Beach life in Boracay

Boracay

 

Palawan would have no more time for us. We awoke at 4:30am after ten beers and four hours sleep (it was worth it) on Dan's porch, and waited at the roadside for our ride. We waited 40 minutes - and were sweating it for our midday flight.

 

A six hour van ride, two flights, a tricycle ride, a boat ride and another tricycle ride later, we found ourselves lucky again. Who knew, there was no more accommodation on Boracay, given the second busiest night of the year - the day before New Year's Eve. A bump on the head of the boat would prove fortuitous, as a Belgian girl named Danielle laughed at me, prompting me to take the empty seat next to here and stage a quick recovery. Ha ha, that was funny.

 

We accompanied Danielle to the 'quiet' side of the island and checked a few places, all of which gave cheerful grins and said 'sorry' in impoverished tones. Well, Kiwi's being Kiwi's, the third place I checked - metres from the beach - had one room available, as someone had just cancelled at the last minute! The place was a bamboo built second story flea infested pit with no shower, but it was accommodation, and it only cost $15 per night between us. Not bad for Philippines number one tourist destination on the night before New Years'.

 

We settled in with a few beers and within a few minutes had made friends with three Norweigian lads - Eamon, Jonas and Daniel, who had been travelling together for some time. Such instinctive kinship, I think, is so rare and often found in the most unexpected places, and only in certain circumstances. No one had any guard up, and it seemed so effortless. More beers, a meal, and the usual laddish antics later, that bond was sealed, though I don't think the two Russian girls who joined us had quite as much fun.

 

As we talked, word got out that I was keeping a journal and all that kind of thing. One of the lads - Dan - was a talented Ukele player and singer. He suggested I write a song for him. Well, over about an hour, I did just that.

 

And here it is, my first ever song:

 

Passing my way on these waves

Wind in the trees

On this night full of light

Crashing hard on the shore

Baring my soul to the sky

You will forget me again

 

There are another three verses, a chorus, bridge, and melody, but for fear of relentless mocking and endless teasing, I won't go any further. If you want the whole thing, send me an e-mail and I might send you the whole thing.

 

But probably not.

 

The ballad of El Nido

El Nido

 

Looking back on it I realise how fortunate we were, and how lucky we were to land on our feet. El Nido could easily have been the place we turned up to, stayed in a flea infested shoe box, done a boat cruise, no less overwhelmed by the underwhelming experience of it all. Such was not the case. We found the closest thing to paradise I have ever found, and I felt the greatest sense of inner calm I have for some time.

 

That was our story of El Nido.

 

But there is another story going on.

 

This the story of villagers who grow up to become waitresses, of fishermen who grow up to become tour guides, of children who grow up to sell post cards and tacky necklaces, of shop fronts who replace rice and bananas with postcard-perfect tours and price tags.

 

El Nido, as yet untouched by the mass of tourists - and struggling under the weight of the existing tourists - retains a beauty, a charm, and independence that is hard to find in South East Asia.

 

Now, as Lonely Planet's No.1 thing to do in the Philipines - such is the power of this medium - it will swell and change into a beast to serve the tourist dollar, not the kids playing basketball or mothers cooking chicken over charcoaled barbeques in the evening sun. Yes, tourists will bring dollars and jobs, not previously tapped, and with that more guest houses will spring up, shops will modernise, roads will be paved, restaurants will start selling cheeseburgers as well as meat on a stick, and the winds of change will sweep through the village.  

 

And how do I place my experience of El Nido with that of the unstoppable tourist wave? After all, I am a tourist. I too snap photos of lagoons and beachfronts, eat in restaurants and drink at pubs. I, whether consciously or not, am there to consume - whatever form that may take. And it is for the beauty of the place and the consumption within that people come to this place. Is it only for the chosen few, such that it retains it's charm for the few who do go there?

 

This conflict can never be resolved. Towns change, evolve, as do people, sometimes leaving behind nothing of what once was.

 

Let us hope the Ballad of El Nido is a happy one, one that let's change happen for the better. Let us hope that the growing pains that inevitably come are kept to a minimum, so that one day that town that gave Derek, Josie, Dan, and us such a wonderful few days will do the same for others - both local and international.

 

We can only hope.

 

 

Mad mike

Bacuit Archipelago

 

Two days till the end of the year and I woke - after just a few hours' sleep - on the corner beach that I had come to call home. Once more, I reflected on our good fortune, forever grateful to the kind souls that put us there.

 

A serene calm came over me, matched by the still water and coconut trees hanging loosely in the air. Islands sprang from the shimmering water, matching my idle stance; this was what it meant to be alive.

