TravelStream™ news feed for member hectorisdiving on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/hectorisdiving en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 19 May 2009 07:59:21 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1242569460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1242569460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1242569460/tpod.html Tue, 19 May 2009 07:59:21 -0400 TRIP TO THE CORAL TRIANGLE

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Key Largo, Florida, United States

My dear friends , the trip back was fairly uneventful, except that I found out that you can not carry a lighter on your" check in" luggage, only on your "carry on", an that for some reason Customs wanted to know the story of my life past, present and future, well with this face can not blame them,,,,,,
After only a few days the every day nuisance, clogged pipes, Wells Fargo fairly much stealing money from me under the authorized robbery in this country known as "Insurance", and the fact that I might have to serve as a Juror, finally once on the other side of the law, makes you think where next ?????
You and I know that it will not be long before the new blog will tell you where I am, but in the mean time I need to see my friends, dive in Key Largo and look back to the places that I've been and people that I've met.
As always I learned a lot, and it seems to me that traveling is fairly similar to life.
There is that place that we want to go , some are very popular and the terrain has been walked over and over, the signs are clear and tell you exactly where to go and what to do, you will find very familiar surroundings and everything is safe, and works as it should, and it has a lack of emotion.
Others required more of you, more preparation, a willingness to change along the way, you can not be impatient or hurry up because you might miss the signs that nature or others before you have placed, you need to be very aware of where you are placing your foot.
In here nothing is what it seems, sometimes the twig supports you and the rock is not steady enough, what works is persistence and courage to find your destination, then your confidence grows, one step at a time, you may slip but you get up and keep going.
The less baggage you have the better off you will be, airlines and life have a stiff fare
Some are fortunate to find the right partner so the road will be a lot easier, you will laugh together, you can hold each other,and misfortune will be half as bad.
With the wrong companion the trip will be murder, better travel alone, at least you have the chance to find the correct one.
Along the way you will see magnificent views that very few had the guts to see and the memory of the trip will last you a lifetime.
If you chose wisefully and with a little luck you will arrive to that marvelous place where a lot of people want to go but are too afraid to take the first step.
Perhaps the most important part is that you try, weather you reach Nirvana or not will depend in a lot of factors beyond your control.
In the end only three things matter,
how well you lived
how well you loved
and how well did you learn to let go....
Many will envy you and call you crazy,with a lot of love and respect, others will blame you for their lack of courage.
One thing though nobody will be able to take the trip away from you, so make the best out it .....
Till the next one
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Manila, Luzon, Philippines

A couple of delayed flights caused me to arrived at Manila after midnight, under a light rain.
The original hotel that I had in mind happened to be out of basic rooms so the other choice was Friendly's a P$ 325 a night for a dorm bed that ended up being an excellent surprise.
The original idea was to spend only one night and head towards the rice terraces of north Luzon, but a typhoon had went by and after missing Manila went to the north were it made some roads impossible to cross and cracked a bridge, forcing a change of plans.
After checking some alternative options travelers at the guesthouse told me that Friday nights is barbecue night so you bring something and they cooked for you, and you have a great party with a lot of fun people.
Saturday was cheese and wine night,, free of charge, so another day of fun, the atmosphere in this place is awesome and truly they honor their name.
Well without time to go somewhere else you have no idea how comforting it was to find a clean comfortable place, in a city that has no many options.
In 2 days it will be the end of this journey and once home I will write the last blog of this trip,
See you soon guys..........................
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241690220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241690220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241690220/tpod.html Thu, 07 May 2009 06:28:30 -0400 TRIP TO THE CORAL TRIANGLE

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Malapascua, Visayas, Philippines

