Our cottage would not cool down last night. The air remained warm and stifling. I fell asleep hard and quick but around 3am found myself wide awake. Between the stuffiness of the hot cottage, the wind shaking the windows, and the angry crashing of the waves beneath us, there was no chance of falling back asleep anytime soon. We were planning on another 5am wake up so we could maximize our last morning on Apulit Island but 3am was not ok. I peered out the window of our loft bedroom and was rewarded by the glowing almost-full moon glistening on the water. It was a special sight to behold. Probably around 4:30am I fell back asleep, screwing up our chance for a 5am wake-up. I didn’t get a ton more sleep and by 6:10am was again awake. In my exhausted state I was in no mood to rush out of bed.
Rappelling was on the resort schedule for 7:30am and I really wanted to do it. For one, it looked fun, but mostly because it seemed to be the only way to get to the top of the island to see the full view. I’ve rappelled in Mexico before so I knew it wouldn’t be too bad. By 7am the morning air was already hot and sticky as we made our way to the lobby to confirm our rappelling with the activities desk. The tide was the lowest we’d seen it and the beach looked like it had grown ten fold. A few feet into the jungle off the pathway, we ruined the morning of a monitor lizard who was about to snatch some ground fowl for breakfast until the sound of our steps caught them all off-guard.
The rappelling group was small, just the two of us and one other woman from England, whose significant other was too scared to join. The guide, Benji, geared us up and gave a brief explanation that we would have about a 20 minute hike up the mountain and at a certain point we would have a cable system to attach our harnesses to as an additional safety precaution. Every 3-5 meters we would have to unclip our harness carabiner and reattach it to the cable due to brackets. Sure thing. There is a cross on top of the hillside. We would be hiking to the cross and then rappelling about 60 meters down. As we started the hike up I was loving it. It wasn’t an easy path but fun and made me feel like I was finally getting my hike in. I didn’t understand why Benji was so insistent on carrying my phone instead of letting me have it on a sling but he kept insisting he must and he would be our photographer. Alright. We came to a little landing spot and posed for some cute pics with the property beneath us before continuing on.
The hike was getting a little steeper and I was starting to understand why we would have a cable to connect to. We approached a sheer limestone cliff face and there was the cable. We clipped on and I was confused where we actually went now. The answer was up. Straight up. This was not a hike, this was legit rock climbing on the side of a steep cliff with wind whipping around us. This was also one of those activities that slaps me in the face with my lack of depth perception. I struggled to find where to put my feet and where to grasp the rock to progress upward. The limestone was sharp, very sharp, and cut into my hand whenever I grasped it. Why weren’t we wearing gloves?! When we’d get to a landing, Benji would declare it as picture time. At times suggesting we unhitch our harnesses and step out onto steep ledges for the best shot. Other times he would just look back and bark at us to smile so he could snap us climbing. This felt sketchy at best. I was struggling. Really struggling. Brandon was behind me helping coach me through while also insisting, “We are never doing this again.” No argument there. With my vision issues I know my limitations. I know what is safe for me and what is pushing the boundaries. Had I had any idea that this hike was not actually a hike but a legit climb I never would have tackled it. My heart pounded in my chest both from the stress of the situation and anger at the resort for completely failing to properly describe the activity.
As we finally neared the top of the mountain, the wind was whipping stronger and stronger. Frustrated by Benji trying to put us in unnecessary precarious spots just for the sake of a picture, Brandon finally told him to stop. Enough with the pictures. Let us focus on our safety. The view from the top was truly breathtaking but I am unsure if it was actually worth it. In addition to the pain in my chest, my hands and knees were bloody from the assault of the limestone points and my legs were bruised. Finally it was time to rappel down.
It felt like it took an eternity for Benji to prepare the ropes and it was even scarier when Brandon had to point out that he had not properly closed all the clips. I watched as Brandon descended down, trying to understand the poor instruction Benji was providing. I was even confused by what he was trying to tell him and had no idea how I was going to do this since I could not understand his directions. As Brandon cautiously rappelled down the cliff, Benji turned to me, seeming amused, “He’s mad. He’s so mad at me. I’ve never had a guest tell me not to take any more pictures.” I was annoyed at his laughter and said that his frustration was because he was more worried about me ending up in a situation we weren’t prepared for than he was about getting another picture. Brandon made it safely to the ground and Benji clipped me in for my descent. The first half of the rappel was actual rappelling and the second half was hanging in the air as you lowered the rest of the way down. I just wanted to get down. As I grasped the rope for dear life and teetered backwards off the edge of the cliff, Benji pulled out the camera. Picture time! I insisted I didn’t need my picture taken, I was literally about to topple off the cliff and was ready to go. Benji insisted it was a great shot and I would want it. I insisted that I didn’t care that much, life was about more than a picture. He insisted. Finally I told him to just hurry up and take the damn picture so we could get on with it. When you look at the shot, my face says it all…
Benji insisted on a different rope placement for me, he’d guide my rope from the top instead of my feeding it myself. As I walked down the sheer cliff at a 45* angle to the ground I had to often yell to him to speed up or slow down so I could get my proper footing. My frustration increased as my pain increased. The damn rope was digging into my inner thigh so badly. Again, had we been properly informed I never would have worn short shorts. I could feel the rope burning my thigh and by the time I reached the bottom and was back on solid ground the pain was almost unbearable. I walked away from the rappel with a three inch long rope burn on my very inner thigh.
