Chapter 2 - Mindoro On Saturday morning I left at 6 am to get the bus to the ferry terminal. As the driver flatly refused to put my bag in the hold I had to pay for a seat for it! At least I had room, sardine experience number 2 ensued behind me. Boarded the boat at 11am and headed for the island where I now reside, 90 minutes south of the capital. Met a retired French army colonel who has a plan to kayak around Mindoro and asked if I would like to do it with him. As it entails a paddle of 700 kilometres I politely declined but he gave me invaluable local knowledge as he has lived here for 4 years. On the ferry I also met super Mario, a hostel fixer who also appears to be the local wide boy, but we got on well and Im meeting him later to move rooms as his first place, which I slept in last night, is minging! Have taken some great vids and photos but not all have made it to Facebook, no surprise there then. Had my tat re done for 15 pounds and am happy with the changes. Up at 6 today for a walk on the beach and breakfast, now 8 am and its getting sunny. I am finding my money goes a lot further here than in Thailand et al, so feel quite well off! Ok Im up to date now and will add bits if they come to mind. Still no SIM card but hope to sort that tomorrow when I move up the coast to a slightly bigger town. White beach, where I am, is cool but not much to do, which suits me but going to move before I get too trapped. Slightly surprised at the lack of farang in this beautiful country, not that it bothers me, locals are far more fun and interesting to talk to. Mario thinks Im a mate of Ricky hatton, god knows why, and the hostel owner used to live in Germany in the exact town where I served in the army so a good chat was had with him! Travelling for me throws up new adventures and experiences, today was a fantastic example of that! Mario found me walking on the beach and invited me to his house for a drink. Now this was no ordinary house I can promise you that. Up the mountain we climbed on his dodgy moped, passing through sheer countryside until we did a sharp left and arrived in what I would describe as a gated community, Philipino style. Now on a pavement we passed many dwellings, of various standards of construction, until right at the end we came to Marios place. Wow. I could not have been deeper into local life, an eye opener is an understatement! What I saw was how they live, every day, very basic but at the same time he had his comforts. Tin roof, breeze block walls, no windows, dodgy electric sockets, ramshackle furniture, open fire kitchen with massive cooking pots, it was like going back in time. I met his wife, Rowena, his two sons, Dave and Danny, the puppy Dino and even the mother in law, who it turns out, ran the compound. She actually owned 10000 square metres of land and sold off buildings and plots to exist fairly well, providing food for elderly relatives. I counted at least 40 houses, all occupied. Mario explained they lived like a co-operative, helping each other and mucking in with daily tasks. I was simply blown away and being the only Farang there, brought much laughing from the little children. Now I am not a dog lover as my friends will testify but here I saw at least 12, feral, mangy wolf like creatures that despite putting the fear of god up me, were as placid and friendly as you like, a huge relief! I saw an army of chickens roaming free. I asked Mario how many he had, he replied 37 berry but soon to be 36 as were having chicken tonight. The way he said it, I nearly wet myself with laughter as the tune to the advert raced through my head, priceless. They had spring water on tap, a nearby river for washing clothes, mango, jack fruit, banana and papaya trees/plants, everything needed to exist. My next shock was to learn that despite its secluded location the whole community had access to cable tv and wifi, it really was a surreal dreamland I was in, my brain was so full of these images, how lucky am I! Ok here is the weird thing. Mario told me a few westerners lived there also, maybe 6 months of the year, with families they had befriended. He showed me a dwelling right next to his, 200 square metres, sparse but clean. And then he said this....... jerry berry, why dont you come and live here for a month, taste real local life? I wont lie, I was tempted, I still am and here is why. My hostel is £7 a night, this place, with bedroom, living area, kitchen and dodgy shower, is £50 a month!! A scooter, which I would need, costs the same, the leccy is £8 a month, internet and cable tv £20 a month and the mother in law said I even got to keep my own chickens! All in for less than £150 a month! I mean how fab is that?! It all sounds so crazy but is it? I mean how close to living with locals can I get. Its safe, clean, 3 minutes by bike to a glorious deserted white sandy beach, an Italian restaurant on the main road if I got the munchies for pizza and western life. Perfect situation in my eyes. I can save money, whats a month when I ve got 6, and what price can I put on the experience? It would give me extra funds to enjoy later on in the trip. Very much food for thought. I may well do this, I am mad enough to!! Oh, and there are monkeys that visit the trees when its dark! The view of white beach from the hill was stunning as we made our way back to town. My next great thing to happen was to watch Manilas favourite son, Manny packquiao, on tv as he won the world title. To watch it with philipinos was an awesome experience, they were all going nuts. Now Mario is a thoroughly decent chap. I trust him, he has given me loads of local knowledge, tips and facts and has undoubtedly saved me money from unscrupulous vendors. So I bought him lunch and filled his bike up for him. The food was as cheap as the petrol!! £2 for fresh fish caught yards from the grill it was cooked on, soft tender and mouth watering! It has been a long and draining day, I have witnessed so much. So I was happy to find, on returning to my room, that that kings speech film was on TV, so I watched that, coolio! It is now 4 am on Monday 25 th November, a week since I began this adventure, and I have to say it is up there as far as having a great time goes! I am so happy, I could at times cry. Tomorrow is tattoo time, then into puerto galero to change money and find a SIM card . In the afternoon I shall be doing mainly bugger all, save for lying on the beach sipping mango juice, swimming and sucking it all in as the ladies walk by. The snaps and vids I have taken today are testament that this trip did actually happen and it wasnt all a dream!! Its now 6am, my favourite time of day as i meander along the beach, listening to the waves lap against the sand and watch the local fishermen launch their boats and cast their nets. Im enjoying a mixed omelette and brewed coffee, tidy beanz. Ham, cheese, tomato, mushroom omellete 2 squid, 2 brewed coffees 1 squid, 20 malboro 1 pound 75, all that for under a fiver!
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 00:03:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015