WEEK 7 –Limancong Town to Corong Corong

Saturday 18 Feb – Limancong Town
Went to town in the morning – the people are so welcoming and the children are gorgeous. Bought a few supplies and checked the place out. Watched some people playing mah jong. They asked me to play but I am not in their league. Chris met a Jehovah lass who promptly gave him a Watchtower booklet. Asked after beer in another store only to be told that he is muslim! Peter got 200 litres of diesel in the jerries ($1.30/litre). Judy and Chris came over to discuss our internet woes and had a sundowner. We can see lights in some of the houses – most don’t have electricity and some are lit by kerosene lanterns.

Sunday 19 Feb – Limancong Town
Went to town to go to the market at 7 but it turned out we were a bit early. Most of the little stores were open but the wet market only had a few small fish. We sorted out our internet and by then we were able to buy some pork at the market. It poured rain all day. Our water tank is full, the water jerries and buckets are full and the skipper is lamenting about all the water going to waste!

Monday 20 Feb – Limancong Town to Bario Pancol, Malampaya Sound
10°52.000N / 119°24.781E
Braveheart pulled their anchor up but had three other unattached local anchors, an octopus and nets and other varied bits and pieces of rubbish. It took them quite some time to clear it with Cilantro’s assistance. They proceeded to the fuel dock and when they got back at 11 the sun had come out so we upanchored and headed up the Strait. There were lots of school kids in little canoes crossing to their homes. We motored up Marampay Sound past islands and then fishtraps and sticks and dropped the anchor around 3.45 in 4.3m. We can see a big house on the hill and the road to Tay Tay behind. The village is at the foot of the hill. We watched a fisherman pull in his line which had nets attached to it at regular intervals. It seemed he was getting crabs and tying them up but they didn’t look very big.
Miles: 5 TTT: 627

Tuesday 21 Feb - Bario Pancol, Malampaya Sound
We went ashore and noticed something moving in a small bangka (local boat) and it turned out to be twos trussed pigs. The locals carried the pig away upside down on a poleover the shoulder of two men. We were directed up the street to the main road so we could go to TayTay which used to be the capital of Paliwan and is on the East Coast. We waited for the bus opposite a shelter where a man was giving haircuts. Eventually a small van stopped for us and the six of us piled in. It cost 50 pesos each ($1.30) and it took half an hour to get to Tay Tay. The scenery was interesting as there were lots of rice paddies. Men were tilling the paddies with small ploughs pulled by water buffalo. It was a cement road to the edge of our village and then it was dirt all the way. We got dropped at the bus station then caught a trike to Tay Tay town. We walked around the waterfront to the Spanish fort built in 1667 and sat in the little church in the centre of the fort. We then had a tasty lunch at Penn’s restaurant, did some shopping in the little stores and then back to the bus station where they seemed to be waiting for us and piled us into the van and we were back by 2.30 – a great adventure and then sundowners on Braveheart.

Wednesday 22 Feb – Bario Pancol – Largenn Island
11°04.767N / 119°23.913E
The clouds over the hills came down to met the smoke from the cooking fires. We left at 7am and followed our track back out past the sticks and fishtraps. Amost ran over one marked by a tiny bit of white float – with a long rope attached! Passed Liminacong Town and the skipper caught a small mackerel. Fish for dinner! Then we came around into Bacuit Bay which is beautiful – full of limestone karsts a little similar to Thailand. We anchored in a small bay on Largenn Island and took Bob to another island about 1k away and went into Cathedral Cave. We were lucky and caught it between tour boats so motored in and had a look. It is a small cave but the walls tower above you and it really does look like a cathedral. As the tour boats with outriggers are all a bit big their guests have to swim in. We had a barbeque on the beach to finish the day and ate the fish we had all caught and some pretty good salads followed by a spud cooked in the coals. What a great day.
Miles: 26 TTT: 939

Thursday 23 Feb – Largenn Island – Corong Corong Town
Wow – waking up to perfectly calm water with huge cliffs towering above. Beautiful spot. Motor sailed across the bay to the Lagoons where we were hoping to anchor but it was gusting on to a lee rock shore and it was way too deep for us to anchor. We headed to Corong Corong in blustery conditions and anchored at 11.50 in 11m. This is a bit like Phi Phi Don in Thailand must have been 20 years ago with El Nido town a short 20 min walk across to a bay on the opposite side of the headland. There is a little village of atap huts ashore here with a few resorts further round the bay and lots of bangkas anchored on shore. In the afternoon we walked across to El Nido which is the laid back tourist town and after checking the place out had dinner and then walked back to Corong Corong.
Miles: 13 TTT: 952

Friday 24 Feb – Corong Corong
We got up early and went to the market. They didn’t have much there but we managed to get two sweetlip fish. Had a boat day and Braveheart joined us for sundowners while Cilantro went to town for dinner.

Well we have finally arrived at the good part of the trip and it is a pretty amazing part of the world and we would highly recommend it if you are looking for somewhere different to go – Katie! By the way check out the new links on the right hand side. You may see someone you know!

Anyway, hope you are all good. Missing everyone - love to Rosie too
Much love
Dell and Peter