November saw me finally exploring The Philippines after finishing up my time in Thailand – here’s a run down of what I did and how much it cost.
Having finished up my time in Thailand at the beginning of the month (which included a stay at Lud D’s newest hostel at the artificial wave in Bangkok) I was super stoked to finally head over to the Philippines for the first time!
And it hasn’t disappointed one bit!
It’s been a pack month which included freediving in Cebu, swimming with whale sharks in Oslob, surfing in Siargao and even catching up with some friends from home who flew out for a week of sun, surf and island life!
I was also meant to head over to Palwan though at some point, unfortunately due to the tail end of a typhoon passing through my flight from Siargao was cancelled, which meant we missed the connecting flight to Puerto Princessa. Luckily Cebu Pacific handled the situation really well, rearranging our flight out of Siargao and refunded the missed Palawan flights…which meant a few extra days in an island paradise full of waves instead!
So I can’t complain too much!
Anyway here’s my stats round up for November 2014;
Overland Distance; 1092.19 km
Flight Distance; 2778.98 km
Total Distance; 3871.17km
Countries; Thailand, The Philippines
Main Spots; Bangkok, Cebu, Oslob, Siargao
Transport Taken; plane, sleeper bus, minibus, dive boat, jeepney, taxi, surf outrigger, motorbike, tricycle
Flights – BKK-CEB (Philippines Airlines) CEB-IAG Return (Cebu Pacific)
Money Breakdown
Thailand – £110.08 over 9 days = £12.23 per day
Philippines – £353.04 over 21 days = £16.81 per day
Total spent – £463.12 over 30 days = £15.43 per day
Cheapest Place – I think the cheapest stop would have to be Bangkok, although this might be down to the fact I’ve been there a few times and no where to head for cheap accommodation and food!
Most Expensive Place – To be honest all the stops this month have been pretty cheap! Overall I spent the most money during our time in Siargao, but this was because there’s quite a few day trips to do!
Biggest Splurge/Unforeseen Expense – No major unforeseen expenses this month (which is always nice!) but the biggest splurge was definitely our day with the whale sharks which set me back about £50…totally worth it though!
Highlight – Finally making it to the Philippines and surfing again is a solid highlight of November, but being able to travel and share some waves with my buddies Matt, Cat and Cribby was definitely the best part of the month…oh and the whale sharks…geez this month has bene packed full of awesome!
Lowlight – More goodbyes top the lowlight list. I was also pretty gutted that we missed our flights to Palawan due to the tail end of a typhoon coming through…although this is the perfect excuse to come back sooner than expected!
Oh and getting sunburnt really badly…that totally sucked – and still does!
Top Shot
The Philippines have been an incredible place to photograph, the scenery out here is beautiful! It’s unfortunate I didn’t get over to Palawan too as I’m sure it would’ve served up some great photo opportunities too!
Still out of all the images I took this month this shot of Tara free diving alongside a magnificent whale shark down in Oslob is still my firm favourite!
What’s Next?
Well I’m currently finishing up my last few days in the Philippines with some free diving then it’s onwards to one of my favourite countries – Indonesia – where my and the Povester will be finishing off 2014 with a heap more diving and surfing. At the moment the plan includes Ubud, Kut, Gili T and even an island hopping surf trip covering Nusa Lembongan and Java! Not a bad way to finish the year hey!?
The Philippines look gorgeous! It’s always nice to read these posts as it inspires me to get out there myself – which will hopefully happen next year!
I was wondering if you’re always taking your surfboard(s) with you when travelling? It’d be super convenient since you’d never need to hire a board, but I find dragging my 7’3″ surfboard along with me in public transport so annoying (and I bet it’s expensive on flights, too) that I’m considering leaving it home.. oh well!
Its incredible out there Lisette, slightly annoyed I never visited it sooner!hahaha!
Board wise I only take my travel board (which is 7’2) when I’m on a dedicated surf trip as like you mentioned it can be a huge pain to drag it along and get it on flights! Most surf spots it’s easy enough to hire though and won’t be a huge hole in your budget.
Haha thanks, good to know! Are you ever afraid it will get stolen if you leave it in a hostel during the day?
Hmmmm that’s never really crossed my mind to be honest, not the easiest thing to steal!hahaha!
Hahaha yup, that’s true! Luckily most surfers aren’t the type to steal anyway :)
Aren’t the Philippines amazing! We hope to get back there in 2015, we spent all of Feb 2014 there but so many islands to discover. Still amazed at how little you spend, good work!
I loved it out there Hannah – actually just booked a flight back there for Jan to spend a month exploring Palawan! Where was your favourite stop? In regards to spending, keep in mind that I do manage to wangle some discounts and freebies through some of my freelance work!