Alright folks. I'm alive. Sorry it has been ages since I last posted. Life just gets away from me. So I figure I owe you all at least 2 or 3 good posts, especially since I never even finished my adventures in the Philippines. Also, I'm going to attempt to start blogging regularly again, hopefully on Fridays since that is a relatively easy day and, I don't know, it just seems like a good day to do it. :] So, I'll start by telling you about the rest of my Philippines trip and we'll go from there. Readysetgo.
So, I left off with my amazing trip with Tao Philippines through the wilderness and beauty of Palawan. If you haven't seen the pictures or videos I've posted on facebook, you should go look. Here are the links to the videos. This first one is good, but, it's all in German. And it's pretty long. It's a whole documentary. But it's interesting and about the company as well as the trip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-eedTpXf8I&feature=share
This second one is only five minutes and it's in English and it describes the actual trip better. I think it does a really beautiful job of capturing the mood and vibe of the experience.
http://vimeo.com/40630773
Okay so, if you watched either one of those, you can see for yourself how beautiful it is. But even as amazing as those videos portray it to be, they can not even begin to describe what this expedition was like. It changed my life. Yes, five days on a boat with 14 other complete strangers, plus the 7 Filipinos working the boat, who I spent more time with and got to know better than the other travelers, changed my entire life. I have never been more at peace with myself, or with God, or the world around me. Everyday wasn't sunshiny and beautiful but the experience was about so much more than weather. Even when the wind was throwing needles of stinging rain onto my overly sunkissed shoulders, that'll happen when you spend 6 months in Korea where the sun hardly makes an appearance and then change to everyday in the sun, and the water was so choppy it was impossible to sit still, there was a calm within my heart. My soul was sublimely happy. I can't recall ever feeling so centered and simply happy in my whole life. And when the storm moved on, and the seas calmed, leaving the boat to return to the gentle comforting rock I had come so used to so quickly, the sun peeked out from behind the thunderheads and warmed and dried my skin. The warmth soaked into my body and my heart. And aside from the breathtaking scenery and water so clear you can see 20 feet down like the floor is just below your feet, I forged friendships with the guys of Tao that I will forever hold dear in my heart. I picked up a little brother and several friends and even had a romance. And those connections just added so much more to the trip. They gave it a dimension I didn't know it was lacking. So, after 5 unforgettable days with Aurora, our boat, soaking up every bit of it we could, we finally pulled in to the harbor of Coron with sadness in the faces of everyone aboard. We gathered our things and stepped of the boat for what would likely be the last time.
Luckily, as most of us were spending a few days in Coron, we didn't have to say goodbye to our new friends just yet. We headed off to our hotels so get settled, drop off bags, clean up, and then met for dinner at a local bistro. I decided to take a short nap, which led to me accidentally sleeping longer than I meant to, of course, and being an hour late, but, no harm done. After all, there's no such thing as late when you live on island time. Some of us weren't ready for the night to end so after dinner a few of us headed out to a bar for some drinks and dancing. After we'd had our fill, those of us that remained, the last ones to bed every night of the trip, myself, Max, my new German friend, Edrian, my romance, Chance, my little brother, and Mharjio, the man responsible for the absolutely amazing food we got to eat, headed over to Captain Lito's house to carry on a bit longer. Well, Captain Lito was already asleep, it was after 11 after all, and he'd just finished a 5 day trip, and was leaving again in 2 days to do it all over again, so we sat in his living room and talked with his wife and sister, then watched Gulliver's Travels and had a marvelous time. His wife is such a sweetheart and his sister was hilarious. Finally, everyone getting tired, we headed back into town to call it a night. Edrian walked me to my hotel and I turned in for the night.
