We arose early to ready for our overnight stay at Pearl Farm. After packing an overnight bag, Chris and I went down to the restaurant for our usual, which took at least a half hour to come out. One thing to expect here is that everything takes longer. It's probably at least in part the heat. Who can move quickly? I was told that about New Orleans when I went there...that everyone moved slowly...I see that here as well.
The trip across town didn't take too long since I think it was too early for traffic. We unloaded and walked into an area that was a house converted to a launching spot for visitors to the Pearl Farm. After having bags searched, and filling out information, we were given a brief introduction to the area by a young man spouting information off about the map we were looking at, things to do, and times for food and ferries. It was a lot of information, and I had so very little retention. One really nice thing about traveling with family and not being in charge is that you really don't have to know...you can just go with the flow. It makes it relaxing for sure.
We walked down the long dock, past men trying to sell us little trinkets and such (mostly jewelry with pearls) and loaded a long boat with what I would describe as a flying buttress (I am quite sure there is a better nautical description for this, but I am more familiar with medieval architecture than nautical terms! Okay, so I just looked it up and they are really more of an outrigger). Whatever the terms, the long legs extending out holding long bamboo parallel to the boat that seems to keep the boat from rocking so much made for a wonderfully smooth half hour ride past several islands to arrive at Pearl Farm. It was interesting seeing some brightly colored traditional fishing boats out on t the water and the little villages that dotted the coast.
As we floated up to our dock, you could see already the amazing line of houses that sat on long stilts above the water along the shoreline. They were very traditional looking and to me the one row of bigger houses looked almost like faces I'd see on totem poles. We unloaded, and were greeted by a friendly staff member offering us fresh watermelon juice. It tasted so refreshing as the day was bright and sunny, which also meant hot and humid. After hanging around the reception/dining area for awhile, we loaded onto a jeepney (owned by the resort) and they sped us down a lush jungle lined road to another dock with a beautiful view of the ocean, shoreline dotted with the houses on stilts, a pretty little sandy beach with the perfect hut-roof like umbrellas covering lounging chairs and the island across the way.
Having two professional photographers along with us, as well as the desire to take family pictures, we spent a lot of time on that dock. Really, we were there waiting for a speed boat that would ferry us over to the small little island just a few minutes away where the villas were along with a few more private beaches. We had no idea what awaited us.
Our villa was not ready yet, so we were allowed to relax in another villa which was just incredible. We were all in awe. The doors were a dark heavy wood that had gorgeous scroll work carved over both pieces. The doors inside were similar but with just a foot wide stripe of the carving extending from top to bottom. When you walked in there was a small restroom to your immediate right, then a door leading to a spiral staircase, and then two large bedrooms - one on either side of the entryway. The entryway opened up to large octagonal type patio completely covered by a tall pointed ceiling, that also had this carving covering it completely. The furniture was made of heavy wood with beautiful basket weaving designed pillows. This villa was incredible. The spiral staircase led to a large bathroom mid
level, and then above that was another room that had three single beds in in. Every room had incredible views over the ocean and the beaches. This villa was on a hillside. The pathway to get to them was narrow and surrounded by lush greenery, which, I admit, I was looking for snakes curled around some tree limb or hidden by some vine. Thank God I saw none!
Our villa was not ready yet, so we were allowed to relax in another villa which was just incredible. We were all in awe. The doors were a dark heavy wood that had gorgeous scroll work carved over both pieces. The doors inside were similar but with just a foot wide stripe of the carving extending from top to bottom. When you walked in there was a small restroom to your immediate right, then a door leading to a spiral staircase, and then two large bedrooms - one on either side of the entryway. The entryway opened up to large octagonal type patio completely covered by a tall pointed ceiling, that also had this carving covering it completely. The furniture was made of heavy wood with beautiful basket weaving designed pillows. This villa was incredible. The spiral staircase led to a large bathroom mid
level, and then above that was another room that had three single beds in in. Every room had incredible views over the ocean and the beaches. This villa was on a hillside. The pathway to get to them was narrow and surrounded by lush greenery, which, I admit, I was looking for snakes curled around some tree limb or hidden by some vine. Thank God I saw none!
