Philippines: Visayas - February 2008
Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text:
Français Turquoise water and white sand... The beach of Alona, on the island of Panglao, in the Philippines, is certainly very beautiful. But as soon as I arrived, I have only one desire: to flee as soon as possible.
Alona Beach ... the clash of cultures
How can I put it... I knew that I might find the crowd at Alona Beach, but I had no idea that it would be this big!
Of course, there is something for everyone. But the vacations I aspire to do not correspond at all to what I discover in Alona. I don't see the point of staying in the middle of this not very pleasant tourist fauna, in crowded and overpriced hotels. In the Philippines, the big seaside resorts are clearly not made for me.
Of course, as I come from the peaceful village of Padre PurgosOn the island of Leyte, the contrast is violent. After the crossing, I decided very quickly not to stay more than one night on the spot.
It all started well though…
From Leyte to Bohol by ferry
I made the crossing between the islands of Leyte and Bohol early in the morning. I was a little afraid of having a hard time, but in fact, it is very easy to go from one to the other! The morning boat, which connects the ports of Bato (on Leyte) and ubay (on Bohol), is not hypothetical at all, contrary to what I feared.
In fact of "ferry", the boat that I take is a big banca or banka or bangka - traditional rocket boat, typical of the Philippines - which is designed to accommodate passengers.
For 200 pesos (less than 3 €), I took the very first boat, the one at 8 am. Flat sea like a lake, quiet crossing of a little more than two hours. A friendly Filipino made conversation with me politely and told me about the rest of the trip.
Once in Bohol, all you need is a tricycle (bike or motorcycle with a sidecar, the local version of the becak Indonesian, from cyclo Vietnamese or tuk-tuk Thai) to be taken to the bus terminal. There, you can find a minibus (ask for the V-Hire) which makes the connection to Tagbilaranthe big city located just before the peninsula of Panglao (connected by road to the island of Bohol), where Alona Beach.
Tourist crowd at Alona Beach
I think I preferred the trip to the arrival itself... My fears about the crowds at Alona Beach were quickly confirmed! Fortunately, I found a nice tricycle driver, who kept my big bags while I went around the hotels, resorts, cottages, dive-shops piled on top of each other, on this stretch of beach.
I miss my quiet place in Leyte...
Despite the white sand and the coconut trees, Alona Beach is actually a beach without much charm, totally dedicated to tourism. You can see old men in underwear with reserved deckchairs, young redheads in shorts with a beer bottle in their hand, hordes of Asian families on vacation (Koreans, Chinese from Hong-Kong, Shanghai or Taiwan, etc.). And everyone is crammed into one place, in overpriced resorts. 😱
In short, I found to lodge a little apart, for the night, at Cherry's Home : a small family hotel, in a new house, without charm but clean, and above all within my means.
The address was given to me by Tess and Marilyn, two very nice young Filipinos, who wanted to sell me their cheap bamboo bungalows on the beach. The bungalows are not bad at all (but full for the evening), except that the bungalows are just in front of a building under construction. Hello peace and quiet...
A banca for Siquijor
That evening, once I was settled at Cherry's Home, I went to inspect the surroundings. I found a couple of nice places to stay, a bit far from the beach, like bungalows in a big tropical garden. Argh... I don't even want to think about settling there tomorrow. It's full everywhere!
But this little tour allowed me to meet Jeril, a Filipino who runs the Bananaland Cottages with his sister. The place is quite charming. A vast garden not far from the beach, very peaceful, with bungalows of different categories spread quite far from each other in the shade of the trees.
And I did well to stay and chat a little... Because Jeril organizes a trip in banca for its customers to Siquijor, tomorrow! And it is precisely the next step I was considering in my journey. An island known to be quiet and very beautiful, still a bit off the beaten tourist track.
So, my decision is made! I will flee Alona Beach, the atmosphere does not please me at all. I don't want to stay here more than one night. Thanks to the banca of Jeril, I will be tomorrow in Siquijor. Moreover, this improvised excursion will avoid me to have to take two ferries (because there is no direct connection to Siquijor). A very good plan!!!
