Philippines - Île Borocay
À Borocay, nous avions une mission particulière : nous avons eu l'occasion de rencontrer un cher voisin de Niederbergkirchen, qui avait proposé d'emporter un peu de nos bagages...
aufunddavo2019
vakantio.de/aufunddavo2019
Zuletzt in München
Philippines, Siargao Island - e2 e2 e2 e2 e2 a0"Good friends can never be parted e2 e2 e2 e2 e2 a0"
Publié: 10.07.2019
After the thoroughly e2 e2 e2 e2 e2 a0"touristy e2 e2 e2 e2 e2 a0" days on Boracay, we longed for a bit more tranquility and less glitz...
We "enjoyed" this reduced comfort right away during our ferry crossing from Cebu to Siargao. Screaming children, lukewarm beer, several hundred people around us in bunk beds, an occasional "tasty" breeze from the nearby toilets... this was how the night ferry ride lasted ten hours from 7:00 PM to 5:00 AM across the sea to the next island, which is known for its relaxed "island lifestyle" and as a surfer paradise in the Philippines!
The latter, along with the fact that we would meet one of my best friends, who has been traveling for quite a year now, made this travel destination once again something really special for us... and that's why I'm (Johnny) writing this post!
Who needs a travel guide when you have a good friend on site?! Right - not me! Even when we were still busy with the last travel preparations at the end of December, Alex and I kept messaging each other on WhatsApp, and even back then he tried - while still traveling in his mini camper in Australia - to convince me to add Down Under to our travel route with a picture of a giant banana so that we could meet again.
After he, having traveled through Australia and Indonesia, ended up on the Philippines, which was firmly anchored in our plans anyway, we definitely wanted to make a meeting with him happen, which fortunately we succeeded in.
Alex arranged a cheap accommodation (the Happy Hut) right next to the homestay he was supposed to oversee for a few months. Perfect for hanging out together, chatting, surfing, and starting the occasional day trip with the scooter!
On our first evening, Liesl and I first drove alone to a "secret spot," a small beach section in a nature reserve in the south of the island, not far from our accommodation. Some palm trees where we hung our hammock, mangroves, "pissing warm" clear sea water, and a beautiful sunset; a group of Philippine tourists sang songs and played guitar... we felt completely at ease!
Just before we wanted to make our way back, I turned on my phone and x messages came in... among them an incredibly important one, namely that my sister-in-law was in labor and about to give birth to my new nephew David! I immediately tried to contact my family at home to see how far along they were, and/or if he had already arrived!? Like on coals, we then rushed back to the Happy Hut to get better internet and awaited the joyful news to add another reason to celebrate our reunion with Alex!
Long story short: after the message that David was born and mother and child were doing well, this was duly celebrated with a roaring party/booze fest!
I postponed the long-awaited surfing because of a middle ear infection caused by various air conditioning, snorkeling, and riding scooters for a few more days; however, we were never bored...
We embarked on an exploration tour with Alex and his best buddy Marc, who lived in the same building and became the fourth part of our funny party quartet, looking for the place where illegal cockfights were held in General Luna, like Alex and I had already known from Indonesia. Even though the few locals along the way didn't want to be of any help in this regard, we found, based on the street, a narrow footpath leading to a dirt-filled, chaotic backyard, overflowing with chickens, garbage, children, smoke, etc., from which a wild cacophony of screaming, clucking, and discussions resonated!
A Friday afternoon, when apparently no adult had to work, let alone the kids go to school (or wanted to).
The majority of the men were gathered around a tent, waving bills in the air; every so often a little cloud of chicken feathers rose somewhere... one of the cockfights was in full swing and unfortunately ended just before we could get in sight of the "arena"!
No big deal... the time between the fights was too interesting to observe people and life or to enjoy some coconut ice cream made by the women themselves.
The men were debating in a huddle over who the next two contestants should be and proudly presented their own specimen! A theatrical spectacle unfolded before us, and we were able to take a few pictures!
For animal lovers, the actual fight between the two chosen ones was rather brutal and not very "pretty" to watch, and we could not, and still cannot, endorse the conscious encouragement and fighting of animals with sharp, pointed blades attached to their feet!
The bets were placed, the jury signaled the fight was on, and feathers flew as the two fell upon each other... the fight was brief and painful for the loser, who later ended up on the grill.
That was enough for us, and we left the scene; a bit hungry, but our appetite for chicken was completely gone!
Initially, we drove to an expensive resort for one or two cocktails, a place we could normally only afford to look at from the outside. However, since it opened its doors, that is, its beach bar, on Friday evenings for all tourists, we did not miss the opportunity and enjoyed our drinks during a dreamy sunset!
The next day, we had a bigger motorcycle tour planned, which we were able to start a bit late due to a heavy rain shower! "Tour guide" Alex wanted to show us Magpupungko Beach, which lies on the eastern side of the island. The special thing about this beach is that at low tide some deep water pools remain between the sea and the beach, in which both jumping from the rocks and swimming and snorkeling are possible. We concluded the excursion with fresh coconut on the beach before we took our scooter back home.
Island hopping was another highlight of our stay on Siargao: we booked a tour and started with small boats to three mini-islands located in the south of Siargao, clearly visible from our homestay, off the coast. On the first, Guyam Island, which would become our favorite, we were offered everything one expects from a tropical island! Amazingly clear water, dreamlike beach, palm trees and for me the best part: a basketball court! The name might be a bit exaggerated... as it was just a hoop on a wooden board and packed sand. Completely enough to play a round of 3 on 3 with some basketball-crazy locals and boat drivers! After seven months... finally holding a basketball in my hand again, so cool!
Next, we went to "Naked Island", which is not named because you must enter it naked... no: it is just a tiny island consisting solely of white sand and coral and is situated amid crystal clear sea water! Great for a few photo poses and a jump into the warm tropical water!
The last island of this tour was also the largest: Daku. Shortly after our arrival, we were served a sumptuous buffet of various types of vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish, including beer and rum, of course!
Completely stuffed, we then had the opportunity to just relax, snorkel, or swim or follow our guide, who showed us how to climb palm trees!
A successful, sunny day was drawing to a close, and we traveled back to Siargao amidst the booming noise of boat motors.
The rest of our stay was purely focused on sports: surfing and Kali!
Surfing: Elisabeth and I went alone to a spot recommended by Alex on our first surfing day and just tried out what we still had left since Monta f1ita in Ecuador... it was okay given the conditions we had.
A few days later, we went with Alex and it went a bit better - also thanks to his help - though the waves were very very small and weak, so we needed good paddling power to catch a wave!
The next day, it got much better: good and above all many waves, and we caught some really great ones, and surfing was a huge amount of fun!
On our last day, Alex and I went out together once again after a long, drunken farewell party night with our boards. Fortunately, the waves were good again, and it went quite well, which wrapped up our visit to the surfer island quite cool!
Kali: Kali, this is the traditional Philippine martial art with two wooden sticks.
Shaw, a friend of Alex's, who performed with different musicians with his drum on the nights and occasionally offered courses or training sessions in "Kali" during the day, was supposed to be our teacher. We agreed that he would conduct a session with Alex, Liesl, and me, and what can I say... it was a great experience and we almost felt a bit sorry that we could only do this on the day before our departure! Still, many thanks for that!
All in all, we really enjoyed our time in Siargao to the fullest! Meeting Alex again, the laid-back island life, and surfing rounded out our entire three weeks in the Philippines perfectly and will long linger positively in our memories!
aufunddavo2019Folge diesem Blog und verpasse keine neuen Beiträge.
Répondre
Rapports de voyage Philippines