THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA:
FOR
"OTHER" THINGS TO DO, PLEASE ALSO SEE THE CHAPTER CALLED
"THE TOWN OF DAANBANTAYAN".
FREE USE OF OUR SMALL BOATS (FOR EXPLORING LOCALLY):
The photos directly below show the boats that our guests can use for free. The eight photos directly below show Skip's wife Belle, son Chip, and Clint's wife Rosalie, returning from rowing -- exploring -- and having fun. Essentially, they spent the day cruising the coastline -- visiting neighbors -- fishing -- swimming -- and exercising. These types of boats are very sea-worthy because of the outriggers. Also, they convert into "sail-boats" very easily, simply by dropping a bamboo mast into the receiving-hole and hoisting the sail, all of which takes less than 30 seconds.
FREE USE OUR OUR FISHING RODS AND REELS:
Many of our hotel-guests like to go fishing in our small boats. It is also possible to go fishing with the fishermen in their boats if you pay them a small fee. The local fishermen are always glad to teach you their fishing techniques – teach you how to identify the various types of fish – teach you how to run their boats -- etc. They charge a small fee for this, because their incomes are usually reduced to almost nothing when they have "tourists" with them (e.g. they are so busy "teaching" the tourists that they do not have time to catch as many fish). The photo below shows the morning's catch -- which were caught with one of our guests on board.
ISLAND HOPPING:
If you hire a local fisherman (and his engine-driven boat) it is possible to go to the Island of Malapascua from our beach – as well as to many other nearby islands. For a very small amount of money, the local fishermen will take the day off, and teach you how to run these boats – how to use the engine – how to use the sails -- how and where to fish -- how to anchor – etc.
RENTING MOTORCYCLES IN THE AREA:
We do not have rental motorcycles here at our beach. However, it is
possible to rent them from other people in Daanbantayan.
In fact, the rental motorcycles can be delivered to you at our hotel with no
extra charge for delivery. These
motorcycles rent for 200 Pesos ($4. U.S.) for 24 hours -- plus gas.
In other
words, it only costs $28. per week to rent a nice motorcycle here.
One
of the rental motorcycles is owned by Belinda Rosales. She is a very nice lady,
and very honest. At this writing, one of our guests, Tom Hale, is renting
Belinda's motorcycle and he is very happy with it. In fact, EVERYONE who
has rented this bike has loved it. The bike is similar to a Honda Dream,
which means it is relatively small (approximately 100 CC) -- doesn't have a
clutch -- and is one of the easiest bikes in the world to ride. Also, it
is suitable for riding double. We highly recommend that people tour this
area by motorcycle, because there are so many interesting things to see while
riding on the back-country roads and trails. Belinda's rental bike is
shown directly below -- along with a photo of lovely Belinda.
Incidentally, this honest local girl offered to give us a "percentage" of any rentals
that emanate from our hotel (it brings a
smile to our faces when we think about her kind offer). Of course we
declined her offer because accepting any percentage of that kind would be totally against our principles.
THE BIKES BELOW BELONG TO
SKIP'S WIFE, BELLE:
Belle's bikes are pictured
immediately below -- including a
Honda Dream -- a Honda Wave -- a Yamaha Chappy (yes... it is spelled with an "a") -- a Suzuki 125 -- etc.
Skip, Belle, and
son Chip (now 12 years old) love to go riding with guests.
CHIP
HAS BEEN RIDING SINCE HE WAS SIX YEARS OLD:
Here are a few photos of Chip riding at the age of six -- on his own bike.
HERE
IS OUR LOCAL
"OVER-THE-HILL GANG":
Immediately below
are photos of Belle's largest bike -- together with some of Skip's rowdy
"riding" buddies. These dudes are getting ready to go on a tour of the
area. As far as "gangs" are concerned, we seriously doubt if the "Hell's
Angles" or the "Bandidos" or the "Gypsy Jokers" are worried about these guys.
:-)
MOTORCYCLE RIDING IN THE AREA – ON COUNTRY ROADS AND TRAILS:
There are many miles of country
roads and trails in Daanbantayan – some of which lead to awesome little fishing
villages – small communities -- farms areas – farms – local people that are
amazingly hospitable and eager to meet you and entertain you – and the list goes
on…
Many of these roads and
trails have almost NO traffic on them, and they provide a very safe, fun, and
interesting place to
ride motorcycles. Skip,
Belle, and Chip love to go riding with guests.
For example, today
they went for a long ride with our guest Tom Hale, from Monroe, Washington, U.S.A. Tom rented a
motorcycle from Belinda for 200 Pesos per day (24 hours) and we all had a lot of fun
"exploring." We visited many small farms -- farm communities -- fishing
villages -- beaches -- etc. The following photos were taken today.
