Feb. 18-19, 2013 - Puerto Princesa, Philippines

Feb. 18-19, 2013 - Puerto Princesa, Philippines

We were hoping to obtain a permit to enter the Underground River in Puerto Princesa this day.  They limit the permits given out to 900 per day.  So we were not able to get one.  We were however able to get a permit for the very last day that Kayla would be with us! Perfect.  So our permit is valid for the 25th.  We will go north to El Nido and then return to do the river tour!

After the permit adventure we headed towards the port at Honda Bay.  Here we hired about with 3 other tourists to go island hopping in the bay.  We stopped at 3 different locations.  The first was a protected reef where we snorkeled and watched the fish.  I also got to hold a harmless jellyfish.  The next island was starfish island.  This island seemed to be made mostly of mangroves with stretches of sand.  We walked along the sand and found the starfish. Lots of them! We also found lots of hermit crabs.  The last island was called Pandan.  The water was crystal clear and the sand was almost as white as snow.  You could see perfectly all the way to the bottom.  ah...what a beautiful day!

What I have learned:  The underground river on Palawan is the largest underground river in the world.  It's one of the NEW 7 wonders of the world.

Feb. 15-18, 2013 - Donsol, Philippines

Feb. 15-18, 2013 - Donsol, Philippines

Kayla, Alene's sister arrived today to travel the Philippines with us for 10 days.   That day we flew to Legazpi in the south of the island.  Once in Legazpi we had to take a tricycle (tuk-tuk with a roof) to the mini bus station and then we took a mini bus to Donsol and then another tricycle to our resort on the beach.  The first thing we did was to register at the Whale Shark Visitors Center to take a boat out to try and see the sharks.   After that we admired our amazing resort, which was only costing us $15 a night per person with our own bathroom.  Our room over looked the infinity pool which overlooked the beach and the beautiful sunsets.  The hotel sat right on the water and from the restaurant you could look out over the water.

From the window in our room.

Black sand.

Had the beach to ourselves.

The next morning we were on a boat bright and early for our first try at spotting a Whale Shark.  We learned a few rules about swimming with the sharks.  Its one boat per shark, 6 swimmers per shark, and you have to be 4 meters away from the huge creature.  Easy enough, now we just need to find one.   There were 6 tourists, the captain, and 3 scouts on our boat.  To find a shark the boats zigzag around the bay looking for big shadows in the water.  So that's what we did for 4 hours.  We sat on the boat and waited for a scout to locate a shark.  It was a long and disappointing 4 hours.  No whale sharks.  When we got back to shore I opted to go on the afternoon boat as well.  Still no whale sharks.

All 3 of us signed up for a 11am boat the next morning.  So we boarded the boat with lunch and drinks thinking we would be able to sit on the boat and eat while we watched for the sharks.  That was not the case.  As soon as we got in the boat the captain told us to hold on because there had been a sighting and we were gonna hurry over.   Sure enough, there was a whale shark swimming around filtering the water for krill and plankton.  YESSSSSSSS!  The fish was huge!  Now that there was a sighting all the boats congregated in the area to catch a glimpse (the law limits 30 boats in the water for whale shark safaris).  The boats would follow the shark leap frogging each other to drop off its passengers in the sharks path.  As soon as the 6 passengers and the guide were in the water the boat would pull away and another would pull in and drop off its 6 passengers.  Our first jump, we are all looking around waiting for the shark to come by, then our guide yells "look down, look down".  We look down and all of a sudden a huge mass appears not 10 feet away from us and it slowly swims by.  Incredible.  Unexplainable.  It was beautiful with its slow moving actions and white spots.  Like we weren't even there.  The whole group yelled with excitement when the shark was no longer in sight.  We got to jump in and watch the shark swim by 6 more times in a 2 hour span.  Sometimes it would swim beside us, sometimes right below us.  More than once I thought its fin might hit me.  We were so close.  It was so amazing seeing this huge creature.  After the 2 hours we were tired and very happy!  We went back to our hotel and finally got to each out lunch we thought we were gonna eat long ago.
Such a great day!

Pretty excited...

And celebrating... (haha, look at me ears in that mask)

Because we just saw....

The next day we headed back towards the airport in Legazpi.  We had to take a tricycle to the bus stop, take a Jeepney (what looks like a homemade passenger vehicle), to one city, hop on another Jeepney to Legazpi, then another tricycle to the airport.  But we made it.


Tricycle

 

Jeepney

We spent the afternoon in Manila then took another flight to Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan.

What I have learned:

Whale sharks can get up to 12 meters long.  That's like 40 feet!