Those things in life, the airplane was delayed for a couple of hours which helped since now instead of arriving at 4AM and no place to go , I was at 6.30 AM getting my return ticket to Manila at the office of Cebu Pacific on the Mactan Airport in Cebu.
From here a taxi for U$S 2 to the bus to Maya another U$S 2 and four hours later I was waiting for the boat crossing,
The water was rough so you have to pay double fare, this was no nice but no choice so another U$S 2 , still no bad.
At 4 PM I got the last room at Bebe's, no much but only U$S 6 shared bath, next day I will move to a bungalow for U$S 10 with private bath, no the cleanest place but no complains for the price, they also have better accommodations
I decided to dive with Fun and Sun, they where recommended by several travelers and yes they are the cheapest but also great.
Weather has been really bad, and the next day was worst so no diving with Fun and Sun, rough water a really poor vis they did the proper thing and stayed on shore until the next day.
This people leave at 5.30 AM to see the thresher shark, only at that time you can see them, I was awake since 4 AM and the rain and wind was pounding heavily, so at 5AM back to sleep, at 5.30 AM they came to pick me up, weather had changed and we were going.
Vis was fairly poor, 30 feet, temperature 82 Fahrenheit, but the sharks showed up and it really was something not to be missed, their tail is something amazing.
In the afternoon we went to the same spot to see mantas and also we were lucky to see one.
The island is really nice, with a nice beach, 2 or 3 little villages and can be walked in 3 hours
with the weather improving it became a great place mainly because the people that I met in here where great, from different countries and ages but all of them just thinking about having fun .
We did 5 more dives, one more to see the sharks and we were successful again, also Gato Island, nice but no much fish and the Dona Marylin wreck with lots of soft corals but again no fish.
All and all Malapascua became a great place, of course as I mention before the people and the sharks did it .
Well from here is Manila and may be the rice terraces the diving is over until I get to Key Largo, already missing it......
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241688240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241688240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241688240/tpod.html Thu, 07 May 2009 05:54:54 -0400 TRIP TO THE CORAL TRIANGLE

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Singapore, Singapore

Somebody told me that if " I saw New York I saw Singapore", kind of ,"The Last Supper was a meal".....
I have never been in a place where real people live and still has all the characteristics of Disneyland.
The architecture is outstanding, everything works, is clean, with parks plants and flowers all over, and all in top condition.
Many travelers dislike the city calling it " too sanitized", perhaps after Manado it was what I needed
The MRT , train subway, takes you from the airport to fairly much everywhere, and with the free maps provided ,and the kind help of the tourist office, plus the help of every person you ask, it was a breeze to arrive to Little India, where the hostel was located.
The Fragance is not cheap, at about U$S 15 for a dorm, but this town is expensive, well nothing is that perfect, extremely clean provides towels and toiletries, and of course the staff is great, one thing though only dorm rooms, 6 beds to a room, shared bath that was never a problem.
I took the first day to add more pages to my passport, just in case, going once again on a combination MRT and Bus I arrived to the door of the Embassy which happens to be almost across the street from the Botanical Garden one of the attractions of the town.
This is not to be missed, really beautiful, from here I went back to Little India walking quite a distance but weather was good and even with the thousands of cars this town has no noise pollution.
The Indian food was great, the other attractions fairly much the same, malls, malls, malls, an island with rides, malls, the biggest fountain in the world, malls , a shopping center that used to be a convent, a library with free exercise classes, malls , a wonderful river walk with malls, a beautiful park on the ocean with free concerts and yes more malls.
The city really impressed me because of the order and comfort, but still a city, so after a short time I wanted to go to Malapascua to see the thresher sharks, so after checking the net on the free computers at the airport I left on my midnight flight to Cebu.
The time is running really fast now, the end of the trip is near so you do not want to miss the next few blogs I hope.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241009400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241009400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241009400/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:37:24 -0400 TRIP TO THE CORAL TRIANGLE

