As usual, I will start with a little setting for you to just get the picture of what a lame ass blogger I actually am.
It's 12th July, I'm sat at my desk at work with nothing to do. Literally. I'm listening to the radio, waiting for the rain and overlooking Manchester City stadium. Not too bad of a view but with nothing to do, I would rather be at home, but what a perfect opportunity to do some catching up.
Wishing I was back in Asia is quite the understatement right now. Faced with reality of getting up at stupid o'clock (well 7.40, and I leave at 7.55), catching the god awful bus, sitting at your desk from 9-5pm, catching the same god awful bus home, having tea, and watching mind numbing tv until it's time to go to bed and do it all over again, makes you realise, what amazing times you actually encounter when you're away and how much you probaby take it for granted. And then you think, why can't you do it forever?! With everyone booking and jetting off on their summer holidays at the moment, it makes me think how much I need a holiday..... you know only having been home for 3 months after 5 months of doing absolutely nothing. Travelling isn't always getting up, sunbathing, eating and drinking.. there is day long travelling involved too which makes it awfully tiring but send me to the airport right now, and I don't think I would complain if I had to sit on a sweaty bus everyday for 10 hours just to be in one of those amazing countries. Hhhmm bummed myself out much?
After the ever eventful Nuts Huts journey, we darted out of there faster than out feet could take us and we actually had to hail a large canoe at the side of the river to take us to the other end of the river so we could get a taxi out of the area. I love transport in Asia!
The journey was as always interesting and I really wish I had taken photo's. We arrived at the bus station after tour guide led us the right way and sat on a very small rickety sweaty bus. We all took our individual seats as we didn't think it would get busy.. then it was time to meet the locals. I shared a predominantley 2 seater seat with 3 other people. Caroline had her knees under her chin, and sat right inbetween Matej and Kevin was an incredible looking lady. She was very much on the dwarf meter, most likely around her 70's, long black/grey hair, with a massive wart on her nose. She seemed rather comfortable. The boys did not.
After about an hour we arrived at Alona beach and first stop was a bar to re charge with an ice cold San Miguel and it was now time to search for some accommodation. After a while we found something down the road and Caroline and I were to share what I can only describe as the smallest bed, EVER. Even though it was tiny, we still both slept as far apart from each other as physically possible as to not roll onto each other, something which I always loved to do. I always woke up with my nose against the wall and Caroline about to fall off the edge! But still.. I would happily return. Right now.
Our time on Bohol was rather quiet as it was nothing in comparison to Boracay and I think I speak for all when I say, it was a little disappointing. There seemed to be no night life and travellers seemed few and far between so luckily, there was a group of us to make our own entertainment.
Each night we played drinking games, and in the end made Arsehole into a drinking game which after 1 round, I think we all regretted. Evil. One night we found a boat on the beach and had a 'boat party'. It's actually amazing what you find entertaining on your travels. Another night the boys were seeing how many ladyboys they could find. One night, Kevin got so smashed, he fell asleep on the beach, Petri found a random potentially rabies infested dog and pretty much fell in love with him and then was his 'booboo baby' and then we magically found Kevin asleep on a chair on our way home. That's right, asleep upright, in a plastic chair. If only you could film your entire time away!
During our few days there we did some touristy things and hired motorbikes which then aired the questions of who drives with who. It was clear as day that no one wanted to drive with Kevin as he made it very clear, his eyesight wasn't the best and after a couple of days even admitted that when it was dark, he literally followed other car lights infront of him so he knew where he was going. Safe to say, he drove solo. Tyler drove Petri, Peter drove Caroline and Matej drove me.
Within an hour we made a stop off to apply sun cream and get water and Caroline got injury number 3. Backing her lef into the motorbike exhaust. HUGE FAT BLISTER! The area we stopped off at seemed like it was backwards in time. The shops didn't even have plasters. So we improvised and used hand gel, tissue and cellotape.
We made the decision to visit the famous 'Chocolate Hills' which no, are not made of chocolate and they aren't even brown. They are literally just hundreds and hundreds of hilly formations. Really glad we made the 2 hour journey. On a more positive note, driving through all the country roads solely on a motorbike, seeing rural Bohol for what it was was breathtaking. Everything was just no natural and everyone waved as you went by. There were woman hanging out washing, dusting the front steps to their tiny wooden hut's, men carving/building things, herding in their animals and children playing freely and without danger. This place was clearly a very untouched part of the earth.
