Karissa's Adventures: An impromptu getaway to the Philippines

Cindy's quote for the trip:
"Life's tough when your biggest concern is watching for falling coconuts."

Last week Cindy said, "I'm going to the Philippines. Anybody want to come?" And I said, "Um...yes!" So the two of us bought some tickets and left 2 days later for a quick getaway to this tropical archipelago in south east Asia. Our departure was Thursday afternoon and we arrived in Manila to 30 degree C heat and smiling Filipino faces around 11pm that night. The flight from Seoul is only 3.5 hours with a 1 hour time difference, plus the hour flight from Jeju to Seoul. We stayed the first night in Manila at a 4th floor hostel above a fast food restuarant, a Starbucks, and a few shady looking window-less pubs. As we explored Ermiz, one of the more tourist friendly neighborhoods in Manila, Friday morning I found overwhelmingly positive, caring people and severe poverty. The walk along the harbor afforded views of Manila Bay and her population who were lazing in the morning heat and offering us various services including fresh mango and pineapple, head massages, and boat rides.

A jeepney, converted war jeep in Manila - they are decorated and used for public transport

We packed up and found a bus down to Busuanga in the south of Luzon Island. The bus ride was nicely air conditioned, but very full of both passengers and vendors selling local food and drink who would get on at every stop and hop off a few miles later. The local language in Manila is Tagalog which is a mix of Spanish and indigenous languages, but there is English thrown in and everyone speaks at least some English which made it incredibly easy to get around. From the bus stop in Busuanga we were herded by more vendors to the pier and ferry terminal.

Our bangca to Mindoro

We decided to check out Oriental Mindoro, the closest resort area by boat, and boarded a "bangca" for the 2 hour boat ride to Sabang and Little Laguna where we spent the next 3 days on a beach with a San Miguel beer in hand. The rest was a wash of sleeping, swimming, sun-bathing, drinking, and eating local and international food. My favorites were the fresh pineapple and mango and the $1 beer. The people were incredibly friendly and also very persistent. Everywhere you go someone is asking you, "Miss, want to buy a _______*? Maybe later? Maybe tomorrow?," (*insert local handcraft or service here). We stayed on our little beach most of the 3 days with the occasional exploratory walk around the area and a sunset kayak trip. Sunday was Cindy's birthday which we began with incredible Filipino coffee on the veranda and ended with a fantastic dinner including Kahlua cake and carrot cake. Monday we made the same trek back to Manila and I flew out around midnight. It was a quick trip, but I'm really glad I got some sun and a few days out of Korea before school starts next Monday. Check out the links to the right for more photos.