We continue our boating adventure in the Philippines, and in some ways it just gets more and more adventurous. We get further and further away from the crew's home island of Malapascua and into more and more unknown areas. Along the way we experience many paradise islands, but of course we also face challenges.
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Going on an adventure
Being on an adventure is really fun, and we feel that this is what we love about travelling - that new unknown destinations are just around the corner and that you are constantly making new plans. We've only temporarily swapped "motorhome in Europe" for "boat in the Philippines".
We started the trip on the island of Malapascua and have since continued to Tabango on Leyte, the paradise island Kalanggaman, the small cosy island Tulang Diot and Pacijan Island in the Camotes Islands. On board we have a large map so that we can put up pins as we go along.
Challenges - ATM, electricity and internet
We get to see lots of stunningly beautiful places and enjoy the sun and shimmering green waters. But of course we also face challenges along the way.
One challenge has been withdrawing money. Many ATMs in smaller towns only accept domestic cards, so sometimes we don't get any money at all. Now we have learnt to withdraw quite a lot at once when we find an ATM that accepts international cards.
Another challenge is electricity and internet. Actually, we have solutions for both - the local SIM cards can be charged in shops and we have solar cells and batteries on board Dotche.
When it comes to electricity, the challenge is that we have so much to charge - two computers, two power batteries, two mobile phones, a drone and a gimbal (a kind of image stabiliser for a mobile phone) and all of them take time to charge.
When it comes to the internet, it's all about finding a shop that sells charging for at least two weeks. Some only sell for three days or a week and finally, when we finally found a shop that sold charging for 14 days - they only had so they could sell it to one of us. But in the end we found it!
Another challenge, of course, is that we sometimes go a long way out to sea, or to very small islands, and there is always the risk of poor or lost coverage. So we usually try to write some posts in advance and time them.
Some other things are easier than you might think. When we were out with mops on Camotes Island, it took a while to find a petrol station, and by the time we did, they were out of petrol. But then we learned that you can also pop into small shops along the way, where you can sometimes find petrol in large coca cola bottles.
Film number 3
Want to follow the adventure on film? Now film number 3 is out. This time there's no talking, but seven minutes of film clips, along with some narrative text. Check out the film below. As usual, you can also watch the film on After Work TV - the new play channel for all senior citizens in Sweden.
Best this week
The best thing about this week is that we've reached a number of exciting islands and places here in the Philippines, and we can look forward to a really cool continuing adventure.
Your turn... How has your week been? What can you highlight as positive from the week?
The week ahead
In the coming week, we will continue to report on our boat trip adventure in the Philippines. You can also look forward to the continuation of the exciting report on the Unknown Islands. Comoros, written by our new guest writer Anna Nilsson Spets.
Did you miss the last Happy Friday? Read the Finally off on a boat trip in the Philippines!
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Anna i Portugal says:
I can imagine there are some challenges on that kind of trip. For me, the worst thing would probably be to be so close to other people 🙂 However, you seem to enjoy yourself really well and that is the only thing that is important on your adventure. Continued nice trip!
17 March 2023 - 8:34
Helena says:
Hi Anna! Yes, travelling close to others can definitely be a challenge too! We have our own tent so when we camp on the beaches we get our privacy when we need it! And thank you so much!
17 March 2023 - 9:26
Carin Ager says:
What a lot you have to go through, don't make a drink from the petrol coca-cola bottle.
Rasta braids gone?!?!!
17 March 2023 - 9:08
Helena says:
Oh no, you don't want a drink on that!!! 😉 Yes, that's right. Peter felt after a while that the dreads were not his thing after all ...
17 March 2023 - 9:27
Monica says:
I have watched the youtube film (After Work is way too shocked with advertising!) but had to reduce and finally remove the sound completely. Pompous marching music to this kind of nature scenes didn't work for me at all. There are very fast scene cuts as well. Just a few comments in all good faith.
It's all very interesting, but it doesn't make you want to do the same thing. You are really fantastic for exposing yourselves to so many primitive environments, not least on the boat. Of course, this is offset by the exotic elements of climate and nature. The most thought-provoking thing is to see the difference between our western life with the need to constantly document everything and the accompanying need for electricity supply, internet access and money. And petrol in Coca-Cola bottles. It's a completely different world but the people look happy and content anyway. I hope you stay healthy and that everything goes as planned. Life jackets on board - you never have them?
17 March 2023 - 9:43
Helena says:
Thank you for your comments Monica! Everyone tends to have different opinions when it comes to music. It is certainly interesting to compare our western lifestyle with the lifestyle in other parts of the world. That's what's interesting about travelling! For us, less electricity and internet would have sufficed if we were only here for a week or two, but now we need to be able to do all our work, including assignments and digital meetings. Life jackets are on board for everyone! (But mostly as a backup, we haven't used them.)
17 March 2023 - 11:20
bmlarsreseblogg says:
How lovely to watch this film as icy winds shake the trees outside!
What a travel adventure you will have, and we can't wait for an Asian adventure.
I've only been to Vietnam, Malaysia and Borneo (excluding my favourite, India) and Lars has never been to the east, so we have a lot to experience.
The moped ride with fuel in a soft drink bottle brings back fond memories of such an excursion on an island in Halong Bay....
The best thing about this week is that our huge snow cover almost disappeared after two days of pouring rain...
Keep up the good work!
17 March 2023 - 13:37
Helena says:
Truly an adventure! That's a whole bunch of countries you've visited in Asia! Borneo and India sound exciting! But maybe there will be a joint Asian adventure at some point too? Hope there will be some spring weather with you in the future, have fun!
17 March 2023 - 22:52
BP says:
Unlike Monica, I really liked the music. I mean the wind was blowing like crazy and I personally thought the "sailing" was quite dramatic. So the right music.
Petrol in CocaCola bottles. Why not! Imagine how spoilt we are here. To recycle PET bottles as "molotov cocktails" - fine by me.
It is a completely different world / reality you live in the Philippines. The people seem to be very happy and satisfied. The question is whether Filipinos would thrive in Sweden, for example. I'm not so sure about that...
PS. I think it was very daring not to use a life jacket in that wind. Thought of the little girl there, but also of the adults. I would definitely use the vest... DS.
17 March 2023 - 18:41
Helena says:
Surely it's a completely different world! We are really incredibly spoilt in Sweden when it comes to standards. Then there is so much else in the Philippines, you socialise, and laugh, you are outdoors and at least in smaller villages / towns the pace feels relaxed. And yes absolutely, on the first stormy boat trip we could definitely have had the life jackets on!
17 March 2023 - 23:04