Chapter 33 - Phillipines - The Land of Ma'am - Sir

 

Hi again,

It's time for another chapter in Crabby & Chipper Travels; this time in SE Asia.

We left on October 20, 2024, for a 57-day adventure; basically one month in the Philippines and one month in Thailand.  This chapter will highlight the part of the trip we spent in the Philippines.

Our trip got off on a rocky start...at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, my carry-on got stuck in the security machine so we shutdown the TSA line for about 10 minutes. The TSA supervisor was not happy with me, and I made sure to unzip the smaller backpack from the full backpack before running through any kind of security machine in the future.  

We had one stop in South Korea at the Incheon International Airport.  The airport has the most beautiful orchids in Terminal 2.  They were so beautiful I thought they were fake at first, but they were real.

I was excited to see the orchids again on our trip home.

After 22 hours of flying, we finally arrived in Manila, Philippines. The flights went smoother than we had anticipated. We were fortunate to switch seats after takeoff, which gave us an empty seat between us and provided extra room to stretch out during the long 11-hour flight.

This is a screenshot from the airplane showing where we were at on our trip. 
Looks like we still had 7 hours and 37 minutes remaining when I took the photo.

At Manila airport, we struggled with Grab, the top ride app in the Philippines, as fraud alerts kept blocking our Capital One credit card. Unable to use Grab, we eventually found an ATM to withdraw pesos for a taxi, eventually securing a ride to our hotel.  We would not suggest using Grab; it never worked well for us.

On October 22, we flew two hours south to Puerto Princesa via Cebu Pacific. 

That evening we enjoyed a beer on the hotel roof top and saw huge bats at dusk.

All the black specks in the photo are the Philippine Giant Fruit Bat.

The bats were huge.  These fruit-eating bats are among the largest bat species in the world, with wingspans reaching up to about 5.6 feet. 

On October 23, we took our first tuk-tuk ride! 

 

 

For about $5 USD, we rode to Bakers Hill, a well-known spot just outside Puerto Princesa City. Bakers Hill started as a bakery and became famous for its pastries, especially "hopia" — a traditional Filipino pastry filled with mung beans. 

The locals were buying baskets full of baked goods! 

 

The hopia was a pretty good treat when we heated them up at the breakfast buffet.  

 

Baker's Hill is also a beautifully landscaped park with colorful flowers and whimsical statutes and stunning scenic views of the Sulu Sea. 
 

This birdbath is full of flower petals laid in a designed pattern. 
They were all over the park and each was more stunning then the next.

We also checked out the public market near our hotel; the first of many public markets we would visit  on our trip.  

After a while, all the markets seem the same. 
They all have meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables, rice, spices, and lots of other things to buy. 

As we explored, a downpour began, a sign of Typhoon Kristine approaching Manila, about 360 miles north of us. 

Typhoon Kristine was a very large slow moving system that brought lots of rain. 
The storm killed 26 people in Manila.

That afternoon, we indulged in in-room massages, which were a steal at $28 USD for both of us and felt great after our long travels. Jet lag is no joke! 

On October 24, we moved to a beachfront hotel in Puerto Princesa, but the rain from Typhoon Kristine continued.  Unfortunately, the hotel’s bar and restaurant were closed, so we ended up ordering food through a delivery service. It took two hours for our large pizza to arrive, which turned out to be just 10 inches in size! 

Hotel had a nice oceanfront pool.

Our 10 inch pizza was a joke.

The beach was really wide and had a kind of eerie feeling to it.

We saw quite a few star fish while walking the beach.  

On October 25, we booked a tour to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a top Philippine attraction, but Typhoon Kristine’s rain led to its cancellation. We also planned to do the Honda Bay island-hopping tour, but that too was cancelled because of the rain.  We were bummed that our top two must sees were cancelled.

 

On October 26, we hoped to leave the rainy days behind and headed five hours north to El Nido. 

Opting for a private van for $95 USD for both of us for the five hour ride
turned out to be a great choice since we had the whole ride to ourselves.

Along the way, we saw rice drying on the side of the road.

And we saw lots of rice fields too.

El Nido itself was a pleasant surprise—different from what we’d expected but with a busy beachy vibe.  

