Paradise
After an amazing, silent night with the calming sound of the ocean in the background, I woke up and got out of my tent to recognize I was in paradise:
Camping
The campground is only small and offers space for maximum 15 persons. The small group of guests provided the opportunity of a friendly and relaxing atmosphere. Moreover the bewitching environment, the friendly staff and the amazing food made this campground a priceless experience for me.
The price of about 26 € per night included three meals a day (two buffet meals and a breakfast) and free use of all equipment for example Kayaks.
I took a ten minute ride to the next small island everyday. This small Island was called "the office"
It was the only opportunity to get some Internet and a call from my girlfriend. Actually this week was very hard for the relationship.The time difference, a bad connection, we were able hear each other only a few times and things like that might not seem the end of the world but after almost five months of distance relationship the relationship started crumbeling. Considering this, I was doing quite a lot of excersing every day.
But there was always something to talk about. New experiences, pictures and storys to share.
Trips
We all took a half day snorkeling trip and one day island hopping. The red, green and purple coral riffs, the fish glittering in all colours,the white beaches coconut trees and the sun made this one of the best weeks on my journeys. Furthermore we visited a local village.
Surrounded by the jungle and no opportunity to get to the next city without a boat. They had their own gardens and chicken were running around. A few were working for Toby and Thelmas Camping. Our boatman was living there too. He guided us through the village to a waterfall a bit more further in the jungle. The fresh water was wonderful and a good alternate to the salty water. Moreover it was a good shower even if I didn't use soap.
The only showers I was using were to huge barrels with a ladle in it. I forgot my shampoo, so I used soap. I kind of enjoyed this simple style of living.
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| Our boatman |
Another day I joined the staff to the next city to get the food and bring some guests to the next van to Puerto Princesa. We took about a half hour boat ride to San Vincente. We said goodbye to the guests and the staff went to the market to get some food. I was going around alone and taking some pictures.
Honestly I wasn't very comfortable in that situation. And I didn't know how the people react if I take photos of them. So I was very cautious and only took a few pictures.
By going around in the small city, I found the small city church and, although it was very hot, a few children playing basketball. I guess you just get used to the weather. One street further some posters for a cock derby due to the village's foundation day were displayed at something that seems to be the city's bulletin board.
Every day we got fresh fish and fruits. A lot of rice and something like potatoes, bananas watermelons and other local food, which I didn't know before.
One day we had a huge crab for dinner. I didn't know how to eat it and how it tastes. In fact almost nobody of the guests had eaten a crab before, so we all just tried. It was very funny and delicious. The taste is not comparable with anything I have tasted yet. You just have to try it!
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| The campground on the right and "the office" on the left. |
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Leaving
Unfortunately I had to leave paradise and get back to dirty Manila to take my flight to Tokyo.
The return trip was a lot easier than the outward trip. The staff brought me to San Vincente to take the van to Puerto Princesa. The ride was crazy, because for the first two hours we didn't have a road but a lot of potholes. And if this wouldn't be enough, sixteen people in a van for twelve and additional baggage for everyone. At least it wasn't bad, actually more funny, but after a few hours my back and legs were hurting. Those vans are not made for large people.
In my whole time I often talked to taxi and van drivers to get a feeling for the culture and especially the religion and how it is lived.
Actually the Philippines are over 86% Roman Catholic. I asked about the pope, which visited the Philippines a few weeks ago at that time and how they think about the church.
The return trip was a lot easier than the outward trip. The staff brought me to San Vincente to take the van to Puerto Princesa. The ride was crazy, because for the first two hours we didn't have a road but a lot of potholes. And if this wouldn't be enough, sixteen people in a van for twelve and additional baggage for everyone. At least it wasn't bad, actually more funny, but after a few hours my back and legs were hurting. Those vans are not made for large people.
In my whole time I often talked to taxi and van drivers to get a feeling for the culture and especially the religion and how it is lived.
Actually the Philippines are over 86% Roman Catholic. I asked about the pope, which visited the Philippines a few weeks ago at that time and how they think about the church.
What turns out for me was, that a lot of the people have a chain with a cross in their cars, which they touch a few times, but when it comes to honesty or other Christian values most of them just forget or never learnt.
A sad conclusion, but yet still a wonderful country with wonderful people and a camp ground, which was exactly what I wanted for vacations and what I needed at that time.
A sad conclusion, but yet still a wonderful country with wonderful people and a camp ground, which was exactly what I wanted for vacations and what I needed at that time.
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| The van driver on the ride to Puerto Princesa |
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