Temperature: 29 Degrees Celsius
Track of the day: Wonderwall, Oasis
"The forces are always against us when we try and visit the Philippines," Alecs says after we spend nearly two hours trying to get our boarding passes to fly to Manila. It seems the immigration laws have changed in the Philippines and all travelers now require proof of a departure flight before being permitted into the country. We were finally forced to book a flight from Manila to Hong Kong that was nearly triple what we should be paying in order to catch this flight. Luckily the travel agent gave us an address in Manila where we should be able to cancel our flight and book a new and cheaper one - fingers crossed!! So now we are finally in the terminal waiting to board our three hour flight, leaving Indochina in pursuit of the Philippines. "I'm dreading Philippine immigration," Alecs says as our plane lands on the tarmac in Manila, "it's just such a hassle." However, we arrive at four o'clock in the morning and find
immigration lines empty and painless and before we know it we are on our connecting flight to the island of Palawan. In January of 2008, Alecs and I visited Palawan and loved it so much we promised each other we must return. So here we are, only a little more than a year later we have returned to see what we missed before. "I can't believe we're back here," Alecs says as we check into the same hotel as before, "it's surreal." The remainder of our day and night is spent catching up on sleep as we have been awake for over 36 hours, traveling and missing Cambodia.
"Ready to see the city?" Alecs asks after we finish a traditional Filipino breakfast of longsilog (sweet sausage). I nod my head and we join our tour guide to see the city sights - the first stop of which is a Crocodile Farm. Puerto Princesa mayor - Hagerdorn is something of a national figure because of his strict environmental conservation policies. A former illegal logger and fisher he works with protection organizations and locals to foster a relationship that benefits everyone. Eco-tourism is the main attraction in the island of Palawan and Hagerdorn understands the importance of
protecting the environment and all the creatures living in it. The crocodile farm is an educational centre where locals and tourists alike can learn about the species and their importance to the island. The massive bones of a crocodile - the largest ever found in Palawan - sit inside a glass box at the entrance. Alecs and I look at each other in disbelief at the sheer size of the massive prehistoric looking croc. Our tour takes us through the many stages of growth, from eggs to hatching's to teenage crocodiles and finally full-grown ones. As we exit the farm we find ourselves unable to pass up a photo op with one of the smaller croc's, paying the 100 Pesos to have an elastic band put around it's mouth. "Give it a kiss," the handler tells me, placing the reptile in Alecs' hands. Slowly I reluctantly lean over and timidly pucker my lips moving towards his toothy mouth. Having survived our close encounter - okay maybe it wasn't really that close - we head to a Penal Colony close by. "This prison has maximum, medium and minimum security prisoners," our guide tells us, "the minimum security prisoners are give many rights." We pass rice fields and vegetable crops being tended to by prisoners who will harvest the crops, give half to the government and sell
the remainder for their own personal gain. A prisoner rides his bike down a dirt road carrying a machete around his waist outside the gates. Min. security prisoners are allowed to live in colonies outside the prison gates (there is a limit to how far) with a leader who reports headcounts weekly. Upon passing through the prison gate (which has no walls beside it) we must give our names to the guards, who of course are prisoners themselves. "The government believes that by giving these criminals a chance to rehabilitate themselves they will once again become productive members of society," our guide tells us. We pass a large school on our left where the children of inmates can benefit from a public education, beside which is housing for prisoners families. We stop at a gift-shop where medium security inmates sit around joking with one another selling us their handicrafts. "I have to buy some of these things," Alecs says excitedly as he converses casually with these people. It's easy to forget they have all committed a crime, but as our guide said some might be illegal fishers or loggers, in other words they don't all need to
words they don't all need to be feared. "I like that system," I say to Alecs as we leave the prison, "it's not a detention centre it's a place where people can learn their lessons and integrate back into society and contribute something." Alecs nods his head, pointing to a prisoner driving a car to his house in a small colony just outside the prison. Our city tour ends with a stop at lover's lane as I'd like to call it where we get to see a fantastic view over Honda Bay, the islands we visited last year. Just before we reach our hotel, Alecs tries his hand at traditional weaving - but I think the locals and I would both agree he should stick to his day job. Back in our hotel room we catch up on some phone calls and e-mails, talking to each other and reminiscing about Cambodia. "Wow, we've already done so much," Alecs says after we talk about all the different hotels we've stayed in, "it went by way too fast," he adds. Indeed this trip has gone by so quickly, but we have to remind ourselves that it has not yet ended, the next two years will be a great adventure unto themselves. "I like this quote by Caskie Stinnett," I say to Alecs, reading from a book of inspiring travel quotes, "I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." We talk about our goals and dreams for the next few years and we both agree a more modest lifestyle at home with the ability to do big trips more often is success for us. "I
like this quote," Alecs says laughing, "when preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money." I laugh, nodding my head, agreeing all too well with this Susan Heller quote that might as well be the motto for this trip. Talking well into the night, we drift off to sleep dreaming about the ocean we will see tomorrow.
In the morning we will catch a bus to El Nido where we will spend over a week at the Bacuit Archipelago visiting island after island, soaking in the sun and hopefully developing gills as we will be spending all our time in the ocean.
Until next time so long,
Alecs and Meg in Puerto Princesa
Ps. We have added two videos to our post "WE'LL BE BACK, I PROMISE"
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