Land of waiting, and waiting for the boats

Two nights ago after dinner we arrived back to our lobby and it was full of people. Some our friends plus some others were spending the quality time of waiting the ferry to leave. The Milagrosa ferry was supposed to leave that day to Puerto Princesa...and it might leave later or the next morning. No one knew. The normal schedule was supposed to be the ferry leaving Tuesday 15th at 3pm. Then at 6 pm. Then... no one knows. The hostel staff started preparing rooms for everyone again.

We got our information already the night before. We had spent a nice evening having barbeque at Coco Verde, taking propably the bottom time driving the scooter there (30min) and back taking even more time. So, we came arrived home kinda late and our friends and the staff from our hostel had been worried and made a plan to rescue us. By the time we got back at 10 pm, all the people still awake were pretty drunk, singing videoke and playing pool and I can just imagine how our rescue had been pulled out.

Anyway, our ferry to Iloilo had never left from Puerto Princesa to this direction because the engine had broken down. There was also a very strong wind and the storm alarm might have happened any minute, then the boats definetely will not move. Ok. We were also supposed to be departing on Tuesday afternoon. it is now Thursday and the boat is not anywhere near here. And again, it might leave today from the origin. We will anyway miss our flights to Hong Kong (scheduled tonight) since the next possible boat might arrive in few days. The news are, that it will be leaving tonight at 6pm from there and arrive here by noon tomorrow.

The next step will be to try to do something to our visas in Visayas, which will be another wait, because it is weekened when we arrive...and decide another place to go. All in all, we have been 'trapped' here the for 3-4 days. It is also a bit intimidating since our pockets will be empty soon from the cash we put in there at departure from Coron. We should have left on Monday, when the ferry was going on time.

Oh well, I am still happy that we were not trying to get back to Coron. The ferry we took here has been here almost our whole stay. It finally left last night. By now, it should already have been back from Manila once already. First delay was due to bad weather, low pressure etc, but we were also told that if there is not enough passengers or cargo, it will not leave soon. Just another week when ferries are not moving for no reason a all.

I feel sorry for those people who just came from party capital Boracay through Iloilo to get to Puerto Princesa and were stuck in here for 24 hours, in the Cuyo city party capital.

One morning in Coron

Cuyo islands basic info package 2013, January

I made this trip in the beginning of January 2013, and I hope it will help a fellow travelers in search of information. Updated July 2015. 

Cuyo islands now in FB ~ Loveliest Cuyo Archipelago Palawan 

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We took the ferry from Coron, Busuanga island and the route is served by J.V. Serrano Shipping Lines that accepts cargo and passengers. The boat name is M/V "D" Sea Journey, or Asian Journey that goes with the name of Journey Ferry. There is a ticket office in Coron port. This iPad sucks in the sense that I can only add photos of the office in the end of the text and not in between... What happened was that it was a New Year week and most offices had strange opening hours. J went to port, I went diving and he was taken to the house of the office lady to hear they will be open again on next Monday. We bought the tickets on on Monday and I was surprised to be asked: "Mam, how young are you?" After telling them and spelling my name to the ladies behind the counter I was told the age of the other lady. Nice, now I know that the lady writing the tickets on the port of Coron town is 43, but I still do not know why they need the age of the passengers and not the birth date.

The schedule had changed due the bad weather. Instead of Monday at noon, the journey was delayed to Tuesday at 3pm. When we arrived to port in in time and in good faith, the ship had still not arrived. That happened around 3.30pm and we waited in the waiting room with a fan. Before we were allowed to waiting room, we paid 20PHP terminal fee per person and took our backpacks through the security. We were allow to board at 6pm. On the boat it was a lot of time to eat (free meal with the ticket) and read and wait. We finally left Coron at 23pm. There was a canteen onboard selling water bottles 25PHP, cup noodles and later in the evening cold beer 50PHP. We had taken the tourist class ticket 950PHP and our room had bunk beds also with a HEAVY air con. We decided to sleep outside in warmth since there was some benches and a bed out there. Arrival to Cuyo Wharf was at around 8am.