The beach in El Nido was unusual. There were hardly any beachfront bars,
and no chairs or umbrellas because the high tide reached the buildings.
Strangely, no one was swimming in the water, making it feel like the beach wasn’t used at all.

We found a great spot, La Salangane, the first night where we enjoyed
delicious banana daiquiris—just $2.50 USD!

 

On October 27, we had breakfast at the Art Café, where we met two friendly Aussies, Tutor and Anna, who were on an incredible 4-year sailing adventure with their two young kids. 

Our new Aussie friends!

Then we were off on the famous Tour A, which took us to some of El Nido’s highlights. 

The Big Lagoon was breathtaking, with its clear turquoise waters surrounded by limestone cliffs, 

We overheard another tour guide talking about a cave you could kayak through so we were off to check it out. It was a really nice find!

Next, we headed out to snorkel. Since we didn’t have any gear, we simply swam in the water until we started feeling small stings on our arms and legs. We quickly climbed back onto the boat, and the snorkelers explained that the stings were from tiny jellyfish. Luckily, the stings only left tiny red bumps, which weren’t a big deal.

We had a nice lunch at a small beach. 

Corp enjoying lunch.

Our last stop of the day was the secluded 7 Commandos Beach where they had cheap drinks and Corp played some volleyball.

Bump, set, spike!

Corp enjoying a San Miguel beer on the beach.

Our Tour A day was a blast!

On October 29, we went on the famous Canopy Walk in El Nido, a 30-minute hike that led us through a nerve-wracking suspension bridge and metal walkways up to a beautiful viewpoint.

Once we reached the top, we were rewarded with breathtaking views of
El Nido’s harbor and town below—an incredible payoff for a short but exhilarating climb!

Afterward, we indulged in an hour-long massage for $9 USD per person.  Corp even got a back adjustment during the massage.  I loved the amazing facial and foot massage. The relaxation was perfect, but the rain and excessive humanity continued.    

 

On October 30, we met Jeff and Thalia, young backpackers from Brighton, UK. They had just arrived in the Philippines, but had spent several weeks exploring Thailand, so they shared some fantastic travel tips and insights with us. 

Their stories and advice got us even more excited about our upcoming trip to Thailand!

Jeff and Corp went for a late night swim.

On October 31, we escaped the rain and clouds with a quick AirSwift flight to Cebu City. Our new beachfront resort was the perfect spot for some rest and relaxation.  After 10 rain-soaked days in Puerto Princesa and El Nido, this sunny break by the water was exactly what we needed to recharge.   

It felt incredible to settle into a beach chair under an umbrella
with the sun shining and the waves just a few steps away.

 

On November 2, we took a two hour Oceanjet ferry ride to Bohol for $15 USD per person.  We arrived at the port during a downpour and took a tuk tuk to the hotel.  

That tuk tuk ride was tight!

The lobby at the Bohol Tropics Resort was full on Christmas.

Their Christmas decorations in October were stunning!

We thought it was cool that the shrubs were trimmed to form the Bohol Tropics name.

Our first night there, we tried Korean food for the first time at Hans kitchen.  It was so delicious we ate there twice!  

Corp went crazy ordering dishes.    

 

On November 3, we rented a scooter for $7 USD per day for three days.  

We put on a lot of miles during those three days.

First, we rode to the Manoy Waterfall about 30 minutes from the hotel.  

Manoy Waterfall was nice.

The dirt road to the parking lot was wet and slippery, but Corp navigated the scooter like a pro. Of course, it started raining on our way back to the hotel, and we rode for about an hour in warm rain. We ended up soaked like drowned rats.

 

On November 4, we took the scooter on a full day's ride.  First stop, Kawasan Waterfall, which was stunning.  

We walked around a corner and this was our view.  Stunning!

Corp standing in the waterfall. 
The roar was loud, and Corp was surprised at the undertow.  

I wasn't dressed to go in the water, but I might as well have
because I was soaked from all the spray in the air.

I think this might have been one of the most powerful waterfalls we have seen.

When leaving the waterfall, a friendly dog joined us on the walk back to the scooter.