We were both unhappy about our experience and it took us to the end of our breakfast, immediately following the harrowing ordeal, to really get our wits about us again and relax. We had planned to snorkel and walk back down to our private beach before checking out today but that 20 minute activity turned into a 90 minute activity that required us to work our way out of a funk. No time was left for any of our remaining plans. We headed to our cottage to shower and pack ourselves up and before we knew it, the time had come to check-out, play a quick game of pool, have some lunch, and make our way to the dock for our boat transport back to Taytay. We spent a few minutes enjoying the last of the views from our deck and loft. The sun was shining bright and the beautiful turquoise waters kept as just as captivated as when we arrived. We were grateful for our stay there and for each other.
I can’t say I was terribly sad to be leaving. Yes, it was a paradise and I was sad to be leaving our private beach and solitude. But I was not sad that I wouldn’t be risking my life trying to walk down steep slipper stairs to our bathroom to pee in the middle of the night or sad to be leaving behind the tiny bathroom with the terrible rainfall shower. I hate rainfall showers. We were wished an “Advance Merry Christmas” by Den as we passed him on the path. Advance Merry Christmas. I like that.
Two other couples, also Americans, were leaving on the same boat and just as we had been greeted upon our arrival by a serenade front he staff, we were bid farewell by another serenade and waves goodbye as the speedboat took us to the end of the bay so we could climb onto the outrigger. The seas were rough today. The outrigger did an impressive job navigating them steadily and I would not have realized how rough they were until Brandon expressed his surprise. When my sea Captain lets out a “woah” over a wave, I know it really is intense! Though the outrigger felt stable, it also felt like it could snap apart at any minute. Literally, our lives where basically in the hands of some bamboo supports that appeared to be held together by dental floss and chewing gum.
After over an hour we arrived safely back in Taytay. There were no snack and refreshments waiting for us like those upon our arrival. But at least they filled our water bottles for us. For the van transport the renaming 90 minutes back to the hotel we ended up stuck in the far back. The one place we did not want to be. But honestly, of the three of us couples traveling back to the airport together, we probably were the only ones able to crawl over the seats and back into the tiny row. My claustrophobia was not happy. Neither was Brandon when luggage came flying into him with each turn of the vehicle. As with the drive there, I spent the entire time with my neck craned out the window; fascinated by our surroundings.
At the LIO airport we found that the resort actually had a dedicated lounge for its guests. But disorganization we’ve been getting frustrated with continued as we confirmed that they would let us know when it was time to board our flight. And yet they never did. Thankfully I am naturally alert to airport announcements. The flight back was uneventful and we landed in Manila on time. Easily getting our bags and grabbing a cab to our hotel; the same Hyatt Regency City of Dreams we stayed in on our first night in the Philippines.
Traffic was congested and we sat for minutes at a time without moving at all. When Jeepneys were moving, pedestrians ran into the street and climbed into the back of them as they picked up speed. Our driver was an interesting cat. When I pointed out a Michael Jordan bar the driver responded by telling us the name of the bar on the next corner and warning us that it was not a safe place to go as it was frequented by the “lady boys.” Uh, good to know? When what felt like a motorcade of vans took over the road by crossing so traffic was paralyzed he told us that those must be the Chinese. He had very strong feelings about the Chinese, very clearly saying, repeating verbatim, “I don’t like the Chinese. I want to kill them. Chinese bring drugs. I wish to kill them.” I had no idea there was so much hostility against the Chinese here but this dude was quite serious.
Brandon’s Uncle Bruce lives near Manila and we made plans for dinner tonight. He arrived early, meting us in the lobby of our hotel as we arrived. I had hoped to freshen up and change before meeting him but he was there and we were starving so instead we quickly checked in, dumped our bags in our room, and headed straight down to eat. Uncle Bruce had planned for us to eat at the hotel buffet and holy smokes. This buffet was amazing! I am pretty sure I can easily declare that it is the best buffet I have ever been to and puts any Las Vegas buffet to shame. At the Japanese station fresh sushi rolls were abundant and sushi chefs sliced fresh sashimi upon request. And I’m not talking just a couple pieces, we’re talking like ten pieces. Freshly sliced in front of you. Shellfish including giant prawns, clams, crabs, and mussels were readily available when the supply never getting low. Wagyu beef was finished to order in another station. And the desserts, holy smokes the desserts. The meal and the company were both divine. As exciting as the food was, it was even more exciting for Brandon and Uncle Bruce to be reunited after many many years and for me to get to meet him. We had a fantastic time eating and chatting. I felt bad when the meal ended and we had to call it a night as we are exhausted.
Tomorrow morning we fly to Bangkok to embark on our Thailand adventure! I am both nervous and excited. Per usual, we have our overnight accommodations planned and a few things we know we want to do/see but no actual set itinerary so we’ll be figuring it out as we go along!
Taking On the World 
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