Yangshuo

December 30, 2007 – January 1, 2008

Total relaxation, Shenzhen

My last day in Shenzhen was quite memorable. Five of us went to Queen’s spa, a four storey relaxation and entertainment comples. We spent some time hanging out and playing poker (wagers, no money) and eating in the lounge. Fruit and fruit juices are free; meals can be purchased. Before my friends joined me, I also had a chance to enjoy the Lazy boy like chairs with personal television screens attached. I’m not sure if there are any English channels; I read my book instead.

The highlight of my visit was my 2 hour hot stone therapy massage. I fell asleep, that’s how relaxing it was. I also had a facial, manicure, pedicure and body scrub. It was a bit of a splurge, but much cheaper than in North America. But get this, you don’t even have to leave the spa for the night. It’s open 24 hours and you can sleep there! Granted, the “beds” are not for the claustrophobic as they are like crypts (with lights granted).  You cannot stand upright in the pod but crawl in to go to bed. Wake up call is available.

I was woken up by an unpleasant dream. I had missed my flight from Hong Kong to Khartoum …

Shenzhen

Shenzhen was my introduction to China. It was a mild introduction given all the stories I’ve heard from travelers to China. Shenzhen’s proximity to Hong Kong makes it one of the most open parts of China. This is evident in the number of foreigners who work there. I had forgotten about China’s communist status until I noticed that school children wore red ties.

I stayed at my friend’s in Nanshan, near the harbor. There wasn’t much to do in Nanshan but we did manage some entertainment.

The Folk Cultural Center is a large park that presents the tribal cultures of China. I found it an interesting experience to watch the modes of cultural expression in the different tribes. At various times during the day, scheduled shows of dancing, singing and horseback riding are presented in various pavilions at the park. There are trains that take visitors on tours of the park, with different ones for English and Chinese speakers. My friend and I spent half a day there; we could easily have enjoyed a whole day there.

From the cultural village, we went next door to the Window of the World park. I found this park tacky but think it’s a brilliant idea to bring the wonders of the world to Chinese travelers who may never have an opportunity to visit them in their home countries. If I had to do it again, I’d spend more time at the cultural village and give this one a miss.

My most adventurous day was spent shopping at Dongmen. I went shopping alone and had a grand time bargaining.

Manila

Dec. 26, 2007

Manila was my last stop in the Philippines. Of course it rained on my last day. This forced me to restrict my activities to indoors: shopping.

I didn’t know what to expect in Manila. It is definitely big city, with several huge malls and skyscrapers. I got stuck in rush hour traffic while on a taxi at one point and experienced the accompanying smog and honking firsthand.

I forgot my camera at the hotel so these few words is it for Manila.

Eighth Wonder of the World?

I got to Banaue on December 24, 2007 around 7 a.m. Graham and Monina welcomed me to Uhaj Native Inn and shared a pot of English tea with me. (Graham is British and Monina Philippina). After enjoying a shower, I took off on a walk through the rice terraces. I was tired from my overnight bus journey and had had enough hiking after one hour. I decided to head back to the inn and enjoy the view from the viewpoints scattered around the property.

I spent my time at Uhaj leisurely chatting with Graham, Monina and their kids, walking around, and reading. Unfortunately, it rained both days that I spent there so my view was often obscured by mist. I did manage to enjoy some spectacular views of the countryside however.

The huts at Uhaj are built in the traditional Ifugao fashion. Although it was raining and cool (I was cold all the time), I found the huts quite warm and only used one blanket during the night.

Around Bohol – December 23, 2007

I woke up at 7:30 this morning. Before heading off to breakfast, I sent a message to Dario, the taxi driver from the night before. He’d agreed to take me on a tour of Bohol, starting at 10 a.m. and ending at the airport at 3 p.m., for 1000 pesos. The huts at Nuts Huts are along the river. The restaurant is on a hill, at the end of a steep set of stairs. Breakfast was a pleasant affair of brewed coffee, vegetable omelette, butter and a warm roll. The roll seemed freshly made. I had Chris contact Sari Manok to request that a boat pick me up at 9:30.