We relaxed for a while, taking in the beauty of God's creation and these amazing man-made structures. We changed and headed down to the beach for a bit of a swim. The water was a aquamarine in parts that extended to a deeper blue, but the whole time it was clear. There was a delightful hut that had two hammocks and a wooden deck to sit on. The sand was warm, but the water had a cool edge to it. That didn't stop us from going in, though I was slower and more hesitant because I hate that cold feeling on my torso. We swam for a short time, relaxed in the hammock then headed back to the hut to get ready for lunch. They had this big pot of water outside the front door with a large wooden ladle. I had not realized at first this was to wash your feet off with before you entered the home. What a smart idea. We all took our turns washing feet, then changing clothing and making our way back to the speed boat area where we waited. Waiting is something you need to learn to do in the Philippines, or impatience will ruin your trip.
Lunch was back at the main docking area in a large, shaded, outdoor venue. We had the buffet, which was filled with Filipino foods and some other things like garlic toast, salad, and of course a variety of fruits and other delectables. We all had our fill, and the hit was the tapioca soup. It was very sweet - probably made with condensed milk, and then had some mango flavor and mango fruits cut up in it. It was quite delicious.
We lounged around awhile after lunch - I was so tired that I was the first one to go find a lounging chair under a little thatched umbrella and slept. Chris and his sisters found a pool that he eventually tried to get me to swim in, but I refused. It was colder than the ocean water and I had no need for swimming in it. Eventually the speed boat came and picked us back up to return us to the small island where our villa was. We had to switch villas after lunch, and this one, while not as beautifully decorated with the carvings, had a more streamlined bamboo and woven grass charm of it's own. Our bedroom was one downstairs that had a massive shower with way too many knobs to know what to do with, but I certainly looked forward to that shower anyway.
Eventually we returned to the water - this time a much shorter path since our new villa was actually on stilts coming out of the water. A few steps down the path, and a few stairs, and a few steps in the sand and we were there.
We had fun and played around a bit until Chris' sister screamed after realizing she was standing on a large starfish! There were two little kids snorkeling, and they confirmed that yes, there was not only one, but two of these. They tried to bring it up for us, but dropped it. There was plenty of corral underfoot, and being somewhat sharp, I was avoiding standing anywhere but the sandy areas. I made Chris carry me over to the area so that I didn't have to walk over the corral nor would I stir up the water more. Here we saw a huge (in my opinion) starfish with pointy brown spots all over it's body.
Eventually when Chris' dad came down, he brought the starfish up from the ocean floor and we each took turns holding it and taking our picture. I couldn't remember if it was very fragile or not, so we kept dunking him in water or holding him under the water so as not to hurt him too much. Later on, we could see more starfish from the villa porch overlooking the water - it was unbelievable how clear the water was to be able to spot starfish and the spiky sea creatures (sea anemone? sea urchin?) I took a picture with my camera zoomed in from above. Pretty amazing.
Other than taking more pictures and playing in the water (until Christine and I got scared by something whipping around in circles in the water, unseen) the rest of the time was pretty relaxed. Chris and I battled over the air conditioner in our room some. He wanted it at 16 degrees (that's about 60 degrees F...much too cold for an island paradise, I preferred around 24 (more like 75 or so). We managed to compromise at 20, but the funny effect of it all is that the beautiful panoramic windows in our room were all fogged up from the cold air inside and hot air outside. Just taking my camera outside meant I had to wait to let it warm up because all the lens and screen fogged up too much to use it.
Christine had plugged in her iPhone to let it charge, but the charger blew leaving a black charred spot on the cord. We talked about playing a game using our iPhones and had some music playing for awhile, but none of us were willing to try it again with our phones or chargers, so we just put it on energy saving settings and I enjoyed reading my book on my iPad as the sun sank amidst puffy clouds floating across the sky. Over the direction of Mt. Apos cloud coverage blocked the streaks of lightening, but the sky lit up none the less behind it. It was very relaxing and peaceful there. Eventually a small storm of rain came along and cooled the air, but it lasted only a few minutes.
We ordered food into the villa instead of going to the buffet ($25 per person). I ordered some sweet pineapple juice and we shared the plates of food as a family. One thing that you'll see all over this area are these lanterns that hang from tree limbs or elsewhere made of what looks like a pearly material. These lanterns hung along the walkway making everything look so much prettier.
