Week 83 - Banda Aceh, Pulau Weh, Medan, Singapore (Indonesia, Singapore)

After a well earned lay in, we wandered out to explore Banda Aceh. First stop was the Masjid Raya Baiturrahman, the Grand Mosque. Unfortunately we hadn’t realised quite how strict the dress code was and were turned away at the gates. We peered through the railings and agreed we’d return later with more suitable outfits. After a brief tour of a little market, we decided the heat was too oppressive and jumped in a becak to take us to the Tsunami Museum. The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami devastated Banda Aceh. The tsunami followed the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph and scientists say, in Aceh the wave reached heights of 30 metres. Although there were a couple of hours between the earthquake and the tsunami hitting, there wasn’t a warning system in place and people were taken by surprise. 220,000 people were killed in Indonesia alone with 500,000+ people displaced. The only good thing to come out of the disaster was the 28 December declaration of a cease fire, ending the civil war between the Acehnese independence movement (GAM) and the Indonesian army (TNI). Humanitarian aid flooded in and with a ‘Build Back Better’ motto, the schools, hospitals and roads are now in a better state than they have ever been.

Having read about the whopping $5.6m spent on building the museum, we had high hopes and were pretty disappointed with the place, the money would have been put to much better use elsewhere. The building is huge, modern and attractive and there are lots of photos showing the aftermath, with a couple of boards telling of how foreign aid helped out, but nothing really about the tsunami itself and half the museum was either closed or had old worn out simulators that no longer worked. 

Unimpressed we jumped in another becak to take us out to the Floating Electric Generator Ship, a 2,600 tonne vessel, washed 5km inland, but when we got there it was closing for a two hour lunch break. Feeling a bit like we’d wasted the morning we ended up going back to the hotel, stopping for lunch on the way. As 2pm approached we headed out again, first back to the Electric Generator Ship (where we walked on the ships deck, had a few photos taken by local people and struggled to find a becak back into town), then to the ‘Boat on a House’ in Lampulo. Another humbling site, the boat was a fisherman boat and after saving 59 people, ended up perched on top of a house. Again, we struggled to find a becak, finally flagging one down to take us back to our hotel where we grabbed long trousers and a long sleeved top and head scarf for me, so we could visit the mosque. The building itself was beautiful, bright white walls topped with sparkling black domes, placed in a peaceful little garden park. A few more photos with local women and we left. Back at the hotel and we had a quick rest before wandering out for street food satay for dinner.

2,600 tonne electric generator ship swept 5 km inland by the Tsunami, Banda Aceh.

Masjid Raya Baiturrahman, Banda Aceh.

Interior of Masjid Raya Baiturrahman, Banda Aceh.

Religion is taken very seriously in Aceh and the province is devoutly Muslim (Berastagi and Danu Toba were Christian). In February of this year, the Aceh administration declared that both Muslims and Non-Muslims would be held accountable under Sharia law. This includes not wearing a head scarf or wearing tight clothes for women and drinking of alcohol. Anyone found drinking alcohol or breaching the codes on moral behavior, whether residents or visitors to Aceh, Muslim or not, could face between six and nine lashes of the cane, following Sharia law as implemented in Arab and sharia-based Islamic countries.

We had a ferry to catch the next morning and left the hotel to find a taxi to take us to the Ulee Lheue port. We bought our tickets and settled down for a cup of tea while we waited. The journey was only 45 mins and within no time we were in Pulau Weh. We jumped in a becak once off the boat, which took us around the other side of the island to Santai Sumur Tiga, to Freddies, a resort recommended to us by Tim. Luckily we had a reservation as it was full and other people on our ferry were being turned away. We’d booked in for 4 nights to give ourselves more relax time and once we saw our bungalow we knew we’d done the right thing. After a warm welcome from Freddie we were escorted to our room, it was spacious and airy with an amazing balcony with views out between the palm trees, across the beach to the sea beyond. 

We spent that afternoon and the whole of the next day roaming between the balcony and the sea. The walk in snorkeling was brilliant with a huge array of fish, we saw lobsters (or maybe cray fish?), a shoal of cuttle fish, a few eels and a black lion fish, ticking off two of our ‘TO SEE’ list. There was a pontoon anchored a short way from shore where, with a bit of difficulty and some ungraceful beached whale moves, you could climb on and sit and watch the day pass by. Freddie offers a buffet dinner each night and for ease we decided to try it on our first night, thinking we’d alternate with the A La Carte restaurant. Once we tried it though there was no way we were eating anywhere but there. It was the most delicious gourmet food we’ve had the pleasure to enjoy in a long time. Each night (after we had a couple of glasses of white wine (such a treat!)) two starters were brought to the tables, from seared tuna steaks to guacamole, which we enjoyed while Freddie told us the details of how each element of the meal had been prepared and what ingredients had been used, he had such a passion for it, it was hard not to get excited. Then there was the buffet main course, tray after tray of delicious salads, pastas, casseroles, baked sweet potatoes, tempeh and all kinds of other things. Then we had dessert at our tables before we were too full to move and practically had to roll back up to our bungalow and bed. 

View from our balcony, Freddies, Pulau Weh.

Snokeling at Freddies, Pulau Weh.

After a day and a half of relaxation we decided to rent a bike to explore Pulau Weh. After circling the island, we decided to check out Iboih, the main area of accommodation on the island. Lonely Plant had insinuated it was a backpacker haven but when we got there it was nothing more than a small collection of cheap cottages, a few dive shops and the odd restaurant, nothing that made us want to stick around and made us even more grateful we were staying at Freddies. Back on the bike we stopped at Kilometre 0, the most westerly point of Indonesia, Gapang Bay (again, supposed to be lovely but really not all that) and then headed back, through a group of angry monkeys, via a waterfall with huge fruit bats hanging in the nearby trees, around the confusing one way system of Sabang, to our resort for a swim and a snorkel.

The most westerly point of Indonesia, Pulau Weh.

Having spoken to another couple who had snorkeled at Rubiah Island opposite Iboih beach, we decided to keep the bike for another day. After a breakfast pancake, we set off. Once in Iboih we chartered a little boat, captained by a small child, to drop us at the island. Heading away from the crowds all floating around in their life jackets without the slightest idea how to use their fins, to the other side of Rubiah, we found a little secluded, rocky cove and waded in. We weren’t disappointed, the snorkeling was great. After an hour we wandered back to the other side of the island for more snorkeling before trying to catch an earlier boat back to Weh. Unfortunately no one would take us and we ended up sitting around for an hour, feeling a bit out of place and uncomfortable (sometimes the constant staring can get a bit tiring) until our little boat returned to collect us. 

Rhys and a shoal of sergeant major fish, Pulau Wei.

Hundreds of fish, snorkeling off Pulau Weh.

