One Life ...

After a great breakfast including baked beans, we were dropped at the bus station in Dumaguete. We caught the bus to the ferry port at Sibulan. The bus drove on the ferry and we were whisked across the short passage to Bato in Cebu. At Bato we caught another bus to Moalboal. It took about 1.5 hours and we arrived in the centre of Moalboal. We ate at a small local stall and then headed to the supermarket. Moalboal was busier than ever with people and traffic. We shopped for essentials (oats, bananas and washing powder) whilst everyone else filled their trolleys to stock their Sari Sari shops for New Year. We walked the 4km to Panagsama beach.We dropped our bags at our hostel and went in for a swim. It was getting dark so we only had a few minutes and we couldn't really see anything. For the rest of the evening we walked our old circular route to explore the new Moalboal.

An early start. Dauin has 2 piers that we wanted to see. We caught a Jeepney about 5km to Bacong (20 pesos) where we jumped out. We walked along a small road and path to the beach behind the San Miguel building. We swam to the Bacong pier and were memorised by the beautiful soft coral, sponges and fish that covered the concrete pillars. We stayed in for a while before we were interrupted by a guard and told we had to leave. Once out of the water we walked along the beach over some rocks and then sand to reach another pier. There were a number of ships parked at this pier which is named Ducomi after the Dumagette Coconut plant. Once again the concrete piers were encrusted with beautiful songs, soft corals and fans. There was plenty of fish at both piers and we saw some beautiful nudibranchs that we had never seen before. After our visit we walked through a small local area back to the main road and caught a jeepney back to Dauin. We spent our afternoon in Dumaguete waiting for our frien...

The Philippines is getting a lot of lane as low pressure systems are rolling in back to back. Whilst it rained we fixed an issue with the TV channels from the UK. We ate and headed out in the afternoon. We walked along the beach and around the corner because the wind was blowing waves onto the beach. Around the corner was nice and calm. This is where the main reef was and we snorkelled searching for critters. We saw a big grouper and lots of beautiful reef fish. Once out of the warm water we were chilled by the wind. We got back in and swam most of the way home. Just as we arrived some German divers were leaving the water. They told us they had seen a turtle just 20m away. We searched and found the turtle eating the sea grass. After a delicious home cooked meal we finished off the mango float and watched the Boxing day English Premier League.

The weather is windy and rainy. A lazy breakfast today as snorkelling was cancelled. Coffee, coffee and more coffee waiting for the rain to stop. The gas ran out but we changed stoves and bought some more from the Dauin shop.  Eventually, we headed into Dumagette to walk the Boulevard and pick up some extra Vegetables for Christmas dinner. Everywhere was busy and a lots of places were open. 200 step ups were completed as daily exercise on the boulevard. We were shown the Why Me bar and a huge mall. There was a strong smell of sulphur apparently from the volcanoes behind. On the way home we checked out the route to 2 piers (Ducomi and Baycong) that are coral entrusted and home for weird Dauin undersea creatures. Christmas dinner was prepared and served by the experts. A delicious ham, loads of vegetables and a great sauce. We managed to persuade our friend to sing and were blown away by the beauty of her voice. She needs to make a career out of singing.

Snorkelling early, before breakfast wasn't for everyone. Only one of us made it. 2 turtles and one was huge! He just sat on the bottom eating the grass and did not care at all that he had an admirer. We had a day out in Bayawan. On the way we stopped in Santa Catalina to drop off some TV equipment to our friends cousin. This is her home town. We were going to Bayawan to eat unlimited seafood but there wasn't a huge choice. Chicken was the chosen option with unlimited rice. Puppies joined us and they enjoyed burying the bones. We browsed the firework stalls, walked the boulevard and admired the Nativity stalls. One of them had no baby Jesus and we are unsure where he had gone! The journey home was harder as it was dark and some vehicles have no lights. Pretty Little Liars entertained us for the rest of the evening!

