February 7, 2012
Guam
The overnight flight from Hong Kong arrived in Guam at 5:50 a.m. My next flight to Yap is at 11:59 p.m. so I had 18 hours to spend in this US territory. It was just dawn when I walked out of the airport. Since there is no check baggage counter at the airport, I had to carry my bag with me. Even though, I decided to walk 30 minutes to K-Mart. It was not that difficult. Gladly, I had a tasty pizza slice at K-Mart for just $3 plus tax. After eating, I walked another 10 minutes to PIC (Pacific Island Club) in Tumon area where I left my bag at the counter.
One day earlier, I booked a seawalker tour ($98 including observatory and buffet lunch) at Fish Eye Marine Park through email. I asked them to pick me up at PIC since it's the closest hotel from the airport. They arrived very on time at 7:55 a.m. Since I couldn't dive, I would like to try this sea walk instead. Although it was tough getting down (though only 3 meters deep), it was kind of fun under the water. And the company is quite professional. The buffet lunch was so-so - there were two Chamorro dishes.
After lunch, I was back in Tumon. The easiest way to get around Tumon is to buy a day pass for $10 (or a 5 day pass for $20 if you stay longer) offered by Red Guahan Shuttle (run by Lam Lam Tours & Transportation). First I checked out Tumon Bay from Ypao Beach Park near Hilton. The view is dramatic. After spending some time at the beach, I used Red Guahan Shuttle to get to Hagatna (transfer at Guam Premier Outlets).
Hagatna is the capital of Guam and there are a few things to see within walking distance to the bus stop – Agana Shopping Center. A list would be: Latte Stone Park, Maria Cathedral, Plaza de Espana, San Antonio Bridge, Chamorro Village, Paseo de Susana Park and the mini Statue of Liberty.
After some two hour walking under the sun in Hagatna, I was happy to be back in the air-conditioned shuttle bus. The last sight I would like to check out in Guam is the very famous Two Lovers Point. The shuttle ticket to Two Lovers Point has to be bought separately ($10 return including entrance fee) and there are two starting points at DFS Galleria and Micronesia Mall. It's difficult to say how the site looks like but since it's the No. 1 sight in Guam if you don't check it out you may regret it.
Back to PIC to get my bag, it was already dusk. Rushed to Micronesia Mall for the cheapest dinner in town at the food court ($6) and used the shuttle the last time to K-Mart. I did some shopping at K-Mart for my trip to Yap and walked back to the airport.
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| Two Lovers Point |
February 8, 2012
Colonia
The flight from Guam to Yap took about one hour and a half. The “new” Yap airport is still a small airport. A topless girl welcomed passengers after immigration. I booked EMI Blue Lagoon Apartment in advance ($35 single room) and asked them to pick me up at the airport. Sadly I didn't find any signs of my name or the apartment name. After checking with a driver from another hotel, I finally found the couple who came to pick me up. Maybe because they are an apartment, not a hotel, they didn't put any sign and tried to find me, but they missed me!
EMI Enterprises owns a supermarket in Colonia and also Blue Lagoon Apartment to the south of the lagoon, perhaps the cheapest accommodation in Colonia. The apartment is actually quite nice - fully finished with a full kitchen (you can actually cook yourself). There is a small TV and a DVD player (no TV channels though). On the 2nd or 3rd floor of the apartment you have a good view of the lagoon.
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| Colonia |
February 9, 2012
Yap (Land Tour)
After having lunch at Oasis Restaurant ($6 lunch special), I had a land tour for the afternoon. Almost every hotel can arrange land tours (I happened to stay at an apartment so it's an exception). The Visitor Bureau recommended Yap Pacific and Manta Bay. The reception desk at Yap Pacific seemed a little bit more friendly so I booked the land tour from them for $60 (half day including snack and water).
The land tour usually has a local guide drive you around the island, covering some stone money banks, meeting houses, men's houses and you may have a chance to talk to some locals in a village. The stone money and men's houses are quite unique to tourists and no doubt it was a pleasant afternoon.
Dinner was at Ganir Restaurant. Price doubled. The amount was big but taste was nothing special.
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| Stone Money Bank |
February 10, 2012
Village View Resort
For the last night in Yap, I moved to Village View Resort. It turned out to be a very smart decision. Village View Resort is in North Yap at Maap. It has the largest and most beautiful beach in Yap. There are only a few bungalows, all on the beach. At $65 (plus 10% tax) per room, it's quite a good value in Yap. There is a restaurant and a dive operator right on site. The only internet option is to talk to Al, the owner, and use his computer at the office. People come here to relax, I guess, and can forget the internet temporarily.