At 9:55, there was still no sign of the boat. I sent a message to Dario requesting that he ask Sari Manok to pick me up if he was waiting at the dock for me. About 10 minutes later, the boat arrived. The boat was no from Sari Manok, but rather from the same company that had dropped me off the night before. Chris was worried that there would be a fight between the two companies if I took that boat but I had been waiting at the pier for Sari Manok for 35 minutes and had no desire to wait any longer. I figured that their lateness was just cause for them to lose my business.

The owner of the boat had a small zoo of sorts with tarsiers, bats, and birds. I had wanted to go to the tarsier center but figured that just seeing the tarsiers in Loboc might be enough.

The tarsiers are so tiny. I’d read this but hadn’t imagined how tiny they are. Their eyes seem to be at least 1/4 of the size of their body. It’s amazing. I almost expected them to scurry around like mice or little monkeys but they seemed to have little personality. They just clung to their branch. Could it have been the time of day or shyness; there were a bunch of humans gawking at them after all.

We drove through the manmade forest, a legacy of President Carlos created in the 70s, on the way from Loboc to Carmen.  My guide said that each couple from that region who wished to marry had to plant a tree their during President Carlos’ reign. By then, it had started to rain so I was not keen to stop until we got to the chocolate hills. I did climb the stairs to the viewpoint although much of the view was shrouded in mist. I did not linger but quickly read the information about the geography of the place.

On the way from Carmen to the hanging bridge, my guide bought boiled corn. He told me that the corn is boiled for 3 hours. The kernels were harder than I’m used to but it was still tasty. I also bought some sort of sweet made of rice flour, cooked wrapped in a banana leaf. It reminded me of a sweet in St. Lucia called paimie (sp?). We stopped for a few minutes at the hanging bridge and bought roasted ripe bananas coated in sugar.

We only made one stop between Loboc and Tagbilaran. I chose to forgo visiting the church. I had enough time to get a pedicure (long awaited) and decided to find a place to do that. The place that I’d read about online was fully book but my driver knew another place. I got what was called a foot spa done. It was luxurious and the lady was very thorough in performing my pedicure. It was 250 pesos well spent.

Getting to Bohol – December 22, 2007

     I got the 4:30 a.m. ferry from Benoni to Belingoan. This was the beginning of my misadventure.

I tried to get on the boat indicated by the ticket lady but was shown to the next boat by the guard. The boat left at 4:15 a.m. When the ticket collector came around, she told me that I was on the wrong boat. I explained the situation to her and refused to pay again; after a short while she gave up on changing my mind.

The boat got to Belingoan at 5:30 a.m. A bicycle taxi cost 5 pesos to the bus stop (so 20 pesos was definitely too much).   I caught the Bachelor Express from Belingoan at 5:45 and arrived at CDO shortly after 7 a.m. By 7:30 a.m., I was at the airport to buy a ticket to Cebu. I was distressed to find out that Asian Spirit no longer flew from CDO to Cebu. My only flight option was Cebu Pacific at 2:20 p.m. I refused to believe it at first; I hated to believe that I’d woken at 3:30 a.m. that morning for nothing but finally had to face reality. I managed to get one of the last two seats on the flight and hoped that I’d get to Tagbilaran in time to make the 4:00 p.m. Super Cat ferry.

I don’ know why I still expected things to work out but I did. At 1:55, the Cebu Pacific flight to Manila (not the one to Cebu) was announced. The plane meant to depart for Cebu did not arrive at CDO until 2:20 p.m., which meant that we didn’t leave until 3:40 p.m. My hope of anything going right that day was lost at that point.

I found out that there was a 6:30 p.m. ferry at Pier 4 and a 6:20 p.m. one at Pier 1. Luck still wasn’t with me as I chose to go to Pier 4. After waiting over an hour to purchase a ticket, I noticed a sign that said that the 6:30 ferry to Tagbilaran was fully booked that day. Then begun the trek to Pier 1.