Freddie had arranged for a van to pick us up the following morning to drop everyone who was leaving at the ferry terminal. We took the fast ferry and were back in Banda Aceh by 9am. Freddie had also arranged for a driver to pick us up and take us 17km south to Lampuuk Beach. Our flight wasn’t until 4:30pm and another day hanging around in Banda Aceh wasn’t too appealing (it is a pleasant, clean city but doesn’t have much to keep tourists interested). Our driver was great, pointing out areas that had been completely flattened by the tsunami, mass burial grounds (just fenced off areas), markers showing the height of the wave and also telling his of his own experience, losing his 6 year old son when the wave hit and being reunited 2 hours later. We learned more during the 20 minute drive than we had at the museum. 

When we arrived at the beach, we knew we’d made the right decision, a long, golden arch of sand with waves crashing against the shore. We walked the length of the beach before settling at a little shelter. Shelters line the beach, but when we were there, it was pretty much empty with only a small group of people huddling in the shade of the cliffs at one end. We spent a couple of hours playing in the waves and relaxing in our little hut before grabbing dinner at a little restaurant at the end of the beach and meeting our driver who took us back to the airport. We met up with Steve and Gemma who had been staying at Freddie’s too and waited for the flight. Once back in Medan we took a taxi into town, with a loopy driver, and were dropped at our hotel. We’d treated ourselves using our Agoda loyalty points and were very happy when we discovered that our hotel was actually part of the train station, meaning it would be easy to get back to the airport in the morning for our flight back to Singapore. It was a great room with proper pillows and even a feather duvet. As it was already getting late and we wanted to make the most of our room we just popped across the road to a food court in the shopping mall for dinner before turning in for the night.

Lampuuk Beach, near Banda Aceh.

Breakfast at Starbucks in the station was included with our hotel and after a smooth 30 minute journey we were at the airport and checked in, relaxed and enjoying the whole Medan experience. Our flight of course was delayed, but only by 30 minutes and in no time we were in Singapore. We jumped on the MRT and headed to our hostel in Little India. We had a couple of hours left of the afternoon and took Rhys’s laptop in to a repair shop to get the cooling fan fixed (that laptop just keeps coming back to life). After a few hours of chill time in our room we then headed out to China Town for dinner. We wandered around the souvenir stalls looking at chopsticks and Buddha statues before grabbing dinner at a street stall and catching the MRT back to bed. Sadly we had the world’s loudest snorer in our room and barely slept a wink, people who snore that badly should not be in dorms.

Week 82 - Berastagi, Bukit Lawang, Banda Aceh (Indonesia)

We got up unnecessarily early and ended up sitting on the pier of our resort in Tuktuk on Samosir Island for 45 minutes, waiting for the first boat of the day to pass to navigate Lake Toba to Parapat. We’d splashed out on transport and had a ticket for a shared taxi to Berastagi, to avoid changing buses numerous times. We had a super strength coffee while we waited for the car to leave and then were on our way. We changed vehicles halfway through the journey but made it to Berastagi in 4 hours, checking into our hotel on the outskirts of town. We caught a van into the centre and spent a couple of hours eating lunch, wandering around the small market selling mainly fruit and tourist tat and organising a hike for the following day through the tourist office. 

View from the boat during the trip across Danau Toba to Parapat.

The next day we headed back into town to meet our guide, Marison. We jumped in to a van and before long were at the start of the trail to climb Gunung Sibayak, a volcano standing at 2,094m. The trail was a fairly easy 7 km route and it took about 2:30 hours to reach the summit. The first part of the walk was a little boring, following a tarmac track that had been laid by a gas factory company who had attempted to build on the volcano (and ended up resituating to a spot further down at it’s base). Then we turned off the track and started climbing through the woods and over boulders. Before long we could see steam puffing out of vents pasted with bright yellow patches of sulphur crystals. 

Rhys and Marison hiking through the luna landscape of Gurung Sibayak, Berastagi.

Rhys checking out the sulphur and vents at the peak of Gunung Sibayak, Berastagi.

We spent about an hour admiring the vents and climbing down into the shallow lake at the top, all the time with views of Gunung Sinabung (a taller volcano at 2,450m), that has been in a state of eruption for the past 6 months. The walk down the other side through the woods was harder than the way up and required a lot more concentration as the trail was in poor condition. With shakey legs from the descent, we followed Marison to some hot springs and climbed in to sooth our muscles. It was extremely hot but pleasant, more of a locals spot than for tourists but relatively clean. After catching a van back into town we grabbed lunch at a little eatery and headed back to our room to while away the afternoon.

View of the crater lake of Gunung Sibayak, Berastagi.

We had thought of visiting some of the Karo Batak villages nearby the following day but Rhys had picked up a cold so we decided instead to have a chill day. Other than popping out for a quick but delicious chinese lunch we spent the day in our room, reading and watching TV.

Another early start and we jumped in a van to the centre of Berastagi where we found a bus leaving for Medan. We had a two hour journey on a rickety bus playing some pre-breakfast trance music loud enough to give you heart palpitations. At the terminal we avoided all the people trying to put us on a bus and walked outside to grab a becak (tuktuk) to the Mawar bakery 5 minutes down the road where minibuses to Bukit Lawang leave from. In no time we were on the road again. We stopped a couple of times to fill the bus but it seems that they don’t allow people to stand here so it’s far less claustrophobic than traveling in the Philippines. The only other Westerners on our van were a retired couple from Pennsylvania and we passed the two and a half hour journey chatting and learning about their RV adventures in the States (having sold up and rented their house to travel), what an inspirational couple.

We arrived in Bukit Lawang around lunchtime and after taking a becak down to the riverside, walked the kilometre or so to our resort, Green Hill. By the time we had checked in the humidity had seen to it that we were drenched and desperately in need of a shower. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the souvenirs stalls lining the riverside and drinking cold cokes in cafes with views out over the water. We had arranged a two day jungle trek to start the following day and when we returned from a happy hour beer to our resort, we were introduced to two girls, Caroline and Rachel, who hoped they could join us and share our guide. Happy to have new people to talk to we settled down for a few more beers and a slow dinner. It would have been blissful going to bed that night in our wooden room with views across the river and the sounds of the jungle all around, if it wasn’t for the loud Saturday night live band playing next door until the early hours. 

The river running through the centre of Bukit Lawang.

