Bohol, Central Visayas, PhilippinesAs the crow flies today’s journey would be just over 200 kilometres.
However, to get from Malapascua Island to the Isle of Bohol you need to take two boats, a van and a motorized tricycle. If you’re lucky you can do it in under nine hours. After arriving by boat at the port of Tagbalarin in Bohol we sought adventure. What better than a 10 kilometre ride in a tricycle built for two. Elenka and the Deutschers were jammed into the cab; I rode side-saddle behind the driver. Nuts we were, the toughness bounced right out of us.
Our idyllic new home, Nuts Huts, sits in the jungle on the banks of the Loboc River on Bohol. A massive green lizard hangs out under a tree beside our cabina. Geckos make gecko sounds while song birds warble and fishermen in dugouts fish. Peace on Bohol. Then suddenly, a kind of hush rolls down the river. I know it’s not Herman’s Hermits singing this olden, golden, goodie, but I join in.
“There’s a kind of hush, all over the world tonight, all over the world you can hear the sound of lovers in love.”
Renatka Schönbach and I are alone at the moment.
She gives me a ‘Mein Gott’ look, not sure if I’ve lost my mind or I’m hitting on her.
All of a sudden, “A Kind of a Hush” blends horribly with Simon & Garfunkel's “Sound of Silence.” I look to the river. Two tour boats are crossing one another’s paths. The boats are jam-packed with Chinese mainlanders. I can see the forlorn looks on their faces. Perhaps they’d been told they’d be listening to the original versions, not Filipino karaoke covers.
As one day follows the next, this shite goes on from eleven in the morning until three in the afternoon. One poorly sung 60s tune after the other. When we first arrived here I immediately became Tarzan, Elenka my Jane. That’s gone now, and all of the Schönbach’s sentences have ‘mein Gott’ and ‘scheisse’ in them. While we do love our birds, geckos and the big green lizard, we recognize that life can’t always be perfect.
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Notes from earlier:
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Good Can Sometimes Come from Bad
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For the longest time I’d been afraid of stepping on a sea urchin. A couple of weeks ago I did just that and was left with seven painful little spikes in my heel.
Hobbling back to our cabina I crossed paths with the guy who ran the dive shop where we were staying. He told me to soak the wounds in very hot water for half an hour. After doing this Elenka tried without success to pry the spikes out with tweezers. So, with a tear in my eye I said, to Hell with it, put on my shoes and went for lunch. Miraculously, there was no pain and little discomfort. Later, I bumped into the same guy and asked him what the hot water does. He told me it breaks down the venom in the spikes. I no longer fear the dreaded sea urchin.
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We English speakers Rule Only in the Spoken Word
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In South-East Asia, English rules, but only to a degree. Put a Ukrainian, a Dutchman, a Swede and a pair of Spaniards together at a table with beer and you might feel as though you’re in Toronto. But try doing a book exchange at your local hostel and it’s a whole other story. If you’re lucky, one out of 20 books will be written in English.
matej
2019-02-13
the place looks magnificent. I really like to photo of the river with boats. who would say the boats are full of chinese mainlanders:-)
cate
2019-02-13
Wonderful place.......what's a little tricycle ride.......an adventure. Once again everything is beautiful and lush.....great swimming hole and the flowers OMG.
Val
2019-02-14
Love the pictures of the little birds. Beautiful place!