The Philippines
In this episode of the Travel Bug I’m on an island hopping adventure around the tropical south-east Asian country of The Philippines. Here I’m looking to discover what makes this colourful piece of the world so unique. While the people are devoutly religious and the Spanish influence is apparent in everything from the food and architecture to the music, there’s also a rich culture and an interesting history to be explored.
The capital is a busy and noisy melting pot of culture. Of the 92 million people that live in the Philippines, 19 million of them can be found here, most of which live off a tiny three US dollars a day. And while they might be poor, the old saying that it’s those with the least that give the most, rings true here.
There’s one thing that you’ll quickly notice, the crazy looking busses called Jeepny’s. They are the main form of public transport here and are cheap to catch, but generally it’s a tight squeeze inside. I hopped in one to make my way towards Intramuros, which is the oldest district of Manila. This part of the city was built by the Spanish in the 16th century, and it’s full of interesting history, so it’s good to get a guide to show you around.
After having my city fix I was pretty keen to get away from the noise and smog of Manila. There’s only so much of that sort of chaos that I can handle! So I headed to Mabini, in the Batangas province, about two hours south of the big smoke. It’s an area known for great diving.
Making my way back to Manila I battled through the busy airport terminal and boarded the first of my internal flights, a 45 minute voyage to the beautiful and historically significant province of Cebu. This area is known as the birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines and it’s also where the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed.
From Cebu, I flew to the city of Puerto Princesa, on the gorgeous island of Palawan. It’s the largest province of The Philippines and is made up of countless islands, though the major attractions to this place are the incredible biodiversity and beautiful landscapes that are found here.
I was here to check out the world heritage listed Subterranean National Park, site of an 8km river that flows beneath the limestone mountains. The 50km journey there traverses spectacular, forested slopes and jagged hills, surrounded by farmland that’s dominated by rice paddies.
A noisy two hour jeepny ride later and I arrived in the town of Sabang. It’s on a gorgeous coastline where the South China Sea laps onto a sandy beach. Then a bumpy 20 minute trip aboard a local ocean going vessel called a bunca, took me to a deep, turquoise pool of water sitting at the jagged cave entrance to the underground river. The opening looks like the jaws of the mountain, swallowing tourists as they paddle into the darkness. It’s not the type of activity for anyone that’s claustrophobic, but the cave does eventually open up to a series of larger, bat filled, chambers.
Leaving Puerto Princesa I flew via Manila, to the bustling Davao City, on the island of Mindanao. This part of the country boasts some of the best beaches and mountain resorts around, and it’s also full of great street markets that are a lot of fun to explore. I visited a couple of the local haunts to see how the people here live. I also tried a local delicacy called durian. It smells like hell but tastes like heaven! I also checked out the local wet markets where the people buy their meat.
Leaving Davao my journey took me to the city of Legazpi, on the island of Luzon. From the airport I headed cross country, through the rice paddies to the coast, where I caught a ferry to check out one of the beautiful islands this part of the Philippines is known for. After a two hour ferry trip it was a couple of short bunca rides through amazing coastal scenery, to a hidden cave. It’s a huge expanse and has the delightful smell that only a colony of bats can create.
From the relaxed coastal scenery I headed inland to Camsur Watersport Complex. It’s about 10 minutes from Naga Airport and an hour and a half from Legazpi. It’s not what you’d expect to find in what I’d consider to be the middle of nowhere. But wake boarders flock here from around the world.
I left Legazpi with a few bumps and bruises, flying south to Tagbilaran City, on the island of Bohol. This place is known as the city of friendship, and apparently there’s a local law that requires all the trikes to have a religious slogan on the back of them.
From the city I boarded a bus for the 90 minute trip to visit the areas top tourist attraction, a series of odd looking mounds called The Chocolate Hills. They are an amazing spectacle, known the world over.
From the Chocolate Hills I made my way to another special place, where I saw the worlds second smallest primate, a tiny little critter called a tarsier. They are an endangered animal, that has suffered because of the destruction of their habitat, but at the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, in Tagbilaran City, you can observe them in their natural environment.
In this episode I’m off to the island nation of Papua New Guinea. It’s only a stones throw away from the northern tip of Australia and a place where you can have a real adventure. I’ve planned to see everything, from erupting volcanoes and tiny villages, to World War two relics, skull caves and spectacular scenery.