It was very hard to get ANY information about the islands. (Cuyo is a cluster of islands between main island of Palawan and Panay islands, and most of the fish in Manila area is coming from this area or from main Palawan) It seems that none of the so called travel bibles (Lonely Planet, Rough Guides) give you no idea about Cuyo, and now I start to think that maybe it is better so. Only few people find their way in here and personally I wish not to see this place crowded, polluted and exploited. Most of the foreign people in here are dedicated kite surfers who end up staying here longer than expected because of the chilled atmosphere and excellent wind conditions almost every day. Capusan beach is right next to Cuyo Wharf where boats dock, and the sand is soft and it is nice for swimming (no sea urchins) as well as kite surfing. During our stay we were the only Finnish people around, though there had been a group of 9 Finns departing a week before our arrival.

The life is simple and laid back. The meal costs vary from 20-75PHP per person, the accommodation starts roughly from 100PHP per night in a common room. Accommodation  list is in the end of this blog entry.

There is no ATM. There are several pharmacies, hospital (with emergency room open all times), post office, small shops, busy market place and a bigger supermarket called Charlie's on Juan Luna Street with Western Union money transfer and US $ exchange inside. The "nightlife" is in a very compact area on the beach front (Nikki's complex bar, including pool tables and another videoke bar next door) and other eateries are open from early morning to evening, you need to eat before 8 pm, unless you eat at Nikki's. You can buy beer and other spirits later in the evening near the local market. Coco Verde has occasional barbecue evenings at their premises. Most of the people speak good English and kids want to practice their skills.

The weather is very pleasant (wind chill factor) but can also cause some sun burns to white men since you simply forget to put on sun lotion, especially when it is overcast. There are mosquitoes, that can be an issue indoors, outdoors they are just carried away with the wind. There are also sand flies, as usual in a place where there is a sand beach, and the cure for them (from what I have learned during my travels) is to carry mosquito repellent that also has extra effectiveness against ticks. DEET of course and I feel bad to put it on, since it is a danger to the sea creatures in the end.

Most of the info about the islands before I arrived was from these sources (thanks to all of these writers) and it's worth checking out these following pages as well before you go. LoneRider was here in Jan -12, the rest of these following bloggers before, but a little seems to have changed. I am not going to bore you here with writing the same stories you can get from the internet anyways.

http://www.lakwatsero.com/destinations/cuyo/
http://www.ambot-ah.com/day-cuyo-island/
http://www.tools4fools.info/Philippines/CuyoREPORT.html
http://www.thelonerider.com/2012/jan/cuyo/cuyo.shtml
http://wikitravel.org/en/Cuyo_Islands

Then you can also check some kitesurfing sites, which can give you more info about the conditions in here about that matter, but I am not an expert on that topic. There is a kitesurfing rental store and lessons at the beachfront. Check cuyokitesurf.wordpress.com for more info.

The most accurate info about travel connections was actually on the Quijano Windsurfing Retreat pages and they keep updating their sites frequently compared to the schedules on the shipping lines. BUT, be sure to go and ask EVERY TIME, since the travels depend HEAVILY on the weather. The shipping lines serving the routes to Cuyo are Montenegro and Milagrosa to/from Iloilo/Puerto Princesa and Journey Ferry serves Manila-Coron-Cuyo and vice versa.

Accommodation

In Coron Tourism Office I was given a nice folded piece of paper with all accommodation in whole Palawan in year 2012, which is great, but there was some additions to that too in Cuyo. Amanpulo luxury resort island is not in this listing since I think the people reading this blog are more or less people with tighter budget. First night we spent at Feroland Hotel in fan room, which was nice, but the next day we moved to the beach front to Nikki's Pension House where most foreigners go. We felt it was at the moment better place, since it has free wifi and big common area where the people can spend time instead of staying in the room. They also have a restaurant and bar, and you can add your consumed refreshment on your room bill.