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Lembeh, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Some cities make no sense and Manado definitely is one of them. In just a few weeks they are having a World Conference for the Coral Triangle and the whole city is getting ready to receive around 20 to 50 thousand tourists . Nevertheless you can only find 2 o 3 travel agencies and they only sell local trips, don't ask me why but that is the way it is.
For this situation I had to waste a night in this ugly place, well what can you expect out of a place where they sell cats, dogs and bats, for dinner, yes you can go to the market and they have the live animals so you can choose which one you are having .........no to mention the rubbish all over.
Besides that going to Lembeh by public transport once again proved to be very easy,
The resorts charge $ 20 Euros for a car 4 pax max, but you can do it for $1 Euro, just take a Microlet that says Paal Dua, at this bus station there are always buses waiting to take you to Bitung bus station and in here another Microlet will take you to Ruko the harbor where the boat from the resorts will pick you up, no public ferries in here only the ones from the resorts for the 10 to 20 minutes crossing.
The whole trip will take one hour and a half more or less and you do not have to pay more than pennies for each leg of the trip.
Two Fish was much better than Daniels, their price went also up to $17 Euros for single room but the food was much better and the service too.
Sadly in here no much fun, people rush to eat an to bed by 9 PM then up at 6AM and the first dive was at 8 AM . oh well, these are no backpackers , mainly people on holidays
The muck diving was very good, water temperature went from 82 to 78,the vis at times was up to 50 feet .and the garbage is also all over.worst than in Bunaken
I did manage to see several species new to me like the Lembeh Sea Dragon, Ambon Scorpionfish, and a few other ones, but to be honest I guess Philippines spoiled me since fairly much you have the same chance to see almost all these species at a much lower price.
Now I have to deal with my credit card company, Capital One does not understand the concept that a customer can buy more than one ticket at a time ,even when I told them that I needed to do that , no wonder why the banking industry is in the shape that it is , with those genius at the helm....
Singapore is my next stop so the next report will be from there
Ciao
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241007900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241007900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1241007900/tpod.html Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:24:36 -0400 TRIP TO THE CORAL TRIANGLE

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Bunaken, Sulawesi, Indonesia

It took me some time to get a good internet but that is the way it goes sometimes when you travel to certain islands, the phones work great but the net is very slow.
Besides spending 5 hours at KL airport the trip was good, reaching Bunaken by public transport was very easy, just take a Microlet, little blue public bus outside the airport till Paal Dua terminal about U$S 0.30 in there there are others that will take you to the Plaza Hotel ( half the fare this time), and from there you walk 5 minutes till the river next to the harbor, in here the public ferry will charge you U$S 2.50 for the ride to the village of Bunaken, beware there is only one a day and leaves around 2 pm, none on Sunday.
The accommodations at Daniels where OK , first night I had a bungalow that was very nice ,no rooms available only one no show for that day , but then I had to move to the one that I was paying for, U$S 15 including 3 meals a day, diving went for $ 20 Euros a tank, a bit expensive since the place was not that professional, and the diving is just average nothing that spectacular.and you will find garbage in almost all the dive sites, vis most of the time was around 60 feet except in one dive that went up to 100 plus, temperature around 82, 28 Celsius
Well in reality I should rectified that there was a magnificent night dive, we saw about 20 Mandarin fish, at least 8 mating couples, velvetfish, comet, big trevalli, devil stinger, etc etc,,
At night the staff had a great time performing live music for the guests and sharing with us local palm wine
All and all it was a good experience but the lack of alternatives made it no the place for me, but I will have to endure the same because Lembeh also only offers all inclusive type of resorts and there are no roads to go anywhere else
So out to Lembeh !!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1239867480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1239867480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1239867480/tpod.html Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:07:48 -0400 TRIP TO THE CORAL TRIANGLE

