5 months in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines: part two

From El Nido I then flew back to Puerto Princesa to avoid the dangerous boat trip and the long coach transfer, and I also saved money because the flight cost less than the ferry and bus. In Puerto Princesa I went to visit a wild coast with mangroves growing in the water, and I discovered new interesting areas of the city. I then reached CEBU CITY by plane, on the island of the same name. I visited in one evening and the following day the second city of the Philippines, which is not very beautiful but all the same has some interesting things such as Fort San Pedro, a medieval Spanish fortress, the beautiful cathedral where the festivities and celebrations of the Santo Nino were taking place, which I would later encounter in other parts of the country too.

There's also a chapel with Magellan's cross; he arrived in 1519 and was killed by a native who is today considered a hero, to whom the Filipinos have dedicated a large statue in Rizal park in Manila. But the thing that impressed me most was the big market in the historic centre of the city, which includes a vast, very chaotic area with stalls and heavy traffic of the brightly coloured jeepneys typical of the country, and lots of people trying to earn a living in a very poor country where many live in hardship and sleep on the pavements, having no roof over their heads. I then reached BORACAY by plane, the island in the north-west that is the number one tourist resort of the Philippines. Very beautiful, with a very long beach and white sand, transparent water and many palms, hotels for every pocket since it is divided into three stations or sectors.

I spent 10 days in this enchanting resort, meeting lots of people, above all Oleg, a Russian from Moscow, and Jean Paul, a Frenchman from Besancon, with whom I spent the days on the beach and the evenings at the buffet restaurants where we gorged on fish and seafood such as gigantic oysters, paying only 5 euros each. I spent a wonderful New Year in Boracay with fireworks for two hours from 4 launch points on boats a few hundred metres off the shoreline, and with Oleg I went around the island by motorcycle taxi, discovering other beautiful beaches and going up to the top of the hill from where you enjoy a view of the island. Then I reached KALIBO after a few hours by bus, where I had my flight to Manila.

I saw the interesting historic centre with a beautiful church, and I would have liked to stay for the procession of the Santo Nino that was to take place the following weekend and that draws thousands of tourists since it is a kind of carnival with beautiful costumes, but unfortunately I had already booked my flight and couldn't change it. From Manila I reached DUMAGUETE by plane the same day, on the island of NEGROS in the south-west. The city reminded me of Havana in Cuba, with a similar Malecon (the seafront promenade), ancient churches and then a beautiful beach a few kilometres away, EL DORADO, where I spent a wonderful day in a luxury resort that hosted me for just a few euros.

I then reached the neighbouring island of BOHOL on board a ferry and lodged in the capital TAGBILARAN, where I stayed a couple of days to do the beautiful excursions to the CHOCOLATE HILLS, green muffins in a large and spectacular valley, the TARSIER reserve, that is, the smallest monkeys with big eyes, and LOBOC RIVER, a green and very beautiful river that you travel along on floating restaurants while you eat and listen to the little band on the boat and to other singing groups you meet along the way. I visited the beautiful ancient church of BACLAYON, the oldest in the country, with a fine cloister and a rich collection of religious objects. The following day I returned to reach NUT HUTS, a nice eco-resort near the river with a lovely restaurant with a panoramic view and bungalows in the lower part.

I crossed the river in a small boat and then met again the singing group from the day before, which dedicated a song to me and got me dancing. I then walked along the river, coming across poor houses, beautiful rice fields, until I reached the village from which I returned to Tagbilaran via Loboc. I then arrived at ALONA BEACH after a couple of hours by bus from Tagbilaran. Here I stayed a full 9 days. The beach is very beautiful and long, with white sand and medium-range resorts and hotels but also very luxurious ones. I lodged in a nice hotel, taking advantage of their exceptional services (restaurant, bar and pool) but sleeping in a cheap annexe at only 10 euros per night.

At Alona Beach I made good friends: Steven a Belgian, Bastian a Colombian, both in their twenties and living in Shanghai, and then Laurient, a Frenchman from Marseille struggling with a moody Filipina he had met on the internet. And then two beautiful, likeable girls: Michelle, a Chinese-Brazilian from São Paulo in Brazil who now lives in Shanghai, and Isabel, a sexy blonde from Bolzano. I bonded quite a lot with these lovely people, who kept me company during my long stay in this relaxing and pleasant place. I also did a nice boat excursion to the nearby island of Balicasag, near which we went snorkelling to admire turtles, groupers, colourful fish and plenty of coral. Back in Manila by plane, I reached the north of the island of LUZON to spend a week in the beautiful resorts of BANAUE and BATAD.

But first I stayed overnight in the big city of BAGUIO, which is much loved by Filipinos because it has a cool climate. Banaue and Batad are famous for their terraced rice fields, 2,000 years old, which you reach by doing very beautiful treks that let you admire breathtaking landscapes. I was lucky enough to meet, in the restaurant of my hotel, Ephraim, a thirty-year-old local guide who offered to take me around the two resorts, and so I was able to fully enjoy the beauty of the places, making the most of his knowledge of the area. Finally I spent a week in the capital MANILA, which I didn't dislike even though the city is rather chaotic and very busy. I lodged in a good hotel in the Malate area, the most commercial and touristy, convenient for its central position.

I visited Intramuros, the great walled colonial city from the age of Spanish colonialism, with its beautiful churches, and then various rather neglected museums and the large Rizal park, dedicated to the Philippine hero, similar to our Mazzini, except that he ended up being shot by the Spanish even though he was not guilty of the charges brought against him. Having left the Philippines, I reached Malaysian Borneo by plane, first SABAH, with the beautiful capital of KOTA KINABALU and its beautiful islands of the marine national park half an hour away by speedboat, where I spent two lovely days on the beautiful white-sand beaches and clear waters, eating in the buffet restaurants frequented by many Chinese who had come for Chinese New Year.

KK, as the locals call it, is a pleasant, rather modern city with large parks and impressive condominium blocks and a Chinese part in the historic centre. Outside KK I visited the Kinabalu mountain park, over 4,000 mt high, which is much sought after and popular for its spectacular climb, which however ends up costing, with the compulsory guide and the night in a refuge, about 250 euros, which seemed too much to me, so I limited myself to an interesting trek at the base of the mountain before hitch-hiking to RANAU, a small town near which I visited the Poring thermal spa with pools and thermal waters.