The tricycle drivers will know where the places are or you can call in advance since most of them does not have web pages, but I am not sure if the numbers given are accurate. Walk in is always the best option. Walking around the town revealed that there are some places to rent/buy if you want to stay longer. if you are interested what to do in Cuyo islands, see my post in here.

Tenga-Tenga (Cuyo city area, really near to the pier)
Balai Seafront Inn, 09126433703
Ellen's Boarding House, 09493699478
Feroland Hotel, 09217904848
Nikki's Pension House, 0920876008/ 09153865201
CCS Home Economics, 09394849397
Irene's Lodge, on Sandoval street (walked by one day)
Chowtime Lodge, on San Agustin Street (walked by one day)

Catadman (north of the city, north from the Old Fort)
Palayon's Guest House, 09285212337
Villa Gange, 09128602364/09165029397

Cabising (city area, a bit south, near wharf)
Charlie's Island Hub, 09173050191

Lagaoriao (southeast from the city, inland)
Patelek Farm, 09184623168/ 09178485105

Tabunan (a few km south from Cuyo city according to map)
Tabunan Beach Cottages, no number
Discovery Bay Resort, 09052711089

Ba'yad/ Pawa (south, 15min tricycle ride from the Cuyo City)
Coco Verde, 09487112042 (foreign owned secluded place, ALSO in Facebook!)

Magsaysay (opposite side of the island, 7 km from Cuyo town)
Quiano Windsurfing Retreat, 09296033275
La Casa Micah, 09999941182/ 09999941192/ 09196682350

On the printed list I got from Coron there were a few more, but no locations or other info than this;
PSU-PCAT Hometel and Baywatch Resort 09083684158
St. Augustine Parish Church Convent 09391509749
Sandoval Beach Resort

Since this damn iPad blogger version has no proper picture addition option, the picks are here in the end. Journey Ferry ticketing office in Coron, Coron port when leaving, Cuyo Wharf, Cuyo Capusan beach.

Coron town and around

Today is the 8th of January and there seems to be plenty of time to kill and write about our experiences in Coron. The Journey ferry from Coron to Cuyo islands was supposed to leave at 15.00 (3pm) but apparently it is arriving from Manila at that time and we will be leaving Coron after the loading around 21.00 (9pm) and we might get into the vessel at 6pm to chill out instead of staying in this waiting room. Fingers crossed. Hopefully I will be able to post this at some point. And hopefully the man behind me will soon stop playing 'Gangnam Style' from his phone, since I have heard it few times too many.

Before we left from Finland we did make a reservation to Coron Backpackers Guesthouse for 4 nights and decided to extend our stay if we felt like it. On New Years Eve we were finally there warmly wellcomed by manager TJ and later we enjoyed a spectacular fireworks.

Coron Backpackers Guesthouse has basic stilt house bamboo accommodation in a local area, and it is definetely NOT for high maintenance guests. The neighbourhood is poor, though the hostel itself is located on one of the nicest "streets" and the neighbours are nice. A narrow wooden walkway leads to the hostel. The bamboo walls are thin and in the mornings you will wake up to the sounds of people living next door; taking care of the kids, doing laundry, listening to music, taking shower..or sounds of cocks, chicken, cats, dogs, pigs (yes, also under the stilt houses) and some freaky words of the talking birds. You're able to see the water underneath your room through the bamboo floor. The guesthouse gives towels and sheets and has well equipped kitchen for the guests. The manager TJ (at the time) can help you with anything you might want to know.

The town itself is smallish, but according to locals it has multiplied in one year of time! I can understand that because there is a lot of talk about Philippines becoming the new Thailand. New hotels are build in high speed, cafeterias rise up in 4 days of time (we saw that happening!) and more tourists are drawn to see the nature wonders or take a dive at the world famous wrecks. The town is very tourist friendly, everything is near or you can take a tricycle. There are several ATMs that accept foreign cards (max take is 10 000 PHP and in peak season they might empty quickly). Euro exchange to PHP can be a challenge, but with the help of TJ anything is possible. English is widely spoken and services are good from a take away latte coffee to local eats to pizza and European cheeses. Only thing missing is electricity at certain times a day and chain food stores such as Jollibee or McDonalds. Our favourite food was definitely at Kapemos on National Hway after Neptune Dive Center.

