4th and 5th September - Balabac Island - Palawan Island - RAIN! - Philippines

Thursday 4^th September

Boys near the pier

Co-ordinates

08 degrees 46.224N

117 degrees 49.630E

3m – behind a big new breakwater made of huge concrete logs

For once I am not complaining about being hot hot HOT!.  It isn’t exactly cold here in our anchorage at Sir James Brooke Point, on Palawan Island, but it is drizzly and very overcast.  And COOL!

2XS from the pier, with the beautiful mountains behind

We left Balabac Island early this morning and laughed merrily as we got a brief, satisfying rain squall, which filled my washing buckets and topped up the 2XS water tanks.  We stopped laughing QUITE so much as yet another storm passed over, and another one.  It was very wet indeed, and visibility was not very good.  There were no fishing boats out at all, thank goodness, but I lived in fear of finding one looming up out of the rainclouds right in front of the boat…

rain on the sea

Balabac Island co-ordinates

07 degrees 59.606N

117 degrees 04.110E

7.7m – a tiny bit of mud on the anchor chain

Storm following

I got totally drenched three times and am now in my fourth ensemble (a very battered once-loved dress from Phuket which used to be a vibrant sky blue and is now almost white and…almost see-through)  for the day, while my clothes are soaking in one of the buckets.

This is how the fishermen get from the pier to the fishing boats lining the sea wall

Palawan looks like a beautiful island, with steep mountains, lots of green.  No doubt we will get a better look when (if?) the rain stops.

Friday 5^th August

The rain hasn’t stopped so we have stayed here, behind the sturdy sea wall, having a relaxing day. 

This afternoon there was a slight break in the downpour so we went into town, in a dear little tricycle taxi called Grandma - BE HAPPY!

First we had to go up the WORST rickety vertical rusty ladder…but all was well; neither of us plunged into the soupy sea.

Pete coming up - with caution

To my great surprise I was able to buy a simcard for my Thai modem - my lovely IT man in Phuket had assured me it would work anywhere in the world but I was a bit dubious - and…it all seems to be working.  Can’t quite believe my luck so will do this blog IMMEDIATELY!

The Sir James Brooke Point simcard team

So far…we love the Philippines!  A gang of teenage boys swam out to 2XS this morning, to use it as a diving platform.  Within minutes their mother was calling them back from the pier – ASAP!  Their names were…Mark, Patrick, Daniel and Adrian.  They were bright and cheery lads and they splashed away to the next best thing…

The beach is black and very busy, with many dogs.  This can't be a Muslim community - the boys are not called Mohammed; the dogs are plump and cheery!  And the women are not veiled...

In the background the tower which makes this internet connection possible