After a late night we still woke up at 8. After a morning coffee we headed straight to the beach. We are staying about 10m away! A short walk along the volcanic, black sand before entering the water on an absolutely beautiful reef. It was like swimming in an aquarium. We relaxed for a while before driving to Mapalay to ask about the ferry to Apo Island. There is a public ferry which leaves when full or you can charter a private boat for the day 4 for 4000 pesos. Some backpackers had just returned and we spoke to them about their journey. They said they had a great time but had to hire a snorkelling guide for 300 pesos each that they didn't really need! Second dip in the ocean was at the main Dauin beach. Another beautiful area with a large Barracuda spotted. Shopping for fish and vegetables in Bacong was our next experience and as we passed the old Dauin market it was being rebuilt in a huge concrete building. Peanut butter biscuits were eaten whilst watching Alone on our hosts new...

Breakfast as usual but then we said goodbye to our homestay. Soon the wooden room we stayed in will be demolished and replaced with concrete. Across the road we caught a jeepney. 50 pesos each to Siquijor town. We were dropped at the ferry port but couldn't buy tickets as we were too early. You can only buy tickets 2 hours before. We had arrived early so we could spend time in the little Siquijor town. The sun was out and it was hot. We took advantage of the air conditioning in Jolibee and would have had an ice cream if they had any. We moved on to Julie's bakery and ate donuts washed down with coffee. The market was full of small shops selling the usual Philippine merchandise. We had lunch at a large local restaurant with lots of choice. It was also very busy. When we went to buy our ferry to let's we noticed a different boat leaving half an hour early. It was the RORO car ferry and cheaper! The journey was over calm blue water with the odd floating mass of seaweed and pla...

A Siguijor summary! We have thoroughly enjoyed our relaxing time in Siquijor. Our last day was spent with the usual breakfast on the veranda over looking the beach. Snorkelling in the morning provided a new critter. It was a tiny little black with yellow dots nudibranch. Well we think it was, it was super small! Soon after we were dry we took our friend's little boy snorkelling and surfing opposite their shop. It was actually in the place where a cute little cafe used to stand. The locals talked about it a lot and it appeared to be called Black ...something! It is currently being replaced with a new concrete building - a small resort. Unfortunately, this totally blocks all sea views from our friend's shop. Lunch followed by a late afternoon Snorkel with a girl from Northern Island we had met a few days ago. Evening began with our special last meal in our friend's shop. She prepared native chicken for us and we topped it off with ice cream - half the tub was avocado and the ...

More Great snorkel spots. 3 different nudibranchs (one we can't identify!), a giant yellow lipped Krait (sea snake) and an interesting little shrimp. Bananas R Us. We have eaten whole bananas for breakfast, fried bananas, squashed bananas and bananas in sweet soup (sweet rice porridge). This afternoon we walked to Paniton beach. This time we went to small palition. We chatted to an English couple about their travelling adventures. We walked back in the dark and passed a huge celebration in an arena. It seemed to be a Mr and Mrs Siquijor beauty type contest. BBQ, bed ...

The routine is embedded. Today's snorkelling spot was a sea hare. A big slug like creature that they eat here in the Philippines. Plus part has anti cancer properties apparently. We also found a super cool coral area off to the right from where we are staying. The coral bombie is stuffed with anemones and loads of clown fish! We made some banana deserts. Green bananas were heated on a fire still in their skins. The skins were used to clean the antique pestle and mortar and the inners crushed with this huge device. Coconut and sugar were added too. The whole thing tasted good! Evening was spent with the karaoke kit once more!

The routine changed a little today but not too much! We spotted a seahorse during our snorkelling session. They are always super hard to find. Great camouflage and dwindling in numbers. In the evening we ate wild chicken and joined in at the karaoke party. Sad news. The 'Big Guy' who invited us to join him for karaoke with his friends a few days ago has been in an accident on his motorbike. No one knows exactly how he is but broken bones and a coma have been mentioned plus a fast speed boat to Dumagette hospital for a CT scan. Fingers crossed all is ok.

