Philippines, Part 4
Day 19, January 16
I woke up at 5:30am to try and watch the Cowboys game. I went out to the courtyard area to ask them if we could see if it was on their tv since they had been watching UFC a lot and it was on Fox Sports 2. We flipped through a lot of different sports and every time they’d stop and say “this it”. And it’d be wrestling or golf. I kept saying “no, American football” but they still kept insisting on golf. So I thanked them and went back to my room to see if I could stream it online. Luckily that worked. But then right before halftime my computer died so I had to charge it and was able to see the end of the 3rd and all of the 4th. I took my computer outside to sit in the courtyard area so that my sister could watch it too.
The good part where we tie it up
After the game I was so mad so I needed to do something other than sit in the courtyard so I went and got a coffee. It was very overcast and windy and we didn’t have any activities planned. The only thing left that we wanted to do was go to Puka Beach since we didn’t get to yesterday during our island hopping because the coast guard said the weather wasn’t good.
It is on the northern tip of Boracay so we loaded up on a tricycle taxi to take us there. It was pretty empty at the beach and I’m not sure if it was because of the overcast weather or if this is just a less populated beach overall.
Our tricycle taxi
Happy school girls
Sorry for the blurriness, we were in our taxi at the time
I noticed that the sand felt different on this beach than on White Beach so I had to look into why and discovered it’s because there are crushed puka shells (hence where it got its name) on the sand which make it a little coarser than most other beaches. I really enjoyed the laid back, less populated vibe of Puka Beach. We didn’t stay long because it was getting really windy so we got another tricycle taxi to take us back to our place.
Once back we decided to do one more load of laundry since we have the time and accessibility and aren’t all that sure when we will get the opportunity again. We dropped our clothes off and went to lunch. We went to the place we had dinner at last night and the waiter remembered us. Just about every place we have gone on this trip, we’ve had people remember us.
I got the traditional fried rice and chicken with egg. It wasn’t as good as all the other thing I’ve had here. It tasted like it was leftover from the night before. The chicken was dry and nothing was hot. So we’ll probably try something new for dinner.
The presentation isn’t even good
After lunch we roamed around before heading back to our room. I stopped at 7/11 to get some water and the guy at the register called me “sir” three times. Just thought I’d mention that.
We got back to our room and had about an hour before we could pick up our laundry so we just chilled on our beds.
After we got our laundry, we went back to pack our bags so tomorrow morning when we leave we won’t have to rush around. Then there was a lot of downtime before dinner.
Around 6ish we decided to venture out for food (we eat with the senior citizens now). It was starting to sprinkle which usually means a heavy rain is coming so we pretty much stopped at the first place we came to.
I got a mixed salad that came out looking more like slaw but was really good, spicy vegetable soup and churros for dessert.
After dinner we walked down to grab some more waters and I put out more tuna for the cats that I got earlier today. Then it was back to the room to shower and get ready to leave early the next morning.
Day 20, January 17
Travel day! We woke up at 7am to finish packing up and eat breakfast before catching a tricycle taxi to take us to the ferry that will then take us to the airport.
Trying to fit all of our bags and us onto the tiny tricycle felt like a game of tetris. It was a tight squeeze but we somehow all managed to fit. I was just worried about the engine and if it was going to blow out at any moment when we would go up some of the inclines. But we made it safely to the ferry.
We had to then figure out all the different tickets we had to buy and which ferry to get on to. On the way here it was all lumped into one fee so we really didn’t have to think. We quickly aced our test and boarded the ferry. I didn’t get a picture of the ramp but it was so, so steep and narrow. Our bags kept getting stuck and if you looked down, it was like a straight drop. They had to keep helping us walk down.
Once in the ferry, I closed my eyes like I did on the way there just in case I started to get sick again. It was a very short ride so I was fine.
We then had to walk up the other way on the steep ramp and again had to get assistance. Having these big bags on the front and back is not always easy to maneuver.
Then we had to take another tricycle taxi to the actual airport. That was a very quick ride, maybe 5 minutes if that.
Once there were went through security about 3 different times and were able to check-in. Then we had about 2 hours to spare. There’s not much to walk around and do at the Boracay Airport because it is teeny tiny.
For perspective of the size, I am on one end and my sister is down at the other end waving. That’s it. That’s the Boracay Airport.
We were there early enough that we could breathe for a minute and get some waters and snacks. Then it was time to board the bus that then takes us directly to the runway to board the plane. There was no delay with this flight so we landed a little before scheduled time at like 1pm. We then got our bags from baggage claim and then got a taxi to take us to our hostel.
The taxi ride was awful. There was a ton of traffic at that time and they aren’t really smooth drivers here. It’s a lot of jerky stop and go motions. And a ton of honking. I felt like I was still in LA.
BNPayne not loving the car ride
Lanes are optional here
Little kids hanging off the back of the bus wagons
It took us about an hour to get to our hostel. We checked into our room and went up stairs to are beds. We are in an all girls dorm with 5 beds (2 bunk beds and a another twin bed). My sister and Taryn got top and got the bottom this time. We found out that one of the other girls staying in the room is from Spain and is traveling with her brother and their next stop is also Hanoi. Then we found out that they are on the exact flight as us.
My sister’s view from her bed
My view
I went to the bathroom and there was no toilet paper so I walked downstairs to ask if they have any and was told that it is not included. This is not anything like I have ever stayed in but again, it’s a bed and shower. We had to go out and get our visa paperwork for Vietnam printed out so stopped at a mini mart to grab toilet paper and water.
The place we went to print the stuff out was one similar to where Taryn went to get her visa photo done. It took about an hour to print out 15 pages. But in the end we got it all done!
Taryn’s “Mr. Bean” face
Just a quick reminder of Taryn’s visa photo
These are your options
You can even get a different body
After the long hour we were ready for food. Last time we were in Manila we heard about a shopping center that had a lot of food places. So we decided to go there and see what they had.
This was an option
We did not choose Kenny Rogers Roasters (although now I think we should have). We choose this place called Max’s. We thought it was a Mexican restaurant but it turns out it was not even close to that. This place is known for their fried chicken. But it was a sit down place so we gave it a shot.
Us trying to figure out how to use the directory right before Taryn came over and smashed it
I got the Adobo Pork which is supposed to be a traditional Filipino dish but I don’t think this one was all that authentic. It was the mall version. I also got some squash soup because I can never pass that up.
Immediately after eating this I felt sick. I’m thinking tomorrow is going to be light day food wise. Right outside of the restaurant were these massage chairs. You get 3 minutes for 10 pesos so we decided we could use a quick, cheap massage.
This is the best photo I got because it was mid massage
It was getting dark after dinner so we headed back to our room. We decided to walk instead of getting a taxi. I’m glad we did because we got to see the full on chaos of Manila at night. There were so many different sounds and smells and lights. Manila’s air is also very smoggy and polluted so it kind of just adds to the chaotic feel. But we made it safely back to our room.
Taryn and I ended up switching beds because she almost killed herself getting up to the top. We head out for Hanoi tomorrow evening so we’ll probably head to the airport early. This is a direct quote from Taryn, “The airport will probably be more comfortable than our room”. So on that note, goodnight.
Jamecia Blount
January 18, 2017
Thanks for my beautiful post card!! 🙂 I love, love, love it!!! Just finished my nightly jillians travels reading. I love these posts.
Jillian
January 18, 2017
You’re welcome! Thank you for being a loyal follower/friend!