After a bad nights sleep due to the music, we were woken early with big thumps on the roof as Thomas Leaf Monkeys passed over to reach a tree right next to our balcony. We couldn’t be annoyed for long, waking up to watch monkeys swinging just feet from your balcony isn’t too much of a hardship. We had a quick coffee downstairs, met our guide Bike (i’m sure that’s not how you spell it but it’s how you say it), and started out for the feeding platform in the Gunung Leuser National Park. We joined the queue to wait our turn to climb in the boat to be pulled over to the other side of the river -it took the whole of 20 seconds. We registered and paid the entry fee and were led up to the platform for one of the twice daily feedings. The feeding station was set up in 1973 to help rehabilitate orangutans who have been held in captivity or who had been displaced due to loss of habitat. It is part of a programme to help teach the orangutans to fend for themselves in the wild and only offers bananas and milk, basic and boring foods that encourage foraging for more tasty snacks in the jungle but help to supplement the food to ensure the orangutans get enough nutrition while learning to be self reliant.

Thomas Leaf Monkey in the Gunung Leuser National Park, Bukit Lawang.

We waited about 30 minutes and decided that chances of seeing an orangutan were pretty slim with the crowd and the noise, so we started our trek. The trails are well worn and criss cross through quite a small area of the park. You come across other groups but are rarely traveling in the same directions as each of the guides takes a different looping path to get to the campsites. Our first sighting came halfway in to the day, we veered off the path and through the trees to a spot where another couple of people were standing and there in the trees, about 15 metres away from us, was a mum with her tiny baby playing around in the branches. We were awestruck. Although only considered semi-wild we were still seeing orangutans in the wild. Orangutans are only found in Borneo and Sumatra, the Sumatran Orangutan being labeled as ‘critically endangered’. They are highly intelligent yet solitary creatures that share 97% of their DNA with humans. Size wise, the males can grow up to 5’ tall with an arm span of 7’, weighing up to 82kg and living for up to 40 years.

After a delicious Nasi Goreng (fried rice) lunch we continued and happened across Mina who, truth be told, found us. Mina has been at the park since 1979 and is known to be aggressive. She came careering through the trees with her kid in tow. Our guide immediately took control and instructed us to safety behind him, while Rhys got stuck in her path with her swinging towards and had to leap over to join us. Mina is notorious, most of the guides we met had scars and stories from Mina bites. Our assistant guide handed her carrots to satiate her (she is known not to let humans pass without a food offering) and after a few photos, before she could finish the carrots, the guide called time and we moved off. We were all buzzing from the encounter. Within minutes there was another call (the guides talk to each other on their phones to notify of sightings) and we were off again, this time to see an adult male, perched up in trees, just chilling and watching all the humans pass by.

Mina and her kid, hanging out in Gunung Leuser National Park, Bukit Lawang.

Mina's kid, learning aggressive behaviour from her mum no doubt, Gunung Leuser National Park, Bukit Lawang.

Male orangutan chilling out, watching us, Gunung Leuser National Park, Bukit Lawang.

By the time we made it over the last hill and slipped and slid our way into camp we were exhausted. We washed in the fast flowing river next to camp and settled down for tea and biscuits before dinner while watching the macaque monkeys and huge monitor lizards. The food was immense, a gourmet spread with so many different delicious dishes we couldn’t possibly eat it all. By 8pm we settled down on our thin camping mats under a tarpaulin shelter to get some rest.

Our camp by the river, Gunung Leuser National Park, Bukit Lawang.

Macaque monkeys by the camp, Gunung Leuser National Park, Bukit Lawang.

The thin mats did nothing to disguise how hard the ground was and me and Caroline woke early too sore to sleep any longer. After sitting by the river for a while we decided it was time to wake the other two for breakfast. Me and Rhys laced our boots back up and headed out with the guide for a quick tube ride across the river and a challenging 2 hour hike in the hills on the other side. We were the only people to hike again on the second day and the trails were far more ragged, strewn with fallen trees and rocks, slippery mud and precarious corners where you could easily slip and tumble to the valley below. We stopped after an hour at a waterfall for a break and then continued to the main waterfalls where we met up with the other two for a refreshing swim. Back at camp we ate lunch before packing up and climbing onto our raft/tubes for the short 20 minute journey back into Bukit Lawang. Although I wouldn’t say the river was raging it was flowing fast through the rapids and was a great end to the trip. Our guide Bike, assistant guide and chef were amazing, we only wish time allowed for us to trek for longer.

A refreshing swim in the waterfalls at the end of our trip, Gunung Leuser National Park, Bukit Lawang.

After a shower and a rest, we met up with Caroline and Rachel to go to a little bar on the river for happy hour beers. Good conversation, debates and beer flowed before we wandered to a guesthouse with a restaurant nearer to our end of the village. More amazing food and homemade bread and it was time for goodbyes and bed.

We were up early again in time for a coffee before we had to head back along the river to the road to catch the minivan we’d booked to take us back to Medan. While waiting in the tour office we spotted Bike next door who popped over to say hey, it turned out we’d booked our ticket with his step-brother. The van left on time and despite a little traffic we were back in Medan in 3 hours, waiting at the bus stop for the airport shuttle. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time before our flight, checked in and popped to Starbucks for a sandwich (after browsing in New Look which sad to say is even out of budget now). Medan’s new airport is brilliant, it took the whole of 20 minutes to get from check in to the departure gate and everything is brand new and shiny, some bits aren’t even finished yet. The only downside was our flight was delayed for an hour and a half but we’re so used to delays, we no longer expect flights to leave on time. We double checked we were at the right gate and settled down to wait. 

When we arrived in Banda Aceh we found ourselves on a bus to a central hotel in no time and after viewing a couple of rooms in some adjacent hotels settled in to one at Hotel Prapat. It was already 7pm so we took quick showers and wandered out to explore the area around the hotel and to find a recommended steak house for dinner. A break from noodles and rice was very welcome and although expensive, the steak was a treat after another travel day.

View across the river from our hotel at sunset, Banda Aceh.

Week 81 - Boracay, Manila, Singapore, Danau Toba (Philippines, Indonesia)

We left Boracay early to give ourselves plenty of time to make it to the airport in Kalibo. We ended up buying a combination boat/shuttle van ticket at Boracay port to save ourselves the time and hassle of getting local buses. The journey went smoothly and after a long queue to get into the terminal building we checked in with over an hour until our flight. Then we found out we had a 4 hour delay. We couldn’t bare the thought of queuing up outside in the heat again and settled in for a morning in the departure lounge, one room with a few little kiosks and not much else. 

Finally we arrived back into Manila, grabbed our bags from the carousel and walked around the corner to pick up a cheap white metered cab. We checked in to the Shogun Hotel in Pasay. We’d been there twice before with my mum and decided to stay there again since it’s only 15 minutes from the airport and has a swimming pool and a pool table. While I stayed in the room to squeeze all our purchases into Rhodri’s bag so he could take them home for us, the boys popped to the shopping mall next door for some final purchases. We took a quick dip in the pool and spent a really pleasant last evening in the roof top bar/restaurant.