LOCAL
GAS STATIONS:
Immediately below are a couple of typical "GAS
STATIONS" in the area (e.g. The Coke bottles on the stands are full
of gasoline.). [In America,
you would be put in jail for selling gasoline in glass bottles along the road.
You would probably be arrested within five minutes. It brings a smile to
my face when I think about it.]
A
LOCAL VERSION OF A "7-11" STORE:
These types of small
stores are called "sari-sari" stores. They usually sell such items as
cooking oil -- rice -- candy -- beer -- rum -- cans of various food items --
etc. This one is in Daanbantayan, on the main highway that goes from the
south end of the Island of Cebu to the north end. [Can
you imagine how many licenses and permits would be needed to open a store like
that in America ??? It makes me laugh out loud when I think about it.]
TOURING:
We always enjoy riding on these awesome back-country roads and trails.
Even when it seems like we are "miles" from anyone, we still often meet people
(e.g. beautiful girls, etc.) walking "in" or "out," because a lot of people live waaaaaay out in the jungle.
On today's trip we also stopped to
visit with a lot of very hospitable families (fishermen and farmers) in their
rustic, but very comfortable "nipa houses." Traditionally, nipa houses are
made using native material (bamboo, vines, leaves) for almost no cost.
Also, check out the "fish-traps."
.JPG)
One of the photos (directly
below) is of Tom
Hale showing our new friends some of the photos that we just took. This awesome lady
had never seen a picture of herself, and she was amazed by it.
LOCAL CRAFTS:
When riding motorcycles way out in the jungle we almost always meet very
interesting people -- such as the man pictured immediately below. This
gentleman makes a living by making and selling beautiful bamboo furniture.
Skip has learned how to make bamboo furniture like this, but he says he does not
do it nearly as well as this man.
THE PEOPLE:
The lady [R.I.P.] in the photo below was totally
awesome. She lived on a beautiful farm out in the country with her wonderful
family -- including her
children, grand-children, great-grand-children, etc. We used to visit her
very often while she was still living -- and she will always continue to live in our hearts.
MUSICIANS:
We often hear authentic cultural music played
on home-made instruments (guitars, drums, etc.), such as the guitar shown here.
We spent hours with this man and his family, watching him make his guitars --
listening to him play -- learning from him -- etc. He said he would sell
this guitar for 800 Pesos (the equivalent of approximately $16. U.S.
OTHER PEOPLE WE
HAVE VISITED
RECENTLY:
When we are riding on "back-country" roads, we often stop to talk with EVERYBODY we see.
Therefore, we often get invited to come into people's homes -- have
food -- spend the night -- etc. The hospitality here in the Philippines is
totally amazing.
THE YOUNGER PEOPLE:
Whenever we are riding in the country we meet young people that have
never personally seen a "white-guy" before. Therefore we generate a lot
of interest. We are sometimes surrounded by literally hundreds of curious
kids. They are always very friendly, even though we probably look like
"ugly ghosts" to them.
FARMERS:
Here in the Philippines it is very easy to participate in
Filipino "farm-life,"
by
doing such things as plowing with water-buffalo – building and riding in ox-carts – planting rice
– building or repairing rice terraces – planting and harvesting corn, rice,
bananas, etc. – climbing coconut trees –
drying copra – drying corn -- collecting stones from the fields – taking care of the
animals – building homes and barns from native materials – etc.
PLOWING WITH A CARABAO:
Here is a photo of Skip plowing with a carabao (called a "cabao" in Cebuano).
Skip has learned to plow with "cabao" using
the single-gang plows that are customary here. For 50 Pesos (approximately
one U.S. Dollar) virtually ANY of these farmers would be glad to teach you how
to plow with a cabao. This is an awesome cultural experience.
MAKING ROPE:
The local natives make very strong rope from the
leaf-stems of coconut trees. Essentially, they split the leaf-stems into
long strips, and twist the strips together using a simple device made of wood.
This photo was taken by Skip after he spent an afternoon helping some of his
neighbors make this type of rope. The rope immediately below is sitting on
floor-tiles that are 12" X 12" square. This gives some perspective
regarding the size of the rope itself. This stuff is amazingly strong.
We think it would make a wonderful export item, to be used for interior
decorating in America, etc. At this writing, 80' of this rope sells here
for approximately fifty cents U.S.
LOCAL GIRLS:
The beach is a convenient "side-walk" that is perfect for strolling. Therefore, girls often walk past Skip's Beach Resort. Of course, we always invite them to join us for coffee, etc.
PLOWING WITH A MACHETE
(BOLO KNIFE):
People often plow fields using a machete, such as the man below is doing.
The normal wage for this is approximately 50 Pesos per day (approximately one dollar U.S.).
