15th - 19th SIPALAY

kumusta, So where do I start ? Leaving Siaton,Monarch Sands wasn't as hard as I anticipated. I had fallen in love with the place but Jade's eagerness and enthusiasm to get to our next destination was driving me on. So we say our good byes to the lovely Filipina staff, board our taxi with Ron the american owner giving us a small tour of Siaton itself, before dropping us off to the bus terminal.

Boarding the bus full of chicks in boxes, men carrying cockerals,Who needs Alton Towers when you have Adam Baxter, sorry I mean a crazy filipino driver at the helm. This was a ride we will never forget, from girls shrieking at the front , to Jade and I holding on to each other so tight, all we can do is close our eyes, not look and hope for the best.We arrive at our next stop which is a very brief one, Bayawan. This is the only town nearby that has an ATM ,It is 30 miles north of Siaton and 41 miles south of our next destination Sipalay.After a short trike ride I'm back and our cash is replenished for the next week. Back on to the bus armed with water and delicious snacks of course ! Jade is opting to sit in front of me so we can both have the rush and coolness of the air coming through the Bus windows. As we forget about the maniac bus ride Jade and I are absorbing as much of the beautiful sights Negros has to offer. From the demarara sugar coloured beaches, to the lush green of the mangroves, to as far as the eye can see, We decide the bus travelling days are our favourite (even if they do start with the stressful manouvering of 50kgs of luggage in the 30degrees heat), as we get a real insight in to the filipino's life style and see how each different villages differ from one an other,

We have reached our destination Sipalay City, well almost.... we are now off the bus armed with our bags. We are ambushed by 10-15 Filipino's trying to tell us that their mode of transport is the cheapest and the best, "where you going sir?" "habal habal?" I'm now losing my patience a little bit may I add. Jade and I haven't even planned or thought this through very well. So after listening PATIENTLY ... We board our individual habal habal 100peso each. Our driver/good salesman insists that we can save money by going his way just a short crossing over the river with a small boat 50peso, Instead of paying a 600p for the designated Boat(bangkha) that goes to Sugar beach, Sipalay (this small town has no roads it is only accessible by boat ). We drive for a considerable amount of time, even driving back on our original bus route. I am kind of worried which it was ok to be, as jade was on another Habal (motorbike) and I didn't have to have my macho image ruined. My driver was very chatty, his dream to work in the western world ( I think they all dream to work in UK or USA.) Now we are well off the beaten track, well at least thats what it feels like, to be totally honest I don't actually have a clue where we are heading or where we are staying only that we need to get to sugar beach. We cross a rickity old bridge, you know one of those ones from an old film where you just know something is going to give way. Jade opted to walk, well as I am writing this Blog Jade has now informed me that her driver suggested "maybe you should walk over maam".Our drivers stop at this makeshift checkpoint, 3 railway sleepers and a guard of 6-7 children and young teens."only short walk, only short walk " our drivers insist... mmmmm really?! As our bags are taken by kids that are smaller than the bags themselves, I have no problem letting them carry them as my feet are getting eaten alive by Red ants, we see the boat and board. I ask how much do I pay, to which the little boy replies "up to you sir" I pay the 50pesos this seems too good to be true. We actually have saved some money.....now we have alighted the small seacraft and have our feet on terra firma well actually its sand , we have an idea to where we want to stay, But little did we know what lies ahead of us. Just to recap the drivers commented "only short walk"... Well, he lied. After getting to the end of the first cove and me clambering over some rocks, all i see is a mile long stretch of brown sand ahead of us, aptly named Sugar Beach. I drop my bag down and go help jade with her bag which we opt to paddle through the sea instead of clambering over those rocks again. Our patience and endurance is really being tested here, hauling 50kg of luggage seems to be taking forever. Finally we reach a beach resort, I try to enter but there is a dog snarling at me not allowing me to get anywhere near this resort. Jade is a short distance behind me, bearing in mind we are having to drag these bags in the sand; no solid paths, (Jade forgetting that her bag had straps) I eventually manage to get in the resort but It is well out of our price range. So we are both exhausted in this heat and not even a fraction nearer Driftwood Village, Jade decides to go ahead whilst I watch the bags, she finds the Driftwood lodge and we manage to find a better path and eventually arrive at our home for the next 4 nights. We are greeted by Daisy the owner,who is an absolutely lovely Filipino, and she shows us to our hut. It is charming with an open front, it's shaded by towering coconut trees and after a brief rest and shower we head to the bar to get ourselves a well deserved cold drink and chat, laughing at our days debacle,or what could be described as our sticky situation on Sugar beach!

The next few days roll into one another (apart from one of the days which was full of rain,crashing thunder and electrifying lighting)... the sun was beating down on us, so much that on our first morning we burnt ourselves, Jade had burnt her armpits, yep her armpits were truly sizzled. To describe drifwood village, Sugar Beach; Our Huts were perfect just the right temperture as they were so shaded; lovely cool shared showers to freshen up in; and Eating at The driftwood was fantastic. A whole array of filipio cuisine and lots of swiss/western dishes to sample as well.My favourite dish so far in the Philippines was enjoyed here; Kinilaw Tangigue, a dish that consists of fish, vinegar, lots of fresh vegetables and with the aromas of lemon,ginger and garlic... I was so excited to try this as it looked and smelled delicious, as I put the first spoonful into my mouth though I was very surprised that it was cold ! This is how it is supposed to be, the acidity of the vinegar and lemon cook the fish, I think that Mark would really enjoy this dish, as Jade keeps telling I should make this for him when I get back. It was amazing, possibly in my top 3 dishes of all time. Jades favourite dinner was either the chicken satay or the vegetalble panikbet; a creamy coconut sauce that covers the colourful and fresh vegetables, as you can tell we really enjoy our food. The calm waves of the sea rolling up on to the Sugared sand and the cool breeze whilst lying in our Hammocks mean that you could quite easily lose yourself here in Sipalay. Our Time here has been spent with lovely walks along the beach and a whole lot of reading.And finally an early night as we are up early for our boat trip (the easier and reccommended way) back to Sipalay City then back on the bus.Next stop Dumaguete.