Rhodri’s alarm was set for 2:30am and we had a taxi booked for him at 3am. He was surprisingly awake as we saw him off. It was sad to see him go after spending three weeks with him, Rhodri is very easy going and was quite happy to just go with the flow. I hope we gave him a taste for traveling.

We didn’t really get back to sleep and our own alarm was set for 6:30am for our taxi to the airport and our flight to Singapore. Our flight, for once, was on time. As soon as we stepped off the plane we knew we’d left the Philippines far behind, it was calm, ordered and serene, a weird way to describe an airport but if you’ve been to Changi you’d understand. We were through customs and on the MRT within 30 minutes and 4 changes and an hour later, were checking into our hostel in Little India. As soon as we walked in the door we saw Rhys’s auntie sitting in the common area, Fay was spending the night with us on route to Australia. We dropped off our bags and retired to the kitchen for a cup of tea and a catch up. As it was already getting late we decided to head out and explore Little India and find somewhere for dinner. A few steps from the hostel and we stumbled upon a hindu temple, Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple, it was very beautiful in the fading afternoon light. 

Just a little further along the road and we came across another hindu temple, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. We wandered inside just as an evening ceremony began, it was quite magical with the drumming and shankha trumpet playing along with the candles and incense revealed behind a curtain. Further along the road, after delving into a souvenir/antique shop, we stumbled upon the Little India Arcade, an arts and crafts market. By then we had worked up an appetite and walked around until we found a little canteen that we liked the look of for dinner. It was super cheap and delicious for huge portions of curry with all the sides. 

The next stop on our evening itinerary was the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel. We crunched our way over the peanut shell covered floor to a table at the back of the room and ordered 3 Classic Sinapore Slings. Raffles is a bit of a Singapore institution, it was built in 1887 by two Armenian brothers in the colonial style and named after Stamford Raffles, and is the birthplace of the Singapore Sling cocktail. We dragged our cocktails out for as long as we could while shelling peanuts to add to the floor covering and taking photos of the fantastic fan contraptions. Back at the hostel we headed to our room, jam packed with 3 bunk beds and no room for anything else. We’d all had long days and were asleep in no time.

Singapore Slings in Raffles, Singapore.

Fay’s flight on to Australia didn’t leave until the evening so we had the full day free to explore the city. After dragging Fay out of bed, we ate a quick breakfast and planned a bit of a route. I’d read about a Buddhist temple near our hostel with a 15m Buddha statue and we decided that was where we’d start. Although maybe not the most mind blowing of temples, Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple was enjoyable, we had laminate guides to explain a bit about the artifacts in the room before we paid 25p each for a spin of the wheel of fortune. Rhys’s was spookily accurate, about keeping his cool and not seeing relatives for a long time. 

After a short MRT ride, our next stop was St Andrews Cathedral, quite a modern building and not really much to look at in comparison to churches we have at home. We wandered around the Padang cricket pitch, surrounded by the National Art Gallery building and the Victoria Theatre and continued to the Parliament Houses and the Supreme Court, the latter being a bit of a disappointment, a Norman Foster building that was more monstrosity than anything. We crossed the river into the commercial and financial zone of the city and strolled through Boat Quay, a strip of bars and restaurants lining the water. We stopped at a place with a cheap dim sum set menu and were astounded again at the sheer quantity of food that was brought to our table. We were all pretty stuffed and were keen to walk some more to wear off the meal. Our path took us towards the Marina where we stopped to check out the confusing Merlion statue and to marvel at the Marina Sands Hotel building, a weird construction with three towers joined at the top by a boat shaped level, longer than the height of the Eifel Tower, and overhanging at both ends. We continued walking around the Marina until we reached an air conditioned shopping mall where we ducked in for an ice cream. 

The Merlion statue with the Singapore skyline, Singapore.

Rhys and Fay resting under a solar fan, Marina Bay, Singapore.

We emerged from the other side of the shopping mall and headed for the giant ‘trees’ of the Garden By The Bay a brand new, botanical garden. From first sight we were impressed, the bright green foliage looks fantastic alongside the pink and purple structures that tower above you. We decided to try the Skywalk. A lift took us up to the viewing bridge that curved between the towers high above the gardens, Fay managed the walk without her fear of heights getting the better of her and we took hundreds of photos of the gardens and the city. Back on solid ground we spent an hour or so exploring the gardens, me and Rhys pledging to come back to explore some more when we return to Singapore in a couple of weeks.

View of the Skywalk,  Gardens By the Bay, Singapore.

By then, it was time for us to head back to the hostel for Fay to collect her bag and make the trip back to the airport. We had time for a cup of tea before a tropical storm blew in. We couldn’t wait any longer and, after Rhys said his goodbyes I walked Fay to the MRT station with our only umbrella. We were so glad Fay went to the trouble of breaking her flight to Australia with a stop in Singapore to see us, particularly as it was her first time out of Europe and flight times meant she had to make her own way to the hostel before we arrived. We had a great 24 hours and got a real feel for the city, ticking off most of our to do list for the centre of town.

Back at the hostel we had some time to finish chores before we headed back out into Little India for another curry dinner and to do some shopping for necessities rather than souvenirs.

Yet another early start the following day and we headed back to the airport. It was a shame we couldn’t spend longer in the terminal as it’s so blissfully serene and relaxed, but the MRT doesn’t start until 6:15am and that left us a bit rushed to make our flight. Our flight was on time again and we landed in Medan at 9:10am Indonesian time. Getting a visa on arrival was incredibly straight forward and before we knew it we were in the arrivals hall. I’d researched and read about the hassle of getting to Parapat from the newly opened airport on public transport (you’d have to travel the hour into Medan, change, and then take a 4-6 hour bus back the way you just came), and since it was supposed to be our chill time we negotiated a private car for £26. The drive took just under 4 hours and even with the blaring music, and the death wish of the driver (I think we spent 50% of the journey on the wrong side of the road playing chicken with oncoming traffic and swerving it at the last possible moment) was far better than dealing with public buses. 

We’d just missed a ferry from Parapat to Tuktuk on Samosir Island and had to wait an hour for the next ferry, not really a hardship considering the views we had from the waiting boat over Danau Toba. Danau Toba (Lake Toba) is the largest lake in South East Asia and the biggest volcanic lake in the world. 

View of Tuktuk from the ferry across Danau Toba.

The ferry dropped us off at the landing of our resort and in no time we’d checked in to our room. It was pretty basic but had a great balcony with spectacular views out across the lake. Excited to have 4 nights in one place we bought a beer and settled in to watch the approaching storm from the comfy chairs on the balcony. For dinner we ate at our resort, enjoying a couple of games of pool while we waited and were back in bed and asleep by 8:30pm. The last 10 weeks of having constant company and being ‘on holiday’ rather than traveling had worn us out and we were in need of some time to relax and recharge. 