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| Village View Resort |
February 11, 2012
Kaday Village
Another good reason to stay at Village View Resort is that I would like to have the traditional sailing experience ($40, about 1 hour) in the morning, starting right at the beach of Village View Resort. This canoe sailing is indeed very “traditional” - only experiencing it personally can tell. Amazingly, this traditional way of sailing is one of the most smooth boat rides in my life!
After the sailing, I enjoyed the beach for another couple of hours. In mid-afternoon, a guy from Yap Pacific came to pick me up for the “Cultural Tour” I booked from them for $60 (every Tuesday and Saturday afternoon 4:30 – 7:30 p.m., minimum 6 people, weather permitting). The most notable thing about the tour is definitely the topless men, women, boys and girls at Kaday Village. The tour actually covers a walk through a stone path, weaving by women, climbing by a boy and finally the dance. The chief of the Village is a very nice man and he acted as a guide throughout the tour. Although there are some souvenirs on sale, nobody asked for tips, etc. Definitely a memorable experience.
February 12, 2012
Koror
The one hour flight from Yap to Koror, Palau was delayed and when I reached Palau it was almost 2 a.m. The hotel I booked in advance, DW Motel ($60 double, free airport transfer), picked me and some other guests up from the airport. Though a little bit far (1 km) from the town center, DW is a very nice and quiet place. And it's only a short walk to the Visitors Authority and IMPAC (a popular budget tour operator).
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| Koror |
February 13, 2012
Babeldaob
I hired a car ($45 for 24 hours, gas extra) to check out Palau's biggest island, Babeldaob. Before heading for Babeldaob, I went to one of the high-end hotels in Palau, the Palau Pacific Resort (often referred as PPR, high season around $400 per room). PPR is so famous and I was curious to see it. It actually occupies a large area of land with many high-end houses. The beach is nice but since I just came from Village View Resort in Yap, personally I liked Village View Resort more since I could really relax there.
It's very easy to do a loop drive on Babeldaob in about 2 hours (without stopping). There are almost no vehicles most of the time. The first site I checked out was the famous Airai Bai, the only remaining men's house in Palau. Unlike its counterparts in Yap, this men's house is not walled and is decorated in a more colorful way (good for photos).
Continuing north, on the second Melekeok exit, I reached the Capitol. No surprise it looks splendid since it took 7 years to build. Not far from the capitol is the sea and there is a nice public beach without people. A stone face and some shops are nearby – good for some snack.
When I arrived at Ngardmau Waterfall, the last sight I would like to see on Babeldaob, it was 10 minutes after 4 p.m. and I was told that the waterfall was closed at 4 p.m. After saying nice things to the lady manager for a while, she finally agreed to let me in ($10 entrance fee). The waterfall itself is nothing spectacular, though the path to the waterfall can be some good exercise if it's not raining.
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| Airai Bai |
February 14, 2012
Rock Islands
There are many tour operators in Koror offering snorkeling tours to Rock Islands. To see the best of Rock Islands, you usually need to join two tours (around $100 each). I actually selected a Taiwanese-run company called Palau International Tour (PIT) and they happened to have an all-in-one tour to Rock Islands on this day, covering Milky Way, German Channel, Big Drop-off, Long Beach, Jellyfish Lake and two other snorkeling sites. To summarize, Milky Way is fun, Big Drop-off is a good geography lesson, and Jellyfish Lake is really the pearl of Palau. No trip to Palau is complete without a visit to Jellyfish Lake.
A 3 hour flight took me to Manila in the evening.
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| Milky Way |
February 15, 2012
Donsol
I took the first flight from Manila to Legazpi in the morning (6:05 by Cebu Pacific, 1 hour) in order to be early at Donsol. A tricycle takes you from the airport to the bus terminal for 50 pesos where mini-buses for Donsol leave when full for 75 pesos per head. Another tricycle must be used from Donsol Bus Terminal to the Visitor Center (yes another 50 pesos). When I arrived at the Visitor Center, it was a little bit after 9 a.m. Not too bad. Now only 6 people are allowed on one boat for 3500 pesos, plus registration fee 300 pesos and mask/snorkel/flippers rental 300 pesos. It didn't take too long to get 6 people on board.
While on the sea, it takes about one hour to the area where whale sharks are around. Not sure if it's because it's too early in the season (mid February) or because of the lack of skills of the guide, it seemed very difficult to find whale sharks for us. Other boats in the area seemed to have more luck, perhaps just a little bit more luck. For the boat I was on board, the guide only asked everybody to jump one time during the entire 4 hour journey. And by the time he ordered, I was too sleepy and didn't have time to respond in time (you need to put on the mask, snorkel and flippers). Besides, the water was too cold and that made me hesitate to jump into the sea. According to other people on board who did jump, they did see a whale shark, but just for a few seconds. Conclusion: it's not an easy game.
