Final Thoughts on a Delightful Vacation

My friend Pete kept a startlingly detailed log of our vacation to the Philippines and Malaysia down to the hours of the day. Links to the play-by-play are below along with a few additional tidbits from my perspective.

The Philippines and Malaysia - Part 1

• "Breakfast with Betchy" or "Brunchee with Betchy" (korean pronunciation of my name) has become a tradition among my friends. I don't play crucial role. I just show up. Oh, alliteration...

The Philippines and Malaysia - Part 2

• It's an interesting feeling to get off a ferry at night and be surrounded by motorbikers that want to take you and your giant packs to your destination. Only two of us had ridden before and it was fun to see the new folks get used to being a passenger. My driver, Benji, chatted with me about the island and our trip.

The Philippines and Malaysia - Part 3

• The underground cave was beautiful and filled with fresh water. I couldn't remember the last time I swam in freshwater (sad).


• The waterfall adventure was a good one. The four of us parted ways with Pete and got to the base of a small waterfall. Margeaux and I decided to climb it. The climb lead to a smaller waterfall and then one of the most beautiful sights I've seen. I felt like I was in a movie. The waterfall was high and the pool below was clear and blue. We sat in the water and relaxed. Unfortunately, neither of us had our cameras, so that place is one for the memory bank.

The Philippines and Malaysia - Part 4

• When I said Pete had a detailed log, I wasn't kidding... Camotes Island was beautiful and from the pig slaughter we learned that the island is one of the cleanest islands in all of the Philippines. We also learned that crime is all but non-existent on the island. The last crime committed was by some drunk local who tried to use fire crackers to catch fish. They only have one cell at the police station and will keep him there until he learns his lesson or a new "criminal" is caught.

The Philippines and Malaysia - Part 5

• My ShamWow was not packed in vain. It was put to good use.

The Philippines and Malaysia - Part 6

• Poor Pete was a mess of nerves and scrapes. I was also exhausted from worrying about him all day. My rear view mirror got a lot of use on our adventure. Every time I passed a car and I couldn't see him I thought, "Oh God, Pete, please make it!" I ended up going to bed early from a bit of a stomach bug and missed much of the night's debauchery - most of our group had the flu at one point or another on the trip.

The Philippines and Malaysia - Part 7

• If going to the Philippines, avoid Manila. No thank you...

The Philippines and Malaysia - Part 8

• You may find yourself wondering, 'What is geckoing?" It is a delightful game taught to me by a few New Zealanders. When someone yells, "GECKO!!!" everyone runs toward the walls to get three out of four limbs on the surface (looking like a gecko). The last person to accomplish the task has to drink. This was a huge hit on Aussie Day at Reggae Mansion. I hope they still play it...

The Philippines and Malaysia - Part 9

• A small group of us rented motorcycles for the day (Pete was motorcycle'd out). We didn't have any real plan for destinations, but  wanted to find some coastline (surprisingly difficult on an island...). We also soon learned that our maps were inaccurate and they didn't include roads we were cruising on. It was a great day of high speeds, hairpin turns, beautiful foliage, dynamic towns with Indian, Islamic, European, and Thai influences, and a hidden beach on the South side of the island. I think it was one of my favorite vacation adventures.

The End,
-Bets