Fish Out Of Water

We've been here in Carmen, Cebu for the past 3 weeks now. We're currently at a marina, with the boat hauled out onto land at the yard for maintenance. It's been a busy time for us, finding an apartment to stay at temporarily, catching up on work, and running to and fro for boat stuff. Fortunately, things have settled down a bit now, and I can finally update my blog!

So what's been happening then...

Well, as I've mentioned, we had to look for an apartment in town, since the boat is currently situated on land for repairs. We initially hoped we could stay on the boat while the men did repairs outside of it, but remembered that we wouldn't have water and wouldn't be able to flush the toilet either, as these are all functions that need the boat to be on the sea (catch my drift about the toilet-flushing issue? ;)) 

So we set off to find a cheap place to stay for the whole month that we have to be here, and eventually found a 2-storey, 2-bedroom apartment in a nearby town at P6000/mth (roughly 140USD). Great find, really, especially considering its spaciousness, though it's very basic. The apartment came with a plastic table and chairs, some cabinets for furniture, and an air-conditioner (which we don't really use, since the place is already so nice and cool) so we just had to buy a handy stove for our meals and a mattress for our bedding; all-in-all, still far cheaper than having to rent a room at a resort and having to eat our meals outside. It's also relatively quiet at the place (no videoke's nearby!), and we don't mind the roosters around the area either, since they serve as our alarm clock in the morning, save for that one confused rooster who likes to cockle at 12 midnight.

Our unit is situated at the end of a row of apartment units, so that we get some nice greenery with a creek for a backyard, where neighbors also do their clothes-washing and kids swim or hunt around for forest critters. The neighbors like to play the radio all day, tuned in to a love song station, which I don't mind much either. At least it's not the usual loud, hammering music that Filipinos like to play, with the intention of serving as the neighborhood alarm clock, should roosters not do the trick; one of those good-hearted but misplaced intentions.

We usually spend our days at the marina, and only go home to the apartment at night for dinner and sleep. There's a nice resto-bar at the marina, which I find is very conducive to a relaxed working atmosphere, so we've set up a little office at one of the restaurant tables, comfortable and breezy and overlooking the sea. Gets the creative juices flowing, if I may say so.

The marina restaurant is the only one I've ever known that doesn't offer a food menu. They provide the ingredients, and you tell them how you want it done. On our first night, Sheila the cook asked us what we wanted, and since she said we could order anything we wanted, Ali asked for a duck roast, and I asked for Ox tongue. “No, we don't have those,” was the serious reply. So it was a fun game for awhile, trying to guess what food they actually had in store, and whether or not Sheila could cook it the way we wanted it done. We finally ended up ordering what the other table was having. Easier.

In the late afternoons to evenings, we sit at the bar to chat and watch TV with the staff and other boat owners staying there. Cable television is one of those little things I've come to appreciate much since I've lived on the boat, because we only really get to have it during the few times we're on land. I like it this way though, only having it occasionally, because I find that too much of it also makes me sluggish and dulls my senses quite abit; plus, I appreciate it much more exactly because I only get to have it sometimes.

The people who come into the restaurant, besides the staff, are boat-owners themselves, with most of them living on the boat, and some simply having a boat for leisure while they live in a house on land. Most of them are also older (anywhere from 40-60 years old), so most of our “boat pals” are around this age range. They're very amusing and interesting people to talk to, as they know so much, having lived twice as long as Ali and I have. They're rich with sailing experiences, adventure, and worldly knowledge to share; and they're always keen on sharing these with us 'younger ones'. But what I find the most fascinating about these sailors is their quirky characters.

There's Zeik, the owner of the marina, a scatter-brained man with whom Ali finds it abit frustrating to talk to, as he tends to forget things they just talked about 2 minutes before, regarding our boat repairs. Interestingly though, Zeik never forgets to do a single one of those boat tasks after the conversation. Actions speak louder than words? I guess you can put it that way too for his case. On some days, Zeik likes to have one-too-many drinks at the resto, and then turns the music on full-volume (much to the detriment of all our ears), and will accept a nice request from one of the customers to turn it down a little, only for him to turn it up again slowly as the night progresses...eventually managing to put the music back at full blast. Other than that, though, he's a nice, happy-go-lucky guy with a booming voice that can carry over the sea, and a strange, cackling laugh that by itself, gives me a good laugh too.

Then there's Chiquitta, a 40-something-year-old Aussie woman who comes into the resto almost every night for her shots of rum and a dose of television. A very nice and soft-spoken lady, who throws cup holders into the kitchen door to get the staff's attention when she wants something, or when she just wants to say Hi to them. She has a cast on one leg from dancing on the bar-top and falling off during her birthday celebration a few weeks back. Ali and I spend most nights watching TV with Chiquitta and the kitchen staff, making fun of characters on reality TV shows while having a few beers. We have yet to see Chiquitta's husband, who seems almost a ghost to us, as he never leaves their boat; so we've never really seen him. Lately, we've been suspicious about whether or not a husband really exists. But then again, the guy supposedly broke an arm from falling off his motorbike when some locals got him drunk off Red Horse beer. Yeah, well...that beer! So that's most likely why he's been keeping himself in their boat. Although a broken leg doesn't stop Chiquitta from visiting the resto nightly.