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| View of Mt Mayon from Legazpi Airport |
February 16, 2012
Legazpi to Kalibo (via Manila)
A transit day. Morning flight from Legazpi to Manila (Cebu Pacific) and afternoon flight from Manila to Kalibo (Zest Air). I had a quick lunch at Manila's Chinatown in between.
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| Chinatown, Manila |
February 17, 2012
Boracay
Located in the center of the Philippines, Boracay is probably the most popular tourist destination in the Philippines and is one of the most advertised beach destinations in Asia. Although there are direct flights from Manila to Caticlan (just a short ferry ride to Boracay), the airport in Caticlan is too small and only small airplanes can land there. The result: air tickets to Caticlan are limited and expensive. That's why I used Kalibo Airport for much cheaper tickets. Tricycles are available to take you from the airport to the town center for 100 pesos and mini-buses leave the center of Kalibo for Caticlan for 100 pesos (2 hours). There are also direct buses from Kalibo Airport to Caticlan for 175-200 pesos.
A 10 minute boat ride takes you from Caticlan Pier to Boracay. Apart from paying 25 pesos for the boat, you need to pay a 50 peso terminal fee and a 75 peso environmental fee (only applicable on the Caticlan to Boracay journey and not back). After landing at the pier at the south end of Boracay, a tricycle is needed to get to the White Beach where numerous hotels/resorts are located (1,500 pesos can get you a good one).
Although I've been to many beaches, including many in Thailand, the White Beach at Boracay is still quite impressive to me. Not only it's 4km long, it's also quite clean and beautiful. Apart from resorts, there are endless restaurants, food stands and shops on the beach. You will never get bored! Furthermore, you can find almost all kinds of water sports here and meet tourists from all over the world. For people not a big fun of water sports like me, sitting in a beach restaurant watching people walking by is quite a lot of fun.
On the other side of the island is Bolabog beach. There are not many people there simply because the beach is not connected, at least when the tide is high.
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| Sailboats at White Beach |
February 18, 2012
Boracay to Cebu
Another transit day. This time from Caticlan to Kalibo by air-conditioned “big” bus for 107 pesos (more comfortable than the mini-bus). They stop at the bus terminal in Kalibo, only 2km from the airport. A tricycle only costs 50 pesos. From Kalibo a small airplane by Airphil Express took me to Cebu.
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| Kalibo Bus Terminal |
February 19, 2012
Bohol Island and Cebu
The slow “Lite Ferry” from Cebu Pier 1 to Tagbilaran arrived around 3 am but passengers can stay until dawn. When I woke up around 7 a.m., I found other passengers already left. At the pier, it was not difficult to hire a vehicle for a tour on the island. After negotiation, I got one guy take me on a 3 hour tour to Chocolate Hills and the Tasier Conservation Area for 1,500 pesos.
The ever-popular Chocolate Hills (50 peso entrance fee collected on the road) in central Bohol look more splendid in the pictures then reality. But it's still worth getting here. Part of the road getting to Chocolate Hills is through a forest - some very pleasant experience.
Seeing the tarsiers (50 pesos) is another fun activity on Bohol Island. These little creatures rarely move during the day. But their big eyes always stare at you - another good reason to bring a good camera to Bohol.
Since it's Sunday, all afternoon fast boats were fully booked. So I had to take the 12:00 noon slow “Lite Ferry” back to Cebu (5 hours). That gave me an opportunity to check out some of Cebu's sites near the pier, including Fort San Pedro, Plaza Indenpencia, Cross of Megellan, Basilica del Santo Nino and Cebu Cathedral. Dinner was at the popular Chika-An Sa Cebu Restaurant in SM City Shopping Mall. I tried the “national dishes” lechon kawali and pork adobo, before heading for the airport for a late flight to Hong Kong.
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| Chocolate Hills |
Summary
It was a great two week trip, starting and ending in Hong Kong. Guam is a “must” stopover point for almost all trips to Micronesia. Although very Americanized, Guam is still a good break and a good place to buy some essentials before heading for Micronesia or Palau. Yap in Micronesia is a very unique destination and is highly recommended for any serious traveler. Here you are kind of “isolated” but you will fall in love with it and don't want to leave. Palau on the other hand is a more developed destination with all established facilities to take care of tourists (mostly from East Asia). Jellyfish Lake is a must-see if you have limited time in Palau. As far as the Philippines is concerned, Boracay is still recommended for its long & beautiful White Beach. While in Bohol, you will get some education and it's a good place to bring your children if you have any.
Beautiful photos...I live so close to these islands yet never been there. Definitely on my bucket list!
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