The next day brought one of the best days of my life, not to mention the trip. Edrian and Chance showed Max and I around the island of Coron by way of motorbike. And we started with a bang. Chance was the only one that could drive but he asked me if I thought I could do it, and wouldn't take no for an answer, so... a bit of chaos ensued. Despite my vehement protests, Chance put me on the bike, and with a 6'5" German on the back behind me, I attempted to drive. Well... you can imagine how that ended up. We crashed into a building, Max rolled over top of me, and I ended up under a very large German and a motorbike. Yeah. Thankfully, the worst injury was my shattered pride and the rest were only minor scrapes and a few bruises on me. So, we came up with plan B. Instead of renting two motorbikes and trying to force me to learn to drive in 5 seconds, I hired a driver (much better idea) and the trip was back on. Our driver was this super awesome guy named Omar, who really just added to the trip. We got a bigger bike since there would be three of us, Omar, me, and Edrian behind me, Max got behind Chance, and we were off. We went off the beaten path and Chance showed us his favorite spots and some amazing waterfalls tucked away in the jungles of Coron. But, the excitement didn't end with my run in with a building. The waterfalls Chance wanted to show us most were at the top of a mountain. Unfortunately, there had been a lot of rain in the last few months and the roads got washed out pretty bad, but, being a 16 year old boy, that didn't dissuade Chance at all and up we went. At a few places the going got pretty rough and we even had to get off and walk a few times. The bike could barely make it up with just Omar, and with the weight of two people on the back, it just wasn't going to happen. So the ride was a little rough, but still enjoyable. Until the bike slipped into a rut on the path and spilled to the side, taking us with it. Well, with someone on the bike behind me, and my desire not to be under a falling bike for the second time in one day, my reaction time for getting off the bike wasn't exactly Flash-worthy. And my leg hit the muffler. Now, if you've ever been on a bike, or around them, you know how hot mufflers get. This, plus my flesh, not exactly a brilliant combination. This all happened within seconds and Edrian and Omar had jumped off and caught the bike so it wasn't falling anymore, and since they were trying to keep it from falling again I figured I better just stay on and not move, to make it as easy for them as possible. Except that didn't really work and it fell again, slamming my leg, again, into the muffler. This time it hit closer to the bike, where the muffler is hotter, and the skin seared to the muffler, and when I pulled away out of reflex, my skin decided not to come with me. That's right folks. Two third degree burns in under 30 seconds. Hooray vacation! Anywho. So, in addition to my new body modifications to my leg, Omar hurt his wrist when he caught the bike from falling. His braking wrist. So, we have an injured driver, a wounded traveler, and we're in the middle of jungle. With nothing but two motorbikes, and a whole lot of mountain left to climb. So, in true manly fashion, we all suck it up, wrap Omar's wrist with a small lanyard the bike key was on, it was the only thing anyone had, we were only wearing swimming clothes and tshirts, mount back up, and carry on. After a bit we started to make our way back to civilization a bit and stopped for a break at Ollie's house (another guy with Tao but he worked on a different boat) and hung out with his wife and super cute kids for a bit. But the memorable part about Ollie's house is when we got there, Omar asked Ollie's wife for some toothpaste. So she comes out with a tiny packet of Colgate and I'm thinking - you really need to brush your teeth right now? That's a little strange, but, whatever floats your boat. Except then he tells me to let him see my leg, and proceeds to put toothpaste all over my burns. Umm, cool? Actually, yes. It made them stop burning and although the worse burn melted the toothpaste, it still helped dramatically with the pain. I would have never thought to put toothpaste on a burn and some people would probably call me crazy but, I got to learn the Filipino way of treating burns, or how to do it when you're in the jungle anyway. So, after a bit of rest and conversation, we got back on our bikes and continued on.
I got to see some really incredible views that day and have a once in a lifetime experience that I could have never expected on any vacation, but the two moments that will never fade from my memory, of this I am sure, are the following. We were coming down the other side of the mountain when we came around this turn and there was a break in the trees. You could see everything. It was looking down over this valley and all the other mountains that were shorter, of course Chance's favorite spot was on one of the tallest mountains on the island, and I felt like I was in a dream. Or a movie. It was absolutely breathtaking. The land was so untouched and primal and beautiful. My favorite view in life will probably always be an uninterrupted horizon looking out over the ocean, but the view of that valley will always be close behind. It was like looking over it all I could see all the life teeming just beneath the canopy of leaves. There was a whole world in that sea of green that had nothing to do with humans, and that was beautiful.