How could anyone NOT respect a man that works this hard, day after day, to support his family ??? Skip has learned how to plow like this, and he has spent many days doing so.
In an effort to learn the culture (and therefore truly appreciate it) Skip is
always trying to learn new things.
FLOWERS IN THE PHILIPPINES: There are beautiful flowers everywhere we look. Frankly, there are so many beautiful flowers here that we sometimes don't even notice them. However, we KNOW we would miss them if they were gone. In the next few days we will be adding a lot of pictures of flowers here -- showing the different types -- sizes -- colors -- etc.
ON ONE OF OUR "TOURS" WITH OUR GUESTS: Stopping for cokes -- fixing a flat tire at the local "service-station" -- visiting native homes -- etc.
LOCAL MARKETS VIA
"TRICYCLES":
The local markets in Daanbantayan and other neighboring
communities such as Tapilon, Maya, Medellin, San Remigio, Bogo, etc., can be
reached by riding in what are called "tricycles" (motorcycles with side-cars, as shown).
"PEDI-CABS" ARE LIKE "TRICYCLES" -- BUT WITHOUT THE ENGINES:
FIVE OR SIX PEOPLE ON A MOTORCYCLE IS "NORMAL" HERE: Skip tells us that this kind of freedom no longer exists in America -- where "police power" is currently being used primarily to generate income for the government through the use of un-constitutional fines, seizures, and confiscations.
JEEPNEYS ARE A COMMON
METHOD OF TRANSPORTATION. ALSO, RIDING ON THEM IS A GREAT WAY TO MEET LOCAL PEOPLE:
Believe it or not, it is very common for people to ride on the top of these
Jeepneys -- or hang onto the back of them -- or hang onto the sides of them --
while the vehicle is going 80 kilometers per hour. Check
out the "flat-bed-truck" that is being used as a school-bus. [In
America, you would be put in jail for this within three seconds.]
RIDING ON "TOP" OF JEEPNEYS, BUSSES, AND MOTORCYCLE SIDE-CARS IS VERY COMMON HERE: People often prefer to ride on top, because it is too crowded inside -- and/or because there is a cool wind when the vehicle is going 75 miles per hour -- and/or just because it is a lot of FUN riding up there. They do this in spite of the fact that people sometimes get killed when they are brushed off by low-lying tree-branches. Unfortunately, when riding on top, almost "any" accident is a "fatal" accident. [Can you Americans even imagine having that much freedom in your country ???]
EXPLORING BY BOAT:
We are in one of Skip's boats, going
"up-river" on a nearby island.
ANCIENT CHURCHES IN
THE AREA:
Below is an ancient
Christian Church that is located in downtown Daanbantayan. It is reported
that the Spanish (and thus the Catholic Church) arrived here via Magellan in
approximately 1521. Magellan failed to circumnavigate the globe because he
was killed by a Filipino leader-warrior named Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island, Cebu.
These types of ancient churches are everywhere in the Philippines, and therefore
if you are a photographer it would be easy for you to create a
"coffee-table-photo-book" of these awesome structures. This photo was
taken by Skip on November 15, 2006.
Below is another church that is located on a nearby island.
SUN-DRYING SUCH THINGS AS FOOD -- COPRA -- FUEL -- ETC.: Concrete and asphalt surfaces (including public roads and basketball courts) are often used for sun-drying various items, such as fruit -- fish -- rice -- copra -- and fuel. Here are a few examples of how it is done.
A CHECK-POINT: The police at the check-point shown below might be looking for members of the New People's Army (a communist rebel group) -- or perhaps one of the Muslim rebel groups -- or perhaps some other "bad-guys." However, they are virtually NEVER looking for any of us "white-guys" so we usually just get a friendly wave.
:-)
VARIOUS BOATS:
The
boats come in many different shapes and sizes...
THE SULU QUEEN -- AND
OUR FRIEND JULIO [R.I.P.]:
Below is a
photo of Skip's boat, THE SULU QUEEN, in dry-dock, being worked on by Skip's
good friend "Julio" [R.I.P.]
***
Julio is
now sailing boats on a new ocean.
THE LUCKY CHIP:
Here is one of our more recent boats,
THE LUCKY CHIP (named after Skip's son, DeWelle Ferguson
[Chip] Ellsworth, IV.
.jpg)
ISLAND HOPPING:
When we are island-hopping we often land on beaches that are totally secluded.
We greatly enjoy camping out -- and cooking our fish on open fires.
COCK-FIGHTING:
Essentially, there are two types of Cock-fights – “formal” – and
“informal.” The “formal” ones are held on a regular basis at specific buildings
(arenas) called “Cock-pits.” The “informal” ones are generally held outdoors --
in neighborhoods – on an irregular basis – perhaps in conjunction with a Fiesta,
or a neighborhood party. The one below was held in our own neighborhood. The
fourth photo (below) shows the book-makers making bets with the crowd.