My trip starts with a quick stop in the capital, Port Moresby, before heading north to Rabaul. From there, I’m off to Hoskins to go diving, then I’m making my way to Milne Bay to explore some remote islands. Finally, it’s back to Port Moresby to visit the iconic Kokoda Track.
As soon as you step off the plane the first things you’ll notice are the heat, humidity and friendly faces. The air is thick with moisture and the sun can be intense, but when you’re excited about arriving somewhere new it’s easy to forget about any discomfort.
I started my New Guinea exploration in the town of Rabaul, where I’d heard there was a huge volcano that dominates life in the area.
From the moment you’re on the ground you’re confronted by the constant rumbling of Mt Tavavur. It’s a highly active volcano that makes its presence felt for hundreds of kilometers around. Another confronting presence you’ll find in Rabaul, is that of the many world war two relics left strewn about the area.
Most of the remnants from the war are slowly rusting in the rain. But there are a few places where you can find wrecks that are relatively intact, like at a Japanese barge tunnel I visited.
Leaving the barge tunnel I met up with Sarah from Paivu Tours. She’s a proud local with a wealth of knowledge about the area, so it was into a banana boat and off to the Duke of York Islands to explore what life is like in a remote village.
At the village I met the chief who introduced me to a local delicacy – Betel Nut! It tastes terrible but everyone in Papua chews it. After recovering from the betel nut the chief proudly showed me around his village. It’s a really simple existence here, where most of life’s needs are supplied by Mother Nature.
The next day I went to see Mt Tavavur. It’s a menacing force that over the decades has shaped life in the area. The landscape is really desolate, like it has been flattened by an atomic bomb, but believe it or not, there’s still life in the area. Beneath the hot ash is a local snack, and I met one of the friendly villager’s as he was busy unearthing this unlikely food source.
Just across from the volcano is the village where Sarah came from. It has been devastated over the years by heavy ash fall, but having nowhere to go and relying upon the ocean and its surrounds for food, the people have remained. But despite all the hardship the villagers are incredibly friendly and they openly welcome visitors.
Leaving Rabaul I headed southwest to the town of Hoskins where I then made my way to Wallindi Dive Resort for what proved to be a highlight of my Papua New Guinea adventure.
Here I dived on two amazing sites. The visibility was amazing and the water was incredibly warm. The second dive site was the wrek of a Japanese fighter plane called a zero. The aircraft is almost perfectly intact and forms a ghostly figure sitting on the seabed.
An early rise the following day saw me leaving Hoskins for a short flight, about 45 minutes, to the town of Alotau in the picturesque Milne Bay. It’s on the eastern tip of mainland Papua New Guinea and upon arrival I was greeted with a sing-sing, which is the traditional welcoming ceremony in the area.
The easiest way to get to know the region is to contact Milne Bay Magic Tours. These guys are the local experts and my guide, Coolie, was a wealth of information and he gave me an insider’s tour of the beautiful Milne Bay. This gorgeous and remote part of New Guinea is a maritime province with spectacular reefs, islands and cultures, and most of the people here are seafarers who depend largely on the ocean for their livelihood.
Here I visited a tiny village, and learnt how life here remains much like it was hundreds of years ago. Leaving the village behind it was a short trip across pristine water to our next stop….a tiny little island called Kwato. What makes the island so significant, is that it’s the site of the oldest church in Papua New Guinea, founded in 1891.
Next stop on my tour of Milne Bay was Doini Island, where I went to see a skull cave. At first, seeing the skulls was a bit creepy. But once Cooli explained that the idea behind putting the skulls there was so that the dead could watch over their descendants, it all seemed a bit nicer than just being left six foot underground.
From the islands of Milne Bay I made my way to the final, but most moving stop of my New Guinea adventure, the iconic Kokoda Trail. The 90 minute drive to the southern end of the Kokoda Trail takes you from the pollution of Port Moresby and into the spectacular Owen Stanley Range. It’s hard to comprehend that a major battle of World War 2 was fought here. The beautiful mountains, pristine rainforest and clear streams hide the ugly reality of one of the bloodiest campaigns of the war, a campaign that etched itself into the history books, and hearts, of Australians.
