On the trip down from Ticao Island to Malapascua Island we were expecting current with us and thought it would take 12 hours. We make a sunrise start but by early afternoon realise we aren’t going to make it and will need to stop for the night on the south east coast of Masbate Island. Daryl randomly chooses to anchor outside a village with a flash modern building we presume is a church.
Before long we realise we are a bit of a curiosity and there are boys in canoes circumnavigating our perimeters. When we speak to them our first impressions is that they don’t speak English, kiwi English anyway. Amber perseveres to see if one of them is willing to take her fishing in their canoe. It turns out they speak English but probably are too shy, at first, to communicate with us. Time changes this and Amber gets fishing lessons with Nico. She then gets offered motor boat driving lessons in to shore. The forward ones ask for cigarettes. By the time we reach the shore there would have been well over 100 people there to greet us. It is pretty obvious that these people seldom get to see western people and we are creating a village event!!
Curious boys................................................................Amber going fishing with Nico
Amber having driving lessons.................................Nico introducing us to the village
Curious children.........................................................Amber with a village elder
View from the church.................................................Many gathered to see us
Daryl playing with the children................................Farewell
We ask to see the church and are given an outer tour. We can sense some reluctance and only later do we work out that probably we were inappropriately dressed, in shorts and singlets, for being at a church which is probably why we didn’t get an invitation inside.
We turn down invitations to stay on as the tide is rapidly receding and fear it may become an issue for the dinghy over the reef. We come away feeling like we can better understand what it must feel like to be famous!!!
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