They will make 40 or 50 bets, and remember every face and every amount
(including the odds).
SKIP
MET TWO OF HIS CLOSE FRIENDS AT THE COCK-FIGHT:
A
WEDDING PARTY (FOR SKIP'S FRIENDS, GUIDO AND STELLA) ON THE ISLAND OF KARNASSA:
Wedding parties often involve “island-hopping” from one island to another.
For this party we sailed from our Island of Cebu to the beautiful but
rustic Island of KARNASSA.
On the way to the
wedding party on the Island of Karnassa
we decided to give this ship (THE TUNGENES, from Panama) the right of
way... which was probably a wise decision.
:-)
ARRIVING
ON KARNASSA (below):
The main street in the village... etc.
STELLA AND GUIDO (bride and
groom) -- AND
GUESTS:
Beautiful girls are everywhere on these
islands...
THERE IS A BEAUTIFUL LAGOON ON THIS ISLAND...
The rest of the story regarding our good friend, Guido: Guido and Stella were together for a long time, but they got married only recently (shortly before his untimely death). Guido [RIP] was one of the best foreigners ever to move to the Philippines. He was an honest man – honorable -- straight forward – fearless. He lived and died in a way that would make any man in the world proud to call him a friend. Also, Stella was a perfect wife to Guido, and she always took care of him faithfully right up to the end.
AN OVER-VIEW REGARDING
DAANBANTAYAN AND CEBU IN GENERAL:
Here on the Island of
Cebu we have the best of both worlds (modern and primitive) -- and everything in between -- as follows:
There are 7,000 beautiful tropical islands in this country, and more than half of them are not inhabited. In fact, we have access to some of the most beautiful uninhabited islands in the world.
We have some
relatively remote resorts ( like
Skip's Beach Resort
)
that none-the-less provide all of the conveniences, such as
electricity (24 hours per day) -- air-conditioning -- a municipal water supply --
Cable TV --
a high-speed
wireless Internet connection -- good roads -- colorful local markets --
access to good schools -- and the list goes on...
THINGS TO DO IN CEBU CITY:
Cebu City has all of the modern conveniences that a person could imagine, including huge shopping malls -- excellent hospitals -- wonderful restaurants -- an exciting night-life -- an excellent International Airport -- five-star hotels -- "normal" hotels (for intelligent people that want to ESCAPE from the five-star hotels and get in touch with the true culture of this awesome country) -- and the list goes on...
THE TAOIST TEMPLE IN
CEBU CITY:
The photo below is of the
TAOIST TEMPLE, in Cebu City -- which is a place where most visitors like to
visit. There are also many other interesting places to visit in Cebu City.
THE ALEGRE GUITAR FACTORY ON MACTAN ISLAND -- VIA A BRIDGE FROM CEBU CITY.
Skip's son, Chip is 12 years old. He has a band called CHIP AND THE LUCKY CHIPS. He plays guitar -- bass -- and drums. For Chip's birthday on May 4, 2007, Skip went to Cebu City to buy Chip a new acoustic guitar. Because Skip wanted to get a GOOD guitar, he went to the ALEGRE GUITAR COMPANY on Mactan Island -- which is a world famous factory that is known for its quality guitars. This factory is so well known that it has become a tourist attraction. Just get into any taxi in Cebu City -- or the town of Lapu-Lapu -- or on Mactan Island -- and tell the driver to take you to the ALEGRE GUITAR FACTORY. There are often several tour busses parked in the large parking area. Here is a brief tour of the factory:
Here is the leader of the band -- and now the proud owner of a new Alegre Guitar -- the soon-to-be-famous Chip Ellsworth.
:-)
Move over Bo Diddley !!!
Photos will soon be added of Fort San Pedro -- Magellan's Cross -- the statue of Lapu-Lapu -- Carbon Market (a totally awesome place) -- the look-out point called "Tops" -- etc., etc.
***
NOTICE:
FOR MORE THINGS TO DO IN THIS AREA,
PLEASE GO TO OUR
CHAPTER CALLED "THINGS TO DO IN DAANBANTAYAN."
OUR THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY...
"The idea of creating governmental agencies that are designed to threaten, coerce, or kill, and to imbue such agencies with allegedly principled legitimacy, and not expect them to lead to loss of rights, full prisons, wars, genocides, and other tyrannical practices, expresses an innocence we can no longer afford to indulge."
Butler D. Shaffer, Professor Southwestern University School of Law
"Then what is freedom? It is the will to be responsible to ourselves."
Friedrich Nietzsche,1888
"The things that will destroy America are
prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first,
the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life."
Theodore
Roosevelt - (1858-1919) 26th US President of America