The Trials and (Mis)adventures of the Travelling Teacher: Vaplaytion

After a week in the Philippines I have returned to my desk refreshed and excited about the 3-4 weeks of school I have before another 2 week break. The trip down to the lovely Isle of Siquijor (pronounced Sicky-whore) was a lengthy one: First I took a train from Busan up to Seoul (5 Hours), then a subway train to Incheon International Airport (1 Hour), rested in the airport until 8pm (2.5 Hours), then flew to Cebu (4 Hours), cleared customs and was out a little bit before 2am, next I was picked up by my cousins and their guides in a truck and driven to a coffee shop then the bus terminal (1 Hour), then there was the bus (3 Hours), then a nauseating fairy while the Wednesday sun rose (1 Hour), breakfast at a Jollibee (I had water because my stomach was swirling), and back onto a fairy to Siquijor Island (this one was better and didn't feel as long but took the same amount of time), tragically we got of at the wrong port, so we took a jeepni to our port then my cousins' multi-cab (a compact pickup with benches running down the side of the flat) home.

A jeepni is like a multi-cab but its lower to the ground and has a longer bench. It could fit 5 people comfortably on each bench but there were proably 7 people aside and a baby.
"Welcome to the Philippines." My cousin says half asleep as we ride through the potholes.

After having 2-3 hours of sleep since leaving Busan Tuesday morning I went to bed at 4pm. That was the only time I went to bed without an amazing dinner.

I'll give you the bullet form of all my activities in no particular (Island time was in effect) order with a comment or two, along with some pictures - I wish I took more, but now there's more incentive to go back.

First off, the weather was overcast for the first couple days which was a good segway into the blistering heat of the final few days there. So the first couple days consisted of a movie, cards, sudoku, books and food(I'm making a separate blog about food and drinks on this trip)

I saw two separate waterfalls, the water was cool and clear in both locations. One was much more secluded than the other (both names escape me). The other had teens and young men swinging off of vines and dropping into the water from the river bank.

I went into a cave as well. Figuring this would be like the man made cave in the DMZ I was unprepared for what was in store. It was an underground reservoir, filled with really cool stalactites and rock formations. It was a much muddier, confined Moria. Wearing flip-flops in there really put a damper on the adventure since they seemed to separate every 20 steps. Apart from that, I'd recommend it to anybody adventurous.

Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines currently, and there's usually pick-up once or twice a week. Figuring I could use some exercise after sitting for such a long time in passenger seats and hammocks, I went out and had a good time meeting tons of super cool guys that live for this sport from sixteen to forty. The cost was 10 pesos (a quarter in North America) for a game. I played two and slept like a baby that night.

Mornings are very different on Siquijor. A typhoon had knocked out one of the two power generators on the island, resulting in rolling brownouts. Obviously alarm clocks are no longer the most reliable tool to get up. Instead there are roosters. Not a rooster, roosters; from all over in the morning you can hear a chorus of different tones and screeches, all of which are annoying. One Philippine guy told me that the rooster is the most popular pet in Siquijor. The day always started early so we had plenty of time to get stuff done.

One afternoon was spent at Solangon Beach resort. They had water slides and platforms probably 10+ meters into the air. Jumping off was a really exciting feeling. Having a fear of heights, and understanding how to beat this fear. I did not look off the platform, or even stand on it. Just looked out into the horizon and ran off. The drop was probably around 2 seconds, my "woo" ended before the salty water shot up into my sinuses.

On Friday, the drinking night, we went to a sick bar called Caesar's. After subjecting myself to dingy and smoky bars lodged in a basement, being in an open-concept, and lighted, bar with a live band and a dance floor outside was so much fun I wish I could have stayed forever.Tragically not the case.