Days are passing by and we are settled into our daily routine in Siquijor. Breakfast Snorkeling Lunch at our regular stop Snorkeling Incredible sunset BBQ at our regular stop Cake shop Bed We are chatting with the locals near where we are staying and learning about local life. We have had fresh coconut Bocu (coconut, ice, condensed milk, Graham crackers). We have been to Tubod marine sanctuary. Snorkel spots include giant clams, turtles, nudibranch and loads of fish. We are monitoring a sore foot for a sea urchin spine that we cannot see. We are trying to break it down with vinegar - if it even exists! Christine has acquired a new dress to replace the one with a hole!

A lazy morning. Darryl went snorkelling before breakfast but the tide was low and the visibility poor. Breakfast on the terrace under the shade of the umbrellas. Porridge, bananas and hot coffee and a small kitten. We walked into San Juan to look for the Sunday market in the park. There were a few stalls selling clothes and a couple that had food but it all seemed fairly quiet. In fact, we didn't even see the girl we spoke to yesterday making rice packets in banana leaves to sell. We did however find cakes and burgers at the bakery just round the corner. After we trundled back to our usual lunch spot to partake. Vegetables and rice with a side order of noodles. Looking out to sea kept us busy for the afternoon. The sun was shining and a brisk cool wind made it very pleasant. We sat under the large umbrellas in the shade researching future destinations and plans. In the evening we walked in to San Juan. There was some singing in one of the bars but we didn't stop. Our regular BB...

Snorkelling is off for today as the wind is blowing too hard. The area is in a frenzy on our side of the island. We decided to have breakfast/brunch at our regular lunchtime cafe over the road. When we arrived a friendly man was leaving. He invited us to join him and his friends at the Karaoke bar a few doors down for a sing song. We ate breakfast and headed to the Karaoke bar. We thought we would drop in and have a quick look before continuing our walk towards San Juan centre. As we approached we were spotted, dragged inside and the friendly man blasted a song out on the mic. He was a great singer as were his friends. We stayed for the whole afternoon taking it in turns to sing our favourite songs from the huge selection in the karaoke book. The chap we had first met was keen to lend us his motorbike for the day to go around the island!    One of the local dogs was inside with us but he needed a wee. He did it on the floor for us to step in, then his owner turned up and took him out f...

After our morning chocolate Energen, we headed  for breakfast at the little stall over the road. The food is always good and it set us up for our morning walk. It seemed to take us forever to reach the Coral Garden dive spot. We stopped for coffee, cakes and clothes browsing. There are a lot of second hand clothes stalls which sell all sorts. Outside a shop was an egg plant which we were assured was only a Christmas decoration. Most items on the stalls seemed to be sent from the USA. To find the diving spot we headed past a cemetery and behind the resort buildings to the beach. There were fisherman going about their daily routines but we found two German men filling a bucket with stones. They must have been building something. One of them knew the area really well and he pointed to the exact spot we needed to be in to enjoy the best of Coral Garden. He said we might spot some turtles and he was right! Snorkelling was nice and the coral in good condition. It was at about 5m plus and the...

As it is our first day back in Siquijor we were excited to get out snorkelling, so we were up early for a pre-breakfast snorkel. The tide was low so we had a little way to walk out, minding we didn't step on any sea urchins. We saw lots of fish and a very colourful crab sitting on the coral. We also saw lots of anenome fish, all together. We counted over 20 on one anenome which we had never seen before, there are usually only 3 or 4. We saw some bamboo fish cages, dropped by the local fisherman to catch the reef fish. As the sun wasn't yet out the water got a little chilly so we headed back for hot drinks and breakfast on the terrace looking out to sea and Apo Island. After doing research for later in the trip it was time to head out for lunch. We found a nice local cafe with delicious food and sat chatting with the owners. We then headed off to buy some fruit and the kind stallholder offered to cut our mango and served it up for us to eat at a table on the beach ... How ...

