Saturday, January 17, 2009

The Taming of the Mechanical Korean Bull

This pic was taken this summer by Jason. We found a carnival along the beach in Bundang. I don't want to dis on the Korean cowboys, but they weren't doing to well. They would hop on the bull, get real stiff, lock their arms and legs, and fall off on the first buck. One guy was so drunk that I don't believe they even started the bull; he just fell off. I decided to show everybody what was up and put on a show. Actually I think I was just mediocre, but compared to the competition, I shined.

Monday, January 12, 2009

True Travel

It's too bad, I think all of us can relate in one way or another.

Friday, January 09, 2009

Palawan, oh Palawan

The long awaited winter vacation to the Philippines has come and gone. There was laughter, joy, anger, frustration, and a few tears wept in happiness and uncontrollable rage. Yes, Misty and Kat were rather embarrassed to travel with me.

We stayed a few days in Puerto Princesa and then headed to the northern town of El Nido. Good friends Sarah and Jason went to El Nido about six months ago and I made fun of them for it. "El Neato?" I said, "What sort of tourist trap is that?" I am well aware of the irony, taking travel advice from the people I just made fun of. I humble myself before you Sarah and Jason. You may now make fun of me (although I'm sure you already do).

Rather than go into everything that happened, I'm going to piece-meal this entry and give the advice I wish I'd had on my journey:

1. Puerto Princesa is not beach adjacent. I repeat, it is not on the ocean. There is no beach. It's amazing how that came as surprise, not just to my small group, but to many other travelers as well.

2. If you find yourself in Puerto Princessa, do the Honda Bay tour. The tour company will drive you fifteen minutes to the port and the boat will take you to three pristine islands. Well worth the cost.

3. The Underground River is cool, just be prepared for hordes of tourists.

4. Do not bring bananas to the Underground River. Rather, plant bananas on your friend and watch him/her get get mugged by monkeys. I saw a monkey straight-up pilfer this Japanese man's bananas. It just ran right up and yoinked the fruit right off this guys backpack. It guess it is true, monkeys go bananas for bananas.

5. Make bus/shuttle van reservations in advance as soon as possible, and be prepared that your reservations may not be honored. Other option is to gather as many other travelers as you can and hire a private van.

6. Stay at Taiyo Cottages in El Nido. Most of the cottages in town are crammed together, and not all that peaceful. Taiyo is different. It's a bit of a walk to get there, but it's worth it. http://www.elnidocottages.com/

7. I don't recommend the island hopping Tour A, B or C packages in El Nido. We did tour A and it was a frantic dash from island to island. Instead hire a private boat (the people at Taiyo can do this for you) and tour the islands at your pleasure. Be aware that the sea can get rough.

8. The Manila airport is a zoo of epic proportions. Get there at least 4 hours before your flight leaves.

9. Zest air is cheap, justifiably cheap.

10. Bring flashlights.

11. Watch out for Satan's creation on the secluded beaches. Satan's creation a.k.a sand fleas and nick-nicks. Bring bug spray. This can be purchased at the Art Cafe in downtown El Nido.

12. Bring all the money you will need for your trip. Puerto Princesa has ATMs but El Nido has yet build a town bank.

13. Bring Immodium or some other bowel plugging medicine. I mercifully won't go into detail here.

I'm sure there's more to say, but the list is long enough. Looking at the list it makes my trip seem full of travel mishaps, bug bites, and mad dashes to the bathroom. It was that, but it was more. We got to party and dance with the locals at an outdoor Christmas rave. We saw fireflies. We laid on the beach, read books, and drank wine. We met people from so many different countries and basically had new experiences. That will do for me any time.

El Nido


El Nido
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.

Naoko, Misty and Kat


Naoko, Misty and Kat
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Pictured is one of the sweetest ladies in the world (sorry Kat and Misty, it's not you). Naoko owns and runs Taiyo Cottages in El Nido and I recommend it hands down. She'll take good care of you.