Next stop, the Chocolate Hills, a famous Philippine landmark made up of 1,500 grass-covered limestone hills. They turn brown in the dry season, but were still green when we visited. The hills formed millions of years ago through coral uplift and erosion. The ride took forever, and we got lost, but we still got some great photos.

 

The third stop of the day was the Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area.  Are you asking what is a tarsier?  More about them later in the post.  Unfortunately, the sanctuary was a disappointment. They sold us tickets just five minutes before closing, and when we entered, the tour guide told us to leave and return the next day. Lesson learned: always check the time before buying tickets late in the day.

 

We were far from the hotel when it started raining again, so we bought raincoats and pants for $11 USD each—way overpriced for the Philippines. By the time we left the market, the rain had stopped, and we didn’t end up using them for the rest of the trip. We were really frustrated that the seller took advantage of the situation.

 

The scooter ride back to the hotel in the dark was nerve-wracking with a burnt-out headlight. We stayed on high alert, watching for dogs, people, cars, and anything else moving around us.

 

On November 5, we rode the scooter to Sikathuna to see the Mirror of the World.  It was a super neat place in the middle of nowhere with all sorts of destinations from all around the world. 

The park featured landmarks from around the globe, including the Eiffel Tower,
Golden Gate Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Colosseum, Dutch Windmill, Leaning Tower of Pisa,
Genghis Khan Statue, Big Ben, and the Taj Mahal.

Our next stop was the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary because it was closer than the tarsier sanctuary we visited the day before.  Tarsier's are small night active monkeys with very big eyes that live in the trees.  

We had a guide with us because they are very hard to find. 
It was funny that they always faced with their backs to us.

On the trail looking for them up in the trees.

Another tarsier with its back to us.

Corp referred to them as "tree rats".  Unfortunately, we could only see three of them but nonetheless, I still thought it was super cool since that island is one of the few places they exist in the world.  

We had a delicious supper at Alfresco Cafe.  We met the owners, Guido and Helen, and they were such a pleasure to chat with and their pizza was best we had on our whole 57 day trip.   

We wished them the best of luck on their restaurant owning adventure. 

At the Bohol Tropics Resort, we discovered they had a few stray kitties, so we bought some cat food and fed them a few nights.

We named this one Bohol....
real original since that was the name of the island we were staying on.

On November 6, we arrived at Alona Beach after returning the scooter with no issues.  

Corp riding the scooter back to the rental place.

Alona Beach was a beach town with a great vibe and really nice walking beach.

Lots of boats off shore.

Nice walking beach

One of only a few sunsets we saw on our whole trip.

I love these types of sand sculptures!

At Alona Beach we met Cerve (short for survivor), an orphaned puppy that our hotel adopted a few weeks earlier.  Every time we walked through the lobby we would look for him.  He would be sleeping in the craziest places.  

Meet Cerve

It felt so nice snuggling with a little puppy!

Our first day there we saw a surf board skipping dog on the beach.

And we enjoyed the little kids who would come up and sing to you on the beach for a few pesos.  Little did we know that there would be tons of kids singing for pesos every afternoon.  

On November 7, we met Jurgen from Germany and Sarah from Philippines. 

Jurgen and Sarah were a lot of fun to talk to.  We ran into them a few times in Alona.

This is the first place in the Phillipines that we swam in the ocean.   

The water was shallow and so warm!

Corp actually stepped on this starfish at the waters edge.  
It had a sharp points on the top. Definitely not your typical looking starfish.

Our hotel is in the background.

On November 9, we went snorkeling at Balicasag Marine Sanctuary.  We saw a large sea turtle on the seafloor and saw it come up for air, which was pretty cool. 

And we snorkeled in a reef area that had hundreds of thousands of fish swimming around us. So beautiful!  We have never seen so many fish before in one place...simply mesmerizing.

Our guide paddling us out to the turtle watching spot.

The long tail boat we took out to the sanctuary had the loudest motor we’ve ever heard. Most people had their ears plugged with their fingers. 

Corp couldn’t resist a photo opportunity to use a life jacket to protect his ears.   

That night, we went to a restaurant where they have a "Tell Us Where You’re From" map.  