It wasn’t a very long walk but a backpack and two bags have the ability to make a walk appear much longer than it is. My luck changed and I managed to get a seat on the Ocean Jet. I hoped that my luck would hold so that I would make the last jeepney from the port to Loboc at 8:00 p.m. Unfortunately, my luck was short lived and the Ocean Jet was 20 minutes late in leaving port. It arrived in Tagbilaran at 8:20 p.m.

Finding a taxi to Loboc proved difficult. Chris at Nuts Huts had told me that a taxi should cost 400. No one wanted to take me for less than 700. I was physically tired but I was more tired of being ripped off. I started walking, I’m not sure to where, when one of the taxi drivers had pity on me and said he would drive me for 400 pesos. It was 9:00 p.m. by then.

I got to Loboc at 9:30. I’d read that the huts were a 10 minute climb from the road. The other option was to take a boat to a small makeshift  dock at Nuts Huts. Sari Manok, the suggested boat company was closed so I got a ride on the other company (100 pesos).

Exploring Camiguin – December 21, 2007

     The attractions on Camiguin are similar to those on many Caribbean islands. With that in mind, I decided to only visit a few of the sites.

It’s  about a 5 km hike from Enigmata toKatibuwasan Falls. I started off at 7:30 following Rowena’s directions. There weren’t really any clear landmarks but I was able to find my way by asking people along the way. The falls were pretty but not impressive in terms of either height or size. It had taken me about 2 hours to walk there. I was happy that the single motor taxi would be picking me up at the site of the falls.

Parts of the road from the falls to Mambajao were unpaved and bumpy but beat further walking. I’d worked up an appetite on my walk so went for breakfast once I got to Mambahao. Unfortunately, my vegetable order came with pork so I had a pastel (local sweet bun), coffee and an egg.

The first spot that I visited was the walkway to the old volcano where the stations of the cross have been erected. My driver and I had an interesting discussion on our walk. He explained that there are no factories in Camiguin because of te volatility of the volcano. Companies do not want to deal with the threat. We talked about the local way of life as we walked to the 10th station before continuing on to the Sunken Cemetery. I had the opportunity to take a glass boat to visit the cemetery but passed up on that and continued on to the St. Rosario church. From the church, it was a long ride to the clam sanctuary where we saw the giant clams.

We had a late lunch at the Lagoon Seafood restaurant. We had shrimps, noodles and rice. It was all delicious. By then, I was ready for some pampering in the form of a pedicure and manicure. My pedicure did not include a foot soak and scrubbing, which were what really interested me so I cancelled the manicure.

That night, I met with a boat owner to discuss the possibility of a boat trip from Agohol to Jagna. He asked for 4000 peso. I’d been expecting to pay 2500 pesos. Bargaining wasn’t as effective as I would have liked so I decided to find another way to Bohol. My online research (using my phone) showed that there was an Asian Spirit flight from CDO to Cebu at 9:00 a.m. and a ferry from there to Tagbilaran at noon.

Enigmata – December 20, 2007

Enigmata was quiet when I got there as the only other guests were out. I was greeted by Ruchell who was friendly and helpful with providing island sightseeing options. I chatted with her for a while before having a mango and pineapple pizza. It was another early night (traveling wears me out).

Onward from CDO – December 20, 2007

Baggage stores are a wonderful thing. The first thing that I did at Limketkai Mall was to drop off my bags so that my hands would be free for shopping. I needed to get insect repellant and a flashlight as I’d forgotten mine. I also wanted to buy some souvenirs for friends and family. I was tempted to get a pedicure and manicure but decided that I didn’t have the time.

A taxi from Limketkai dropped me at D&C Express bus stand. I asked where the AC buses were but was told that the next one was in just under an hour. In hindsight, the driver of the bus could have been lying since he wanted me to get on his bus. In any case, I took D&C Express for the 2.25 hour trip to the Belingoan Bus Station. I was ripped off by the bicycle taxi who charged me 2 pesos for a 5 minute ride to the port.

I bought a ticket for the 3:30 Krakanow ferry which took just over an hour to Benoni. From Benoni, I got a jeepney to Mambahao and got off at a junction, about a 10 minute walk to Enigmata. I was befriended by a local girl. I think that she wanted to be my matchmaker as one of the first questions she asked me was whether I had a boyfriend.