View from our balcony across Danau Toba.

We woke and wandered back across to our resort restaurant for breakfast, as the night before, the food wasn’t great and we decided we wouldn’t be going there again. Before the sun got too hot we started out to explore Tuktuk. It’s immediately evident how empty the place is. Apparently it once rivaled Koh Pha Ngan for it’s full moon parties but none of that hedonistic vibe remains, other than the odd sign here and there offering free magic mushrooms. Tuktuk is a tourist village, every building pretty much, is either a hotel, a restaurant or a souvenir or tour shop, but there’s a real lack of actual tourists, it’s a bit eerie and you can’t help but feel sorry for the people trying to run businesses and earn a decent living. We walked a full lap of the island, stopping for a drink at Hotel Carolina, a posh hotel with amazing lake views where the Pacquiao boxing match was underway on TV. 

Nearing our resort, a group of school girls pulled up on bikes shouting to ask if they could talk to us for their homework, we answered their questions, had lots of photos taken, signed some exercise books and continued, only to be stopped another couple of times by different groups of kids within a 100 metre stretch of road. Not wanting to be rude we stopped and talked to them before deciding that we could be there all day and were in need of lunch. We had to dodge the last few groups to get to a cafe for homemade bread sandwiches (I think the entire school was on a school trip and we were the only tourists around for them to practice their English with). Back in the room we had a chilled afternoon before wandering to a nearby restaurant, Jenny’s for a BBQ lake fish dinner and watching the nightly storm roll in from our balcony.

Us answering questions with one of the many groups of students, Danau Toba.

We woke late and headed out to rent a motorbike to explore Samosir Island. Riding north, our first few stops were a bit random. We were trying to find the King Siallagan's Stone Chair but ended up firstly at a patch of hillside with a few moss covered statues situated in the forest, and then at a small chair circle where some lady showed us around in broken English. We nearly missed the actual chairs and saw the entrance at the last minute, feeling a little disheartened and ripped off by the two previous misleading stops (entry to the other two sites was 3 times the amount of the larger and more famous site). We had a quick explore before hoping back on the bike to our next stop, the Simanindo museum. I think we would have got a lot more out of the chairs if we’d had a guide to teach us about the Batak village and the way of life with their gruesome executions, slashing and rubbing chili, garlic and lime juice into the wounds of the accused before beheading them. The museum wasn’t really a museum as such but another cluster of Batak houses with daily dance shows (which we’d just missed).

Traditional Batak house at the Simanindo Museum, Danau Toba.

We continued riding around the island until we reached the main town of Pangururan with a cluster of hot springs on the outskirts. The hot springs didn’t look like anything special and were a bit dirty so we grabbed lunch and continued on our way. We crossed over to the main land to a great view point before deciding the road was getting a little rough and turned back for the long ride home to Tuktuk.

View of Lake Toba from a view point just past Pangururan.

Man washing his ox in the lake, Danau Toba.

Our last day in Tuktuk we had another well needed lay in and a morning swim in the lake. We ate a huge, delicious breakfast of fresh yoghurt, fruit, homemade toast and coffee before catching the boat back over to Parapat town. There had been a market on when we passed through on our way to Tuktuk but it wasn’t market day when we returned and the town just seemed a little tired and dirty. We spent an hour wandering around the empty souvenir stalls, grabbed an ice cream and hopped back on the boat over to Tuktuk. Rhys had fallen in love with a wooden Batak mask and we stopped by the workshop for him to haggle a bargain price. That night we ate more lake fish at Jenny’s before packing our bags ready for an early start the following day.

Week 80 - Guimaras, Boracay, Carabao (Philippines)

Another early start and we left our pension in Silay at 8am. After waiting a couple of minutes, a local bus pulled up heading to Bacolod north terminal. Although we were over taken by two Ceres buses, it was worthwhile as our driver and conductor looked so happy to have white people aboard I thought they were going to burst. From the terminal we took a cab to the port and found a ferry going to Iloilo in Panay. The hour long ferry ride was painless and once at the other side we grabbed a tricycle to the Ortiz pier where we caught another smaller boat to Guimaras Island, 15 minutes away, followed by another tricycle to our accommodation on the other side of the island. Finally, a travel day where everything went to plan and on time.

One of the women who ran our resort was a bit fruit loop but we eventually got ourselves into our rooms (sadly Rhodri’s treehouse was a little too basic and we had to upgrade him) and settled down to a home cooked lunch with views out across Lawi Bay. After lunch me and Rhys went for a swim and Rhodri took a nap. The pool was a winner, set in the jungle and right by our cottages. Rhys joined Rhod and napped while I read and we woke Rhodri in time to watch the sunset from the restaurant. A game of cards, home cooked Adobo pork and a bottle of rum and we were ready for a final swim and bed.

We booked motorbikes for the next day and Rhys took Rhodri up to the tarmac road to make sure he was comfortable riding with gears. Once he got the hang of it they came back to pick me up and we headed out to explore the island. First stop was at the Trappist Monastery. Although we’d stopped there briefly with our tricycle driver the previous day, we’d only seen the gift shop and wanted to pop in to see the actual monastery. It wasn’t really very spectacular but as the only male monastery in the Philippines we felt we had to to stop by. Next, just across the road, we pulled in to the Mango Research Centre. Guimaras is famous for it’s mangoes which are hailed as the sweetest in the world. After reading some info boards about their research, we were able to wander around the orchard and the nursery, amazed at just how many fruit can grow on one tree and how they manage to staple each fruit in to it’s own little newspaper pouch to protect it.  

Rhys and Rhodri strolling through the orchard at the Mango Research Centre, Guimaras.

Mangoes for sale, the sweetest in the world! Guimaras.

Next, we tried to find a waterfall but failed and ended up down a very bumpy dirt track and gave up and continued to Alubihod Beach. We’d considered staying at Alubihod and were very glad we didn’t. The main resort there, Raymans, is a bit like Butlins and the beach, although beautiful white sand, was packed. We arranged for a private boat to take us out for a couple of hours and ducked into Rayman’s restaurant for lunch. The boat trip was well worth it. After passing Fairy Castle Island, our first stop was as Ave Maria, a very pretty little beach with a sand bar jutting out into the water and semi decent coral and marine life. Next we stopped at Turtle Beach where one poor turtle was kept in captivity for tourists to pick up and take photos of, we left pretty quickly. Next, we went to a shrine with some great views over the nearby islets before pulling in to Baras cave, a cave big enough for a boat to fit it (or three boats even, since there were more people doing the same route). We jumped out of the boat and swam in the cave in the bright turquiose waters with bats flying around. Back on the boat Rhys asked if we could go to ‘the place with the big fish’, thinking it was somewhere we could snorkel. We didn’t realise how far away it was and by the time we got there we figured we’d have to extend our trip from 2 hours to 3. It was well worth it though. It was another research station where they breed fish to release into the wild and give vaccinations and the like. The star attractions were Mike and Pedro, two 25 year old grouper, weighing in at 120kg. One of the research assistants took us around, he was incredibly knowledgeable and we had a great time.