One notable thing in the city is really the lack of electricity from time to time. The city limits the consumption of electricity and the times when the power is cut off, is called 'brown out'. And yes, the cut off itself is done using physical man power. One morning we witnessed the whole episode when some guys drove by on scooter and extended a long plastic rod to open or close the electricity circuits from the electricity poles itself. This might happen randomly throughout the day, so, no one can really tell when they have power. Some places do have own generator, some not. When there was no electricity on our guesthouse, there was no way to flush down the brown things in the toilet or take a shower (use the water bucket).

The main sights is town is to climb the 720 steps to see the view from Mt Tapyas, take a trip to nearby hot springs and rent a boat out to Coron Island to experience the Kayangan lake (snorkeling to see pipefish and cleaner shrimps) and Barracuda lake or take an island hopping tour to nearby beaches and islands. It is said to be a once in a lifetime experince to dive in Barracuda lake, where the water suddenly changes the temperature to 38 degrees and you can sort of see the 2 water surfaces from below. We only did the snorkeling bit. On Coron island one too popular spot is also the Twin Lagoon or Twin Peaks, where you can snorkel under a small opening to another lagoon. I think it is not worth to see at the moment and when I was thinking aloud why it was so popular, I was told that the corals had been spectacular only 2 years ago, and now destroyed by the amount of people going there...sad.

After some snooping around we got info how to get to the CORON sign on the neighbouring hillside right under a weather station. There are steps in front of the Ampfibiko Dive center that lead to a street parallel to the main street. From there one has to turn left and follow the road, untill you reach a tight turn left. From that turn there is a dirt road to the sign and to the weather station up the hill. But, there is also a small farm house by the sign and I do not expect those people to like tourists wandering around, so we just quickly took some shots of the sign and headed away as soon as possible before the sun went down.

Cock of Coron

Coron, the wreck diving capital of the Philippines

The reason for people ( tourists ) to come here is the world top class wreck diving, island hopping on the way to El Nido town ( going north back to Manila or further south to Palawan. Coron town is the biggest settlement in Busuanga island and most of the traffic is to/ from here, but more about that and what else to see on my entries later.

Before leaving Finland I did my normal searching for a reliable Dive Operator. Most of the Finnish people are adviced to go to Rocksteady or Sea Dive. Sea dive has also their own accommodation, bar ( yes, we are from Finland) and restaurant. But, after a bit of reading I wanted to search more and I found Neptune Dive Center. After reading their blog I was sold! Friendly and rapid reply to my mail, small groups promise, new operator with new equipment and in mails some more good information about arrivals etc. Even a notice that Coron Town usually arranges a huge fireworks on New Years Eve, that are impressive compared to the size of the town. Nice.

Most of the wrecks are sunk on the 24th of September 1944 by fighters and dive bombers of US task force 38. There are a lot to choose from (there were 14 of sunken Japanese cargo ships, that had assembled to this area) but mostly there are 8 popular ones to go to. Recreational diving, as the average depth is somewhere near 24- 30m. Some of them reach the max depth of 43m, so, if you're into heavy stuff with mixed gas and depths, this is your place to be. The length of the wrecks can be 160m. Penetration to wrecks is also allowed for advanced divers with more experience.

We made our way to Coron Bacpackers hostel, checked in and I went to tell to Neptune that I was ill and my diving had to be delayed. After a nice talk at the center, I hoped to get a reef dive for my first dive, and on day 4 of the year 2013 our ´bangha´ (outrigger boat) left the town. I was not sure what kind of challenge I was about to have since my last dive had been Sipadan area more than 2 years ago, and it had not been a too good experience in whole.