One of those alarm clock days started the day. Breakfast on the veranda of our bungalow before grabbing the bags and heading to bakery on the main road. It was here we had decided to wait for the big yellow bus at 9 o'clock. We arrived nice and early but when we saw the driver pass the other way, we asked what time the bus will go to Tagbilaran. He said 10am. Oh no the bus we assumed went at 9 didn't exist so we had to wait another hour. That is not too much of a problem standing at a bakery so we grabbed some cakes! Next we went to the beach and saw the locals putting up a huge Christmas tree in front of the municipal building. We watched them hoist a large star on top whilst someone helped from a very precarious position inside the tree. Health and Safety were on holiday that day fortunately! There was a large meeting outside the tourist office. We didn't understand exactly what was happening but we think it was a job fair. Not many jobs exist and most people make a livin...

Breakfast, fiddle about, lunch and a long walk to the beach with the best reef! We saw a turtle, fellow snorkellers and locals fixing their boats at Coco White beach. We also met 2 local  girls who let us try their purple drink concoction with us and chatted to us before they were heading to a night club. It sounds a little odd, as this was the middle of the day, but one of the girls had fallen out with her boyfriend and was 'broken', so two friends together were going to party! On the way back from the beach we stopped and ate a kind of beef skin soup and fried bananas, dipped in butter and sugar. Very nice! Back in our room we packed our bags for tomorrow, washed off the salt water and waited for the rain to stop. There are plenty of short, sharp showers as rainy season comes to an end... We tried to finish our last night on a high with 2 for 1 burgers in town but it was closed!

A lazy breakfast and WiFi equals a late start. After our oats and banana we did a spot of research on another island we are heading to - Palawan. We decided to eat lunch fairly early and to stock up on cakes for our long walk to the reef. Darryl also opted to have a haircut at a small barbers in the centre of town. The hairdresser was also a diver and the caretaker of one of the local cave pools. After 1.5 hours of walking we arrived at the beach. There was no one there other than a group of locals having a party. All of our time there was spent exploring the reef! Lots of corals in good condition and a turtle too! When it started to get a little cooler we changed into our walking shoes and off we went. On the way home we were first distracted by sausage and chips. Really good. Further along the road we were starting to run out of steam so we stopped for dinner. On tonight's menu was BBQ pork skewers and rice with a sweet chilli vinegar. This was followed by deep fried chicken skin...

A slow start to the day. Breakfast on the balcony followed by catching up on messages as we have had no WiFi for a couple of days. Next lunch at a little cafe at the end of the street. Then on to the bakery for a yummy twisted donut to give us energy for the walk to the beach. Today we headed for Bitoon beach. It is a pretty little beach but unfortunately only a small amount of coral, so not so much to see under the water. The beach was deserted apart from a few fishermen.  A pleasant walk home followed by a shower to remove the fine, white sand. Dinner was at a fast food cafe staffed by 2 new recruiters. We let them both create a meal for each of us to practise. They did a great job of the sisliog with rice, egg and chillies. We topped this off with a pineapple slice from the cake shop before bed.

Back to self made breakfast for budget backpackers. Today we were lucky as we had a huge pomello fall on our roof. It woke us up so we are it! We had Quaker oats to that we bought at a small store yesterday. We washed all down with hot coffee. Yesterday's reef spotting exercise was a dud so today we were heading to Coco White Dive Resort. Only issue being it was about 7km away. We started walking, grabbed lunch but the sun was hot. Occasionally, it hit behind a cloud and we cooled a little. There was a cool breeze too which was nice. We passed small houses decorated for Christmas and many smiling faces that greeted us with, "Hello and Good Morning Ma'm or Sir". We passed some interesting cliffs and a sign that pointed to caves. Anda is a beautiful place! After about an hour and a half we turned right just past Coco White. Awaiting us was a tiny beach covered in local canoes with bamboo outriggers. We made our way over them, under them and dodged around then to find sh...