Feb. 14, 2013 - Manila, Philippines

Feb. 14, 2013 - Manila, Philippines

We are on a mission to find specific things at the huge mall down the road.  Alene needs  a new pair of shorts and I need some good hiking shoes.  Gram, those shoes you got for me had a good run but they have been donated to a Filipino with large feet. I have to upgrade to real hiking shoes and start wearing them in for the 14 day hike to Mt Everest base camp in May.   We both found what we were looking for fairly quickly and just lounged at the hostel the rest of the afternoon.  Funny story, I actually, randomly picked out the exact same hiking shoe that Alene has with her, its just in a different color.  I guess it just looked familiar.  Besides, she said she really liked them so I thought it a safe bet.

That night the city had a free concert in the park for Valentines day.   We got a little group from the hostel together and went to check it out.  There were tons of people out.  Mostly families that had brought picnics for dinner and were listening to the music.  Unfortunately, the music wasn't very good but the people watching was great and it felt like we were doing something the locals do.  And we got to walk around town a bit and eat some local food.

Our "Valentines" aka our small group from the hostel at the concert.

What I have learned: Filipino people are SUPER nice and welcoming.  All of them have been awesome.

Feb. 12 - 13, 2013 - Manila, Philippines

Feb. 12 - 13, 2013 - Manila, Philippines

We had a 1:45am flight to Manila.  Since the Singapore airport has lots of really cool stuff to do, like a movie theatre, botanical gardens, wii games, free wifi etc, we decided to arrive early to check in for our flight.  The gate opened 3 hours before take off time.  Excellent! Plenty of time to play!  Except that's not what happened.  We got to the check-in counter and the worker asked for our onward journey ticket.  What?!  That's right we needed a ticket out of the Philippines before they would even let us check in for our flight to the Philippines.  Ok.  Free internet, I guess we could easily pick a day to leave and fly there.  Our original plan was to ferry or fly (we hadn't decided) to Malaysian Borneo and hang out there for a week.  The flights to that airport however started at $200 one way.  A bit steep for our tastes.  We searched and searched and decided that we would fly to Brunei.  Brunei is a tiny country on the island of Borneo that borders the Malaysian part.  AND its only $85, perfect.  I go ahead and book my ticket with about 15% battery life left on my tablet.  Just in the nick of time.  However, Alene tries 3 times to book her flight and is unsuccessful all 3 times.  The easy fix is to visit the flight counter and book the ticket there.  We reach the counter with the flight number and time but the lady quotes a price that is almost half again the online price.  Frustrated, Alene, tries one last time to book the ticket, this time on my tablet and with a different credit card.  We cross our fingers (mostly bc Im worried Alene might throw my tablet if it doesnt work) and we finally have success! Ok, onward journey ticket booked.

After all this we dont have time to play in the airport and we spend our last S$10 at McDonalds.  Then board our flight.

We arrived in Manila around 5am and made it to our hostel around 6am.  Thankfully, there were beds open and we got to go to take a nap.

I had to get up early and head to the India Embassy in Manila to turn in my Visa application.  I rolled outta bed, dog tired, at 8:30, double checked I had all the necessary paperwork and money and took a cab to the embassy.  Once we got to the embassy gate we were not allowed to enter because only Indians are permitted.  After a bit of conversation the security guard gives me an address to the Indian Visa Office.  In a totally different part of town.  We head that way.  We locate the building after lots of asking for directions.  I enter the office and take my number, number 28.  When I first arrive they are on 21 and for the first 30 minutes no new numbers are called.  I think, this is going to take FOREVER.  I filled out some additional paperwork at the office and patiently waited for my number.  An hour later 28 is called.  I make my way to the counter expecting it to be quick because I have checked the website and double checked and have all the necessary info in hand.  Expect that there is a whole different list of expectations at the office.  My photo isnt the right size, I need bank statements, and I have to book a ticket to India not just one out of India.  That last one doesnt make much sense to me.  Why would I book a $900 ticket to India if there is a chance I will be denied a visa to enter!?!?!?!??!?!??????????  With a sad face I start my work on booking a ticket and printing bank statements.  I first print my bank statements.  The computer is super slow but it works and its free to use.  Thanks visa office!  Then I search out a ticket from New Zealand to India.  Luckily, I had been on the look out for this ticket for a while and the prices had gone up so I bit the bullet and bought the flight. They took new pictures of me for a small fee. Then I turned over my passport and and documentation to the visa office.  All I do now is wait 7-10 business days for the visa...hopefully.