It looked like we were the only ones from Minnesota on the map. 
There were lots of people from Europe and obviously lots of people from SE Asia on the map.
We were told that most of the visitors there at the time were South Korean.

That night we had a fun night on the town.  

We met Mathiason and Hendie, from the Netherlands
and then Smithy and Sherman from Australia later in the night.

Check out this crab video.

We took a midnight swim and shared rum and coke shots with some locals celebrating a birthday.

 

On November 11, we said goodbye to Alona Beach and took a 2 hour Oceanjet ferry back to Cebu City for $14 USD per person.  

We tried lechon, which is a Cebu City delicacy.  It's a spicy pork roast.  
It was good, but very spicy. 

Cebu City is a big city with lots of traffic so it was a lot to take in coming from Alona Beach. 

On November 12, we hired a driver and he drove us to the Temple of Leah, Sirao Flower Garden, Taoist Temple, and some tourist spots in Downtown Cebu City.  

 

The Temple of Leah is a grand Roman-inspired landmark built in 2012 as a tribute by a very wealthy business man to his late wife.  It features majestic columns, a bronze statue of Leah, and stunning hilltop views of Cebu City.  The temple houses antiques, artworks, and some personal memorabilia too. 

Exterior photos of the Temple of Leah. 
The fountains, statues, and glass conservatory were beautiful.

Interior photos of the Temple of Leah. 
There was a large personal collection of Buddhas, pottery, vases, books, etc.

Next stop was Sirao Floral Garden.  This vibrant flower farm outside Cebu City is famous for its colorful celosia blooms.  It had windmill replicas, heart-shaped frames, and something new every direction you looked. 

There were so many photo opportunities at the Sirao Floral Gardens.

The suspended hand sculpture and stunning mountain views were so cool! 

Since I have been know to fall up stairs, I found it unnerving
walking up and down these steps with no railing and inconsistent step height.

The yellow flower pictured is the celosia flower. 
There were so many beautiful flowers it was hard to take it all in.

Our third stop of the day was the Taoist Temple, which is a cultural and spiritual landmark built in 1972 by the Chinese community.  Located in "Beverly Hills", it features traditional Chinese architecture, Taoist rituals, and more stunning views of Cebu City.

The dragon on the hill was really neat!

  

Their "Beverly Hills" neighborhood reminded us of townhouse living in the US.

Our last stops for the day were in Downtown Cebu City; Magellan's Cross, the Oldest House in Cebu, and the Fort San Pedro. 

Magellan's Cross marks the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines in 1521.

Here we are in front of the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House,
which built in the 17th century and is one of the Philippines' oldest homes.
Now a museum, it showcases Filipino-Spanish architecture, antiques, and artifacts.

Here we are at the Heritage of Cebu Monument, which was quite an impressive monument that commemorates important events in Cebu's colonial past.

The last stop was Fort San Pedro, built in 1565 by the Spanish to defend against pirates. It's the oldest and smallest fort in the Philippines, with coral stone walls and Spanish colonial architecture. Now a museum, it displays Cebu's history. By this point, we were tired of sightseeing and didn’t take many pictures.

 

For San Pedro was in excellent condition for a structure built in 1565.
While it was impressive, it didn’t quite compare to the
grandeur of the nicest fort we’ve ever seen—El Morro in Puerto Rico.

On November 13, we went to the Ayala Shopping Center Cebu to get the mute button on Corp’s phone fixed for $35 USD.  

We discovered a small store in a big mall, where the technician quickly identified the issue,
ordered the part for next-day delivery, and called us to drop it off.
The process was smooth, though everything was done the old-fashioned way—
with a huge stack of paper orders at the counter.

We ate lunch at the Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurant.  

Who knew Kenny Rogers had a restaurant chain? 
Great chicken and ribs and honestly the best service we had in the Philippines.

On November 15, we flew back to Manila.  We saw this beautiful Christmas village when we checked into the hotel.  

There are shopping malls everywhere in the Philippines, but the Robinson's Mall in Manilla stood out as one of our favorites because it was so busy and had tons of Christmas decorations.  

The Christmas tree was so large we couldn't get the entire tree in the photo.

It was like being at a shopping mall at home in the 1980s.