Rhys swimming in Baras Cave, Guimaras.

Mike the Grouper, Guimaras.

Our boatmen took us back to the beach and we climbed back on our bikes for one last stop of the day, at the Guisi Lighthouse. Again, a worthwhile stop, it’s an old metal lighthouse that’s in ruins but that you can still climb. Rhodri waited at the bottom while me and Rhys braved the spiral staircase for views across Guisi Bay from the top, a lovely little cove that we wished we had time to sit and relax on. We ended the day back at our resort with a swim in the pool and home cooked dinner on the terrace.

Guisi Lighthouse, Guimaras.

We had arranged to be collected by the tricycle driver at 7:30am the following morning to take us back in to Jordon to catch a boat back to Iloilo. The road leading to the resort was so steep and rocky that we had to walk for the first 10 minutes while our tricycle driver battled to get our luggage up to the main road. Once in Iloilo we found a cab to take us to the Ceres bus terminal where we’d timed it just right to get seats on a spacious aircon bus, a real treat after the hideous bus trip to and from Sipalay. The 6 hour journey flew by and me and Rhys enjoyed a roadside lunch partway through. The bus dropped us at the terminal in Caticlan for boats across to Boracay. The crowds were overwhelming, so different to anywhere else in the Philippines. We joined the masses and were fed through to a waiting area and straight on to a boat. 30 minutes later and we were on Boracay and in a tricycle to our guesthouse, near boat station 1. 

Although we’d got ourselves confused and booked the room for the wrong dates, they managed to squeeze us in. We dumped our bags and headed out to White Beach to explore. White Beach is a beautiful 3km stretch of white sand, lined with resorts, restaurants and bars. It’s unlike anywhere else we’ve been here and is the only place where we felt like it caters more for package tourists than backpackers. We walked the length of the beach weaving between the hundreds of people, stopping for a happy hour cocktail when we got near boat station 3, the quieter and cheaper end of the beach. Deciding to freshen up before dinner we caught a tricycle back to ours. A short while later and we were back on the beach, it was already much quieter and more appealing. We shopped at the souvenir stalls and ate kebabs on the sand before wandering back to the cocktail bar on the beach. 

Sail boats lining White Beach, Boracay.

We checked out the next day and lugged our backpacks down to White Beach to search for a boatman going to Carabao Island. There aren’t any public boats from Boracay and you can either charter your own boat or try to get a lift home with the locals when they head back there in the afternoons. We found a couple of guys leaving at 3-4pm but after Rhys negotiated a great deal to charter a sailboat we left immediately. It cost us £20 for all three of us and we loved it. It took about 45 minutes and we were drenched by the time we got to Lanas, we hadn’t realised it was a racing boat until we climbed aboard. The crew were having a wail of a time while the boat sped through the waves leaning into the wind with us perched out on the wings. We arrived and straight away managed to find three people with motorbikes who could take us to Poblacion, a beach we’d heard was the best on the island. The journey was great fun, we clung on, trying not to tip backwards with our bags on while climbing up and over the hill, following a concrete path. 

Me and Rhodri on the sailboat to Carabao Island.

When we got there we met the mayor, Fil and looked at a room he had to rent in his house. Leaving Rhodri there for lunch, me and Rhys wandered along the beach to check out other options. Seeing the beach, we were a little disappointed, it was littered with seaweed and rubbish, brought in by the choppy sea. It turns out it was just the wrong time of year for that side of the island, a shame since the photos we’d seen showed a glorious white sand beach. After a quick discussion we all agreed that we’d prefer to head back to Lanas, the beach where our boat had landed, and try to find accommodation there, although we had heard that it was the priceier side of the island with the more established resorts.

Rhys asked the mayor to organise some more bikes for us and we clung on for the uncomfortable but exciting journey back to Lanas. We asked the bikes to drop us at Nipa Hauz, a resort right on the beach that i’d read about and after looking at another two rooms at places nearby we settled at Nipas. We dropped our bags in the room and cooled off in the sea before grabbing a late lunch in the restaurant. We were the only people staying there and only saw a couple of other white people on the whole island- considering we were only 30 minutes from Boracay we felt like we’d found a spot a little off the beaten track. While Rhodri slept in the room and in the hammock, me and Rhys whiled away the afternoon walking along the beach, watching the locals play basketball in the village, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing. Despite it being a coral beach it was still beautiful and the sea was crystal clear.

Sunset outside Nipa Hauz, Carabao Island.

The next day we left Rhodri in bed to enjoy a well earned lay in. As the electricity doesn’t run all night and the generator wasn’t powerful enough to keep the aircon on it got stifling hot in the room and me and Rhys struggled to sleep for long. Instead, we sat on the beach with a morning coffee before a not overly impressive snorkel. Rhys left me to walk in to the village to try to buy fruit and when he returned we walked in the other direction along the beach. Rhodri appeared at lunchtime and we ate at our resort before he disappeared off to the room again for a bit more recovery time. That night we walked along the beach to another empty resort run by a lovely German couple where we had all you can eat BBQ. Although it wasn’t what we expected, we had a very pleasant evening sitting around a big table with the managers and a couple of the kids of the Filippino owners.

As most of the motorboats that work on Boracay belong to people living on Carabao, each evening around 3-4pm, they head home. We’d waited on the beach and agreed with a boatman to take us back across the following morning when he headed to work. He told us to be ready at 5am when he would pick us up from Nipas. At 5am we were in the restaurant waiting. He didn’t appear. At 5:30am we decided to walk along the beach to the village to try to find another boat. Lots of boats were heading to Boracay but none would take us. Eventually, Rhys found a ferry boat headed to Caticlan that was making a stop at Boracay and we jumped on. Sitting on the roof of a boat watching the dawn break over a paradise island isn’t a bad start to the day. We motored past White Beach and pulled into a tiny cove near the port. I’m not sure how legit it was as we ended up walking along a dirt track and arriving at the main road after passing through a big gate with a no entry sign on. 

We hailed a tricycle and arrived at our hostel, Boracay Boarding House, by 7:30am. Rhodri’s room was ready so we dumped our bags, left Rhodri to sleep for a couple of hours and headed out to find a coffee shop. We strolled around the markets, got Rhys a haircut, then found a spot on the beach to sleep before lunch. Back at the room we woke Rhodri and checked in to our own room. The first room they gave us was a massive family room and we ended up having to move to another room which was a bit of a shame but it was still great value. Rhodri popped out to the markets and me and Rhys headed back to White Beach to walk up to Boat Station 3 and Angol, the backpacker area. It was much quieter the further you walked but the sand was coarser and less white in colour.

