Sunny Christmas Eve
There is sun in Kazakhstan. I learned that when my students did projects on alternatives to oil and found that there is enough sun in Kazakhstan to utilize solar panels, if wanted. The problem is that the only way to enjoy the sun is by standing, or sitting, very near the window in your apartment with a jacket on because the top half of you will get cold that close to the window. You don't have to bother wearing pants though because the heater is just below the window and so your legs will be fine. It is in that state that you can enjoy the sunlight in Astana. So, we, sun-loving people, went to the Philippines for winter break to enjoy the sun with our pants on.
we booked our stay at the four star Sunlight Guest Hotel, a hotel on the fourth floor of an average Philippine mall: loads and loads of people, loud bumping music, a line of tricycles outside calling any person who walks by to come for a ride, some sellers of used clothing, some sellers of cell phones and colorful cell phone cases with key chain attached, a drug store, some run down stores that smell like urine and guards at every entrance who check your bag or at least pretend to because that is their job. Although this particular mall, unlike malls I went to in Manila, looks out over the Puerto Princessa baywalk with its huge Christmas tree and calm water. The hotel itself was teeming with really friendly staff. Everywhere you turn there is someone smiling at you. This is a big contrast from Kazakhstan, where the people are generally nice, but not as nice about it.
That first evening we walked down to the baywalk where there were many food and souvenir open air stalls. Despite the damp stickiness, it felt so good to go outside with more than our eyes exposed and breathe the air deeply without any pain. At one of the stalls we met a man named Sunny. Besides being delighted to hear me speaking his native tongue, he also was offering tours of various things around the island. He had this incredible raspy voice and said the word legal so many times that we decided to make him our own. Throughout our days there Sunny picked us up at the hotel several times to take us different places, mostly trying to get us an illusive tour of the underground river (totally booked, didn't get to go), but also helping us to do things like getting a private boat to the various islands off of Honda Bay, with our own driver provided. While everyone else piled on and off of crowded boats, we lounged on our boat with Biboy, our personal driver casually going from island to beautiful island.
Our first stop was not actually an island but a beautiful coral reef where we took out our stylish snorkeling gear and swam face-down among groups of striped fish that I was praying wouldn't touch me. There was a sort of snorkeling sidewalk that we followed underground squeezing each other's hands and pointing when we saw a large neon-lipped fish or a large piece of coral covered in what looked like a field of peacefully swaying pink wildflowers. My first time snorkeling and I was not disappointed.
Then we went over to Luli island, a rather small and remarkably beautiful island with only a few other souls, one of which was selling ice cream; definitely one of the people you would want to be with you on a deserted island. All we really did there was get the most delicious sunburns you can imagine and wish each other a merry Christmas Eve.
Our last stop of the day was Courie Island, palm tree laden with a small hut of a restaurant and another hut with women offering 7 dollar hour massages. We lathered on some more sunscreen, starting to feel a little on the crispy side, hoping not to worsen the condition while we swam some more in the ocean. Donning our attractive snorkeling gear, I was interested to see what the floor of a nice swimming beach held. Well, there are things alive down there, I can tell you that much. We found a large starfish, a small one, this fish who was the underwater equivalent of a groundhog, and this fish who laid flat on the sand with two eyes instead of one on the side facing up. That was my favorite, I think, although it inspired a little paranoia in me.
In the tricycle ride back from the bay we were both starting to feel the injuries we had inflicted on our skin, but I couldn't stop smiling. We had been outside all day in the beautiful sun.
Back at the hotel restaurant for dinner we joined tables with the only other customers, two young married couples, one from the US but teaching English in Korea, one from Norway, enjoying a much needed vacation. The six of us were outnumbered by the smiling staff who made sure our water glasses were never less than half full. We talked about Norway, about traveling, about teaching in foreign countries. I ate squid. We wished all a merry Christmas and, after putting aloe on every inch of our bodies not previously covered by swim suits, went to bed happy and properly exhausted from our sunny Christmas Eve.
we booked our stay at the four star Sunlight Guest Hotel, a hotel on the fourth floor of an average Philippine mall: loads and loads of people, loud bumping music, a line of tricycles outside calling any person who walks by to come for a ride, some sellers of used clothing, some sellers of cell phones and colorful cell phone cases with key chain attached, a drug store, some run down stores that smell like urine and guards at every entrance who check your bag or at least pretend to because that is their job. Although this particular mall, unlike malls I went to in Manila, looks out over the Puerto Princessa baywalk with its huge Christmas tree and calm water. The hotel itself was teeming with really friendly staff. Everywhere you turn there is someone smiling at you. This is a big contrast from Kazakhstan, where the people are generally nice, but not as nice about it.
That first evening we walked down to the baywalk where there were many food and souvenir open air stalls. Despite the damp stickiness, it felt so good to go outside with more than our eyes exposed and breathe the air deeply without any pain. At one of the stalls we met a man named Sunny. Besides being delighted to hear me speaking his native tongue, he also was offering tours of various things around the island. He had this incredible raspy voice and said the word legal so many times that we decided to make him our own. Throughout our days there Sunny picked us up at the hotel several times to take us different places, mostly trying to get us an illusive tour of the underground river (totally booked, didn't get to go), but also helping us to do things like getting a private boat to the various islands off of Honda Bay, with our own driver provided. While everyone else piled on and off of crowded boats, we lounged on our boat with Biboy, our personal driver casually going from island to beautiful island.
Our first stop was not actually an island but a beautiful coral reef where we took out our stylish snorkeling gear and swam face-down among groups of striped fish that I was praying wouldn't touch me. There was a sort of snorkeling sidewalk that we followed underground squeezing each other's hands and pointing when we saw a large neon-lipped fish or a large piece of coral covered in what looked like a field of peacefully swaying pink wildflowers. My first time snorkeling and I was not disappointed.
Then we went over to Luli island, a rather small and remarkably beautiful island with only a few other souls, one of which was selling ice cream; definitely one of the people you would want to be with you on a deserted island. All we really did there was get the most delicious sunburns you can imagine and wish each other a merry Christmas Eve.
Our last stop of the day was Courie Island, palm tree laden with a small hut of a restaurant and another hut with women offering 7 dollar hour massages. We lathered on some more sunscreen, starting to feel a little on the crispy side, hoping not to worsen the condition while we swam some more in the ocean. Donning our attractive snorkeling gear, I was interested to see what the floor of a nice swimming beach held. Well, there are things alive down there, I can tell you that much. We found a large starfish, a small one, this fish who was the underwater equivalent of a groundhog, and this fish who laid flat on the sand with two eyes instead of one on the side facing up. That was my favorite, I think, although it inspired a little paranoia in me.
In the tricycle ride back from the bay we were both starting to feel the injuries we had inflicted on our skin, but I couldn't stop smiling. We had been outside all day in the beautiful sun.
Back at the hotel restaurant for dinner we joined tables with the only other customers, two young married couples, one from the US but teaching English in Korea, one from Norway, enjoying a much needed vacation. The six of us were outnumbered by the smiling staff who made sure our water glasses were never less than half full. We talked about Norway, about traveling, about teaching in foreign countries. I ate squid. We wished all a merry Christmas and, after putting aloe on every inch of our bodies not previously covered by swim suits, went to bed happy and properly exhausted from our sunny Christmas Eve.
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