Moth and Beer


Moth and Beer
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
The beer is there to give you some size perspective. It was the only thing I could find handy (stop judging me).

Honestly, this was the largest insect ever seen, including all of those insects I've seen in bug museums. Pretty cool, but then you start to wonder how big the spiders are on Palawan. If this is the size of a moth, I don't want to see what eats this thing.

James Bond Entry


James Bond Entry
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
I thought I was super cool but apparently I did it wrong. I just kind of flopped. I figured what the hell, I got in the water, mission accomplished.

Paradise


Paradise
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
It was a nice day.

Misty Looks on as Minos Practices Counting

Pictured is Misty and our dive instructor Minos. All the girls were in love with this French dude and dubbed him McSalty (ala Grey's Anatomy). I just like the guy because he kept me alive underwater.

On a side note, on my second day of dives, I saw a Yellow Haired Ukrainian Idiot. I went diving with a bunch of internationals and this Ukrainian dingus dove to forty meters. After 30 meters bad things can happen (nitrogen narcosis, the bends, death). A dive master went down and made the guy come back up. The dude was almost out of air when he surfaced. I thought divers were a pretty respectable group with all the training that goes into it and what not, but I guess this doesn't apply to all divers.

Diving Trio


Diving Trio
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Mark looks on as I complete the dare and try and eat my own snorkel.

Am I Doing This Right?


Am I Doing This Right?
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Using my regulator above the water as I also give myself an upper-cut to the face.

Hot Springs Trail


Hot Springs Trail
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Misty loved this. I thought it thoroughly sucked. Misty thought it was adventurous. I thought it was a major pain in the ass. When we signed up for the hot springs tour I envisioned luxurious mineral pools we could relax in. Instead it was a hot muddy hole in the ground.

Pictured is Kat walking the trail to the hot springs. At this point the water was scalding hot, so balancing on the skinny log was imperative. I took too much time trying to navigate the log, began to burn the bottom of my feet, scurried across, jumped to the other side of the spring, and sank crotch deep in mud. Adventurous? Yes, but it's the kind of adventure I can do without.

Our Own Beach


Our Own Beach
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
The beach where I proposed.

Us
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
I think all the close friends and relatives know already, but on Christmas I proposed to Kat. We found a secluded beach and the time seemed right so I popped the question. She said yes and I thank her for that. (I plan to spend the rest of my life thanking her.)

Tentative plans are to have the wedding in Las Vegas. I suggested the Chapel of Elvis, but Kat has something a bit more classy in mind. We are choosing Vegas strictly because it's a good half-way point between her family and mine.

Beach Bums


Beach Bums
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
To be included in the wedding invitations.

Hello


Hello
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
A hermit crab up close and personal.

Warrior Princesses


Warrior Princesses
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
They hit the beach and went tribal.

Death to Intruders


Death to Intruders
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Sibling rivalry.

Holly Slips


Holly Slips
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Here's Holly pretending to fall a great distance and doing too good of a job. This pic scares me and I know it's not real.

Sea and Beach 2


Sea and Beach 2
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
The Philippines supposedly has 7008 islands. I can cross 8 off my list.

Efficent Use of Passanger Space

This was our ride up to El Nido. Eight hours on a bumpy road with this. When we first arrived at the bus station we were informed that all the seats were sold out, but there was space in the isle and on top. Misty was all about riding up top, but eight hours on top without sunscreen did not appeal to me. Isle it was and despite being uncomfortable, everything worked out okay.

The Tricycle


The Tricycle
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
The main form of transportation on Palawan. At one time we fit six people onto/into one of these.

El Nido


El Nido
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Downtown El Nido

Playtime


Playtime
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
More fun with the kids.

Dance Suckas


Dance Suckas
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
This was one of the coolest things I've ever participated in. The walk back to our hotel zigzaged through a Philippino neighborhood in the jungle. On this night, December 23rd, there was a pretty big Christmas party going on and we were spontaneously invited. The adults gave us lots of rum and the kids just want to dance. A good time was had by all.

