April 2010: Some trips

After Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday; it is the tradition in the Philippines on Easter Sunday to have a picnic with his family and friends. It is what I did with my friends and their families in Bacong seafront where all the tables of the place were reserved well in advance.

(Our Easter picnic)

It is also during this Holy Week, which falls during the school summer vacation that Filipinos who are eligible, that is to say a minority, take a few days of their vacation. It is the same for the week of November 1 and Christmas.

(Filipinos on vacation)

It must be said that here the lucky ones, officials and bank employees have 5 days paid vacation per year plus 14 days of public holiday. The other, the vast majority, has only 4 to 5 days of public holiday per year. Also among those who work many are employed with fixed term contracts of six months not renewed.
When you consider that in France we are world leader with 30 days paid vacation, placed equal with only 2 or 3 other countries and that with accumulated paid vacation and public holidays, we have a minimum of 40 days a year with only Finland ahead of us with 44 days, it may seem incredible for the Filipinos. It is probably not a economical advantage but we must add at that our weekly working time probably the lowest in the world with 35 hours while in the Philippines it is 48 hours.
It is true that our social history is ancient and that the law of 40 hours and paid vacation dates back to 1936 and the Popular Front in which my parents participated at a time when to be a left-winger still had a social significance (It is my opinion only). At that time the Philippines was still a colony of the United States struggling for independance.
On April 8, I started making a usual road trip to San Carlos 200 km north of my home. I took a room at the hotel Lola Nitang which are nice and comfortable for 800 pesos a night (€ 14).
I only stayed two days there and I went back to Dumaguete because of the great drought which did not make my landscape photos particularly beautiful.

(A brown and dry nature near San Carlos)

Fortunately within a few months the reconstruction of the roads had made good progress thus making the drive shorter and more pleasant.
Then I did only a few road trips. On 15 April I went to the San Antonio golf course near Sibulan a few kilometers north of Dumaguete.

(The San Antonio golf course and the cow)

On 16, I started a round trip towards the south starting from Zamboanguita to Siaton, Tombobo, and back in Zamboanguita.

(Some photos of my round trip)

On 17, I went to the north inTanjay where I took a walk on an amazing wooden bridge built in the middle of the mangroves.

(Amazing foorbridge over the mangrove)

After lunch I went to Pamplona to try perhaps to join the West Coast to Santa Catalina. This requires crossing the mountain on 30 km of track. Until now everyone had always advised me not to take that road supposed to be difficult and infested with NPA rebels (National People's Army).
So I ventured into Pamplona as far as the beginning of the dirt track. It was already 2:30 pm and because. I had already been in a wrong direction I had lost time.

(Not such a bad place to get lost!)

I asked about the difficulties of the route from local people and they told me that it would take four hours to cover the 30 kilometers without phone signal and no garage in case of trouble. As the sky darkened with clouds and I did not want to travel at night that falls here at 6pm I deemed it prudent to turn back.

(I turned back here)

It was the right decision since I made the trip back under downpour of rain yet welcomed. Unfortunately in my place only a few drops had fallen.
On April 20 I went to spend the day with Charly who was staying with his family in his beach cottage near San Juan in the island of Siquijor. It takes 45 minutes by speedboat to get there. It is a place increasingly frequented by tourists and the resorts there are mushrooming. Good for the local economy but to the detriment of the authentic side of the island and we can only be angry when hordes of people await the arrival of the boat to provide transportation to 3 or 4 times their normal price.
It is nevertheless always a pleasure for me to be in Siquijor. Charlie and I had lunch in a nice resort run by a German, the Royal Cliff. The meal was excellent with special mention for the delicious French fries that reminded me of my youth in the north of France.

(Charly's sea front and beach cottage)

http://www.royal-cliff-resort.de.tf/

I took the boat back to Dumaguete at 4:30pm after having spent a good sunny day.
In reviewing my pictures taken in Siquijor I realized that there was dust on the sensor despite the automatic cleaning when the camera is switched on or off. I followed the instruction manual to the letter and I used my big blower to try to dislodge them but in vain. There was only one solution left, the nearest Canon customer service in Cebu City.