I made it back to hostel a bit after noon, ate, then took another loooooooong nap.  That night we visited a local restaurant and helped a fellow backpacker celebrate his birthday.

What I have learned:
You have to have an onward journey flight booked to enter the Philippines.
You have to have an entry and exit flight booked before India will even consider letting you into the country.

February 9-12, 2013 - Singapore

Feb. 9 - 12, 2013 - Singapore

Visa Fee: None
Exchange Rate: 1USD = Singapore $1.2

Feb. 9, 2013:

We left Phuket on a 10am flight to Singapore.  Upon arrival we filtered through immigration and picked up our bags.  There was one last bag screening check before exiting the airport.  When our bags went through the xray we were asked to step aside, show our passports, and to pull out the knives that each of us has packed.  I had a 4 inch camping knife I had brought along.  I always pack it in my first aid kit and carry it with me on trips.  I pulled it out, the guy gave it a look and asked if it was an auto open knife.  I said no and he gave it back and said I was good to go.  Alene on the other hand DID have an auto open knife and she was not good to go. She was old she would have to meet with the police and turn over the knife.  Flick knives or auto open knives are apparently illegal in Singapore.  I was told to wait in the lobby and wait for her to return.  So for about an hour I waited....luckily there was free wi-fi!  She finally returned, one knife lighter, and we were off to our hostel.

We immediately when for food at the local food court and took a nap.  The 4 days we spent in Singapore were the Chinese New Year holiday so not a lot of things were open.  Because we felt like being lazy and because it was raining we just had pizza delivered to the hostel and had a very chill night in.

Feb. 10, 2013:

The next day we met up with Alene's uncle's friend that lives in Singapore.  He very graciously picked us up for lunch and took us to a western food restaurant (one of the few restaurants that would actually be open for the holiday).  I order a big green garden salad.  I hadn't seen so many fresh veggies all tossed together with a side of ranch dressing in a VERY long time.  It was delicious!  During lunch we got to talking about the Night Safari at the Zoo and decided that we all wanted to go check it out that night.  We booked our tickets for the adventure right then.  After lunch Robert took us on a little tour of the city.  We visited the main shopping area in town and made a note that we would have to return to shop at the H&M.  Alene and I have a history of stopping at every H&M we see and we just couldn't let this one slip by. Even though neither of us have much room in our bags to carry anything else.

Once again Robert picked us up and together we went to the Night Safari.  The safari had an open concept, meaning your don't see the fences or barriers that keep the animals in place.  And most times its just a mote that separates you from the animals.  Its a little spooky being so close to hyenas without bars between you.  The first thing we did was jump on the tram route.  It was about an hour ride through some of the safari park.  Some animal enclosures had no fences what so ever.   They were allowed to roam freely across the road.  This was mainly for the hoofed animals and there was just cattle guards in the road to keep them from roaming too far.  After the tram we walked all the paths through the safari park to see the rest of the animals.  The highlight of the visit was getting to see flying fox bats up close!  The safari had a walk-in menagerie were one would typically keep birds, except it was full of flying foxes and smaller fruit bats.  It was super awesome.  There was a fly fox hanging at eye level directly over the path.  If I had wanted to I could have picked it up, pet or poked it.  I couldn't believe I was getting so close to such a large bat.
After the safari Robert offered to take us out for local food/noodles and since I dont ever turn down noodles we went to check it out.  Singapore has its own take on noodles and these were a bit spicy and definitely fried! But oh so yummy!  We spent about 4 hours at the safari and then had food making it a late night for us.  We got home and crashed.

Feb. 11, 2013:

It actually turned out to be a very nice day to go shopping.  It didn't rain but for about 30 minutes (it had rained almost all day the other days).  We figured out the subway system and went on a shopping spree.  We visited several different places but spent most of our time at the H&M.  I ended up with 3 new shirts, ooops.  After shopping we took the subway to the Marina Bay Sands hotel and casino.  This is that giant 3 towered building with a ship on top that I know you have seen in a photo at some point.  It was free to visit the rooftop bar to have a drink or S$20 just to visit the observation deck.  We opted to have a drink at the bar even though we knew it wasn't going to be cheap.  The elevator took up to the 57th floor.  The view was stellar.  Your could see the ocean, the city and the sunset.  We grabbed a S$30 glass of wine and watched the sunset over the city.  Check out these pics!

Once the sunset we walked around the marina and at 8pm we watch the water and light show.  This had to be one of the best free shows I have seen.  They incorporated lazers, lights, bubbles, projections onto the water mist, fire, and music.  The title of the show was Wonder.  And last about 30 minutes.  I got some pics of the show below, though they just don't do justice.

