Articles in Philippines
Palawan Bike Trip 001
March 7, 2008
You’d think that after as many bike trips as I’ve gone on, it would be easy to pack and prepare. But it isn’t. Each time it’s like I’ve never done it before. Partway through the packing, you start to think that it would be better not to bring a bicycle. It’s great to have a bicycle as a way of getting around and …
Palawan Bike Trip 002
Saturday, March 8
I feel like my body has been under a ten-ton press and then released. I mean that in a good way. Climbing out of sleep, my whole body felt heavy and slow. Even now over breakfast my arms feel like heavy unwieldy clubs. This is all because I got a good night’s sleep. I slept hard and deep. It feels like the first …
Palawan Bike Trip 003
Sunday, March 9, Puerto Princesa
I don’t think every woman that works at this hotel knows my name. However, I’m pretty sure they all know me by reputation. I’m the guy who flooded room 9.
I came back at the end of the day yesterday to find everyone smiling at me and laughing. I asked for the key to room 9 and this provoked more smiles and …
Palawan Bike Trip 004
March 11, 2008
I spent a second day in Puerto Princesa simply looking around and doing a bit of shopping. I didn’t feel quite ready to jump on the bicycle and start pedaling. I can’t say that I had any particular adventures other than shopping for a couple of T-shirts and some toiletries. I was amused at the general store where I bought the toiletries to …
Palawan Bike Trip 005
Friday, March 14,
It’s just after noon, and I am now in a little ocean-side town called Port Barton. I arrived by pumpboat not more than an hour ago. I checked into a room at a too-luxurious place, and now have stopped for some overdue food in the form of a chicken curry for lunch.
The rest of yesterday went on more or less in the vein …
Palawan Bike Trip 006
Saturday March 15
It’s eight in the morning and I’m living the life of a privileged beach bum. I slept long and hard and just recently rolled out of bed. I’m now having a cup of coffee in the quite luxurious restaurant of this resort.
I use the word “luxurious” in a relative sense here. It’s luxurious only in comparison to the other places I’ve seen along …
Palawan Bike Trip 007
Sunday, March 16
It’s breakfast time once more at Ysobel’s. Their breakfasts aren’t very economical at 160 pesos. One can get a much better and bigger breakfast for less somewhere else, but it does have the advantage of being just downstairs from my penthouse, so here I am. Even here, though, their coffee consists of a slim package of Nescafe instant coffee. The one improvement on …
Palawan Bike Trip 008
Monday, March 17
I thought I might be on the road by this time, but I’m still in Port Barton. I’m going to spend at least another day here before moving on. There seemed no compelling reason to move, and it’s a pleasant, quiet place. I wanted to have a day for just reading and doing nothing.
That’s not to say that the days till now have …