My first 2 dives to 1st Atan Reef and 2nd Neptune Wall in Coron Bay were crap. Mostly because I was panickly checking my air consumption, fixing my BCD (too big) or just doing anything other things you might name, than diving or relaxing. After Sipadan, also the visibility was a shock. In here, that day it was from 7- 10m, but that of course depends on the weather. We (there was 4 of us, and 2 DMs) did the dives with a 3,2mm full body suit. The water temperature is around 28 degrees of Celsius. Still, on the second dive I felt cold. My own estimation was that I will be ok again after 3 dives, and I was. Also, I decided to do only 2 dives a day, which was a good decision but I was not able to have one dive free day in between and my last dive was a bit exhausting since I had a disagreement with my mask at Lusong Coral Garden (6th dive), lost a lot of air in stupid struggle. BUT I am happy that I seem to know my limits.

The wrecks then. First dive on second day was Kogyo Maru, length 144m and depth 34m bottom, lies sideways. I still was suffering from some ear problems and it was easier all together with a size smaller BCD. A wreck with easy penetration, enough light, even though we used torches. Inside cement bags, bulldozer and a tractor. When you penetrate the ship, you cannot really tell what is what unless told, since you are so close to the objects. We went through a small hole through the cargo rooms, oh, excitement! A bit intimidating at first because of the visibility and sudden darkness after reef dives.

Second was Olympia Maru, length 144m max depth 30m and It was better. I figured out my problems (1kg too much weight on me) and we made a practical joke by taking down a floating flipflop from sea surface. We descented quickly, there was a boat filled with Korean divers arriving at the same time and we did not want to be stuck in the narrow sections with them. The visibility was not more than 10m but since the place was shallower, the lighting conditions were nicer. I had the impression that this wreck was more sympathetic, maybe because we finned in the place where the boat crew had been sleeping. The rest of the time we hovered above some Korean divers and watched them struggle through the wreck in total chaos and who ended up attacking our 5m depth decompression bottle below the boat like crazy men to oatmeal porridge.

Last dive day was again with DM Roberto. I hoped I had had a dive free day, but as the situation with our Cuyo island steel boat leaving time, made me jump in the water third day in a row. I suggested we do a wreck and reef combined. Wreck was Morazan Maru, and it was easily the best dive site I went to. Lots of natural light, only one spot inside where torch was needed and I felt good examining slowly the lighting conditions and the shades of sea water against the wreck openings and the fish in between. Beautiful. Very relaxed dive with right amount of weights and I was easily controlling my buoyancy through the smallest openings. Visibility inside the wreck was maybe 15m and the views from the different openings to another spaces were spectacular. I am sure to dream of that in the future.

All in all I would say, that for a person, who has only been reef diving before and done no night dives, wreck diving can be extremely intimidating. But for a diver that has somewhat experience, it is a great way (with a good dive master) to explore more of your strengths. If you are not sure about your buoyancy, do not go, or do not penetrate. I can fully understand the thrill it gives for some sort of people, but in my opinion it is not for beginners under 20 dives. I would have not had the guts then. Also, if you happen to be a Finnish person who has had at least some murky dives in Finnish waters while working your buoyancy in this 6m darkness and handling a torch, this might be the right task for you.

There are about 15 Dive Operators around the town and I can surely say, that Neptune has earned all the 5 stars (*****). It may not be the cheapest in town, but there are a limit of 4-5 divers on one boat, and a dive master leads 2 divers. In my case I consider myself super lucky, I was able to dive 2 days alone with a local DM, Ronaldo, who knows every wreck by heart after 20 years of experience in the area. And could go there blindfolded. I felt safe to follow him through the smallest ventilation channels or cracks. Neptunes equipment is new and well maintained and the amount of the guests keeps the standard high - less persons on board, better food! The boatmen were cooking. Also, after seeing the amount of divers some other dive masters from some other dive shops needed to handle...huh. Another plus was the extra air bottle below the dive boat in 5m, for safety especially on wreck sites. Also, in Neptune, the DM fills in the dive info for statistics, but also fills in the amount of the dives the guest has done. Just in case your dive log book goes missing, you can get the a statement about how many dives you have before, plus the dives you did with them (and where) all combined. Clever!