The other moment that will stay with me forever was at the end of the day. After seeing all of this awe-inspiring scenery, seeing all of God's wonder and glory untouched and in person, we were cruising down a dirt road and the sun was streaming through the leaves. Edrian had one earbud in and I had the other and we were listening to some song. But the moment wasn't about the music. There was just this instant where, with the sun speckled across my skin, and the warm wind kissing my face, with Edrian sitting close behind me, and us listening to the music, I felt like I had found another world. This wasn't the world where money or things mattered, there were no politics or big businesses, no factories or smokestacks or underhanded deals. There was just the sun, and the wind. There was melody and the earth. There was the sound of birds and insects singing sweetly in the coming sunset light. And it was perfect. It was simple and pure. The way life was supposed to be. It was the culmination of everything I had felt on my trip all refined into a single moment of pure, unbridled, life.
So, riding that wave of euphoria and holding onto that feeling of life, we headed to the hot springs to finish the day. We soaked away the sore muscles of a long ride and basked in the moment. After we went for a bit of dinner and I said goodbye to Max, not knowing if I would ever see him again, as he was leaving the next morning. And it was the end of another wonderful day.
The next morning brought breakfast, a trip to the Tao office to hang out with Rose, one of the managers, and a pleasant run in with Max. He was waiting for his van to go to the airport so we spent his last few hours recalling some of the awesome memories we had made over the last week and, at his insistence, maybe it's a German thing, having a few beers, even though it was only 11:30. After he left I headed back to my hotel, enjoyed a massage, then got a pedicure, and walked around the town for a bit. I (literally) ran into Edrian and Chance, when I was paying more attention to a little girl on the other side of the street than to where I was going, and since I had no plans, decided to spend the rest of the day with them. They were gathering supplies and loading up the boat for the next expedition which was leaving the next morning so I helped with that and after we were finished, we (me, Edrian, Chance, Mharjio, and the boat mechanic, who was a really awesome guy but who's name I never found out :/) sat around drinking rum and talking. By the way, in the Philippines they drink rum called Tanduay, and if I ever find it in the states, I just might become an alcoholic. It would be the only reason that would ever happen but man, is this delicious. Especially with some pineapple juice. Just so yummy. And I don't even like rum. But this is just... different. Anyway, then it was dinner and one more round of uncertain goodbyes, as every time I said it, I wasn't sure if I would ever see them again.
Sunday morning I woke up early, grabbed some fruit for breakfast, and headed out to the harbor to see the boys one last time before they left. They were finishing loading the boat with fruits and vegetables and ice, and while they were making trips back and forth to the boat, I got a chance to talk to some of the other men running boats in the area and Omar, who brought the loads of supplies in his trike. Finally, the time came to say goodbye for the last time, at least for a while, because I just can't accept that I'll never go back or see them all again. It was a sad moment but filled with the joy of friendships and memories made. And I know that I will see them again, if only through technology or dreams.
I spent the rest of the day exploring Coron by foot, got lost on side roads through the real village, away from the tourists, and ended it with a nice dinner with Lucy and some of the girls we had met on the boat.
Our last day in Coron Lucy and I did a bit of souvenir shopping and got hot oil treatments for our poor hair. Too much sun and salt water and not enough conditioner does not nice hair make. Then we headed to the Tao office to wait for our van, I saw goodbye to Rose and Markus, some fast friends I had made in the office, and when the van arrived, we headed to the airport. It was just a few short hours later that we were boarding our international flight "home" - or Korea, as it were - and before we knew it, vacation was over.
It was an amazing experience and one I will cherish for the rest of my life. I know I will go back to the Philippines at least once, hopefully many times, and often. It's got a special place in my heart and in the future, I may just call it home.
Sorry this post was something of a novel. I hope you enjoyed reading about my Philippine adventures at least a smidgen as much as I enjoyed having them. Because this took so long I won't be making another post today but I do promise to post again before it's been two months. Hope everyone back home is well. Miss you all and I'll see you in 4 months! ♥