Christmas Jungle Party


Christmas Jungle Party
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
It's a hootenanny.

Gotcha 2


Gotcha 2
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
I was sitting out on our hotel porch when this spider darted between my legs and nabbed this fly. I would have screamed but the spider was about the size of a quarter of my little fingernail, so not very big. I snapped the super macro filter on my camera and this what I got. One of the coolest things I've ever seen.

Good Eyesight


Good Eyesight
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Spider face.

View From the Hotel


View From the Hotel
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
The view from Taiyo Cottages. A recommended place to stay.

Beach Kat


Beach Kat
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
A Beach Kat in her natural habitat.

Do They Have Flood Insurance?

When they say ocean front housing they ain't kidding.

Starfish Attack


Starfish Attack
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
There were casualties.

Starfish Island


Starfish Island
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
It's a peaceful, down-home kind of place.

The Girls and the Starfish


The Girls and the Starfish
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
The girls on the appropriately named Starfish Island.

Lounging


Lounging
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
This is vacation.

The Snorkel Bread Dance


The Snorkel Bread Dance
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
Here I am, man of the beach, getting my fishy groove on. I was about to go snorkeling and feed the fish. You can buy bags of buns to feed the the coral dwelling marine life. The Honda Bay Island hopping tour is highly recommended.

Gaping Maw


Gaping Maw
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
The entrance to the Underground River, a must see around Sabang and Puerto Princesa. Beware though, throngs of tourists lurk.

The Exit


The Exit
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
My pictures don't do justice to the Underground River. In places the cave was was 50-60 meters high.

Monkeys Watching Monkeys


Monkey's Watching Monkeys
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.

Monkey Detail


Monkey Detail
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
We didn't see too many monkeys, which was a shame. However, we did get to see a Japanese tourist mugged by a monkey for his bananas. It was as funny as it sounds.

Zest Air


Zest Air
Originally uploaded by karmking1111.
"Zest Air-- Asia's most refreshing airline" Ah yes, nothing beats that cold wave of panic that hits you when Zest Air announces that they will no longer be flying on Fridays causing you to miss your connecting flight.

I have this piece of advice for travelers in Palawan, pack your patience. True, everything was beautiful and chill, but perhaps, it was a little too chill. We arranged for a shuttle van to take us the five hours south to the airport two days in advance. When we arrived at 7 in the morning we were informed that the shuttle was full and they could not honor our reservation. This was very reminiscent of that Seinfeld episode (see below). We then hired a private van which cost us three times as much and made it to the airport four hours in advance of our flight.

One would think that four hours would be enough to make a flight, but in our case this proved naught. Kat went to the Zest Air counter at three different times to see when we could check in. All the airport personal told us to wait and the Zest Air representative would be there shortly. An hour and half before our flight was scheduled to take off, someone finally approached us, asked what airline we were flying on (we were the only ones in the airport), we said Zest, then they laughed and told us all flights were canceled. They pointed to a half-taped piece of paper on the far wall that stated "Only fly Thursday, Saturday, Sunday until December 25th." Seeing as how this was January 2nd, we figured this did not apply any more. We were wrong. Refreshing indeed. I only have this to say about Zest Air and everyone at the El Nido airport (fill in the words as you see fit):

**** you, you ***-**** mother ******* pieces of ****. Do your ****-**** mother ****** job and take that ******* of ****** out of your ****** you ***** ****** ******* ****** infested ****** ****** hole ****** of ****** ******* that ******* ******* ****** eater ****** ****** donkey *******!!!

You get the picture. Eventually Zest coughed up the dough to get us on another flight (after initially telling us there was nothing that could be done), and we barely made our connecting flight the next day. Sometimes travel cures the travel bug in a stiff remedy.

Car Rental

This was my experience with the shuttle bus in El Nido except the office was outside and there was a chicken bus adjacent.