After a brutal 1 am flight (much harder than I thought) to Manila and then the 8 am flight to Bohol, we have arrived in the Philippines and at the beach! This is a small island that reminds me of Vieques but is even less developed in the area we're in. There are no stores or anything for at least 20 minutes - only some beach resorts and huts on the road. We got out of the tiny airport after yet another stampede off the plane. Most places we've gone people are lacking basic courtesy that we have at home with things like lining up to get off a plane or bus. At home, you wait for the rows in front of you to get their luggage and get off. Here it is every man for himself. As soon as the plane or bus arrives, everyone stands up, gets in the aisle, and moves as far towards the exit as possible. If you don't do the same, you lose your spot! I've tried to assert myself but still have some manners. When getting off this last flight, there was a crying child behind me. The dad and child were in the aisle - ready to get off asap - so, of course, I didn't try to get ahead of them. Ok, then there's the mom - let's let her go, too. Ok, now here's a nun wanting to go also. Ok, go on - who stops a nun?! But after that - I'm jumping in! People will cut right in front of you if you aren't EXACTLY behind the line. One flight the guy by the window was tapping Kavita who was in the aisle asking if she could move so he could get out. Where is she going to go when the aisle is already packed?! Just wait the 2 minutes, buddy.
Outside the airport were these great tuktuk type vehicles which were very different looking from others. Usually you sit behind the driver, but these basically have a fancy sidecar with a cover. Most have biblical verses on them also. Philippines is all Catholic - all the time. Marge, tell your dad!
We arrived at our b&b, La Pernela which is really gorgeous property. There is not a sandy beach nearby, but we do have an ocean view from the hotel and cute hut with chairs right by the water. We wanted to get something right on the beach, but this was half the price of those places at just $65/night. Frankly, folks, we're about out of money! Ok - I have more, but I want to stay on budget! We don't have hot water, but we do have a separated shower. We didn't want to pay the extra money since the water is lukewarm anyway. I figure if Kavita can handle it, so can I. She sets our standard since Boston would pretty much stay in a hut on the beach with hole in ground if he could.
There is a large sandy beach about 10 minutes away by motorbike (oh yeah - we're ridin'), but there's a small rocky area to get in the water just a couple minutes down the road. That's where I modeled with the banca boat.
We were so tired that we had a fairly lazy day. Boston rode into town to get a few things, and I took a short ride by myself towards the larger beach. I noticed that everyone: men, women, children, cows, and occasionally goat were staring at me. At first I just noticed the children were very friendly and want to say hi - no problem there. But every man watched me go by. Yes, Bohol, Mrs. America has arrived! At first I thought I was a little improper because I was wearing shorts and a bathing suit cover-up, or maybe the fact that I was the ONLY person wearing a helmet. But it occurred to me later that I was the only white girl on a bike around there - must have been quite a sight as I'm quite white (working on the tan currently!) and not many girls are driving motorbikes in general.Our b&b has a small menu, so we ate here, read, and ordered...a massage!
Daily Massage Report
Today's massage took place on the roof patio of our b&b - very nice! Our host had 2 ladies in scrubs (is that really necessary?) come by. Apparently here they do more oil massages than a dry Thai style, so by the time it's over you feel like a greased up pig ready for roasting. While we probably would prefer the dry style, we don't argue, just do as we're told. K & I went first, and the back portion of the event was...AMAZING! (She could give Rudy a run for his money!) She worked over all the knots (my pack is 12 kg now - I blame shopping) with her seriously strong hands- ahhhh! The legs and the head were a little soft, but the hands and feet were great, too though I wish they were longer. K had the same take as me. Boston, the lucky dog, got both of them (one on his back, one at his feet) at the same time for an hour with a foot scrub - must be nice! However, after seeing how he has worn previous masseuses out with his maws (man paws - this refers to both his hands and feet), they probably needed to tag team him for their sake. Needless to say, he enjoyed it! Despite needing another shower afterwards, I give in-house La Pernela massage: 4 stars. 1 star lost due to oil in my freshly washed hair and being weak with the legs
After a quick dinner here again under the stars on the roof, we went to bed super early. Maybe it's the long travel day, that we were really tired and did very little, or that's it's been almost 3 weeks gone, but I'm finally getting homesick. It's been a lot of fun, but I'm ready for regular life again - work, American food (with a healthy dose of Thai though!), soccer, my bed! How do people do this for months or years at a time?!
No new pictures really, but I've done 2 postings close together. Be sure you saw the one before this.
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