Philipppines: Sugar Beach, Negros. March 14 - 19.

       We headed out from Boracay on our way to Iloilo with the intention of making this a short stop before we headed further south to Sipilay.  To leave the beautiful beaches of Boracay, we took a tricycle, followed by a boat, then a long scenic bus ride to Sipilay.  Once in Sipilay, we were met (as soon as we stepped off the bus) by a lovely young tricycle rider, Roland.  Roland explained to us all the ways to get to Sugar Beach and explained that his way would be cheaper.  The people in Philippines are becoming (or maybe they already were) well versed in the tourism gig.  We accept his offer, he was pretty nice and seemed honest.  As we were negotiating the price and details, I noticed that there were about six faces actively staring at us. Three young boys were particularly close to us and very social.  We were 'small talking' with them, I asked them all about school, told them I was a teacher and they were instantly grinning ear to ear.  So cute. We loaded out backpacks on the top of the sidecar and I boarded.  Next thing I know, one of the cute little guys from this group was snuggled in beside me!  That is when we realized that they were coming with us, they were our boatmen! Twelve, fourteen and fifteen and they were the boatmen!

     The ride on the tricycle passed through Sipilay, back out to the highway and then through a small town called Naugan.  This is the town where the driver lived and the tree boys.  As it turns out, they were related and neighbours.  We stopped for a cold drink at the (what would be called a variety store at home) small shop owned by Roland and his wife.  The boys sat around us and allowed us to take a few photos.  We also took the opportunity to meet Roland's wife and their month old twins.  They were so cute.  Dropped off at the end of the road, we paid Roland and were told that the boys would take us the rest of the way.  We had to pass over a small creek in order to access Sugar Beach.  The boys were all business.  Jeff, James and Gerald loaded our bags like professional porters,  They negotiated where to put our heavy packs and then I instructed us where to board the boat and where to sit.  Once on the boat, the five of us headed up the stream.  James took off his shirt so that he didn't get too warm while paddling - really I think he was trying to impress me - he had already told me how strong he was and was the first one to jump into the sidecar with me.  It was not the first time a young person (girls and boys) found me 'intriguing.'  I think it is the white skin and (fake) blonde hair.  

     Safely at our destination, we walked up an embankment and came onto Sugar Beach, or as we refer to it, Heaven on Earth.  The beach itself is about 1km long, Palm trees and other shrubs lined the beach and, at the far end, there was a wall of ancient rock coral topped with trees.  It was  a beautiful frame to a lovely beach. There were several fishing boats nestled up to the shore.  The fishing boats are painted in different bright colours making the scene quite beautiful.  The boats, bangkas as they are called here, have bamboo outriggers on each side providing the much needed stability for forging their way through the tropical waters.  These boats are full of character and add a human touch to a serene setting.  We instantly knew that we were going to love it here. 

     Without a reservation, we crossed all fingers and toes as we headed up to the registration desk.  Daisy and Peter (the owners) greeted us with great news: they had rooms available.  We decided on the hut called "Hornbill", a raised hut with one double bed, a lovely porch and a loft with another bed.  It was absolutely perfect.  We were both so happy we could hardly contain ourselves.  As it turns out, the resort is perfect in many ways.  The staff are super friendly, the food is really tastey and all items are fairly priced.  This was the kind of place we were looking for.  

     It is five days later as I end this post.  We have thoroughly enjoyed just chilling out on the beach.  Jon finished the novel he was reading and is almost done his second, I will have read two books by the day's end.  We experienced one of the finest snorkelling trips ever to a shipwreck and then on to an island about 1km off shore.  The coral there was multi-coloured and teeming with life.  We have swam in the crystal clear sea and watched beautiful sunsets from the shore.  We also met some other travellers and shared stories of our adventures and received tips on what to do and where to go next.  It has been a wonderful five days, and if they didn't have someone coming to our hut, I am sure that we would have stayed a day or two longer.  It's probably good that they are fully booked, we need to get back into the swing of travelling; hopping on and off bangkas, tricycles, busses and ferries.  Let's see what the next adventure has in store for us!