We headed back to the room and woke Rhodri to head out for dinner. We were all abit shattered after the early start and i’d picked up a cold so we just had kebabs on the beach again before a very early night.

After a mammoth 12 hour sleep and a lay in with coffees in bed, we left Rhodri to his bed (jeez can that boy sleep!) and wandered to the back side of the island, Bulabog Beach, renowned for it’s kitesurfing. The beach was quiet. Although it was lined with kitesurf schools, no one was out on the water and the sand was compacted and strewn with seaweed, not an ideal sunbathing or swimming beach but nice for a walk to get away from the crowds. Back at the room, we packed a picnic (cornbeef and pickle sandwiches and salt and vinegar crisps - yum!), collected Rhodri and caught a tricycle to Puka Beach. It was by far my favourite beach on the island. Although the sand wasn’t as fine or as white as White Beach, there were only a handful of people there and rather than being lined by resorts and restaurants, it backs onto hills covered in trees and scrub and the odd palm tree, a far more remote and tranquil setting. We swam, walked along the beach, sunbathed, drank fresh coconuts, bought some more souvenirs and after 3 hours, caught a tricycle back into town. That evening we wandered through the markets, ate at a posh burger restaurant and had a cocktail on the beach, turning in early again as we had an early start the next day and I was still a bit under the weather.

Puka Beach, Boracay.

Me on Puka Beach, Boracay.

The boys enjoying their coconuts, Puka Beach, Boracay.

Week 79 - Legaspi ,Manila, Bacolod, Sipalay, Silay (Philippines)

The week started with a tricycle to the bus terminal and a short bus ride back to Legaspi. Leaving Rhys and Tim with the backpacks in the 7-11 in Legaspi City (as opposed to Albay, Legaspi is made up of two conjoined cities), me and Rhodri headed out, map in hand, to find somewhere to stay. After walking around for 45 minutes in very muggy heat, a little old man pulled over in his car to ask if we needed help. Rhys had chatted to someone in the 7-11 and heard of a decent hotel and we asked for directions. The man told us to jump in and after dropping off his wife at work, he drove us down to the port, to the hotel that was in a new waterside complex. It turned out to be too expensive and after a total hour and a half of walking around and reporting back to Rhys and Tim we decided to stay at Rey Hotel, the second place we’d looked at, typical. 

After a quick stop in the shopping mall food court for lunch we hired a tricycle to take us to a few of the city highlights. First stop was at the disused railway station before we arrived at the Albay Wildlife Park. From what we’d read we thought it was going to be a municipal park with a nice pond and picnic spots. We were very wrong, once we paid to go in we realised it was full of caged animals, in tiny little dirty cages, it was very sad and we left pretty quickly. Our next stop was at Lignon Hill. Since the path was so steep our tricycle driver dropped us at the ticket office and we walked for 20 minutes up to the view point. We timed it perfectly and reached the top just as the cloud was clearing and Mount Mayon came into view. It truly is a spectacular sight, the volcano rises from the plateau to form an almost perfectly symmetrical cone. Its the kind of volcano you’d draw if you were playing pictionary. We sat at the mirador admiring the view for quite some time before descending back to the ticket office and taking a side path to some Japanese tunnels. For 15p each, the tunnels were unlocked and the light switched on. Information was a bit lacking but I gather the tunnels were cut into the rock face to initially be used as an ammunition store before the Japanese moved in.

Mount Mayon, Legaspi.

 We caught another tricycle that evening to a Lonely Planet recommended restaurant, Small Talk, in Albay. A lovely setting in an old house with a decent menu. After dinner we explored the area and stumbled across the Magayon festival. It was incredibly busy, a cross roads cordoned off and lined with bars with plastic chairs spilling out on to the street and a band playing 80’s power ballads. We stopped for a couple of drinks, were bought some more drinks and some snacks by a local guy at the table next to us (who was too shy to actually talk to us and was content just sitting near us), and headed back to oqur guesthouse. A few more drinks in the room and a handmade care bear T-shirt Tim made for Rhys and it was bed time.

Care Bear Taffy - Rhys and Tim enjoying some bromance.

We were feeling a little worse for wears when we woke but had to pack up and head out for our flight back to Manila. As always the flight was delayed. Before leaving Manila airport we stopped by Burger King then jumped in a taxi to our prebooked hotel on the edge of Malate. Although the staff were completely incompetent, the rooms were fantastic and we spent a couple of hours recuperating. Despite this being our sixth night in Manila we hadn’t yet seen anything of the city outside of Bonifacio High Street so we grabbed the cameras and took a taxi to Fort Santiago. We were surprised how nice the fort was, everyone says there is nothing to do in Manila but i’d definitely recommend the fort. It’s only small as most of the walls were destroyed during the wars and have been reconstructed but there are some worthwhile areas, the storage/prison cells and the memorial to all the people who died there at the hands of the Japanese and the Rizal Memorial and Museum, a newly opened museum dedicated to the life and execution of the national hero Joseph Rizal (a revolutionary who was not part of the major revolution which lead to Philippine independence but who was executed by the Spanish nethertheless for previous revolutionary writings).

Rhys and Tim admiring the view from the fort, Manila.

Back at the hotel we had some more downtime to enjoy our room before it was time to head out for our final night with Tim. We took a taxi to Adriatico Street, a strip of bars and hostels, where we settled in for a quick dinner at a little shack before finding a beer pong table in the centre of a semi-circle of bars to entertain the boys. Another taxi ride and we headed to P. Burgos Street in Makati, a bit of a red light district but no where near as sleazy as Phuket’s Patpong. Our aim was to visit the Ringside Bar where we’d heard about midget boxing. We arrived just after 10pm, just as a bout was due to start. It only lasted about 10 minutes and after trying to arrange for Tim to go in the ring and being told it was about £30, we left and headed to a Coyote Bar next door. Me and Tim ended up having massages in our chairs at the bar and Rhys treated Tim to a special shot before we decided to head back to the karaoke bars of Malate. We dropped Rhodri off at the hotel and found a place with cheap drinks but before any songs were sung we decided it was home time and followed in Rhodri’s footsteps. All up our experience of Manila this time round was a positive one, we saw a little bit of culture, visited some of the more popular bar areas and stayed in a nice hotel.

Rhys and Rhodri playing beer pong, Manila.

Midget boxing, Ringside Bar, Manila.

