Boracay

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Boracay is the most well known beach destination in the Philippines, the white sand beach is one of the best I've seen and the scuba diving is also incredible.

White Sand Beach:

Most of the lower end hotels and hostels don't have websites and quite a few of the people I've met here booked through an agents website and ended up paying triple the walk in rate. I wouldn't recommend this during Chinese new year or Christmas and new year but I had no issue finding accommodation.

My room is 1200 PHP a night a week before Chinese new year when prices are higher with no aircon or hot water.

Alcohol is incredibly cheap with a 375ml bottle of rum for 40php that's roughly $1. And double that for a 700ml. It's insanely cheap and doesn't taste too bad. Beers are around the same price.

Breakfast lunch and dinner can start at 100php for something basic or most of the restaurants do a buffet dinner or something similar from 250-600 php.

SCUBA diving for a boat dive was 1250PHP, here is a quick video of a sea turtle on a shipwreck I took on my first dive here.

Flying into Manila

Flying into Manila you have the option of Clark (low cost airlines like air Asia) or NAIA Clark is a two hour drive and the traffic can be bad the trip in a taxi was $3000 ($60 US roughly). So factor this into your ticket price. A bus was available but there was a two hour wait before it left but could be an option on a super tight budget.

A mixed room dorm for 450 a night at Where 2 Next hostel and amazing food downstairs. Lunch was 389 for crispy pata (fried pork) and cheap beers can be found everywhere from about $1 US.

Heading to Boracay today for Australia day and will definitely need to spend more time in Manila before I leave the Philippines.

A flight booked on the same day to Kalibo (90 min to Boracay) was $2000 PHP. There is a closer airport but prices for the next few days are around double so planning your trip a bit further in advance might have been a better option.

Singapore on the cheap

Singapore is notorious for being expensive, the price of alcohol is probably the highest I've seen in Asia but cheap nights out e possible.

 

 

Drinking at convenience stores where three large cans of Anchor can be purchased for under $10 or bringing a few bottles into the country with you is an even better option.

 

The food is super cheap at the hawker centers and is incredibly tasty too, $5 will get you an incredible feast.

 

I stayed in Boat Quay at the Prince Of Wales hotel and backpacker which for $25 Singapore a night for a 24 bed dorm isn't cheap but is clean and has a good bar downstairs however it might be a bit expensive for budget conscious travellers.

 

Most of the sights are free and the public transport is incredibly easy to use $3 for a ticket including a $1 deposit for the smart ticket to most destinations or if you don't mind the heat walking is also a good option.

 

A few days in Singapore is enough to see most sights but it was great to appease my sushi and western coffee cravings.

 

 

Sanur to Java

Lost 30,000 at the cock fighting.

Hotel was 125,000 with the use of a neighboring hotels pool and breakfast.

Booked a bus including ferry to Java (Probolinggo) for 200,000rp through the hotel I'm staying at leaving at 6pm allegedly arriving 6 hours later but I'm thinking more like 12. From there bus to Mount Bromo.

Breakfast free, lunch at Warung Made across the road for $5 and it was amazing. Highly recommended.

Regards,
Ben King
Apologies for the short reply this was sent from my mobile.

Ubud to Lovina

Booking with your hotel or any one of the travel agents that are around every former for around 110,000rp ($11) for the three hour drive north over a mountain with some more lush green views.

Arriving in Lovina you will be dropped at a hotel that pays commission right on the beach. Next door at Sartaya or any other number of places within easy walking distance offer cheaper rooms. Mine has hot water a fan and is of the nicer places I've stayed for 125,000. Dinner (see photo) for 100,000 was massive and delicious.

Booked a double dive tomorrow on Menjangan island for 800,000 which I think I could of organized for cheaper.

White water rafting in Ubud

White water rafting is offered in the rivers surrounding Ubud, but can be organised from Kuta (with a longer drive) usually 1 session in the morning around 9, and another in the afternoon around 1.

We negotiated a price of 205,000RP per person but 250,000 was the norm, unless you were booking through an expensive hotel.

A steep walk down on day 1 to find the river too swollen to go meant a steep walk back up, we tried again the following day and had a great time, at the end you obviously have to walk back out of the river, but this is an adventure sport so if you want to complain about a walk you should just get a massage instead.

Our guides were great at the end we had a nice buffet lunch, showers and dry towels waiting for us.

Kuta to Ubud

Bali to Ubud on a tourist shuttle bus is cheap at around 70,000RP per person, my bus had air con and 3 passengers I have heard of others being cramped with no air con. The trip was under 2 hours.

Upon arriving in Ubud in torrential rain we were offered a free lift to check out a homestay, Dewi Antara with hot water and a douve for 100,000 per night and within easy walking distance to the main street and monkey forrest.

