From January 19th to February 1st, we were lucky enough to spend time in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Macau. This is part one of our trip. Please scroll to the next post for part II.
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| A sunrise landing in Bohol, Philippines |
January 19-20th
We began our journey at 4:20pm when we had to catch the bus from Pohang to the Gimhae airport in Busan. The trip took about two hours and we had no issues which was great. We waited about three and a half hours for our flight to Manilia that left at 10:00pm via Cebu Pacific. We arrived in Manilia at 1:30am and had the pleasure of waiting in the "2012 worst rated airport" until our next flight to Tagbilaran, the only airport on Bohol island, that left at 5:20am. We were tired at this point and the Manilia airport was so confusing. We arrived at terminal 3, and walked all around it looking for the Philippine Air departure gate which we never found. After asking a guard and going on a wild goose hunt, we found out we needed to take a taxi to terminal 2. This airport has three terminals spread among the city. A man approached us asking if we needed a taxi. I said "yes, to terminal 2." He told me it was a set price of $15 dollars and would take about 45 min. Having a Type A personality, I did quite a bit of research on the Philippines before arriving and it said to always take a metered cab. I asked the woman at the information center how much it should cost. She said $4 and takes about 10 min. We walked outside, got in a metered cab and exactly in 10 minutes and $4 later we were at terminal 2.
We went through security and then sat there for three hours until our flight. The flight to Bohol was quick and the sunrise was beautiful. That was the only positive to having such an early flight. We landed on the shortest runway ever, walked into a building, picked up our luggage and looked for the driver to our hotel. The drive from the airport took about 30 min and the scene was an interesting one. A lot of island shack homes lined the road and scooters were everywhere. We stayed at the Panglao Regents Park. It came recommend by a friend but also had great reviews on the Internet. Check in wasn't until 2pm, but luckily they weren't full and we could check in at 7:30am. We slept until 11:00am, then decided to walk the five minutes to check out the beach and have lunch. The beach isn't too big but it is beautiful. It reminded me of Koh Phi Phi a little bit. Restaurants everywhere and people trying to sell us tours of every kind. We enjoyed a nice lunch went back to the hotel and laid by the pool.
Choosing the pool over the beach the first day proved to be the best decision. We ended up chatting with a really nice couple from Denmark, Mette and Thomas, a married couple spending four weeks traveling all around the Philippines. They told us they had rented a motorbike for the next day so they could tour around and see all the sites in Bohol. This was something Andrew and I wanted to do as well, so when they invited us to join them we jumped at the opportunity! We walked down the street, met a man with a motorbike for rent, asked him to bring the bike to our hotel at 7:30am, and then shook his hand.
January 21st
Andrew and I don't particularly like early mornings, especially on vacation, but we felt more comfortable taking this island tour with other people. And if they wanted to leave at 7:30, then early risers we would be! Right on time our motorbike man was at our hotel. Registration papers and two helmets in hand Andrew and I had our mode of transportation for the whole day for the wallet-emptying price of $12! Thomas and Mette's motorbike was 20 minutes late, but what are you going to do. We filled up our bike with gas, for $5, and we were ready for the open road.The only map we had was a postcard with tourist sites to hit, so navigation was a bit tricky at first, especially because Bohol has no street signs or stop lights. With Thomas taking the lead, it allowed Andrew and I to relax a bit. We rode about an hour before stopping at a bakery in one of the small villages. For literally pennies, we got to taste all kinds of the most delicious breads and pastries, and give our butts a much needed rest. The drive was beautiful and we could not have asked for better weather. Everything was so green and lush, I felt like I was in a movie. ...Or a Kenny Chesney music video.
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| Chocolate Hills |
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| Isn't he so cute! |
We got back on our scooters and headed to our last stop, the Busai Monark Floating Resteurant. For $20 we enjoyed a buffet, live music and river cruise. I'm glad we stopped but it's not something I would probably spend the money to do again. Before heading back to the hotel, racing daylight, we had some homemade ice cream. The ride back to the hotel wasn't as enjoyable. Traffic had picked up a bit and we unfortunately we got stuck behind some buses and work trucks with the worst exhaust trails ever. We were both feeling a bit sick. We made it to the hotel at 4:58pm, two minutes to spare on our bike reservation time. We all capped off our wonderful day with happy hour drinks by the pool toasting to travel and good people before parting ways for dinner. We felt so blessed to have met Thomas and Mette. Unfortunately they left the next day so we didn't have much time with them. They have literally traveled all around the world so we enjoyed picking their brains of all their travel tips.
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| Looking a little tired and sweaty with Thomas and Mette |
January 22nd
"Today I don't feel like doing anything..." This Bruno Mars lyric comes to mind when I think about our Tuesday activity. We didn't do anything but lounge by the pool reading and playing cards. We ventured to the beach for lunch then returned to the pool. A great day of relaxation after yesterday's adventure.
January 23rd
Andrew and I decided that we weren't quite done with the scooter touring yet. On Monday, we saw all the tourist sites but this time we wanted to ride and stop at will when we saw something that peaked our interest. So from 10:20am until 3:00pm, we drove around the island until our butts just couldn't handle it anymore. We obviously didn't stick out enough as tourists, so they had to give us a hot pink motor bike. "Bad to the Bone" is the only thing that comes to mind when I think about what we must have looked like. We stopped at a local market and walked around. We stopped at a few piers to enjoy the views. And of course we stopped at a bakery...or maybe two. You know how I adore my carbohydrates. The bread is to die for. It's so fresh and delicious....nothing like we can get in Korea, so we HAD to stop, multiple times. We ate lunch at a local restaurant and then walked around a beautiful old church. The weather was cloudy but it was a welcomed temperature. It's nice to not feel like the sun is beating down on you.January 24th
Today was another day of relaxation. We spent the whole day outside, and the better half of it at the beach. However, only one word comes to mind when I reflect back on Thursday, and that is ouch! Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a sunscreen fanatic. Yes, I like a good tan, but I've always got sunscreen on. In Korea, for whatever reason, sunscreen is super expensive, like $20 for a travel size bottle. So we decided to wait, and buy some when we arrived. We found some, but oddly enough we could not find "waterproof" sunscreen, only "very water resistant" whatever that means. So we bought it. It has worked great the whole time we were here until Thursday. I took a dip in the ocean, dried off and reapplied. Most of my time on the beach was spent on my stomach because it was reading, so it was mostly my back that was exposed...and exposed it was.
OUCH! "Very water resistant" my scorched red ass, back and legs Banana Boat. I can't remember a time when I have ever been this burnt. The only bright side to this is that it didn't happen on the first or last day. Had it happened the first, I would have been miserable the whole trip, and had it happened the last, it would have made traveling to Hong Kong much more uncomfortable. Needless to say, I had a very restless night sleep...I'm sure you have all been there.January 25th
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| Alona Beach |
I just have to mention one thing. I read up a lot on the Philippines before coming here and there are so many horror stories out there that it made me quite nervous. But I felt super safe here and the Filipino people are some of the nicest and most genuine I have ever come across. Yes, we got asked about every 10 yards if we wanted a boat tour, or motorbike or massage or sunglasses etc, but a polite "no thank you" sends them on their way. Seriously, we felt so welcomed and were treated so well that if anyone has the opportunity to travel here, don't turn it down on the account of being scared. There is such a sense of community here and they are eager to welcome you to their paradise. Thank you Philippine citizens for your grace and hospitality!
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| Common Trasportation |
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| Tag City |
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| Man Made Forrest |
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| Beautiful Church |
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