Good thing Melanie and Fernand decided to get some of the Beijinoy Boracay Buds back together for a 4-5 day trip around Legazpi, Sorsogon and Naga. So there's Me, Lyndon, Mimi, Mela, Mae, Fernand, w/ new additions Wena Lim, Celirma Tan and Xeng Zulueta. Since I joined the game late I booked separate flights, flying into Legazpi via ZestAir and out from Naga via AirPhilExpress.
WEDNESDAY, May 19: Joanne picked me up at the airport, and afterwards we joined the rest of the group at Axel Saw's family restaurant for lunch. Xeng caught up w/ us for halo-halo, while Lyndon and Mimi were flying in tomorrow morning. We rested up a bit (the other girls checking in at St. Ellis hotel, Xeng and I at Fernd's bedroom at his office in PFL Homes, Inc.) before driving out to Padang Beach to Fernand's old beach-house in Porta Azure.
While a typhoon stripped the house and subsequent salvaging made it uninhabitable, the pool was still in working order. Fernand knew the locals and they got us some horses for trot along the black-sanded seashore. The last time I rode a horse was back in 2004 in Inner Mongolia, so I was hesitant to take the reins solo, much to the disdain of my guide who had to at either pull the horse are try to jog alongside it. Joanne joined us again, this time w/ her husband Henry and son AJ. Afterwards we had dinner at Cena Una, where I cheaply treated myself to some spaghetti bolognese, while Axel had the priciest steak.
THURSDAY, May 20: As Fernand's driver picked up Lyndon and Mimi, we got up early (ok, 9-ish) to begin our drive out to Sorsogon, specifically Donsol, for a chance to swim w/ whale sharks. After signing in and renting our snorkeling gear, we were joined by Julian, a Frenchman (by way of Switzerland) who decided to use his 3-week vacation to backpack around the country, starting w/ Legazpi. We split into 2 groups, taking separate boats, w/ Fernd's boat holding the beverages
We did a total of 6 dives, sighting whale-sharks in 5 of them. It's almost the same routine w/ every dive: We sit on the moving boat while our guides checks for huge moving shadows underwater. Once one's spotted we rush to the edge of the boat and jump in like Navy SEALS, sans poise or training. On my second dive, once the bubble mist cleared from my goggles I found myself facing the butanding as it drifted underneath me. I would've screeched in surprise had my snorkel not been giving me trouble. I was preoccupied spitting out saltwater through the spout than actually breathing through my mouth. Despite constant reminders for us not to touch the creatures, at one point I was about to collide into one. What the hell; one brush of the dorsal fin won't hurt (felt like a wet leather wallet). Notch that off my non-existent bucket list.
Back on land we had lunch, rested up again, then headed off for some ATV riding along one of Mayon Volcano's many lava trails. While in Boracay we had a cheaper bike rental fee, optional dune buggy, helmet and goggles, this time it was the Anti-Boracay. The ATVs were bigger to carry an optional passenger, no dune buggies, and our lungs and eyes were left to the mercy of the huge dust-clouds revved up by the ATVs. I think we all developed premature emphysema.
We stopped at the foot of a small rocky hill, having to climb the rest of the way up. To our surprise there was a helipad on top. And a picnic table. (Talk about being inadequately prepared. I didn't bring snacks or a chopper.) Exploring the sharp-edged rocky area proved risky as some of the rocks weren't firmly planted on the ground, and a misstep could prove very painful. Still, photo-ops are photo-ops. Rather than climb our way back down, all but two from the group rode a zipline, something that must have tasked the "H&H boys," because they only had 2 zipline hooks and harnesses, and every time the boys have to run back-and-forth, returning hooks and harnesses up to those still waiting their turn on the zipline. We ATV'd back via a shortcut, w/c was just as well, as the original path had too many dips and bodies of water to run over. I'm already covered in several layers of dust; I don't need to get muddy feet, either.
But the road trip ain't over yet, because after we bid farewell to Julian and had our Japanese dinner, we still had a 2-hour drive to Matnog. After 2 pit-stops (Mae by the road, the rest of us at one of Fernand's real-estate properties), we made a late-night check-in at Bantigui Beach Resort, where we were met by Tita Raquel, a shower w/ next-to-no water pressure and a starry night accentuated w/ a couple of fireflies, w/c cheered Mimi up to no end. (Hell, she was excited enough about the starry night.) Due to a brewing domestic problem on Lyndon's end (and my e-mailing of Yan of some of my pix), I wasn't able to sleep til past 3 AM.
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