 

John finally woke from his slumber (boy, had it been a long night for him), and before eight we walked along our empty stretch of beach (save for two lovely ladies) and headed into town. From there we booked a boat tour, spending the day cruising the islands of the Bacuit Archipelago, swimming in caved lagoons (35 metres deep), bathing on deserted beaches, and snorkeling among the coral and fishes.

 

Our day of peace, our day of tranquility, the sun peering over the edge of cylindrical lime cliffs as we floated on our backs. Clear, calm, the very essence of island life. We ate charcoaled fish and pork for lunch - both fresh - before cruising back to El Nido later in the afternoon.

 

A quick side note - before I came on this tripped I was warned that I am a "white pakeha", which essentially means I am one of two colours. You guessed it - white or red. Not believing in the myth that white boys like me can't tan, I learned the hard way. That day, I changed from vanilla white to lobster red. I still had my beach body (soon to be ruined from too many San Miguel's), but now I was a flaming red. I guess I am a white pakeha.

 

Mad Mike - our 29 year old captain - and who had earned about $10 a day on the boat out there, joined us for a beer on the beach at the end of the day, such was our custom. His skin was darkened from the sun, and he flashed a toothy smile as we recounted the day's adventures.

 

Late in the afternoon we walked back to our quiet beach - and the best swimming spot on the island. The sun lowered as we swam, dipping as we walked back to our corner spot. Against the shilouette of flaming red and golden orange, our friends waited for us - Derek, Josie, Dan - and a couple of new additions. The night grew still, the sky darkened. A single flame; the only light emitting from the little corner; the sound of laughter; happiness.

 

We ate from there - the last supper - and enjoyed dinner with a familiar east of family long past. This was life.

 

Our goodbye's came, but I knew it would not be the end. A respect earned, a respect gained, and an experience to remember forever. Two white pakeha's from Tawa, fortunate and lucky beyond all sense of possibility, yet made possible by a bit of luck and the kindness of others. My only repayment will be, in time, hoping that one day I can pass on the kindness that was bestowed upon us, and only then will I feel the ledger has balanced. Until then, I will forever remain in gratitude.

 

We slept on a mattress outside Dan's apartment that night - his final act of kindness - and got our second night of just four hours sleep, as our transport would be leaving at 5am.  

 

Oh well, we could always sleep in Boracay. Or not.

 

 

 

 

 

The garden of eden

El Nido

 

What a house, and what a room it was. A simple room, it was dark except for a soft green glow, and it had nothing in it but two beds on tiled floors. The house itself had two stories, set against a cliff backdrop, standing at the edge of the Garden of Eden. With two attic peaks on either side, it was like the emperor's residence, worthy only of those who had travelled the long distance - and knew the secrets - to get there.

 

Stepping out the front door, you stand on the porch looking over a sunlit garden paradise of cobbled paths and tall coconut trees. The garden was green - so green - and waist high plants lined the labyrinth of paths.

 

The emperor's name was Dan; a Canadian by birth who had lived in Hong Kong for some years, but who had discovered what it was like to wake up in corner of the world you could call your own, one that no jungle of skyscrapers could ever replace.

 

What would drive a man to leave his life in the city - work, money, a career - to live out here in the gardens of El Nido, miles away from anything?

 

Beyond the garden was a beach. It ran along a gentle curve, deserted except for a few small huts and lines of coconut trees just back from the water's edge. The ocean beyond - stretching as far and wide as the eye could see - had huge limestone cliffs rising out of the water. I had found paradise, or rather, it had found me.

 

After a lazy morning, reluctant to leave, we set about to explore El Nido town.

 

El Nido town is a charming little town seemingly set in a Hollywood studio. From the tiniest inlet of the vast China sea, it nestles amidst strikingly tall cliffs, dwarfing the little shacks and sheds of the town. Kids played basketball, using the side of the cliff as their outline.

 

During the day the few tourists that actually make it to El Nido are touring the nearby islands, so with Derek and Josie we enjoyed walking around the town, having a habitual beer every hour or so and sampling the local seafood - calamari, crab meat, and other such assortments.

 

As the sun set over the limestone cliffs late in the afternoon, we watch the long boats stroll into shore, Filipino kids playing in the shore with not a care in the world. We bought a whole chicken and some rolls for NZD$3 for dinner, carrying it back to our corner paradise.

 

Now, as again, luck would have it (well, bad luck for some) - or perhaps, divine intervention - a typhoon had delayed the arrival of Diego and his fiancee, Derek's friends, so our accommodation for the night (which we still hadn't worked out) would be a small cottage right on the beach corner. We could literally walk 20 metres, past the hammocks, to the water's edge, seeing limestone cliffs in every direction. 

 

How lucky and fortunate we were.

 

Dan and his staff had set up a small bar on the corner beach, and with Derek and Josie we watched the sun go down over the islands, creating a beautiful, pastel coloured shroud of red, blue and gold in the sky. Never before had I seen such a beautiful sunset, and never before had I experienced such a picturesque place.

