Tuesday 24th May
After breakfast, checked out and walked to the bus station. Got a chocolate pastry from Mr Donut, same as last night, seem to have a sweet tooth at the moment, and cravings for coffee that I have never had before.
7 hours on the bus to Manilla, not too bad but noisy violent American movies on that you can't escape from, especially sitting at the front of the bus. Why can't they just show Toy Story or The Princess Bride or something?
Arrived at one busy bus station in Manilla and got directions along the way to the bus station for Legazpi but got lost in a mall so asked a couple of American guys for help and one of them walked me all the way through the mall and out the other side to the right place; I would never have made it otherwise. I was rushing a bit because the bus seats sell out fast, my bag was getting heavy and also I didn't want to take up too much of my helper's time - so I felt like I was in the Amazing Race. Very hot and sweaty as we dodged the traffic and the shoppers. But we made it, and I got one of the last seats for Legazpi tonight. Sat next to friendly old lady who was in town to visit her children. She said a typhoon is heading in the same direction as us.
As expected, the aircon on the bus was on full blast, so I put on my down jacket, and had fleece as a pillow and got some sleep.
Wednesday 25th May
Hopped off the bus at Daraga at 5:30am and was taken round the corner to the Jeepney terminal. Had to wait about 45 minutes for it to fill up, and then off we went through the countryside, past lots of villages to Donsol; this is where visitors come to see the Whale Sharks. After checking in to homestay and having a burger for breakfast, I got a tricycle out to the Whale Shark visitors centre. The boats had not been out this morning because of the bad weather, but I met a couple who had been out yesterday.
Anyway, the guy at the Whale Shark visitors centre said to just try tomorrow, and hopefully the weather will be better. Seems the typhoon has pretty much passed us by, but its still pretty grey and overcast, so I am not too hopeful.
Had a long cat nap then went for a walk down to the sea, and around the back of town. Donsol is not much to look at but it was interesting walking along among the locals and their bamboo houses on stilts in the water. As usual, good proper meals are hard to find here. Today I ate two burgers, an ice cream, 2 bananas, some pineapple and delicious garlic flavour Cracker Nuts.
Sat with a group of locals near the square, who were playing, for money, 'Red-White' which is a basic form of roulette. And I caught my first glimpse of a cock-fight as we sped past on the tricycle earlier.
Tonight I sat with some locals outside the burger stand, but I wasn't very sociable; probably because I am still tired from last night, and grumpy that I probably won't get to see the Whale Sharks tomorrow.
Thursday 26th May
Still wet and overcast so no point going to Whale Shark visitor centre. At 6am I moved to slightly cheaper homestay down the road. Nothing to do in town so slept, surfed the net and ate the same foods as yesterday. Chatted to the ladies whose home it is (I am in a seperate brick/wooden building next door). The typhoon has moved away to Okinawa, but still looks like the weather will be the same for the next few days; the guy at the dive centre reckons it will be Monday before boats can go out, I can't wait around that long....
Friday 27th May
The weather was the same at 6am. Pretty fed up after wasting four days on travel and sitting around and not getting to see the whale sharks, and not being able to undertake Plan A which was to Island hop, and probably not being able to watch the Champions League final.....
So at 6:30am I decided on a new plan; head to Mindoro Island, just south of Manilla. This plan only involves one short Island hop and so is not so weather-dependant. Packed up, and got in a minivan to Legaspi, 1 hour, and soon on a bus bound for Manilla. Along the way we passed through some very poor road-side villages. You could see how these people's houses would be so easily blown away in a storm, nevermind if the typhoon had struck.
The bus dropped me off at 8pm on the main highway on its way north, and I had to wait a little while to get a bus south, so had chocolate pastry from Mr Donut as comfort food since I was grumpy. It took me until 10pm to get here, Batangas port.....a long and expensive day on the buses.
Saturday 28th May
Still grumpy when I got up at 8am, but looked out of the window and there was some blue sky. Then reception called and said that boats are sailing for Mindoro this morning. So I packed up and walked down to the port and soon jumped onto a motorised Bangka. It was great to finally be out on the open sea after looking forward to it for a while. And a western guy on the boat assured me that I would be able to watch the football tonight.
1 hour later we arrived in the picturesque town of Puerto Galera. It is quite westernised (and will be sleazy later on) but at least that meant that I could get a decent cooked breakfast after days of just eating bad burgers and biscuits in Donsol, and there are lots of bars open all night, showing the football. Joy.
My hotel is right on the beach. And my cheap room has a kitchenette so I went shopping and got porridge and milk and bread and tuna and tomatoes from the supermarket; its good to be self-catering for a change.
After porridge I walked down to the beach and went snorkelling. Just off the beach there is sea-grass which I don't think I have seen before. The brown coral was pretty good, the plants swaying with the small waves. And there were some colourful fish, and a few large blue starfish which was cool. Shame I forgot to take my wallet out of my swimmers before I went in. Notes currently drying.
I walked along the main road, through the rainforest; 11km round-trip to the actual town of Puerto Galera. Not much there but the walk was enjoyable, got to see some of the Island life, the locals going about their daily business, a birthday party in a bus stop!
So after a boring last few days, today was much better and I feel like my adventure has kick-started again.