(The crossing to Cebu between Sibulan and Liloan)

So Thursday 22, I got up at 4am and arrived at 11am at the Canon branch where they took my camera in rush for the set price of 1,800 pesos (30 €).
My equipment was returned to me all cleaned around 5pm but I decided to spend the night here and I had booked a room at the Hotel Royal NS, 1045 pesos per night with breakfast included (about 18 €). I had also enjoyed my day shopping and buying some DVDs in particular which I use a lot alone at home.
At the hotel they had missed my reservation and knowing me for the same price they gave me the owner's beautiful big room on the top floor.

(The owner's room I was given and view from the top floor on the hills)

http://www.nspensione.com/

The next day at 6:30am I was on the bus bound to Liloan and arrived in Dumaguete for lunch glad to be back.

Once at home I unpacked and I realized that a wallet with 5000 pesos (85 €) placed in the inside pocket was gone. I called the hotel to ask them to check if I had not forgotten anything in the room and they told me no. It had apparently been stolen in the bus while I was napping or reading the first volume of the excellent trilogy 'Millennium' from the Swedish author Stieg Larrson.
Although I know the risks I had neglected to close my bag with a padlock however, in a side pocket.
Finally this trip was more expensive than expected but fortunately when I travel I always put my cash in at least two different places.
On 24 April, in the morning the weather was already fair and warm so I checked the oil and coolant levels of my old Pajero and I went again to the North with the intention of crossing the mountains to reach the West coast, from Pamplona to Santa Catalina. I was especially motivated since it was the annual Fiesta of Santa Catalina.

This time other people had told me that it would take only one hour to travel the route which I highly doubted. Anyway it was decided I had water in my cooler, some biscuits and I had changed the CDs in my player.
I left Pamplona at around 10am starting the 30 km mountain trail in full sun.

(The 30km road from Pamplona to Santa Catalina. Not so bad!)

I began the climb with a few French songs from Jacques Brel, Guy Béart, Gibert Bécaud, Jean Ferrat, Yves Montand and Claude Nougaro.
I also stopped frequently to take pictures and let the engine breathe. Alas, my pictures do not do justice to the grandeur of the landscape.
It also happened that this mountain place was not as isolated as I had been said, as there were electric wires all along the road.
My journey culminated at 650 meters above sea level where the music of Bach and his Brandenburg concertos had replaced that of Franz Liszt and his piano concertos which pianissimos could not drown out the noise of the diesel engine.

A little crazy all this, especially alone! But It was so rewarding to enjoy this isolated nature away from cities and crowded areas. I was there alone enjoying the sky, the sun, the mountain and the music at the same time. So great!

(Some photos taken during my mountain crossing)

Finally I arrived at Santa Catalina around 12:30 pm this time listening to the Beethoven violin concerto and it took me two hours and a half to drive the 30 km. I think it can be made in two hours only but I stopped frequently to take my photos and also because I was worried about my old car when the outside temperature reached 44 ° Celsius.
I went a few more kilometers to eat at a restaurant in Bayawan where a mynah bird in a cage near my table did not stop insulting me throughout the meal by calling me pangit-pangit, meaning horrible or ugly in the local dialect. Bad bird!
Back in Santa Catalina, the street dancing had already started and I saw only the end. Like last year the theme was bananas and I still do not know why because this fiesta celebrates the harvest, the abundance of sugarcane and the city's patron, Catherine.

(Street dancing with bananas)

During the parade the heat was such that the dancers were sweating that is not common for them and I had seldom seen that.

(What a heat!)

It was time so I took the road back, but I made a detour the Tombobo Bay and arrived home at about 5pm very happy with my day. At last I had made it.

(Tombobo bay again)

On April 29, still avid for mountain I went to Mabinay about 80 km north of my home and 30 km west of Bais but the weather was often foggy and cloudy.