Monday 16 April 2012

Danger in Cuyo

We arrived in Cuyo for the end of holy week (Easter) and with no motorbikes available for hire, checked out the town. At the church built in 1630, the stilts used in the traditional races were laying out leaving me no option but to impress Amanda with some of my childhood skills. Both hers and Michelle’s attempts didn’t really get off the ground.

After returning to Thyme we witnessed the departure of boats filled with holiday makers. The Navy ship giving free passage for 1,500 holidaying Palwanians loaded for 15hrs. The travellers erected tents, hammocks and various other shelters for the trip back to Puerto Princessa.

I wish we had the camera out to catch to goat that was hoisted up before some late arriving passengers.

The motorbikes came through the next day and we left on a tour around the Island. Michelle made me real nervous with questions like where are the brakes and does it have gears??? A foreign concept to a country where everything is automatic. Slowly the road turned into the runway where Amanda thought she could safely give it a try. This of course means she can now advise me of where I am going wrong.

The road looked less and less like a road finally making us stop to check the map. We were looking for some old ruins that can apparently be found on the north side of the island

Armed with local knowledge we got lost a second time and thinking we were close ventured out on foot.

With the help of some farmers we were directed back to the road and found ourselves back at a resort under construction by an Australian guy. Later we found out they were the ruins and the Australians neighbor from Austria was the one who printed the map as a piss take. Old ruins apparently as they have been under construction for 15 years. (...as they say back in Aussie, What an arsehole!)

I would like to say we arrived back safely however this was sadly not the case. Michelle while undertaking a u turn accidently hit the gas and shot off down a bank and into a porch where an 80 year old local was quietly peeling Cashew nuts. A bunch of old ladies waiting for a bus rushed to her aid picking up the gent, his nuts, the porch and the motorbike. Michelle somehow ended up on her feet. We got the bike back on the road and pointed in the right direction we went for lunch. 2 hours later when we passed him again he was sleeping out the front, no doubt all tuckered out after his graze with death. This crash made the skidding by the well and roaring into the undergrowth look relatively harmless.
The good news is the bike was reality unscathed so we celebrated our good fortune back at the wharf over a beer and balut (no Balut for Michele.. yet...).

Cuyo is very popular with Kite boarders between November and March and after talking to the local instructor to get the low down, we are coming back for 2 weeks next year at this time to learn the sport. Can’t wait.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow that looks amazing for a second there I though that was a moon.