Island Hopping

We were going island hopping!  

Philpan Resort

Road Side Butchers Shop

We headed down to Batangas again. Driving through the town center I stared out of the windows taking in the busy and crowded streets. A complex network of winding, twisting roads. Very much like a maze, laneways filled with market stalls ran off streets like veins. Filling every space with a bit of something. We finally made it out of the town and the space became less claustrophobic.

Mountains rose around us and we finally caught a glimpse of the ocean, it was calm and sparkly. We drove up a twisting, steep, snakelike road cut into the mountain side. One side rising up

I just loved this Barber’s Shop

providing a gorgeous rainforest canopy. The other side dropping off to the ocean, and filled with resorts tucked away down steep driveways. We came to the place we were meeting friends and found ourselves in this quaint little ‘dive resort’ called Philpan Resort.  A place people could come and swim and hire boats to go diving, fishing or island hopping. We found a bamboo cabana and ordered some traditional food. Fried chicken with garlic rice and green beans sautéed in rich sauce. It was delicious and we ordered so much I did not mind sharing some chicken with a very hungrylooking one-eyed cat.

The water was stunning

We were supposed to go to Sombrero Island, a teeny tiny island named as it looks remarkably like the hat. The friends we came with said they changed their minds at the last minute, wanting a beach with more space and shelter. Sombrero Island has a small strip of beach and a few rickety cabanas for shade. Nothing else.

The boat ride. Sombrero Island below, volcanic cliffs above

The island we went to was called Maracaban Island, and it was about a half hour ride off shore. We travelled past other islands with jutting cliff faces of volcanic rock. Finally we pulled up to a strip of beach filled with washed up fragments of coral and shells. I tried to overlook the usual rubbish laying about like it is native to these parts. Oh wait…it is! Sorry for the sarcasm, I just feel so disappointed when I see a lovely landscape trashed by tubes of toothpaste and broken glass. ‘NO BB! That is NOT seaglass!! The poor child was so confused.

Pearl Seller and his sons. The sun starts to set.

After a few hours of seaside frolicking it was time to head back. It was late in the day now, about 4pm, and it reminded me of summer time back home. The sun was lowered so not burning; the light of the day was dimming with the start of a stunning sunset. The heat in the air was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. It was that perfect summer evening. The waves were lapping, and I felt transported home, for a brief moment of daydream. It just felt so good on my skin. The ride back on the boat was just as gorgeous. The warm breeze, the setting sun, the water lapping against the rudders. I took a picture of BB leaning against a pole and within seconds of taking that picture he had fallen back into his dad’s lap fast asleep.