Ok so we’ll continue with the traveling and flights from here.

The first flight on Quantas from MEL to Singapore was around 8 hours. I tried to sleep for most of it, and did an OK job. They had good media to consume, but I really just wanted to sleep. I’ll give myself a 6.045/10 for my sleepability rating.

We got to Singapore and deplaned. I had been to this airport before so I just asked someone where I needed to go to print my new boarding pass and get to the gate. Got situated (post croissant) and was trying to find a place to get water. See, at Singapore and Kuala Lumpur airports, you can buy water, but they have to seal it in this bag so you can take it on board. One time I opened it, because you know thirst, and then they said I couldn’t bring it on. I was like “you do realize that you’re calling into question the validity of your security if I can’t take this on”. Ok back on track, met a nice brown dude named Richard Martin who walked me to the only place you could have water sealed (a tiny 7-11 tucked away in a corner, lol) and he helped me get everything settled. Super nice guy, and I really appreciated his help.

Ok, SO, got on the next plane, Phillipine Airlines to Manila. This flight was only 4 hours, and my sleepability was a solid 11/10. So much sleeping that the flight attendants kept waking me up saying I had to be awake for take off and landing. I’m thinking to myself “if we going down, we going down, me sleeping ain’t gonna do a damn thing either way”. Landed in Manila, and it was RAINING. Monsoon season, makes sense.

I needed to transfer from Terminal 2 to Terminal 4, and there were your classic guys outside trying to get me to pay 400 (instead of for the price of on the house) to get to the other terminal. I just waited and got the bus, around 5:55AM. Oh right, I’d been traveling pretty much all day and night at this point.

Get to the T4, checked in, through security, and now waiting in the GIANT room awaiting boarding…when they cancelled my flight. I was like “oh no”. By this point in time it had been around 16 hours of traveling and varied sleepability coefficients. Almost there, so was feeling tiredly good.

So I had to leave and got re-booked on…an earlier flight! How amazing. So I did the whole process again, got on this plane to Puerto Princessa, about an hour, and got to PPS. I had arranged transportation from the airport to the Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort, but because I was early dude wasn’t there yet.

He got there, scooped me, and we were off! It takes about two hours to get to the resort, and the views made me think of scenes I saw when in Thailand, but mostly Cambodia. Just some third-worldness, people all over the place doing all kinds of public works and/or non public works. The culture shock still remains in many ways. My driver, Edwin, pointed out to me the best hotel in the town. It was not what I would think of when ‘best’ comes to mind.

I took a sliiiiight nap, and then woke up for the final 20 minutes. Some incredible views of just raw nature, sprawling hills/mountains, and vegetation. We got to a road, and made a right turn. Edwin had to pay to be able to pass.

I’m talking a DIRT ROAD. Rocks, puddles, he was weaving his way in/around the narrow road. I’m thinking ‘oh no, what have I gotten myself into’. We pull up and first thing is a security check where a dog inspected my bags to make sure I wasn’t bringing in any drugs.

Got into reception and had an initial glance of the grounds. OK OK, we did alright. Slash the Internet did alright in helping us find this place. Found out my room wasn’t ready. Had a coffee. My room was ready! The power of coffee indeed.

Gathered my belongings and made the short walk to my room. OK OK, so this place is REALLY AMAZING. Greenery, plants, huge palm trees everywhere, and the beach and pool. Don’t know what more I could want. I can only include a couple of pics because the connection here takes a bit. Hopefully in Manila I get a stronger connection and I will add to each post and let y’all know so y’all can go back and peep them.

Got set up in the room, Y&M’d on the veranda because thats where the strongest wifi connection is, and then went and had some sautéed vegetables for lunch slash dinner no.1.

I wanted to chill by the pool but it was pretty overcast and started draazlin’ off and on. Cool, I thought, so I went back and did round 2 of Y&M and got cleaned up and made my way to dinner at the resort restaurant.

Had a really nice glass of sauvignon blanc from NZ, some sautéed vegetables, and this Indian butter chicken. Also these wings to start, forgot about them! It was all SUPER delicious, especially because I really only had 2 muffins to eat in the morning, then the vegetables, and then this lovely meal. Got back to the room, and went to sleep.

The tricky thing is managing the air conditioning because if you put it on blast and keep it at 20 celsius you will get sick because of the drastic temperature difference. So I tried to keep it at around 29 celsius just to see what would happen, and try and ensure a good night of sleep. Big hugs and lots of love to everyone!