A couple of weeks back, we also met a young boat-owner, Clemens (about 30-something years old), a cheerful, boisterous German guy who likes to laugh and make jokes. He's a husband and father of 2 boys and a baby girl. All his kids were born and raised on their boat, so these kids have never known a life on land. They're home-schooled; and I have to say, they're some of the smartest kids I've ever met! I mean, I've personally never met a 6-year-old who was obsessed with Astro-physics (I know Astroboy, that's as far as I go with that); and while Ali and Clemens surmise about all things scientific, this kid supplies answers the 2 grown-ups beside him couldn't even come up with, with all their complex scientific facts. You gotta wonder sometimes if it's actually kids that have more sense than grown-ups, and not the other way around. Many times, kids' facts, although very simple, make astounding sense...so that we tend to feel stupid for not having come up with something so right-in-our-face. Now my partner's a really smart guy - IQ-wise and everything - and he isn't easily impressed by facts; but this time he couldn't help exclaiming, “This kid's smarter than me!” Guess he finally met his match in a 6-year-old.

We got to have a tour of Clemens' boat the night before they left, as they threw a going-away party. Their boat was actually a miniature ship, complete with an entertainment room, a massive kitchen and living area, a library for the kids to hang out in, crew bedrooms, storage rooms, and proper engine rooms. There are some crew members living on the boat temporarily; mostly travelers in their 20's, but a couple of them in their 40's or 50's as well. Clemens and his wife accept people to sail around with them, in exchange for being part of the boat crew, all-expense paid. Another requirement is to become part of the couple's work as environmental volunteers.

So these are just some of the people around the marina. It's a nice change of pace for us to be here too. For one thing, we're living on land, which is always a bit different after having lived on sea for awhile. The ground feels stable...sometimes too stable, it's eerie. When we go to bed, we almost expect the waves to rock us to sleep; but no waves, just hard, solid ground. It's also dustier, which unfortunately means I have to bathe more often. And space is a lot smaller here, since on a boat, you have the whole sea for your backyard and the sky for your ceiling, with only a few other boats to share your space with. But on land, you're also closely surrounded by people, and it reminds me of the days when I had neighbors and the sounds of daily human activities around me; vehicles passing by, women chatting while doing laundry, men hammering away, kids running around playing, and dogs barking. I can't help but smile at all these sounds that were once so familiar, and at times, annoying to me. In a way, the sounds lend an intimacy between me and the people around me; living to see another day together and being participants in life's daily little activities.

The land and its communities of people may only be my temporary home these days, but it always welcomes me warmly anyway when I do come. I guess this is why I love change as well. You get to appreciate things so much more than if you were constantly immersed in them. You especially learn to appreciate the little things that you once took for granted, just because they were always around. I know that when we go back to our boat, I'll get the same chance to appreciate my home on the sea all over again too. Changes are good. Changes offer a fresh perspective; even on things you thought you already knew so well.

Hidden Wonders of the Camotes Islands

It took a whole day of sailing for us to get to the Camotes group of islands, just East of mainland Cebu. We were amazed by the clarity of the blue waters as we anchored in a large bay at sunset. Even in the dark, we could clearly see the bottom at a 6-meter depth. I was feeling too cold to jump into the water and thought I would save my swim for the morning, but Ali jumped in and found a little sort of alien world down there, with large abandoned cages scattered across the reefs. He said it looked like an underwater city, with all the cages as buildings and the fish as residents. Later in the night though, we were asked to move our boat, as apparently, we had chosen to anchor in a marine sanctuary! Well, so much for that morning swim for me.

We decided to anchor at the next lagoon, which was mostly a wall of nice rocks, with houses perched on top of them and stairs that you could climb from the water to get on land. There was a shore at the other end of the lagoon, but it would be a longer kayak ride for us to get to the shore from the boat, so we opted for the staircases nearby. We parked the kayak by the staircase of a quaint little resort called Harbor View, and got their permission to leave it there. Then they offered us to rent a motorbike to get around the island, as the island was too large to be traveled on foot. We knew this to be true, based on some initial research about the place, so we agreed.

But first-things-first, we needed cash! There was no ATM at Malapascua Island, and on this one, there was only one machine, located at Poro town proper . The friendly, helpful people at the resort offered to take us on the motorbike so we could try to get some cash out, since we only had a total of P20 in our pockets. And to our dismay, when we did get to the ATM machine, it was offline...on a Monday! The locals informed us that the machine was out of cash, and that it had to be refilled by staff coming from the mainland; and that it was a common occurrence. However, there was an abundance of pawnshops, so an idea formed in my head...to ask the good ol' parents a favor! We managed to borrow some cash from my parents, and got it sent via Mluilhier Pawnshop, to be paid back as soon as we touch down to mainland Cebu in a couple of days...and so we began our explorations by motorbike.