Transfering through The Peoples Republic of China

After the bus ride to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland we began our 24 hour session to our destination, Manila. Our flights were a bit complicated with 2 hours transfer time between the flights, which I normally have find ok, but this time, the time was actually tight. We were not asked anything about the lenght of our stay in our final destination (and what I understood from some replies to my questions in CS discussion board) this should be asked when ONE IS LEAVING FROM A COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. Ok, no use for our HongKong flight tickets yet. This might have something to do with the new system of online check-in, which we did not use at home prior to our flight and ended up to a discussion with the check-in maschine at the airport, checked in, did not get seats next to each other, but et least my flight to Amsterdam Schiphol went very well and I had a change to meet someone from Tampere who owns a very good restaurant in there. Very nice change indeed to what I usually experience on low cost flights filled with drunk Finns. Also, our backpacks were put to a big airline plastic back and sealed. This flight was operated by Dutch KLM, a member of the Skyteam alliance.

Next leg of the race was Amsterdam- Beijing, China. Our flight operator was now changed to another member of the same alliance; China Southern Airlines. When we were boarding I was asked the the amount of days I would be staying in The Philippines. J just walked through the boarding, no questions asked. The flight itself was ok, not too much turbulence and ok food. BUT, when we were approaching Beijing, we did not get enough infomation. We were not the only ones. The Chinese flight attendants did not speak English, and the only crew member from Europe seemed not to know anything. We were offered arrival cards only if we were staying in China, but that was wrong as we soon found out. EVERY PERSON TRANSFERING THROUGH CHINA HAS TO FILL IN AN IMMIGRATION CARD, WITH BOTH ARRIVAL SIDE AND DEPARTURE SIDE. We were told while standing already in line for the transfer at the only immigration desk area there was open. The immigration procedure was the same for everyone, no matter if you are staying or transferring. The immigration people eyeballed our destination boarding passes through, cut the filled card apart and took the arrival part and gave a stamp in passport stating that our departure should happen in 24 hours. Now, we did hold on tight on our departure cards, since there was still something waiting - a landing in Xiamen (Kanton) after taking off in Beijing and before landing in Manila.

The hassle started, most of the people who were transfering to same plane had no idea where to head next. One charming Philipino father with his family took us under his wing and we started searching the chaotic area together. On the way I took some people I had seen in the previous flight with us and we all followed the resourceful father quide us through to stand in a line again. Apparently there was another fligt leaving from same gate and there was another hassle since ours was first to take off, the one to Australia was 2 hours late. We passed the line of Australia flight people, took our share of cold China air in a transfer bus that kept all doors open and waited another hassle to take place in few hours in Xiamen.

Tired old man in Ziamen.
 

It was a happy reunion in the plane when the Philippino dad was sitting next to us in the plane. In Xiamen, everybody was rushed out of the plane to get through the immigration again. Now the officers took the departure cards and gave another stamp. By this time a lot of people were upset. Some of them had made the bookings and were never told that it was not a direct fligt to Manila. And most of us were disappointed because we were not told in the plane to fill in the immigration cards. This, I think, was very different what has normally happened

In the destination this time we were again not given any forms to fill in plane or in advance. Once more the immigration card. The officer in the desk asked us about the time of our departure from the country and asked to see the tickets out of Philippines. Then I was the lucky one. My backpack arrived, but Js not, and my camera also did not arrive with the other backpack. And then there was still another form filling session (custom declaration form) and I was so happy to announce that I was not bringing in any firearms in the country and not more than 10 000 PHP. (That previously bought currency was shared in our pockets.)

Finally, finally we got to our hotel in Ermita, Manila. By that time I was getting ill. Sore throath, sneezing, the basic.

Jaakkos bag did not arrive the next day, as we were told. And we did a bit of shopping. We finally got the bag, a miracle! It was stuck in Amsterdam and we got it on our way to our next flight to Coron, Busuanga. Right in time in fact.