010 - Visaya Islands, Philippines - Sail Away

We just got back from an amazing cruise through the Visaya Islands of the Philippines. It was a small boat with 40 passengers and 20 crew. There are 7107 islands in the Philippines. We visited 11 of them: Apo, Siquijor, Balicasag, Pamilacan, Bantigue, Camiguin, Hagakhak, Leyte, and three of the Cuatro Islas.

The basic itinerary for each day was as follows:

Breakfast

Dinghy to idyllic island for coral reef snorkeling

Back to boat for lunch

Afternoon nap +/- massage on boat whilst sailing

Dinghy to another idyllic island for snorkeling/walking tour/jeepney tour

Back to boat for 2for1 Happy Hour (or 4for2 or 6for3...)

Dinner

Repeat

Since it may get a little boring for you if I ramble on about one idyllic island after another, I'll give you the Coles Notes version with the highlights...

Day 1 - Embarkation, Cebu

We arrived to discover that the "Hans Christian Andersen" is a very well known boat...in Denmark. Shocking. As a result, 35 of the 40 passengers were in fact Danish. Fortunately, they were also quite friendly, most of them spoke English, and ALL of them spoke baby, so we got along fine.

Day 2 - Apo Island and Siquijor Island

Being the first day at sea, we had to start out with the Emergency Mustering Drill, which involved standing on deck in the 40 degree heat with oversize life jackets on for half an hour. Ciel was a big fan.

In the afternoon we walked though the aptly named Lazi town.

People were pretty chilled out cruising around with their families of five on their dirt bikes and entire extended families loaded onto their vans.


Ciel bonded with some of the locals.

Day 3 - Balicasag Island & Pamilacan Island

There was a little mid-morning excitement at our first snorkeling site when half a second after surfacing from a dive, I found myself getting smashed into/run over by the boat that was "keeping an eye" on us. I quickly submerged to fading screams from above. Not to worry, as I glanced up I could see my flipper tips were a good three feet from the spinning propeller blade...plenty of clearance.

Ciel was obviously concerned.

The morning snorkel wore Ciel and her buddy (Johaan) right out.

Pamilacan Island

 In the evening we had a full-on Filipino (/Pituley)-style pig roast on the beach.

The food on the cruise was full of highs and lows. The pig roast, daily bacon & egg breakfasts, and unending stream of tropical fruits were definitely highs.

I would have to say the low point was when they served the ever-greying cauliflower/broccoli/green bean/carrot combination for the fourth day in a row. You may remember it from such dishes as: steamed veggies, veggies with cheese sauce, chicken and veggie chop suey, etc....

Day 4 - Mantigue Island and Camiguin Island

Our afternoon tour saw us cruising along, in typical Filipino fashion, atop Jeepneys, colourfully-decorated relics from the Japanese occupation.

Until the local authorities spotted us and made us climb down.  Apparently, there ARE some rules in the Philippines.

Ciel had a quick swim at the base of Katibawasan Falls before we moved on to town. 

 Day 5 - Hagakhak Island

We awoke to find ourselves in the midst of a smattering of beautiful volcanic islands.

 As we arrived on shore to spend the day on a gorgeous beach things were looking good.

 Until, upon venturing out on our first snorkel, we discovered that at least five different types of jellyfish also opted to visit the beach that morning. En masse.

I don't think their stings will leave any permanent damage.  Luckily, they had cleared out with the current after an hour, so Ciel managed to squeeze in a late afternoon (skinny) dip to cool off.

  

Day 6 - Southern Leyte (Sogod Bay, Padre Burgos & Maasin City)

Our morning snorkeling site was packed with sharks. Our entire group saw at least 5 - 10 sharks each. Except of course me and Brittster, we saw diddly squat.

We were redeemed when we sailed through prime dolphin territory during lunch.

 Maasin City

Day 7 - Cuatro Islands

We visited three of these four tiny islands.

 

Despite scoring the best seat in the house, Ciel still managed to resist her morning nap. 

In the afternoon we walked though a small beach village famous for their weaved crafts... and for making babies.

Ciel was like a child magnet. As we meandered through the sandy pathways between huts, her following steadily grew and tailed after her like a clump of iron filings.

Day 8 - Disembarkation, Cebu

We've made back to our new hotel, "Waterfront Airport Hotel". Apparently "Waterfront" is a trade name and the hotel isn't actually on the water. However, the "Airport" moniker is quite representative, we're about 50 meters from the departure terminal...

Time to shake the sand out of our shorts, send a few emails and (most importantly) try to find somewhere to get our laundry done while we prep for our next stop... Phuket, Thailand.