 

And never believing in my own fortune, skill, or good luck, or in other words, a healthy appreciation for events beyond our control, we owed our experience in part to the kindness and generosity of Derek, Josie, Dan, Diego and all the other people who made our stay, all of whom we think of very fondly, and can't possible thank enough. Guys, thank you. For everything.

 

Before I forget, we'd each drunk about six or seven beers throughout the day, so the beer buzz combined with our surroundings created a surrealistic sense of being in a cloud of bliss, and it was at that point that we found ourselves talking to some American girls down by the water.

 

Against the backdrop of a passionate red sky, the heat and sweat of the night, the glow of night creatures and the gentle lapping of the water, we sailed the night away.

 

So lucky.

 

 

 

Landing on our feet

El Nido

 

My first instinct is to write every detail of our first day in Palawan. This wouldn't be doing any justice to this island paradise we found ourselves in, nor would it do any justice to the people that we met.

 

The feelings I had during every moment of being there were dreamlike, the setting surreal in every sense. The setting beauty of the sun at night, the silhouette of colours in the night sky, the limestone cliffs jolting from the sea, our corner beach, our new friends made, gave the whole place a feel and ambience that leaves one in a total state of peace. I ultimately left Palawan in a state of surrealness. Waiting on the side of a newly paved - simple white - road at 5am, with the full moon lighting up thick banana leaf jungles, only added to the surrealness of it. This was a dream. Our time, our days, were to good to be true.

 

***

 

Off the plane we had a beer - as is our custom - with one of the many young locals who laze around in 'tourist shops' all day, more like bare, concrete floor garages. We were told there is no more acomodation in El Nido, our destination six hours away by windy, bumpy roads.

 

We would have been uncomfortably squashed in the back of a 15-seated mini-van (and 16 people!!) had it not been for the untouched and tranquil scenery outside. These were movie sets, untouched by a single breath of wind, and wafting with the smell and smoke of charcoal chicken. No man had yet touched these lands, save for the odd hut. We also would have been bored had it not been for Derek and Josie. Derek, an Australian, upon hearing one of us in the back said "we've got two Kiwi jokers in the back." Such a remark set off a chain of events that I - as a somewhat tight-fisted and wide-eyed Kiwi boy - never thought I would end up in. Nor that I would be so lucky.

 

Derek was travelling with his long-time partner Josie, a Filipino, and they both lived in Hong Kong.

 

We got out of the van and into the darkness, both in a figurative and literary sense. We couldn't see but three metres in front of us, nor had we any acomodation in a town with no spare beds. Out of a genuine kindness, we found ourselves walking down a dark, secluded path, and further down a long beach until we reached a corner of the ocean. I say a corner because it literally was - two oceans met and become one, the very tip of the corner the last place a man can stand. Through luck, good fortune, and incredible generosity, we would be staying in the resort owner's house, in the same green ambient room as Derek and Josie.

 

We enjoyed an immense dinner with them, eating our first proper meal since, well, leaving New Zealand. It was here we also began our love affair with San Miguel beer, our constant, and dearly loved companion throughout the trip. The food was delicious and very welcome after the cold rat meat of downtown Manila.

 

Around 9pm we headed back down the beach. Understand - there were zero people on the beach. The oasis of palm trees lining the back of it whispering ever so gently, the shore was calm, and the temperature was such that you didn't feel a thing. Not warm, not cold. Perfect.

 

We felt like we had our own private beach.

 

And we were counting our lucky stars, almost in a state of shock of the kindness that had been shown to us. We were staying in the most beautiful of island resorts - don't think of the brochure kind, think of the kind made of natural plants and cobblestones, each of the half-dozen or so structures built out of labour over many years, and careful love and nurturing blending in beautifully with the natural habitat. This was the home of insects, trees, animals, and the long shadow of the sun, on which we humans were to tread ever so lightly.

 

We had another beer or two on the beach, lazed around with stray dogs on hammocks, smoked a cigar with the bemused local chef, and listened to gentle sound of the water, before sneaking back into our room just past midnight.

 

This was going to be some trip.

 

 

Pimps, prostitutes and shotguns

Manila

 

I wake up. I'm in Manila. Except, it's 5am in the morning, and I don't know if I am really here. Maybe this is a dream. Maybe the noises and rush of outside is something that doesn't belong in this world, maybe it is something that is beyond the understanding of a lad from the middle class houses of Tawa.

 

***

 

I don't suppose a single day is enough to get to know any city. Some cities, you spend a day or two, and feel like it is time to move on, the streets walked, the bars drunk at, and the sights seen.