A visit to the monkey temple 20,000 and some bananas 10,000

Dirty duck restaurant for the crispy fried duck while a little expensive was well worth it at 90,000

290,000 for the day or $29

Cheap night in Kuta Bali

You can have a pretty cheap night in Kuta if you take advantage of the club specials and move around.

 

I met a German who had perfected this with multiple iPhone alarms that he followed religiously. He claims to survive on 150,000RP a night ($15) which for the most heavily commercialised part of Indonesia and getting dinner and absurdly drunk is pretty good going.

 

Hotel with pool for 100,000RP can be found around the Poppies Lane 1 or 2 area so Ealing distance to the beach and bars with breakfast included (if you get up in time), massages by the pool for 50,000RP

 

Lunch is optional after breakfast but I usually had something small and coffee 30,000RP so I could save myself for the all you can eat BBQ buffet with free beers between 5-6pm 50,000rp. That's not a typo.

 

Free pours of alcohol at most bars happen around 8pm. So head to alleycats on Poppies 2 for 20,000 " double doubles" that's two shots of vodka and two of red bull. Be sure to collect some free tequila vouchers that are handed out usually for Eikon. Then head there before free pour times at either sky garden or bounty.

 

 

Be careful for methanol in home made spirits and bogans/posers but otherwise a good cheap night.

 

Labuan Banjo to Ruteng

70,000RP for a bus to Ruteng in cyclonic weather (tropical cyclone Narelle was about 550km away) the 4 hour trip took 5 due to downed trees and washed out roads. There was supposed to be an onward journey to bajawa but that stretch of road was completely closed so a quick tour of Ruteng there is only really a few attractions and I'm heading back to Labuan Banjo.

I also neglected to ensure I had a memory card in my camera so no photos.... Massive Fail.

2 bus trips 70,000RP each
Lunch 40,000RP
Breakfast was included in my accommodation from the previous night
Dinner of swordfish carpaccio, iced coffee, water, creme brulee, and an entree was 220,000
Accommodation in the same place as last night was 100,000

$51 roughly for the day

Labuan Bajo

What do you do in Labuan Bajo when Tropical Cyclone Janelle causes rough seas and rain?

Go and visit mirror rock cave.

The Bemo (2000RP for locals, 5000RP for foreigners). Just ask the driver for "Batu" and they should be able to drop you close and point you in the right direction, they may want to wait for you, which will be more expensive.

Admission was 30,000RP, and came with hard hat (for falling rocks), and torches but I would recommend you bring your own. The lonely planet guide claims it should be 10,000RP, either way the guy wouldn't budge.

Our guide was hilarious, and the caves were worth it was our only real option for something to do regardless. We did spot a heap of bats (harmless fruit bats) a couple of spiders, and a few crickets.

Kuta Lombok to Labuan Bajo (Flores) the jumping off point for Komodo Island

This post has been updated and posted on www.nomadsblogs.com (A site for sharing your tales of adventure).

Direct link to post is: http://www.nomadsblogs.com/kuta-lombok-labuan-bajo-flores-jumping-point-komodo-island/

Due to my travelling companion's time constraints and my laziness we decided to fly (4 Hours, 1,400,000RP via DPS with Merpati) to Labuan Bajo instead of taking:

• Public ferry, See http://fourfootprints.com/2012/06/how-get-bali-labuan-bajo-flores-cheap-way/ and http://www.theeverydaymagic.com/2012/06/18/the-pelni-boat-getting-from-lombok-to-labuan-bajo/
• One of the tourist sightseeing boats which were allegedly all cancelled due to high seas but usually 3-4 days stopping at attractions on the way. Search for Parama Tours
• The overland option of ferry's and cars (400,000RP - 27 hours)

Labuan Bajo is a small village and the flight in had some spectacular photo's. A motor (car) to the centre of town was 40,000 for 3 people.

Accommodation options are plentiful from 50,000RP sharing a room up to some new monstrosity resorts with pools.

Organising trips to Komodo, and Rinca for 2 days with 1 night sleeping on the boat we negotiated it down to 600,000RP with all meals included, and sleeping on the deck, you should expect to pay a little bit more for a boat with a cabin, and substantially more if you want a dive boat.

Kuta Lombok

I imagine Kuta Bali would have been very similar to Kuta Lombok 20-30 years ago, the main attraction is surfing, or relaxing on the beach, its also a hot spot for domestic tourists and you can see why, white powder beaches:

Surrounded by lush green mountains and rice fields:

and even more greenery facing away from the beach:

The local sarong (50,000RP) salespeople, kids selling bracelets (10,000RP) and domestic tourists wanting to pose for a photo were the biggest concern and they were by no means a problem, "Tidak terima kasih" (No thankyou) was usually enough to get them to move on if you are not in the mood for buying anything.

