the grassy area to the edge of the big blue hole. Enjoy the beauty of the nature.
Most package tourists go from airport to the boat and onward to the resort to dive. They are missing something: lovely, sleepy fishing village on the Bunaken Island full of nice people, jackfruit trees and wooden boats. I got there in the private house a big plate of nasi (rice) with fish for just 5000 INR - like 50 cents...
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