 

On November 16, we were surprised to exit our room and see a housekeeping closet open with all the room keys sitting there in plain view.  There was a medical clinic below us with people coming and going at all hours with no elevator security.  Anyone from the street could go up the elevator, grab the keys, and enter our room that had all our belongings.  

Our room (Room 808, marked in red) was located right next to an open housekeeping closet.

The keys (marked in yellow) were left unsecured, making it easy for anyone

to take them and potentially access our room.

Corp went to the front desk and they didn't seem too concerned.  At least they came up and removed our room key from the ring.  We almost changed hotels, but decided to place our hotel door alarm in front of the inside of the door when we left to hopefully scare someone away if they tried to enter. 

We had lots of activities planned that day, so our first stop was the Salcedo Weekend Market.  It was a nice market in Makati.  Makati was a more Americanized neighborhood; one that we would stay in if we returned to the Philippines. 

I would love to know how they carved the pineapples!

Another memorable stop was Rizal Park,  At its center is the iconic Rizal Monument, a prominent tribute to José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines who was executed by Spanish colonial authorities in 1896. 

Rizal Park is a sprawling 143-acre park featuring the Japanese and Chinese Gardens,
spacious open lawns, fountains, and various monuments and statues.

The next stop was Intramuros, the historic walled city in Manila, that was established in 1571 as the Spanish colonial capital and was very heavily damaged during during World War II. It features landmarks like Fort Santiago, San Agustin Church, and Manila Cathedral, along with cobblestone streets and lots of restored colonial-era buildings.  

We came across a beautiful wedding at the San Agustin Church. 

And then we came across another wedding two blocks away at the Manilla Cathedral.

If your wondering, the pink eggs are pickled eggs and we did not try one.

Our last stop of the day was Chinatown, also known as Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594.

Chinatown's are one of my favorite places to visit when traveling.

On our last day in the Philippines we had to have an "American" day and enjoy a treat at Wendy's.  

They had a rocky road frosty that was very yummy!

Miscellaneous random cute/funny/interesting/weird pics/videos below…

This little pepper was the hottest pepper Corp every tasted.

Corp loved the filled donuts at Mister Donut.  They were very similar to the donuts at home. 

I guess the bus was too full so he had to hang off the back.  Nuts!

Just what everyone wants for Christmas....
Oreos and Spam...oh and a bottle of champagne too!

We tried dorayaki from a street vendor, a traditional Japanese treat
with two fluffy pancakes and sweet fillings.
This one had chocolate-filled Oreos, and the Nutella version
was super yummy too!  

Awesome Halloween costume!  Her eyes were so spooky.

We loved this ice cream eating dog.

Southeast Asia uses 220-volt electricity, but Corp's shaver is 110-volt.
He had to use the hotel's converter to plug it in and shave.

I loved seeing all the different Christmas trees already in October!

Just a normal day for a scooter delivering packages.

There were lots of dogs at the Manilla mall,
but they all had to wear a diaper.

Corp thought the graphics on this truck were pretty interesting.

 

We had some entertainment while having
breakfast one morning...not OSHA approved.

 

Jollibee was like the McDonald's of the U.S. for us.
It became our go-to fast food spot because the food was pretty good
and there were locations everywhere.

 

Well, that's all for Chapter 33!  You might be wondering why it's titled The Land of Ma'am-Sir.  It's because every time you met a Filipino they greeted us with hello ma'am-sir or thank you ma'am sir, etc.

 

Our final impression of the Philippines is that we're glad we visited, but we’re not in a rush to return. We did miss out on two islands—Siargao and Boracay—which will definitely be on our list for next time. The people were amazingly friendly, and the language barrier wasn’t a problem. Everything was very affordable, and swimming in the ocean was an unforgettable experience. The biggest downside is how far it is from home!

 

Stay tuned for Chapter 34 - the next part of our trip in Thailand!   
 
Until next time, safe travels and happy exploring!

Corp and Tammy

 

Financials to note:

 

Our round-trip flights from home to SE Asia and back cost $3,305, not including the flights between destinations within SE Asia, our total hotel cost was $1,582.93 for 28 nights - $56.53 per night, and on average we spent $150 per day including hotel costs.