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Bangkok, Thailand

Well back to a place that always makes me feel comfortable.
The day I spent on Vientiane was not very easy, the bus ride took 10 hours, with one stop, really bad place, and one other on the side of the road, so you could relief yourself, very classy,also it was very amusing I guess for the drivers to have the music blasting all night long.....
After waiting a couple of hours to get to the travel agency that had sold me the ticket, the only person there was this guy that was not too sharp to say the least, he could not tell me much, except they will pick me up at 5 PM
Next door where I had breakfast earlier they told me , after trying to sell me a ticket ,that the bus was not riding due to civil unrest on Thailand.and the Friendship Bridge was closed.
This was not looking like a very good day, everything was closed because of the New Years, can not ask questions because they would tell you anything just to make a dollar, so I just had to wait and see.
A lady at a store told me as she could that the bridge connecting with Thailand was OK, then the water festival began and of course everything stands still.
By 4.50 PM, after watching the guy in the travel agency looking for transmission from another planet for hours, I told him to make a call and found out, he did not have a phone, land line or cell, the only one in Laos without a cell phone and I got him....
I push him to go next door, the guy who told me about the unrest, he made the call, for $ 2000 kip, they said they will show up.
I let the guy know how I felt , if this is the way that people from Laos are treating tourists, no wonder why the country is in the shape it is.
They did come in a tuk tuk at 5.30 PM in the middle of the water battle and after crossing the bridge into Thailand, finally a good bus, with a/c, seats that became a bed and blankets, toilet and dinner was included, not only that, they showed a movie, in English,
THANKS BUDDHA WE WERE IN THAILAND
Back to the same hotel, to pick up my back pack, enjoy for a day the food , the people and one more day of celebration.
Next Indonesia we are going back to diving..............
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Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

"It has only 16000 residents and few concessions to 20th century living, save for infrequent electricity and a few cars and trucks".
This is a transcript from a travel magazine that I picked up in Laos, the author either was purposely trying to mislead or he was in this town in the seventies.
Granted, it was New Year and probably the busiest time but, even when this is a very cute town, if felt more like a tourist trap.
Most of the guest houses are top of the line "boutique bed and breakfast" , with every comfort that you can imagine, from internet to a/c etc etc.
Also there is something that it is a fact through all Asia everybody owns a cell phone, farmers included.
The setting is very nice in the confluence of two river surrounded by hills, with Wats left and right, but also with the all year around Night Market, selling at higher than average prices for the regions the typical silks, t-shirts, the ridiculous traditional pants that only westerners wear (the locals go for jeans or Billabong, except older ladies or younger ones working that wear their traditional skirt), and all the items that you find mass produced displayed as an exclusive item.
The guest house was cleaned but not a bargain at $ 100000 kip,even with a/c and hot water, it seems that in Laos they have a price mafia, where everybody will quote you the same price , higher than what it should be, just to reap you off, since you are a stupid foreigner and will pay no matter what because still is cheaper than back home.
The monks where everywhere but unlike in Thailand, you mainly see young kids, if you look close enough you will discover that a lot of them have tattoos , and cigarettes under their costumes, sorry but for me they are what Cinderella is to Disney World......just another attraction
The good thing was the water festival that the city becomes for the 3 days of New Year celebration, when everybody will get wet, but all is done with the out most respect, people with working clothing were spare,
The Wats were nothing different that what you will find in the region.
After a couple of days was time to go back to Bangkok, the bus ride, another one that they tell you will have a/c and all the comforts and the only thing they give you is a plastic bag, people from Laos tend to get sick on the bus, as it turns left and right to negotiate the mountains.
As you can tell this was not my cup of tea, mainly because it is presented as this spiritual low key town, while in reality it is only another city open for business, big business, with people making around $400000 kip a month, where a tourist had no problem paying half of that for a 3 hours tour (that is the cost for 10 people), of course she was not a backpacker, merely a rich person with a backpack......
Soon will be Vientiane again..........
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Vang Vieng, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