We didn’t leave our rooms until check out time when we wandered along our road to find something cheap for lunch. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the airport. We had a nightmare hailing a cab (another Friday afternoon rush hour in Manila) and finally found a tiny one with very poor air conditioning. Squished in with half the luggage on our laps we had a very long, hot and painful journey to the airport, cutting it fine yet again for check in. We had a speedy goodbye with Tim outside who was flying a couple of hours later from another terminal and rushed in to make last call. As soon as we got in the lounge we saw our flight was delayed and we ended up arriving in Bacolod 2 hours late. 

It was sad to say goodbye to Tim, up to this point we’ve spent 10% of our whole trip with him and we were getting used to having him around, being thoroughly entertaining, giving Rhys lots of man loving and helping out with the logistics. Who knows where and when we’ll see him next but i’m sure there will be for another grand adventure at some point.

Once in Bacolod it was already dark so we jumped in a taxi to our hotel. The driver couldn’t quite understand how he hadn’t heard of the guesthouse we were headed to and rang all his mates to ask them if they knew where it was. We had the full address and suprise suprise, there it was, where it was supposed to be. We checked in to Mainstreet, a great place for a very reasonable price. We decided it was too late to venture far for dinner and popped into the Korean restaurant downstairs. The food was immense, on top of our main meals they brought us out starters and dessert and free coke, we weren’t sure if it was the normal service or that they were just very excited to have some western customers. 

We treated ourselves to a bit of a lay in the following day and didn’t checkout until 9:30am. We hailed a cab to the south bus terminal and found a bus bound for Sipalay. Unfortunately the buses only go once an hour and it was already full so we started the journey standing, expecting the bus to clear out in no time. It didn’t and four hours and a tire change later and we were still standing. Thankfully the bus was aircon so aleast we didn’t have to deal with the heat and humidity. Finally we got seats and spent the last two hours in relative comfort (the 4.5 hour Lonely Planet trip took 6 hours). Once we reached Montilla, we disembarked and jumped in a tricycle to Nauhang. The tricycle left us at the side of a river where some kids ran over to offer to paddle us across to Sugar Beach. We took off our shoes, piled in the bags and headed off, 4 kids and the 3 of us all crammed in. It was less than 5 minutes to the other side and then, having made the mistake of not agreeing a price before we got on the boat, the kids demanded 200 pesos in payment (£2.75). A little annoyed at having been ripped off and having had an awful travel day as it was we trudged our way along Sugar Beach without really taking in the beauty of it.

When we arrived at Driftwood, the staff were so friendly and the nipa hut we’d booked was so perfect our morale got a bit of a boost. We changed into our swimming gear, bought a beer and waded in to the sea to watch the sunset. The journey was worth it. Sugar Beach is about 5km north of Sipalay town and feels pretty remote. There are no roads and access is either the way we came or by boat directly to Sipalay. The beach is a brown chocolaty colour and is lined with palm trees and rustic resorts, no 5* luxury, more high end backpacking. The sea was perfectly clear with no seaweed or rocks in sight making it perfect for swimming and the cove it was in was sheltered by little green, rolling hills in every direction. It really was a little piece of heaven. We ate in our resort, played with the dogs and fell into bed exhausted, only woken by Rhodri shouting in his sleep to ask if we needed help.

The next day, leaving Rhodri in bed, me and Rhys had a coffee overlooking the water before heading out for a walk to the southern end of the beach. As the weather forecast predicted a cloudy afternoon, we woke Rhodri at 9:30am and hired kayaks to explore the coast. We only took them out for a couple of hours but the views were tremendous, Rhys and Rhodri snorkeled in a little cove and when Rhodri headed back me and Rhys discovered a cave full of bats where we had to pull our kayak through by our hands on the rocks. Back on Sugar Beach we ate lunch and sat in the hammocks. The boys headed back to chill in the room and I sat on the beach as a storm rolled in. It was bizarre, thunder and lightening (I could even see the lightening hitting the sea just offshore) but no rain and still hot and sunny. Before dinner we wandered south along the beach to a little hut selling beer and rum to watch the sunset before eating at our resort again and playing pool and foosball in the bar. We were woken again by Rhodri shouting in his sleep, this time telling us he couldn’t find the yellow thing that had been put in his bed, we’re yet to find out what it was.

Me walking along Sugar Beach, Sipalay.

Rhys and Rhodri with a rainbow over Sugar Beach, Sipalay.

Sugar Beach, Sipalay.

Me and Rhys left Rhodri in bed again and walked along the beach in the other direction. We had a couple of games of boules and relaxed in the hammocks until Rhodri got up in time for lunch. We tried a different lunch spot that wasn’t very successful before Rhodri headed back to bed and me and Rhys went out for a snorkel. As there aren’t any rocks in the bay where Sugar Beach is, snorkeling was limited to the cliff side on the northern edge, there wasn’t a huge amount to see, some huge puffer fish and some shoals. Back at the room we had a planning session before heading out for another sunset along the beach and to another resort restaurant for dinner.

We booked the Driftwood boat to run us into Sipalay at 8am the following morning so we could get a good start on the journey back north, the journey south having been quite trying. We got the last 3 seats on the bus and were feeling optimistic. Then we got to the halfway point, the woman next to Rhys left her seat so I moved then 20 minutes later she decided she wanted to get back on the bus and have her original seat back. Being the ultimate gentleman Rhys let me keep his seat and he ended up standing for an hour and a half before sitting on the floor by the door. With one hour of the journey to go a seat freed up. The bus dropped us back at Bacolod south terminal and we jumped straight in a cab for the 20 minute north to Silay.

Silay has fancifully been called ‘the Paris of the Orient’ because of the mansion houses scattered around town, built at the turn of the 20th century when Silay was at the forefront of sugar production. We arrived and checked into our pension house and I left the boys to relax and eat ice creams from the 7-11 while I ran around town to see the main ancestral homes in the hour and a half I head before closing time (there are 29 recognised homes within the town). I was overwhelmed with how European the whole town felt and the houses themselves were beautiful - grand wooden mansions with well kept gardens and a real antique, colonial feel. Two of the houses I visited had been opened as museums, the Balay Negrense and the Don Bernardino Jalandoni Museum, (where I had a private tour) and gave you a real insight to how the people of Silay lived with their big, open, airy houses.

The Balay Negrenese, Silay,

Back at the pension I had a quick shower and headed back out with the boys to ‘The Ruins’ in Talisay. We spent 15 minutes trying to find a tricycle to take us there before we finally found a taxi. Once there we were surprised how busy it was. We wandered around in the twilight before taking a seat at the Italian restaurant where we ate dinner and watched the lights coming on while listening to classical music. It was a very pleasant way to spend an evening. The building itself is a mansion house built in the early 1900’s by thew sugar baron Don Lacson, it was the largest residential building built at the time but was burnt down to prevent the Japanese taking it as a base.

Me and Rhodri at the Ruins, Bacolod.

Enjoying a beer at the Ruins, Bacolod.