The Camotes group of islands is segmented by many barangays. There are four islands in total, with two of them joined together by a small bridge. The conjoined islands of Poro and Pacijan were where we decided to explore and call them one island. There are schools and children everywhere, so it came to mind that education and making babies were the primary focus of the island. Other projects of importance are environmental in nature; from fisheries, to reforestation projects, to mangrove habitat protection. Each of the schools have their own plant nurseries as well, where the kids are taught at an early age to grow plants for livelihood. The island itself is rich in greenery, and I could sense the awareness in people of the importance of preserving the environment for their own benefit, as well as that of their future generations.

We had a nice drive along paved roads built mostly along the coast, where we could enjoy the view of both land and sea. We had a hard time finding restaurants to eat at though, so we mostly ended up eating at carinderias, with twice-reheated food in all its glory. It kept our tummies from growling, at least. But we were later informed of restaurants inside the few resorts located around the island, and a tiny cottage resto called Sea Breeze that wasn't part of any resort.

There were nice white-sand beaches, but they were mostly inhabited by villages and fishing boats. The island is definitely more rural than it is a tourist attraction. With all its abandoned buildings and sites, it looks to have been a place that was on its way to tourism development, which fortuitously came to an abrupt end. According to our research, there was supposed to be a nice restaurant at Lake Danao - a massive lake within the island - and the lake was a developed park. But when we got there, all we saw were a few tables and benches, a sari-sari store, and some kayaks for rent. At the other end of the lake, there was a tilapia fishery, so it satisfied us enough to see the fish ponds. 

We were getting discouraged at first, upon finding that it was looking to be a place abandoned by time. Little did we know that the best was yet to come. Camotes has its own charm and beautiful secret treasures, and they can only be found with some patience, perseverance and asking for directions. No signs were available as to the location of the sites. We made more than a handful of wrong turns to find the island's treasures, but when we found them, they made our journey very worthwhile indeed!

We found Bukilat Cave, a surprisingly stunning underground cave with picturesque rays of sun streaming in from the holes above-ground and lighting up the stalactites and stalagmites inside the cave. There was a natural pool inside the cave too, with crystal-clear waters that were just completely enticing me to jump in...so I did. The water was refreshingly cool, and it ran all the way into another small cave that birds had chosen for their habitat. I basked happily within the natural pool and cave walls all around me, relishing the fact that for that moment, the place was ours, and ours alone.

We next set out to find Panganuron falls, which proved to be another game of hide-and-seek. Deciding to ask the locals where the “waterfalls” were, we were pointed to one that they all knew instead. We assumed they would know the popular Panganuron falls, and they assumed we wanted to see their own Busay falls. I, in my ignorance of the Bisayan dialect, could only guess along with them what we were each trying to say. We mostly had to rely on which direction their fingers were pointing. So Busay falls it was! 

And what a magnificent accident that turned out to be, as their local gemstone of a hideaway was far better than what we expected waterfalls to be. The water fell both forcefully and serenely out through a cave and into a clear, baby-blue pool. The pool was surrounded by the walls of the mountain, the plants, and some tree vines, and ran off the side into a smaller waterfall below with another smaller pool; so there was the adult pool and the baby pool. We chose the 'adult pool' of course, the grown-ups that we were (although I did sneak into that peaceful little 'baby pool' a couple of times, hehe). That place became our very own natural playground for that moment, too.

We checked out a couple of other nice spots as well. Buho Rock Resort, though seemingly yet another abandoned or mismanaged resort, provided us rest, with a pretty view of the clear pools of water from terraces built over the rocks. A little maintenance through clearing out the fallen leaves and debris on top of the waters would have done well for an enticing swim and snorkel (which was originally the resort's idea), but the waters remain a clear, blue-green color that still offers a feast for the eyes anyway, and the gardens are pretty and well-maintained.

After a quick afternoon coffee at a cafe on top of a hill which we pleasantly stumbled on, called D'Island Shooting Range and Cafe (yes, they had a shooting range, but it was closed for the day, for the owner's own reasons...surprise, surprise) we headed toward the Arquis Viewing Deck to get a nice top-view of the island. We found the place along a long dirt road some locals had pointed us to, with the only landmark they could give us: a white gate. Had it not been for those simple words – “white gate” - we would have missed the viewing deck, as the gate didn't have any signs at all. Though the deck was yet another unfinished project, with a pretty hut bearing overturned chairs and couches and another ramshackle hut situated at the edge of the mountain, the place really did possess an outstanding view of the island, including Lake Danao (which we had visited earlier). So we ended the day with the memory of a full view of a quiet, picturesque island in the Camotes.

We were only able to see a few of the island's wonders, as we needed to get to Carmen, Cebu for the boat's yearly maintenance; but I'm sure there are more wonders hiding within that unassuming little place.

Do I regret hours under the sweltering heat of the sun, trying to find our destinations? Of course not. Part of the adventure of exploring is getting lost. And in the many wrong turns we made, we were able to find treasures that we would otherwise have missed. So I came out of the place fulfilled and deeply grateful for the experience. Secretly, I thanked destiny too, that this island did not find its way very well on the tourist map. It's beautiful, just as it is. And maybe the island's deepest message was exactly in its lack of road signs toward its beautiful sites. More than anything, what it told me was, “Explore me for yourself.”