[Paddlewise] Phillipines part 6 [final]

Phillipines part 6  final

El Nido, nice little place, a shower!   far out !!!  Replenish drinking
water [had 40 gallons on board] and wash water [ 200 gallons] diesel [200
gallons]...
2 days touring around some great islands, again loads of limestone
formation, grottoes
        At  Matinloc island, I saw a giant cuttle fish while out
snorkelling, it was about 2 meters long and I am sure I would not of been
able to put my arms around it ,It was talking at me from about 3 meters,
changing colours so fast and from weird to bizarre in shades.
        At  Miniloc island  I paddled into the island through this narrow
channel about 10 meters wide and very shallow [ no motors] it opens into a
lagoon about 30 meters wide and maybe 100 meters high on the cliff
sides...Saw even more colours which until then were unknown to me...At this
lagoon I saw a dozen giant turtles doing it all , beaching , floating,
swimming and doing the noon siesta...
        Back at El Nido for the night, [ my 2nd in a row in a real bed] we
leisured in the morning, getting ready for the second week of adventure on
board the MG banca...We got to meet El President, M. Ramos himself, was
wished a great trip [ he was in this puny yacht we were looking down at him
and talking to him...Much better than yesterday afternoon, when we went
onto this great little beach and BBQ'ued a 10 kg Lapu Lapu [ Snapper
family]  It was scrump-delicious BBQued on cashew coals and wrapped in
banana leaves...For desert we had the snipper /frogmen team come in and set
up post and tell us to get lost [ boy what scopes on them there mile long
rifles they got...what big air tanks they got...So we went down 1 more
small bay [ there are zillions of these small beaches] and I got out
paddling for the afternoon, heading back towards the army boys to see what
would happen when they seen me, but did not get that far before I decided
to play the grottoes along the way instead...maybe my Vietnam  military
detention was enough afterall...

We spent 1 day in Malampaya sound, another zillion very small islands with
names like crocodile passage, crocodile bay, crocodile island, pirate cove
and island...Still feeling secure...Although I did not venture into the
dark depths of the sound where I am told there are crocs, I did not see any
nor did I see any Pirates...
Sleeping on the beach at Inulutoc bay, we were in a good position to head
out for Port Barton the next day, about 50 knots down shore, and at the end
of the charts...There is a dude with a couple klepper there from Banff
Canada[ 250 kms from my house]. So we went to visit for the night.  By now
we are 8 tourists on board, some get a hut, some on the boat...The next we
we race for St -Paul's bay and underground river at Sabang our final
destination before returning, 14 tourists on board for the 4 hour ride to
the caves.
        here after great talking on my part, I get to paddle the klepper
INTO St-Paul's cave, a short surf into the outgoing river and 4 kms into
this ever so dark cavern...It is huge, both wide and tall.  The cathedral
has a 75 meter high ceiling.  I took a guide who usually paddle.  he sat in
the front seat with the huge battery and spotlight for a totally different
tour he said...The caves go for 10 kms, they even dais if I go after 5 pm I
could get in alone and go, go go...But don't tell them...

Spent the night at Sabang, returned to Port Barton for 2 days of paddle
amongst more sandspits, islands, deserted beaches...My friend Darrell went
fishing and caught a 10 kgs tuna and a 15 kgs Pandawan [ don't know
anything about this one except it was delicious for 3 days].

        We made it all the way to Luminoncong the day we left Port Barton,
another day gets us to snorkel and get in a bit of spelunking and we reach
El nido for our last night on Palawan.  Along there somewher we were
grreted with the sight of adozen dolphind jumping in perfect formation with
about 1 meter from the outrigger while we were just there...what a
treat...Next came the floating giant turtles which we actually had to spot
and veer from as there was a couple dozen, just there floating and sunning
[yes they were alive]

On January 17, we made out way all the way back to Coron city, 14 hours
away, calm waters hot and sunny, only 3 tourists on board, me and my 2
friends from Edmonton, so I spent the trip dismantling my klepper and
washing it out thoroughly as it had been in the water for 6 weeks by now
and quite pickled looking...

January 18 we flew to Manilla, Man was that ever a great caffee latte was
it not...
January 19 My 2 friends flew to Bali Indonesia, I flew to Ho Chi Minh city
for the start of more adventures, taking with me some incredible memories,
never to be forgotten.  just top make sure i don't forget, I have taken
about 800 photos, and am leaving the country with one nasty "staph / strep"
infection which will leave me with not 1 but 3 wacky scars around my right
knee [ read more about this in the Vietnam portion of this year's wacky
adventures...


It was so much fun, I made such good friends with the crew, One of the
lads, Ranny is just part time with this boat, has been on the water since
birth, now 31 you, that he is now looking for a 30 meter banca for me to
buy and for us to renovate my way and take out tourists, go beaching,
snorkelling, eat copious amounts of great food, get fat NOT with all the
possible paddling to be done...
        I can easily see myself there for a couple months per year, nive
jobs touring around island hoping and paddling...after al there are over 7
000 isalnds in the Phillipines, 1700 in Palawan province alone...Hey
sarawak is just next door, so is the boogey man on Sulawesi...Better get a
crew with passports..

See you out in Palawan sometime, you'd love it

enjoy

PS.: I am sure I am forgetting loads, like the hundreds of jumping tunas,
the gzillion jumping fish, the few that tried to jump inot the klepper, the
stunning starfish that were vereywhere, and oh yes the butterflies and the
flowers....but imagination and a box of "fruit loops" will fill in the rest
I am sure

I would like to give thanks to  Caveman for it was him who talked to me
about this trip and amde just so nice for me to go there.
[http://seacanoe.com]
Thanks also to Brian and Jeremy 2 great dudes, guides for Sea Canoe
International at Coron Phillipines  who hosted me very nicely, and helped
me out very much, great pointers and advice and a general great time...

Thanks again !!

Yours naturally

sylvio  lamarche
Wycliffe organic gardens
& Exotic locales all over the globe



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