I am beat, exhausted, tired, spent, and ready for some real rest. I slept like a rock last night, I took a sleepy pill my doctor gave me for travel and in 5 minutes flat I was out cold. So much so that I fell asleep in the middle of trying to post yesterday’s blog and accidentally deleted parts of multiple paragraphs (so that explains choppiness from yesterday’s blog). I slept fast and hard but still, we had to be up by 8am today and we didn’t get settled in until late last night. I woke up before my alarm so I’m going off of maybe 6 hours sleep. That’s 6 hours sleep in the last 46 hours. So forgive me for ramblings.
Even though we both awoke early, we were late getting out the door. I may have been up but I had to reconstruct and post my blog and also book us a hotel for when we return to the US and rebook our last flight home. We decided yesterday that instead of trying to stress over customs at LAX when we return back to the states we would just stay a night in LA and fly home the next morning. A much better plan considering we fly back to the US the Friday before Christmas so I expect the airport will be a complete shit show. Anyways… Brandon went to the gym, I posted and rearranged travel arrangements, and before we knew it we realized we were late getting out the door and my stress levels started to settle in.
We grabbed a cab and took off for the airport. We had a chatty cab driver and at one point he rolled down his window and simply tossed his candy wrappers out onto the street. The American in me was aghast but looking at the filthy littered streets it seems that is par for the course in Manila. We got to the airport half an hour later than planned and rushed to pay the driver and get checked in. Brandon looked at me as we walked to the terminal, stating, “I hope I didn’t give that guy thousands instead of hundreds.” I figured he was joking and I was too stressed over time to fully acknowledge it. Upon entering the domestic terminal, security asked us to produce our passports and tickets. Tickets? I had a confirmation and we would be picking up our tickets inside at the counter. I explained to the security officer that we didn’t have tickets and didn’t have cell service to pull up any proof on our phones and she finally waved us in. Upon entry we immediately found ourselves at a security checkpoint and had to put all our items through X-ray and go through a metal detector. Before even getting to the ticket counter.
The Manila airport domestic terminal is small, hot, and crazy frenetic. I hated the energy in there and it made me feel scattered. At check-in we were charged about $80 US dollars for our bags being overweight. I knew that we had a larger baggage allowance than she was telling us but also knew better than to argue so we paid it. I will deal with getting that money back later. She asked for our itinerary and gave us each an “Apulit” sticker that we were told to wear on our shirts as this sticker would serve as our entry for our boat transfer. Uh, ok. I just wanted to get thru this clusterfuck of an airport. We finished checking in, checked our bags, and went through yet another security screening, before finding ourselves in a crowded, hot, claustrophobic departures room. I was starving as I had not yet eaten anything and our options were limited. We opted for a little stand where they had tuna sandwiches. Yup, tuna sandwiches for breakfast were the best we could find there. As we waited in line, Brandon checked his wallet and just as my stress-levels were starting to go down as we had made it through to the gates, his level rose. Apparently he wasn’t joking earlier. He really did pay the cab driver in thousands instead of hundreds. That’s right, that cabbie got paid over $60 for a $6 cab ride. We were both ready to be done with Manila. Neither of us feel good about the vibe of that city.
Before too long they called our flight to board and we were shown onto a bus that drove us across the airport tarmac to the AirSwift hangar where our plane awaited, with red carpet rolled out, for our 1 hour 20 minute flight to El Nido in the Palawan islands. Crew excitedly waved goodbye from the ground as our plane pulled away. The lone flight attendant confused us in her security briefing as she explained that should oxygen masks fall you must insert a sharp object into a pinhole to activate the oxygen. Um, what? Where are we supposed to get these sharp objects, we’re on a damn airplane. There was no service at all on the flight, not even a thimble of water. At one point the stewardess walked to the front of the plane carrying two pastry boxes that I excitedly thought meant treats were about to be distributed but she put them behind a closed door and we never saw them again. The landing in El Nido was a trip as the tiny airport is beachside and the plane felt like it was landing in the water as it touched down. Brandon looked at me excited, “We’re in paradise, honey!”
As we stepped off the plane, the humidity hit us like a wet blanket. The thick air was cloudy and rainy but still awesome and beautiful. We walked inside and saw a man holding up a sign reading, “Apulit” – that would be us! We were met by our security guard. Security guard?! I was expecting a concierge, not security. Unarmed and in flip flops I wasn’t too sure what the hell he could protect us from. He got our bags and led us out to a van waiting to take us to Taytay for our boat transfer.