 

Like any city of great size, you can be in it, without actually feeling like you're in it. Instead, you're lost in the jungle, and the only thing you can see is door-to-door traffic on all sides, and nowhere beyond the two story blocks lining the streets. But it's all out there, somewhere.

 

What can I say, Manila, an area in itself composed of 16 cities, of 12m people, founded by the Spanish on the banks of the Pasig River, is just the start. It's the 11th most populous area in the world.

 

And it's a sprawl. Most of the shacks and rusted tin roves are dwarfed by the sprinkling of giant apartment blocks and office towers. There's no zoning, or building codes, just a giant collection of structures, whatever which way they may be. Brothels sit next to barbers, family shops sit next to money changers, and slums sit amongst upscale malls and apartment districts.

 

I suppose too, like any big city, it is the collection of individual experiences that make up the city as a whole. Multiply that by millions and you have the chaotic haze that is Manila. Perhaps the best way to get a feel for it is through the individual experiences of two Kiwi adventurers, however trivial or small they may be.

 

At the airport we meet a 33 year old Canadian named D'arcy. Travellers stick together like glue when arriving in a city as intimidating as Manila. Literally within 3 minutes of getting into the Taxi, a mini-van pulls right in front of us, which the driver doesn't see. D'arcy casually points it out. The driver swerves. We had successfully avoided our first major crash in Manila.

 

At street level the grime and grit seep into your shoes, the mould from the buildings attaching itself to your skin. The air is hazy and hot, stinging your eyes, while the gas-like smells from the alleys crawls up your nose. Pork and fish sits rotting cold in garage cafes, a feast for flies and insects. Young and old sit on the side streets, mingling with the street hustlers, money changers, shop keepers, heavily armed security guards, and school children. Their faces leather with toughness, wrinkled with weariness. M16's and shotguns, pistols and bullet pouches go unnoticed, sinking in to the seething hotness and bustle of activity. It's daytime, and anything goes.

 

Intramurous is the oldest core and historic core of Manila*, a walled city that dates back hundreds of years. Along with the rest of the tourists, we snap photos of Manila's oldest cathedral (400 years), and enjoy the sights of the old city.

 

From an old fort at the edge of the old city we look out over the Pasig River, as well as the city sprawl. Pollution hangs in the air. To one side we see a wide boulevard, with makeshift, endless grey shacks leading up to the heart of the citys slums and shantytowns. These are the places tourists never go. For a poignant moment, I stand and look at the slithering mess and dirt of the slums. How lucky am I? How sheltered am I? I take a photo. I guess I will never know.

 

A world away from the slums is the Mall of Asia, the 2nd largest mall in Asia. One could spend days in here and never cover it all. It was 7pm on a Wednesday night, and there were, by my estimate, more than 20,000 people there. For the first time ever, I actually enjoyed shopping (normally, I hate it with a passion), helped no down by the generous helpings of Pilipino girls seductively looking our way.

 

Our room in Manila is a concrete bunker of the sort found amidst brothels, ever-present pimps, street hustlers and other creatures of the night. Our 1" x 0.5" steel barred window not once blocked out blaring music, horns, shouts, arguments, and other assortments of seedy night life. We fell asleep at 7pm, waking only a few times from the pounding rain and relentless nightlife, otherwise lost in the deepest of sleeps that is known only to travellers.

 

A day is not enough to know any city - especially one that stretches far out on either side from a plane window - let alone a street. But for now, a day is enough.

 

And a night, for by the end of it, our feet were well and truly dirty.

 

 

 

* Thanks Wikipedia.

 

Our feet not dirty, yet

Singapore

John looks down the long, brightly lit Orchid Road. He gaze is long, lost in the crowds of people and Christmas celebrations. The day has been long for us - we woke at 5am after four hours sleep, flew to Auckland, and flew another 12 hours to Singapore. It's a long time without a constant stream of movies.

We've come from the spices of 'Little India' - a couple of low boarded houses and shop fronts - and an ice cold Tiger beer, refreshing as the sweat hangs off our skin. Tacky toys and flashing cameras in Chinatown follow, the equally fake mosaic,but the grimy street food embodies some of the people working here. Elderly  men, smoking, sift around, watching the line dancers bouncing through the Christmas celebrations. 

Back to Orchid and the crowds of people laugh and smile against the backdrop of office buildings and shiny brand names. It's curious, Singapore, apartment blocks and office towers everywhere - the population and small size of the island demand it - shopping malls, food outlets, and perfectly manicured streets. But somehow, something is missing, a flawless society in need of some flaws. 

At the airport I have a dream. It is 3am and I'm being woken from the floor of Changi Airport. No one is around. Two men blankly stare at me, holding MP5 sub machine guns, another asks for my boarding pass. They don't flinch as I glare back at them, continuing on, sweeping the airport once more. Except, we are the only people. There is no one else around. 

I wake up. I am in Manila.