We had done a lot of walking and so opted to head home after that for some sleep.  I started work on my Indian Visa.  Boy is it a lot of work to apply for that thing.  They wanted to know the birth place of my parents, my religion, if I had any identification marks on my body, I also had to go ahead and book my flight out of India and a hotel while I was there.

Feb. 12, 2013:

Another lazy day.  We interneted a lot and finally went out for lunch and for a venture around the Marina Bay Park.  A park in which the country spent over a BILLION dollars to build.  It was quite impressive.  With what they called super trees.  They were metal trees that went a hundred feet in the air and in which they had planted plants all the way up.  There were about 3 different conservatories, a sky walk, and several different types of gardens.

We flew out that night to Manila!

On a side note, I have bought new flip flops.  They are ugly and man-ish but they are like walking on clouds compared to my worn out Tevas.

What I have learned:  Singapore is one of the weathest countries in the world.

February 7-8, 2013 - Koh Phi Phi and Phuket

Feb. 7-8, 2013 - Koh Phi Phi and Phuket, Thailand

We arrived to the island of Koh Phi Phi, pronounced pee pee (hehe), around 10am.  We hadn't booked a place to stay before hand so we wandered through town asking around for a room for the night.  After about 5 No's we decided to pay a little more than we wanted to for a private room. It was 1500 Baht.  Not horrible for a private room, private bathroom, hot water, towels, and a 5 minute walk to the beach.  We set our stuff down, put our swimsuits on and headed to the beach.  This beach was spectacular.  I have some of Alene's photos below to try and give you an idea of the place.  We rented beach chairs for $5 for the entire day and just layed on the beach the whole day.  We saw the tide go out and come back in.  It was an amazing lazy day on the beach.  We only left for lunch, but we came back immediately after and sat back in our chairs.

Our Ferry

Our view from our beach chairs.

 

That night we went out for drinks and ended up bar hopping.  Everywhere on the street people were selling mini buckets of your choice of alcohol and mixer.  We opted not to drink the bucket but thought it was a great idea.  Later that night one of the bars had beer pong and, of course, we played and, of course, we lost.  But we got to meet a lot of people.

The next morning we woke and headed to the dock.  We didn't have a ferry ticket yet but were hoping we could get a spot on the next ferry to Phuket.  We did!  After about 1 or so we arrived on the island of Phuket and took mini van to our part of the island and to our hostel for the night.

We pretty much did the exact same thing we did in Phi Phi.  Checked in, put our stuff in the room, and headed to the beach where we rented chairs and spent the rest of the day.  Another beautiful place except people where EVERYWHERE.  Every beach chair was full and vendors where trolling the beach selling anything you could think.  We planned on a tame evening because we were going to have to catch the 7am shuttle to the airport.  That plan didn't exactly work out.  We met some guys staying in our hostel and they talked us into exploring the night life with them (it didn't really take too much convincing).  So we spent the night on the main strip and enjoyed the Phuket night life.  It ended up a crazy night.  We saw a bunch of stuff you wouldn't see in the States.  Interesting is all I have to say.  After it was all said and done we got about 3 hours of sleep before having to catch the shuttle.  A night for the record books for sure. :-)

Jan. 29-30, 2013 - Vientiane, Laos

Jan. 29-30, 2013 - Vientiane, Laos

We only spent 2 days in Vientiane.  The first full day we did a cooking class.  We cooked up 3 different foods: papaya salad, chicken spicy salad, and traditional Lao stew.  It turned out to be a private lesson because Alene and I were the only ones to sign up for the day.  The cooking lady was very nice and explained what all the ingredients were.  Some I didn't even know existed, like banana flower. What?  She did tell us what we could substitute for various things in case we weren't able to find the weird stuff. We chopped, we pounded, we stirred, and mixed.  When it was all done we sat down to a delicious and huge lunch.  And even with my cooking skills it still tasted very good.

We also went out for a glass of wine and ended up meeting an Australian women who had moved to Vientiane with her boyfriend.  He was 20 years older than she was and he had a daughter just 4 years younger than she was.  They obviously had lots of money as we got to go out on the town with this woman and her personal driver.  Don't worry wee stayed close to our hostel and even ended up hanging out with some folks that were staying at the same place.  It was a interesting and very random night.

This is our mosquito grave yard on the bus on the way to Bangkok.

What I have learned:
Having access to seemingly unlimited amounts of money doesn't equal happiness.  But I have known that for a while.