It ended up being a relaxing evening listening to the lapping water and the gentle breeze with occasional noises from the nature around us. We went to bed early in our luxurious suite, complete with blasting air conditioner, soft beds and luxe coverlets in order to awaken early and enjoy the sunrise.
Lunch was back at the main docking area in a large, shaded, outdoor venue. We had the buffet, which was filled with Filipino foods and some other things like garlic toast, salad, and of course a variety of fruits and other delectables. We all had our fill, and the hit was the tapioca soup. It was very sweet - probably made with condensed milk, and then had some mango flavor and mango fruits cut up in it. It was quite delicious.
We lounged around awhile after lunch - I was so tired that I was the first one to go find a lounging chair under a little thatched umbrella and slept. Chris and his sisters found a pool that he eventually tried to get me to swim in, but I refused. It was colder than the ocean water and I had no need for swimming in it. Eventually the speed boat came and picked us back up to return us to the small island where our villa was. We had to switch villas after lunch, and this one, while not as beautifully decorated with the carvings, had a more streamlined bamboo and woven grass charm of it's own. Our bedroom was one downstairs that had a massive shower with way too many knobs to know what to do with, but I certainly looked forward to that shower anyway.
Eventually we returned to the water - this time a much shorter path since our new villa was actually on stilts coming out of the water. A few steps down the path, and a few stairs, and a few steps in the sand and we were there.
We had fun and played around a bit until Chris' sister screamed after realizing she was standing on a large starfish! There were two little kids snorkeling, and they confirmed that yes, there was not only one, but two of these. They tried to bring it up for us, but dropped it. There was plenty of corral underfoot, and being somewhat sharp, I was avoiding standing anywhere but the sandy areas. I made Chris carry me over to the area so that I didn't have to walk over the corral nor would I stir up the water more. Here we saw a huge (in my opinion) starfish with pointy brown spots all over it's body.
Eventually when Chris' dad came down, he brought the starfish up from the ocean floor and we each took turns holding it and taking our picture. I couldn't remember if it was very fragile or not, so we kept dunking him in water or holding him under the water so as not to hurt him too much. Later on, we could see more starfish from the villa porch overlooking the water - it was unbelievable how clear the water was to be able to spot starfish and the spiky sea creatures (sea anemone? sea urchin?) I took a picture with my camera zoomed in from above. Pretty amazing.
Other than taking more pictures and playing in the water (until Christine and I got scared by something whipping around in circles in the water, unseen) the rest of the time was pretty relaxed. Chris and I battled over the air conditioner in our room some. He wanted it at 16 degrees (that's about 60 degrees F...much too cold for an island paradise, I preferred around 24 (more like 75 or so). We managed to compromise at 20, but the funny effect of it all is that the beautiful panoramic windows in our room were all fogged up from the cold air inside and hot air outside. Just taking my camera outside meant I had to wait to let it warm up because all the lens and screen fogged up too much to use it.
Christine had plugged in her iPhone to let it charge, but the charger blew leaving a black charred spot on the cord. We talked about playing a game using our iPhones and had some music playing for awhile, but none of us were willing to try it again with our phones or chargers, so we just put it on energy saving settings and I enjoyed reading my book on my iPad as the sun sank amidst puffy clouds floating across the sky. Over the direction of Mt. Apos cloud coverage blocked the streaks of lightening, but the sky lit up none the less behind it. It was very relaxing and peaceful there. Eventually a small storm of rain came along and cooled the air, but it lasted only a few minutes.
We ordered food into the villa instead of going to the buffet ($25 per person). I ordered some sweet pineapple juice and we shared the plates of food as a family. One thing that you'll see all over this area are these lanterns that hang from tree limbs or elsewhere made of what looks like a pearly material. These lanterns hung along the walkway making everything look so much prettier.
It ended up being a relaxing evening listening to the lapping water and the gentle breeze with occasional noises from the nature around us. We went to bed early in our luxurious suite, complete with blasting air conditioner, soft beds and luxe coverlets in order to awaken early and enjoy the sunrise.
No comments:
Post a Comment