Now where were we?? Ah yes, post Typhoon Botha, heading north to Coron for some diving, well unfortunately we didn’t make it. 2 days out of PP and more problems with the new anchor winch saw us returning to PP in the night and thankfully for the saved track, radar and a bit of guess work no incidents.
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| It is possible to catch a fish here but we're still not desparate enough for this barracuda |
By the time the anchor winch and replacement deck switch were completed and operational the NE trades had kicked back in preventing another attempt north. Our only hope was another typhoon to pass north of us again. Anyway Xmas was almost upon us and the club was always open to keep us amused, so we settled in and did some touring of Palawan by motorbike.
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| Imagine this in OZ |
The bike was similar to a trail bike, not so good on the bitumen/concrete but necessary on the off roads which are pretty much rock spoils which develop because the roads or tracks are totally washed away. One trip to the west coast had to be abandoned because the road was so bad and steep Jen refused to go any further. Another trip was to the Underground River which is a huge limestone cave network accessible by river from the sea in a canoe. Interesting but not breath-taking and very tourist oriented.
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| Inside the Underground River looking out |
Another trip to the west coast was to a totally deserted lovely beach where surprisingly a good swell was rolling in offering the opportunity to do some body surfing. We were hoping to take the boat around to the west coast when returning to Malaysia but after seeing the swell it changed our minds totally.
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| Nice location for a weekender, totally deserted |
Xmas was a gala event at the club but as our 2012 bad luck continued we both became quite ill with a stomach complaint on xmas eve so missed everything even a beer. We had bought some local ham from a German expat and think his curing process or the pork must have been suspect or else we just over indulged. It took 3 days to recover so at least we didn’t miss New Year as well. It was spent at the club till 2am after a very impressive fireworks display which was viewed from the dinghy. The cost of the fireworks could have feed the whole of PP for a month.
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| Still very traditional living away from the city |
Another low pressure system came threatening and crossed just south of PP and we were hoping it would track north so we could ride the back of it again but it lost momentum and turned further south once it entered the South China Sea. It did give us stronger winds than the typhoon but from the protected NE direction. This was our last chance as Jen was booked in for her dental treatment and our visa was running out, we could have renewed our visa’s for another 59 days for about $200 but we were becoming Philippined out. The beer is not great and the food even worse. The money is filthy and we believe partly responsible for our ongoing poor health. Every country takes a while to acclimatise to but we just couldn’t in the Phillipines. Palawan is the poorest place we have visited in Asia by a long way, only topped by New Guinea.
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| Local living |
The anchorage in PP was bad for marine growth and the bottom had to be cleaned every 2 to 3 weeks to prevent major build up, so we decided that after the dentist we would return to Kudat, Malaysia and haul out at the hardstand yard. The trip back south was brisk as we had wind and it was from behind, our best sailing for a long time.
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| Rice drying |
We are disappointed that our trip to the Philippines was not complete similar to Thailand and Andaman Islands in 2012 but it’s been a prick of a year and I am glad it’s over. It’s not easy over here for yachts, everything is a compromise and ours is showing its Asian signs after only 3 years, despite sorting some ongoing issues the prolonged haul out at Rebak probably hurt more than it fixed.
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| A cute little guy waiting for a handout |
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| How many power sources does it take to turn on 1 light |
Bye for now,
