"It's More Fun in the Philippines"

(link to previous blog page: http://janelleandjody2012adventures.blogspot.com/ )

Continuing with the theme of countries' tourism slogans, we saw & heard this one on a lot of billboards and TV commercials in the Philippines.
The Philippines only grants visitors a 3 week VISA on arrival so we felt a bit rushed to see all that we wanted to see in a limited time. In the end it seems like we spent about a third of our time travelling via buses, ferries and planes. It was like we were back in Central America with the long, sweaty bus rides where we were crammed between the locals and stopping every 30 seconds to load/unload people/chickens/parcels. But some of the best memories are on those bus rides: staring out the window with the wind whipping my hair around and taking in the tropical scenery surrounding little villages where the locals waved & yelled hello. Another reason we were brought back to Central America was because of the Catholic culture which felt a little closer to home compared to the Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist societies we've been in for the past few months; people were very excited for Christmas (despite the fact that it wasn't even Halloween yet) which got us into the spirit as well.
We began in Boracay which was recently named 'Best Island in the World' by Travel & Leisure magazine. While I don't know if I'd go that far in describing Boracay, we did really like it there. The sunsets, the beach, the food, the buzzing nightlife and people - it's a great spot for a rustic vacation.

an abundance of exotic seafood was ready to be BBQ'd

transport to & from the island

Three boats, one minivan, two taxis, an old school bus & a tricycle brought us to Sipalay (thanks for the recommendation Ben, Kayla, Chris & Kaylee!). It is described by Lonely Planet as having a 'Robinson Crusoe' kind of feel and it definitely does, especially in low-season. I think we were 2 of maybe 10 guests on this deserted beach for the few days we were there. Our hotel was hilarious; the Takatuka Lodge has put a lot of thought & effort into their goofy, themed rooms. We were given the "Superstar" suite complete with a pink convertible bed, a telephone for a showerhead, an old camcorder for a porch light, and many other thoughtful touches (a keyboard for a lightswitch where you have to hit the letter "L" for lights)!

Siquijor was a really pretty island where we found brand new bungalows run by the sweetest Philippino lady we met. She cooked us huge feasts each night with fresh mangoes for dessert (the best mangoes of the trip!) and overflowing bowls of fruit with homemade toast for breakfast. We spent most of our time here in the hammocks beneath the breezy palms and visiting with our lovely host :)

Bohol Island attracted us beacuse it is home to the Philippine Tarsier and the 'Chocolate Hills'. Proving how small the world can be, we met up with our friend Mark (from Vancouver) who we met in Nicaragua earlier this year. We hired a driver together and spent the day touring the island to see the manmade Mahogany forest, the adorable nocturnal Tarsiers, the natural chocolate hills (named for the Hersheys kisses which they resemble?), the oldest church in the Philippines and a massive python along the way (oh and a ladyboy performance and a pig on a tricycle).

pig transport on Bohol

sleepy little Gremlin

Tarsier, the smallest primate in the world

the Chocolate Hills

take a note of the fact that Jody is outside of the enclosure...

On Cebu Island we made our way down to a village called Oslob, where we'd heard it was possible to swim with whalesharks. At 7am we made our way out in a rickety wooden boat to see these gentle giants swimming just offshore, attracted by the shrimp-flavored bubbles the guides stir up in the water. Snorkelling alongside the 'largest fish in the sea' was an incredible feeling but at the same time it was pretty scary to be so close to something so massive - what a thrill!

After Oslob we spent a few days in Moalboal before making our way back up to the Clark Airport to catch our flight back to Malaysia. We really enjoyed the Philippines and would love to go back and explore some of the other 7000+ islands one day.