27 October - Boracay – Roxas, Mindoro Island
- By ferry
I was getting the hang of things around
Boracay, but it was time to move on and I cycled the short
distance to the ferry port where I got a Bangka boat back to
Caticlan. Once in Caticlan, I looked out for a ferry heading
north. The tourist information in Boracay told me that there was
a ferry to the port of Batangas City every two hours. This was,
however, not the case, and there was only one ferry leaving for
the small port of Roxas on Mindoro Island. There’s not much I
could do but get on-board.
The trip took about five hours and I had
plenty of time to haul out the old iPod and listen to some very
old music. Once again, I must admit that I really enjoy
listening to these old albums. I went through them all: The
Who, Rolling Stones, Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The
Doors……fantastic stuff.
At around five o’clock we sailed into the sad
looking port of Roxas. There was a tourist office but it was
closed (it was Sunday). If I wanted to cycle to the northern
part of the island, I needed a map of Mindoro. I understood from
the locals that the following day was to be Election Day and
that the tourist office would therefore be closed. It was too
late to take to the road, so I found myself a room for the
night.
28 October- Roxas – Calapan - 128km
I headed north in the direction of Calapan.
From Calapan ferries sail to the main land at Batangas City. No
one could really tell me exactly how far it was, but as soon as
I left the city limits the road signs indicated that it was
around 126 kilometres (so I did not need the map after all). It
was Election Day and a public holiday in the Philippines; even
the rice mills were closed. It was amazingly peaceful on the
road.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that there
are still indigenous tribes living on Mindoro Island.
Collectively known as Mangyans they comprise of twelve tribes,
each with its own language, culture, and way of life. For
centuries, they lived peacefully along the coastal areas of
Oriental Mindoro, where they fished for a living. That was until
migrants from nearby islands settled on the island. To avoid
disputes, the mild-mannered and peace-loving people gave up
their land, moved to the mountains, and came down only for food
and other necessities. Sadly, they have been treated as
second-class citizens, similar to other indigenous people of the
world – often exploited, neglected, and discriminated against by
lowlanders. They have experienced being misjudged as uneducated
and uncivilized people.
It also turned out not to be as mountainous
as I first believed, and with that in my favour I continued on
to Calapan. It was a long day but I made it to Calapan in good
time.
29/30 October - Calapan – Sabang Beach,
Puerto Galera - 54km
As I’ve said before, each island seems to
come with its own vibe. Mindoro seemed more tribal/traditional
than the other islands. I passed farmers riding their water
buffalo, and villagers working the fields in ways that are more
traditional than elsewhere in the Philippines.
I learned that Puerto Galera is the place to
go, and that the area’s extensive and diverse coral reefs have
been declared a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve. It sounded
good and I set off in the direction of Sabang Beach. It was more
mountainous as I headed for Puerto Galera, but, as always, it
came with stunning views. There is nothing like huffing and
puffing up a hill, then rounding a corner to see the most
beautiful waterfall cascading down the mountain.
After more hills I finally arrived in Puerto
Galera from where it was another six hilly kilometres to Sabang
Beach. I was totally blown away by what I saw: A tiny beach
settlement geared for diving with as much as thirty dive shops,
numerous restaurants, and places to stay. It was a beautiful
setting, with turquoise water, cliffs, beaches, coves, etc.,
etc…….
Once again I found myself a room on the water
(I could have gotten away much cheaper if I took a back room)
and I just drank it all in. To think I nearly gave the island a
miss altogether!
The following morning I went for a dive and,
as promised, it was stunning. I dived with Capt ’n Gregg’s and
we went out by boat at around 09h00 to Sabang Point. The dive
lasted sixty-five minutes and the average depth was around
twenty meters. It was a pleasant dive on the local reef, with
plenty of coral and fish. The water was a rather comfortable
28°c and I was very comfortable in a three millimeter wetsuit.
I can’t believe something stung me on my lip
again!!! Years ago, the same thing happened and up until this
day, I have a small scar across my lip. The most amazing thing
is that every week or so it forms a small, loose skin that I can
pull off…. thank the Lord it’s not a hair or something worse!!!!
LOL
Besides the diving, Sabang Beach also seems
to be the place where mostly (older) western men hangout. The
trend seems to be for them to settle here for an extended
period, may it be a few weeks or a few months. They all seem to
have Filipino girlfriends for the time they’re here, and I
cringe as I watch how the girls cater to their every need!!!
31 October - Sabang Beach
I stayed one more day as I realized that the
time has come for me to renew my visa again. On closer
inspection, I realized that my current visa expired on the 2nd
and I therefore had to do something quickly. The local tour
operator also acted as a visa consultant and I handed my
passport over and left it to them to organize. The problem was
that I could only pick it up on the following Tuesday. That’s
five days of waiting, but I did not mind as there was plenty of
diving to be done while waiting.
I again dived with Capt ’n Gregg’s at around
09h00. It was a rather short boat ride to Sabang Wrecks where we
did a drift dive for around fifty-five minutes. Again, the depth
was around twenty meters and it was an interesting dive with
plenty of fish. I took hundreds of photos but have now realized
that one needs to be very close in order to get any kind of
shot.
1 November - Sabang Beach
I thought I was spending too much money so
went snorkeling instead. The colours were amazing in the shallow
waters. The problem with scuba diving is that one loses the
colours so quickly. Red is the first to go at around fifteen
feet, followed by orange at twenty-five feet, yellow at
thirty-five to forty-five feet, and green at around seventy to
seventy-five feet. (The colours disappear underwater in the
same order as they appear in the colour spectrum.) Strobes are
normally used to add colour back to subjects. Objects can also
appear up to 25% closer underwater than they actually are, and
up to 33% larger.
2 November - Sabang Beach
Today’s dive was a bit of a pain as my BC
kept self-inflating and the dump valve did not want to expel the
air. Bummer….. It did however half-worked when I turned on my
back. Any kind of equipment malfunctions always makes for a
stressful dive. Besides the equipment, it was a lovely dive with
plenty of colourful fish and coral.
3 November - Sabang Beach
I, as has now become the norm, went out for
an early morning dive to Dungon Wall, a pleasant dive with loads
of fish and interesting corals. In the afternoon I did a rather
unusual thing: I went to watch a cockfight!
Cockfighting is, after basketball, the most
popular hobby/sport in the Philippines. I was a bit hesitant to
enter the arena, but found a well-organized setup with a proper
“ring”, surrounded by ascending rows of concrete benches. I sat
down and after a while two men entered the ring, each clasping a
cock under their arms. They placed the cocks in the middle of
the ring, and with neck feathers erect they suddenly hurled
themselves at each other. There was a flurry of feathers and
razor blades, blood squirted from open wounds, spectators
cheered, money changed hands, and all I wanted to do was get the
hell out of there. LOL, I’m such a wimp!!
4 November - Sabang Beach
I went completely overboard and did two
dives. Firstly, we dived out to the wreck of the Alma Jane. She
was scuttled in 2003 and now rests upright at a depth of thirty
meters. Currents on the wreck can sometimes be strong (and the
visibility not always so good). Local skippers therefore
maintain a buoy line which is tied to the wreck, making it easy
for divers to descend along the line without floating away into
the blue yonder, never to be seen again. On the second dive we
went to the Dungon Wall.
Both were wonderful dives. During the first
dive I teamed up with our dive master, Mads, who has the best
buoyancy control I have ever seen in any person.
5 November- Sabang Beach
I finally collected my passport from the
travel agent and was now ready to move on. It was, however,
quite late so I decided to stay for the night and get the ferry
to Batangas City in the morning.