After breakfast, checked out and walked to the bus station. Got a chocolate pastry from Mr Donut, same as last night, seem to have a sweet tooth at the moment, and cravings for coffee that I have never had before.
7 hours on the bus to Manilla, not too bad but noisy violent American movies on that you can't escape from, especially sitting at the front of the bus. Why can't they just show Toy Story or The Princess Bride or something?
Arrived at one busy bus station in Manilla and got directions along the way to the bus station for Legazpi but got lost in a mall so asked a couple of American guys for help and one of them walked me all the way through the mall and out the other side to the right place; I would never have made it otherwise. I was rushing a bit because the bus seats sell out fast, my bag was getting heavy and also I didn't want to take up too much of my helper's time - so I felt like I was in the Amazing Race. Very hot and sweaty as we dodged the traffic and the shoppers. But we made it, and I got one of the last seats for Legazpi tonight. Sat next to friendly old lady who was in town to visit her children. She said a typhoon is heading in the same direction as us.
As expected, the aircon on the bus was on full blast, so I put on my down jacket, and had fleece as a pillow and got some sleep.
Wednesday 25th May
Hopped off the bus at Daraga at 5:30am and was taken round the corner to the Jeepney terminal. Had to wait about 45 minutes for it to fill up, and then off we went through the countryside, past lots of villages to Donsol; this is where visitors come to see the Whale Sharks. After checking in to homestay and having a burger for breakfast, I got a tricycle out to the Whale Shark visitors centre. The boats had not been out this morning because of the bad weather, but I met a couple who had been out yesterday.
Anyway, the guy at the Whale Shark visitors centre said to just try tomorrow, and hopefully the weather will be better. Seems the typhoon has pretty much passed us by, but its still pretty grey and overcast, so I am not too hopeful.
Had a long cat nap then went for a walk down to the sea, and around the back of town. Donsol is not much to look at but it was interesting walking along among the locals and their bamboo houses on stilts in the water. As usual, good proper meals are hard to find here. Today I ate two burgers, an ice cream, 2 bananas, some pineapple and delicious garlic flavour Cracker Nuts.
Sat with a group of locals near the square, who were playing, for money, 'Red-White' which is a basic form of roulette. And I caught my first glimpse of a cock-fight as we sped past on the tricycle earlier.
Tonight I sat with some locals outside the burger stand, but I wasn't very sociable; probably because I am still tired from last night, and grumpy that I probably won't get to see the Whale Sharks tomorrow.
Thursday 26th May
Still wet and overcast so no point going to Whale Shark visitor centre. At 6am I moved to slightly cheaper homestay down the road. Nothing to do in town so slept, surfed the net and ate the same foods as yesterday. Chatted to the ladies whose home it is (I am in a seperate brick/wooden building next door). The typhoon has moved away to Okinawa, but still looks like the weather will be the same for the next few days; the guy at the dive centre reckons it will be Monday before boats can go out, I can't wait around that long....
Friday 27th May
The weather was the same at 6am. Pretty fed up after wasting four days on travel and sitting around and not getting to see the whale sharks, and not being able to undertake Plan A which was to Island hop, and probably not being able to watch the Champions League final.....
So at 6:30am I decided on a new plan; head to Mindoro Island, just south of Manilla. This plan only involves one short Island hop and so is not so weather-dependant. Packed up, and got in a minivan to Legaspi, 1 hour, and soon on a bus bound for Manilla. Along the way we passed through some very poor road-side villages. You could see how these people's houses would be so easily blown away in a storm, nevermind if the typhoon had struck.
The bus dropped me off at 8pm on the main highway on its way north, and I had to wait a little while to get a bus south, so had chocolate pastry from Mr Donut as comfort food since I was grumpy. It took me until 10pm to get here, Batangas port.....a long and expensive day on the buses.
Saturday 28th May
Still grumpy when I got up at 8am, but looked out of the window and there was some blue sky. Then reception called and said that boats are sailing for Mindoro this morning. So I packed up and walked down to the port and soon jumped onto a motorised Bangka. It was great to finally be out on the open sea after looking forward to it for a while. And a western guy on the boat assured me that I would be able to watch the football tonight.
1 hour later we arrived in the picturesque town of Puerto Galera. It is quite westernised (and will be sleazy later on) but at least that meant that I could get a decent cooked breakfast after days of just eating bad burgers and biscuits in Donsol, and there are lots of bars open all night, showing the football. Joy.
My hotel is right on the beach. And my cheap room has a kitchenette so I went shopping and got porridge and milk and bread and tuna and tomatoes from the supermarket; its good to be self-catering for a change.
After porridge I walked down to the beach and went snorkelling. Just off the beach there is sea-grass which I don't think I have seen before. The brown coral was pretty good, the plants swaying with the small waves. And there were some colourful fish, and a few large blue starfish which was cool. Shame I forgot to take my wallet out of my swimmers before I went in. Notes currently drying.
I walked along the main road, through the rainforest; 11km round-trip to the actual town of Puerto Galera. Not much there but the walk was enjoyable, got to see some of the Island life, the locals going about their daily business, a birthday party in a bus stop!
So after a boring last few days, today was much better and I feel like my adventure has kick-started again.
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