Sadly, our time had ended with Tyler and Peter and they had to leave us. The group was deteriorating. The worst part of travelling. We would no doubt see them again though as like us, had plans to be in Koh Phangan for New Year.
The show must go on and we were 2 drivers down for the motorbikes. Matej tought Petri how to drive his bike and he went solo, as did Kevin (obviously), and Caroline also gave it a whirl and eventually, I gave her the privelage of shauferring me in the afternoon after she felt comfortable enough to manouvre the bike.
That day we took another journey in which we got soaked, and actually had no idea where we were going but we really wanted to see as Matej called them 'the tiny monkeys'. What we infact wanted to see was the Tarsiers. These creatures are actually primates and not monkeys and are incredibly rare and restricted to a small selection of S.E Asian Islands. Kept in severe captivity, Tarsiers do not live a very long life and luckily, we got to go to a natural sanctuary. The keepers go out each morning and manually search for them in their large enclosure ready to show the visitors. When you finally see one, it's quite astonishing at how small these creatures are and in all honesty, how very creepy they look. Their eye balls are bigger than their brains and they have tails probably 3x the length of their bodies. Basically, large rat/gremlin looking things, but at the same time, stupidly cute.
The remaining 2 days of our time was spent sunbathing as the sun had finally decided to come out and when the sun shone, Bohol was beautiful! Alona beach was no Boracay but still...The sea was crystal clear and spotting star fish beneath your feet was standard. On our last night, Kevin and Petri had decided to go back to the main town for some 'ladyboy hunting' so they packed their stuff and as Petri was taking an earlier flight back to Manila, we agreed to meet Kevin at the port ready for our flight back. But would he make it?
Our very last night was spent stuffing our faces and we came across 'Gay Jurassic'. A competition on the beach for gay Filipino's to showcase themselves in a beauty round, swimsuit round and comedy round in a completely unconventional fashion. Their make up and dress attire was somewhat 'different' and on some of them, horror movie adequate. But it made for some extremely good entertainment and there were clearly no boundaries with what could be said, or shown!
Ahhhhh Thailand day... The one we had been waiting for, but it was also a sad day. Matej would leave us today to go back to the north Philippines and we would meet up with the rest of the guys at the airport. We made our way to the marina to catch our boat and Kevin amazingly made it with about 5 minutes to spare so he could get his ticket and check in 'Savannah' the poor old battered suitcade with no handles or wheels. Which he had to carry over his shoulders.
We took the boat over back over to Cebu, then Caroline tried very hard to persuade Matej for him to catch the same flight as us back to Manila (so she could then persuade him to come to Thailand with the rest of us). We got him to Manila, caught up with Petri, and Ben.. and then Matej decided he would 'screw it' and book a flight to Bangkok on a whim with us and spend Xmas with us all! The group was in tact - for a little while longer.
The 6 of us took the flight and arrived at Bangkok and everyting seemed to run smoothly until Kevin pushing 6 peoples bags down an escalator, made some sort of mistake with the trolley and they all went flying to the very bottom!
This trip to Bangkok was quite weird for me and Caroline as this was actually where we should have started our trip. So all the what if's started to flow but at the time, we wouldn't have changed anything. We arrived on the infamous Khao San Road and it was full of pissed up barely standing travellers and I was actually quite shocked at the state of literally, everyone. There were people puking in the street and manier girls being carried back to their rooms to their just as drunk friends.
Randomly, Becky was staying in Bangkok for one night and we had booked into the same hostel which was right near the Khao San Road and tried to find her in there but failed. As soon as we checked in and dumped our bags, baring in mind this was about 2am, it was beer time! My first taste of Chang. We grabbed a 50p pad thai from one of the many street vendors and then found a little cocktail stand which sold £1 Mojito's and along stumbled Becky! As soon as she sat down she in true Becky style knocked my drink over and nearly fell from her stool. It was good to see her even if it was just for the night! Hello Thailand!
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