We stayed at Ketapang Home Stay (100,000RP), which was basic but clean, the bathrooms had no basin and the water in the town was not very useful for cleaning anything but bottled water was 5000RP for a large cold bottle.

Ketapang is right on the beach but if you want to go surfing or enjoy some soft white sand you can rent a scooter (moto) for 50,000RP per day ($5) petrol is 5000RP a litre.

An incredible meal at Warung Bule (Foreigners Restaurant) is from 30,000-400,000 and is highly recommended. It's on the main road with signage at the T junction out of town, and is some of the best local food I have had (and an amazing chocolate milkshake).

Mushrooms here are cheaper than on Gili T at 20,000 per packet (currently in season) and can be found at some bars or the local bracelet selling children can get them for you, they are more expensive in a shake but obviously taste better.

$1-$2 for small Bintangs (local beer)

Gili T

Gili T is a chilled out island where backpackers and domestic tourists come to SCUBA dive, lay on the beach, snorkel, and party, no cars or motorbikes are allowed on the island so transport is by horse drawn carriage or bicycle, there are no police on any of the Gili Islands either.

"Magic" mushrooms are legal in Indonesia and are readily available, 2 packets of shrooms (10-15 per packet) in a pot of tea were $6 and tasted immensely better than shakes I've had previously. Weed is also readily available on Gilli T but is illegal and punishments are harsh.

The high wasn't as intense as Thai shrooms the euphoria was there but the enhanced visual experience wasn't.

A few quotes from the night:
"If there was a professor of flashing lights, it would be me"
"Pat the horse it's so furry, I wonder if they are all like this.... Let's find out"
"Do you think the staff are trained to screw with people on shrooms?"

Update: If you have more shrooms they are just as good as Thailand if not better.

Here is an amazing sunrise on Gili Trawangan:

Other available items $20
Dinner at food market $5.5 water, fried chicken, fried noodle, spicy chicken curry, two satay sticks.
Lunch at a restaurant coffee, water, nasi goreng $6
Bike hire $3 for the day
Shrooms $6
Beers, spirits, etc (enough to be happily drunk) $23

Gilli to Lombok

The trip from Gili to Lombok is a 30 min public ferry for $1 the view of the three Gili's and Lombok is pretty spectacular, you can also opt for a speed boat, but the local boat is a good experience, especially if there are chickens on board (this time there weren't any). The ticket office is on the beach, some people pay more if purchasing through an agent.

We then organised a guide (Jo) to pick us up from Bengsal Harbour in Lombok and take us for a quick tour of Lombok, breakfast and lunch, before dropping us in Kuta Lombok, the price for 3 people was 500,000RP or
$50 for 3 people, which is by no means the cheapest but check out the photo's of the waterfall we otherwise would never have seen, definitely worth the extra few $$. Here is our view for breakfast, you can make out the waterfall which is only a 10 minute walk after breakfast.

 Here is Jo at the waterfall:

 

 A quick stop to feed the monkeys, get some peanuts or banana's first.

 If you want to organise Jo you can contact him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/jo.gili

We also paid 10,000RP or $1 each for entry to the waterfall, and both Jo's and our drivers lunch and coffee.Coffee for breakfast and lunch Mataram in the mall was $8. $10 per night for accommodation opposite Kuta beach is basic and could have done with a basin in the toilet but was otherwise OK. Small Bintangs were $1.60 and dinner of fried chicken with chili sauce, spring rolls, and 2 large beers was $8.

NYE 2013 @ Gili T

Starting the day with some snorkelling and some afternoon Yoga before a huge night. The snorkelling here is incredible with turtle sightings the norm.

Bringing in the new year with an epic firework display that makes Sydney look average (or maybe the shrooms were really good). Simultaneously hundreds of people and a few boats launched thousands of fireworks from 4 different islands. The view was amazing.

 

Cheap beers and 3 packets of mushrooms made the night one to remember that finished around 6 am, a minor burn from some fireworks was the only bad thing about the night.

 

I realised that you can't have sex on mushrooms cause "it's too purple around the edges" and that even though I can only speak one language "I can think in two"..... Needless to day the shrooms were quality.

 

New years day like most before it was a complete waste of a day but made better by cheap food and good weather.

 

Mushrooms $9 for 3 packets (about 10 per packet)
Other readily available substances $10
5 vodka red bulls, beers of an unknown quantity $40-$60 I can't really remember.
Seafood BBQ dinner with squid, snapper, prawns, lobster $20
Accommodation $25 (price was much higher for NYE period)