Cycle touring in the Philippines

Day 21: Manila – Home

highlux — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:42:01 +0000

Mid-morning, corner of Ponte and Pasong Tirad Streets, Makati, Manila. The two nights we spent in Manila at the beginning and end of our trip were just a short way down the street from here.

Pasong Tirad Street, Manila.

Tricycle driver, Makati, Manila.

Rooster and bicyles. Ponte St, Makati, Manila.

Kids, Makati, Manila.

Boy washing. Everything happens on the street here. Makati, Manila.

Woman and chicken. Makati, Manila.

Sucks to be a duck in Manila.

Jeepney.

Fish market, Makati, Manila.

I'm not sure if this was guy baulking at me, or the quality of the fish...

Homeward bound.

The final leg.

Return to the Land of Mountains.

Day 20: El Nido – Manila

highlux — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:51:18 +0000

Cadlao Island, from El Nido bay, dawn. Our final morning at El Nido - today we fly back to the madness of Manila.

El Nido Bay, dawn.

El Nido.

Palms. Definitely one of the icons of the trip.

So we rode a few short kms to the airport, convinced the ground crew that we could pack our bikes up small, and were soon on our way to Manila.

Jeepney ride in Manila. That's Frances, whose house we stayed at, on the right.

Being the dumb cat-loving tourists that we are we both got scratched by a cat in El Nido. Seemed like a good idea to get our rabies boosters as soon as - just in case. So we paid a visit to the Makati Medical Centre (read, busy hospital in central Manila), it actually wasn't too bad and we got our shots soon enough.

Hanging out with Megan and Mike in Manila (we were trying to find somewhere to watch a Tour de France stage) but gave up and drank beer instead.

Day 19: El Nido (boat trip 2)

highlux — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:30:31 +0000

On our last day at El Nido we went for a second boat trip, to some further-flung islands in the bay.

Rock on the flanks of Matinloc Island.

Somewhere on Matinloc.

Another swimming/snorkelling spot.

More rock than you can shake a Hilti at...

Intestines from a pig (i think), not sure, but I ate them anyhow. Yum.

Bakery treats - don't be fooled by colourings and different shapes - they all taste identical! Although the small 'breasty-like' ones with a single red spot do have nice coconut stuff in them.

Tricycles, Hama Street, El Nido.

Serona Rd, El Nido.

Day 18: El Nido (boat trip 1)

highlux — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:08:47 +0000

El Nido Bay, Cadlao Island.

El Nido - and what could be a sweet limestone crag.

The way to spend your time in El Nido is to go out on boat trips round the islands, lagoons and narrow straits that surround Bacuit Bay. For around NZ$40 you can hire a boat and a guide (who cooks you barbequed fish for lunch) for a whole day.

The trip visits several lagoons, some big enough to float a bangka into, and others that you can only enter by swiming through a small hole. A gap in the cliff ahead allowed us to swim into Small Lagoon (Miniloc Island).

Inside Big Lagoon - Miniloc Island.

Heading back out of Big Lagoon. Miniloc Is.

Limestone karst. The entire bay is formed like this - and the rock forms everything from jagged slabs to massive overhanging walls.

One of the many amazing beaches we stopped on.

Coconut palms and our bangka.

The snorkelling around these islands was amazing: the full range of coral, reef fish, barracuda, turtles - really good visibility too.

Day 17: El Nido (Cadlao Is.)

highlux — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:24:20 +0000

We had some postcards to send.

What better to do after 4 days in a row in the saddle than paddle out to a deserted beach, go for a snorkel, and listen to your ipod in the sand. (Photo: Hana)

Looking back across to El Nido bay.

Cool trees around. View across Bacuit Bay.

Tree and limestone boulder.

Chilling on Cadlao island.