The 90 minute drive to Taytay was fascinating. There were stray dogs all over. I made the mistake of saying, “I want a puppy!” as we drove by one. Brandon jumped on that, excited to hear me be on the same page as him in wanting another puppy. No no no no no. That was not literal! I need to be more careful with my words. We drove through the town of El Nido and other small towns. Seeing the way people live on the island was truly fascinating. Ramshackle huts, homes constructed out of tarp, nothing that seemed like it would remain standing with any major gust of wind. Power lines were literally strung between trees and gasoline was sold in glass jars on the side of the road. Men drove by with pigs in the sidecars of their motorbikes and kids rode water buffalo. We saw one brave soul sitting on top of a van coming down the highway, holding the luggage to the roof rack. It was all so awesome and beautiful. We are truly in another world. By the time we got to Taytay my neck hurt from having it craned out the window for the last 90 minutes.
We finally made it the port in Taytay where we were provided a snack of chicken rice congee and cookies (with some sweet iced tea) before being put on a speedboat to take us to a larger boat that would take us the rest of the way to Apulit. The cookies were crazy delicious. After just a few minutes it was time to go and the crew pointed out the island off in the distance. Brandon question commented, “About 13 miles?” and they confirmed that it was indeed, exactly 13 miles. I was impressed by the skills of my Captain! As we boarded the boat one of the crew members handed me a towel to cover my lap since I was in a dress. I thought it was a kind gesture and then realized how much I actually did need it as the boat picked up speed and started the 13 miles to the island. Thanks man! The seas were calm and our outrigger rarely splashed ocean spray on us as we watched Apulit Island grow closer. I loved snuggling up to Brandon on the boat and feeling the waves beneath us.
After over 36 hours of travel, we finally arrived at Apulit Island! The overwater bungalows came into focus, as did the fact that the place seemed deserted. Not a soul could be seen on the beach. We were met with a song performed by the staff and given mango smoothies as they checked us in right there by the dock and then walked us to our bungalow. We were finally here!
It was hot and sticky out so we didn’t waste any time changing into suits and availing ourselves of the stairs that led directly into the ocean off the deck of our overwater bungalow. The crystal clear water felt warm and comforting. Corals lined the sea floor beneath us and fish surrounded us. We even saw a baby black-tip shark! I want to see more sharks! I worked on my lackluster, practically non-existent really, swimming skills for a couple minutes and couldn’t believe we were finally here. Finally in the water.
After our quick dip we walked down to get the lay of the land at the tiny island resort. We scheduled some activities including a private half-day boat island-hop tour, massages overlooking the water, and a private dinner on the beach. We found the pool and, after another dip into the ocean at the main beach beneath it, realized that the ocean water was warmer than the pool. It is literally like swimming in a bathtub. We laid in the shallows of the water on the main beach and marveled at how relaxing it was and how few people were around. It was late afternoon and about to be Happy Hour. As we dried off to go grab a cocktail, Brandon realized his shorts were full of sand from sitting in the sea. He reached into his shorts to see how much sand was in there and ended up flicking sand from his hind-end. That’s right, the man flicked ass sand right into my face. He better realize how much I love him!
Happy Hour was a sad disappointment. The entire bar actually. I knew not to expect many options given the remote location but the cocktail and wine selections here are pathetic. And I mean pathetic. I ended up ordering a bottle of rose that will last me through tomorrow but it is by no means a good situation on the alcohol front. The good news is, I don’t intend to actually imbibe much at all so it doesn’t really affect me but I had really really hoped to be sipping a glass of champagne on the beach this evening. We sat in beach loungers enjoying an evening refreshment as the sun sank. My energy levels also sank. It was then that I realized that I had hit a wall. The adrenaline that has kept me energized over the last couple days has worn off and I am toast.
After showers it was time for dinner. Since there is literally nothing else on the island, the resort provides three buffet style meals a day. I was so tired I didn’t even bother to take my camera to dinner. The food was not a huge selection but was actually really quite good! We dined on salads, mussels, squid, chicken, pork, rice, and the most delicious banana fritters I have ever tasted. I look forward to eating our way through the next couple days.
A storm is supposed to move in tonight, any time now, and we are hoping that it moves along back out with a quickness. Tomorrow we have our island-hopping tour and it would really suck if we end up with a lingering storm. But for right now, all I can worry about is sleep.
Taking On the World 