Thread: Wet Very Wet!

It was a double bank holiday this weekend here, school closed Monday & Tuesday so, the Memsahib organized a getaway to Puerto Galera with our Aussie friends.
6.30 am Saturday we left Manila for the 90 min drive down south to Batangas to catch the ferry for the 90 min journey across.
Now I say ferry but this is a v loose interpretation of what most would consider a ferry!, Link to photos at the end.


All well and good thus far, a little rain on the journey down but nothing to write home about. A Tropical Depression, Mina, was lurking around way up north and according to forecast's should have been heading off to Taiwan by now. WRONG!


Mina turned west and morphed into a Super Typhoon, the eye of which clipped the far northern shores of Luzon before heading off in its forecast direction.
We arrived at Batangas port to find the 9.30am ferry cancelled due to adverse weather, apparently Mina was that strong it was sucking weather from Cambodia / Vietnam across the South China sea!
A Ferry turned up at 11am, docked and then proceeded to pitch about five to six foot in the swell, but was given the green light to proceed. Getting on it was like a nightmare roller coaster ride, inching up a narrow gang plank while crew members held onto you. Once on and moving, the choppy waters died down a bit as we headed out into Batangas bay, but once out in the open sea we got walloped.


Five to six foot waves crashed around, on and in the banka soaking all 85 passengers to the core. The journey ended up taking nearly three hours, twice as long. Finally when we arrived at Mindoro Island, we were due to dock into Sabang. The Captain wisely bypassed that, as you couldn't actually see it! So we ended up further inland at Puerto Galera town. It was now lashing it down but as we were all throughly soaked from the crossing we didn't actually mind as no one could get any wetter. From here we had to hire a smaller 25 foot banka for the journey back to our resort. The tarpaulin cover on this banka had a tear in it and we all got another good soaking on the 20min journey.


Finally arrived tired, very wet and actually laughing, more from the fact that we were all alive. Hotel staff guided us in through the packed restaurant, us and our luggage dripping everywhere. Finally got our rooms only to find that most of our packed clothes were soaked, so trip to local shop to buy dry ones, hung out wet ones over the rooms balcony's, they stayed wet till Monday when the sun finally put in an appearance.


Twas a nice couple of days relaxing, the return journey was totally uneventful.


For those interested, photos of the Blue Penguin Ferry's can be found here

Hi Dukane..lovely read..I tried clicking on the photos but nothing appears.

What a rockin' adventure! I might have about died, or wished I had three waves in. Water doesn't bother me, but motion sickness sure does. Bet you feel pretty alive about now.

Nacian, Link does work. Just click the word 'here' - its only links to photos of the Banka ferries.

Eluxia, True, now we all relate the story with giggles and the waves grow higher with each telling. Personally I was not too worried, I don't get seasick but it was like a three hour roller coaster ride, boredom after about thirty minutes. Also it was being totally soaked by the third wave. Imagine three bucketful's being chucked over you at once and you'll get the idea. Plus nearly three hours sitting on a wooden bench, my bum was flat! Only getting its shape back now!

I didn't include the fact that a large grain freighter only missed us by about 50 feet, kept hearing it's klaxon, then it suddenly appeared out of the mist!
Bit worried about our next planned trip as we have both flight and a one hour Banka ferry to contend with.
With any luck no Tropical Depression's will be around.

Memsahib and her get-a-ways...lol Never boring...

Next ones Siquijor in October!
Another boat ride and please don't ask me to pronounce it, at least not wiv my accent!

Dukane I am still not able to see the pictures.
Are you able to post a couple in a different way?
I would be interested to see some.
Thanks! If not not to worry.

Nacian,
Would post website, but ss guards of wf wound be on to me, [ONLY JOKING GUYS!!].
Send me a pm and we'll sort something out