A SERIOUSLY EXTENDED HOLIDAY

This was the lovely sight greeting me at the front desk of Club Paradise recently, as I returned to the crystal clear waters and fine white sand of the Calamian Group of islands of Northern Palawan.
The lady on the left is called Happy, and the lady on the right is called Joy - how wonderful!

Here's a self portrait on the beach after my yearly haircut, which I hate coz it doesn't grow very fast now!!















I'm ahead of myself, in the end I stayed nearly two months in Seans' penthouse flat overlooking Manila Baywalk and the Yacht Club, where I met many new friends and renewed ties with people I hadn't seen for a long time.
Many have promised to come down and visit the islands this season, and I look forward to that.
We were in manila for the typhoon Xangsane which howled through just south of us and caused a heck of a lot of damage. At the height of the storm we negotiated downed trees and powerlines on the way to the Yacht Club to see if there was a party going on. No such luck, so after a couple of beers we headed for Amazonia where there was plenty of air-con and cold beers.

Check Seans'site at www.manley.de for more info and photos!

We were out of power for three days in the end, so Amazonia became a refuge from the heat and lack of internet in the apartment.

Finally, the 32 foot fast launch was ready





First trip was a great run up to Subic for one night with The Bills' and Jean from Park Oasis Hotel, with Rod Hegerty throwing an opening party that day for his chandlery, as a good excuse for a trip.

We all piled into one Bills' new Hummer jeep, after anchoring The Beast off Blue Rock Hotel on Baloy Beach, and drove onto base for a great afternoon, meeting up with a whole pile more old friends and having a great barby, ice cold beers and free beer coolers!!

Everyone was pissed by then so we buggered off back to Blue Rock, somehow, I can't remember! Sean was the worst off I reckon, but he deserved it as he took us all up there and should have realised what would happen to him!!

Early start the next morning back to Manila, passing by Corregidor, lovely day, and then we realised that the Oktoberfest run by The German Club, was fast approaching! OOHHH Noooo!!

They made a fantastic job of the huge tents that they managed to put up in one week after the typhoon had destroyed the main roof covering of The Pavilion, down on Roxas Blvd.

What they did, in conjunction with the Mandarin Hotel, was incredible. I couldn't believe the professionalism here. Huge air-cons and tons of good food and cold beer, with over 1000 people the first night and just under the second night. I went both nights and take my hat off (if I had one) to all who set this event up!

Hangovers followed us as we continued on through life, blissfully unaware that another trip was looming....

I had to go back and check on things in Palawan, so I booked a ticket and waited for the day.

Sean, meanwhile, was secretly plotting to upset my controlled life scheduling! Two nights before the off, he decided to give me a lift in The Beast back to the Resort. This is more serious than you would think - it costs 70 usd to fly down, and it costs 800 usd to give me a lift!!!!!!!!!

Big difference, but I was happy, so off we went to round up some other like minded souls at Amazonia.

We met the Bills' and Canadian Mark and they were keen, so Mark decided to come with us the next day and I booked the Bills on a plane for 3 days hence.

Another 5.00 am start and a great 4 1/2 hour drive to Pandan Island where we got suitably merry and thought about what the peasants were doing. Next day, and , guess what?

Another 5.00 am start, and a great 1 3/4 ride to El Rio y Mar Resort. A good nights' sleep in air-con, and a hot shower were wonderful, and then........ The Bills' arrived.

So all of us went and checked into Club Paradise for the night so they had a 4 mile head start for the trip back to Manila the next morning at - 0500 hrs-. It didn't go like that though, because the Bills' decided they wanted to circumnavigate Busuanga Island the next day, stopping at favoured watering holes, and, of course, Bruno's Bistro for the world famous 5 usd perfect pepper steak! Picked up Mike and Liz Concepcion in Coron and dropped them off their resort into a little paddle bangka, the tide there was right out so we couldn't get in to the pier.

Visited Andy and Lyra at Sangat Island Reserve (reserved for what I don't know!). Had some Camparis, stole some beer coolers and legged it!

Back in Club P by 3.00 pm and then to El Rio for the night and re-fuelling.

Then they left me alone for a while...

Until, they buggered up another flight which I had booked. They turned up again, Bill and Jean and Sean, to give me a lift back to Manila....This is getting silly I thought to myself, whilst grinning from ear to ear with the happiness one only finds when encountering like minded souls.

One night turned into two again as they decided to go round to Concepcion and visit Mike and Liz and drink beer. They returned, suitably imbibed and with Mike and Liz in tow, so all spent the night as yours truly, Bill, Jean and Sean were invited to Juergens 25th anniversary of being in the Philippines, along with another old Manila hand, Albert Robert.

A good night and another 0500 hrs start back to Manila, so we missed the Frueschoppen (German Brunch), and, instead, encountered rough seas all the way from Calavite point to Manila Yacht club. This trip took 8 hrs, and wasn't very pleasant, but it was still a safe trip.

That's it for now, I'm taking the Beast down to Puerto Galera on Friday to help them with the All Souls regatta.

Seans out of town in Bangladesh for the moment but plans to come to PG on the second to bring the Beast back to Manila, if I haven't sunk her, (touch wood). The Bills' will be accompanying me since they seem to get a real buzz out of taking the piss out of an impoverished old beach bum!

Keep 'em laughing as you go!