Did I mention that I enjoy traveling by bus? In case that you did not notice I do, and I took another one this time for only 4 hours to do the 90 miles more or less from the Capital of Laos to this little town in the road to Luang Prabang
Most reports mentioned it as a must do stop for all backpackers, where you can climb limestone mountains, go caving and jump from ropes into the river and of course get drunk and mingle with fellow travelers
Not sure why but I felt the need to see this place, and I am glad I did.
The trip was fairly painless, by now 4 hours is a breeze and a malfunctioning a/c is not a biggie particularly when you only paid $4000 kip, or less than U$S 5.
The road was dotted with houses and businesses , until you start going up.
At the beginning seem fairly dry, with fires going on , do not know if man made but it seemed to be too controlled to be an act of nature.
Then once again the view is awesome, a very peculiar shape on the summit with trees growing all along the side of these limestone walls and at the bottom the river.
After taking a room for $ 6000 kip, double bed., a/c, hot shower, private bath, average is $4000 kip, I went directly to book my next bus ride to Luang Prabang and then to get my inner tube.
Yes my dear friends, here I was tubing in one of the most spectacular places that I ever seen, with a big bottle of BEER LAO between my legs, watching how people half my age hang from ropes 20 or 30 meters from the river and then let go and walk out of the river pretending that it did not hurt at all.
To complete the painting about 10 water buffaloes decided to take a bath .
The river barely moves, only in a few places you got a little current that will push you along, most of the time you have to row with your arms, so usually after 30 minutes people quit and take a tuk tuk back to town.
NO ME, particularly after the guy told me that there was no way for me to make it back before 3 hours, that was when they closed
To his and my surprise 2 hours later I was there returning my tube and feeling proud since most of the younger crowd were arriving by tuk tuk, granted in better company and with a lot more beer in them.
There are a couple of caves and treks that you can do ,as well as kayaking and a few other activities
The town can be walked in a couple of hours even after rafting.
The experience was fantastic, I will never forget moving along the river watching such an amazing picture perfect view.
To end the night, it seems it is a full moon, and it is bright orange, almost the color of the attire of the monks that for sure I will see in great numbers in my next stop.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1239281940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1239281940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hectorisdiving/5/1239281940/tpod.html Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:38:17 -0400 TRIP TO THE CORAL TRIANGLE

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Vientiane, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

This time the bus ride took 20 hours from Hanoi to Vientiane, of course you have to deduct a couple of hours until the border opened, we waited next to a hotel , you could check inn for those hours if you choose, .
Do not ask me why the bus does not leave later, that is the way that things are done, and I am glad , because the crossing from Vietnam into Laos has to be one of the most beautiful crossing that I ever did.
The mountains with their lush forest and rivers way down there, and the mist and clouds at the top made an unbelievable picture that will be printed in my mind forever.
Then it took another hour and a half to do immigration in Laos, but after that another wonderful landscape was at our side for the next 2 or 3 hours.
Laos has to be by far the most pristine country that I have seen, very few houses here and there, and only forest rice fields and farm land until you reach the city.
The ticket costs around U$S 14 with a/c but it is not the most comfortable, as a matter of fact some people that got on further down the road had to seat on the isle, next to the boxes.......
There are several border towns the one that I took was Cau Treo, or something like that , it has several spellings
Vientiane in itself is more or less a big town, next to the Mekong River, much less developed than the cities in Vietnam, less populated, but also more organized, for instance even with a minimum amount of traffic the streets tend to be one way and for the most part people respect the signs and traffic lights.
The hotel is clean enough, charge is 8000 kip, about U$S 10 for a double with hot water and a/c.
There was no much to choose from since it is going to be the New Years in Laos , so places are getting booked quickly and after so many hours in the bus you do not feel like walking around to save a couple of bucks
You can visit all the attractions in one day. Buddha Park, a small park full of magnificent depictions of , you guessed , Buddha and other deities of impressive sizes.
Then That Luang. one of the symbols of this city, the Victory Gate, the other symbol of Vientiane, and then several Pagodas like Ho Phra Keo , Sidaket, Si Muang and That Dam another stupa
Food in here is very good, it has several establishments that cater to westerners with all kinds of cuisines.
So after only a couple of nights tomorrow I am going to Van Vieng , and then Luang Prabang
I will have to hurry since I did not count with being here and then going to Thailand during their New Years, and I already booked a flight to Manado for next week
Sorry if sometimes my blog is a little confusing, big part is me , also at times computers start acting up and you have to send wherever you can in order not to rewrite everything again.
Just in case HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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