Unexpected

Travelling. More fun in the Philippines

by ozawapi · Feb 19, 2012

Following the unveiling of the new Department of Tourism of the Philippines simple yet brilliant slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” in January, we thought it would be nice to use it to illustrate our recent trip to the Philippines (note that this is not a sponsored post).

So is it really “More fun in the Philippines?”

Well, judge for yourself.

Discover 29 things we found more fun in the Philippines and vote for your favourite “more fun in the Philippines” caption(s) by liking it on our Facebook page.

A taste of Africa in the Philippines

by ozawapi · Feb 5, 2012

When we say ‘safari’, you think ‘Africa’, right?
Well, think again!

Thanks to a prolonged Chinese New Year break, we experienced our very first African wildlife adventure in Calauit Island, Palawan… in the Philippines! Calauit Island lies at the far north end of Busuanga Island, separated only by a large mangrove swamp.

To reach the remote Calauit Island from Coron town, we had the option to either take a four-hour boat ride or a three-hour drive plus a 10-minute boat transfer. Since we were planning to do some island hopping on the way back, we decided to travel by sea.

3.30 am. It’s time to board a traditional Filipino bangka to arrive on time to observe the animals grazing out in the open.

After a beautiful sunrise over the sea, the scenery changes from tropical beaches to African savanna.
At the entrance of the Calauit Safari Park, we are greeted by our guide who will share more about this very unique project.

Established in the 70s by former President Marcos, in an effort to preserve African wild animals from Kenya’s civil conflicts, Calauit Island was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1977. Sadly, not all imported animal species survived in their new Pacific home.

Today, African giraffes and zebras live in harmony with endemic Philippine animals like Calamian deers. They all roam freely in the verdant hills and plains of the island’s 3,700 hectares.

If elephants, rhino, or lions would have made it even more interesting, Calauit Safari Park gave us a little taste of Africa, right here in the Philippines.

We had the chance to feed giant giraffes. Did you know that giraffes can consume 33kg of food a day?!

We also discovered other creatures like a Philippine crocodile, white breasted eagles, porcupines, wild boars, and… a bearcat. This endangered native bearcat is famous for producing the world’s most expensive coffee. A coffee made from beans eaten and then defecated whole by the civet cat. Sounds lovely!

But Palawan has a lot more to offer: white sandy beaches, gorgeous limestone formations, vibrant coral gardens, turquoise sheltered lakes to name but a few as you will discover in our next post.

Monkey Business in Bali

by ozawapi · Oct 23, 2011

One of the many advantages of living in Singapore is that you can enjoy regular vacations to exotic places across South East Asia and beyond.
And with so many beautiful countries in close proximity, it would be a shame not to travel around.

So earlier this month, we decided to meet up with an old Irish friend in Bali, Indonesia.

Whether you go to Bali for the pristine beaches,

the luxurious vegetation and emerald-green rice terraces,

or the rich culture and many Hindu temples…

…you are likely to encounter the cheeky wildlife.

Cute, amusing, human-like but somehow terrifying, monkeys (long-tailed macaques to be exact) are an integral part of the Balinese charm.

If you are travelling to Bali, be aware: monkeys are expert thieves!
They are serious bling bling junkies and they love snatching unguarded items.
Camera straps, dangling earrings, glasses and even water bottles are major temptations.

Believe it or not, monkeys in Bali are well-trained pickpockets. They’re like little ninjas. By the time you see or hear them coming, it’s usually too late!

What’s more, monkeys are smart and have an impeccable sense of smell. Monkeys will know if you have a banana hidden in your backpack. And yes, Balinese monkeys know their way around zippers too!

Although Monkeys eat pretty much anything, they can sometimes be fussy. We were amazed to witness a monkey opening up a box of candies it has just stolen from an helpless tourist and then throwing out the ones he didn’t like.

Two great spots to observe monkeys:

Perched high up on the cliffs overlooking the ocean, the temple of Uluwatu is not only a great spot to enjoy an exquisite sunset but is also home to many naughty monkeys.
Another great spot to get up close and personal with monkeys is in the Bali Monkey Forest, a well-preserved piece of jungle in the middle of Ubud. Filled with giant nutmeg trees, the sacred nature reserve counts hundreds of macaque monkeys.

We got a facelift in a Japanese restaurant

by ozawapi · Jun 30, 2011

If we have to name one thing that most girls (boys just as much but they often tend to deny it) are collectively afraid of, the answer would probably be premature aging.

Well, during our stay in Tokyo, Simon and I were invited to meet with some friends at a restaurant in Shinjuku to experience our very first… Collagen Shabu-Shabu!

“Collagen as… collagen used in expensive anti-ageing skin care cosmetics?” I asked.

For those who don’t know, Collagen is a protein which is found naturally in the skin. As we get older, we produce less collagen, which means skin loses some of its elasticity.

Did I just understood right? We were going to get a collagen fix at the dinner table!?

That’s right.

But guess what? No injection is needed. Forget about Botox and other fillers, collagen is now in the food and can be consumed in all sorts of shapes and forms.

In Japan, looking younger only involves going to the nearest convenience store and buying a bag of collagen candies or collagen drinks or eating some collagen-enriched dishes in a “beauty” restaurant.

Collagen is especially found in mammals’ flesh and connective tissues, such as pigs’ trotters and chicken skin.

What’s not to love about that?!

The idea of eating a meal mixed with something you’d expect to find in a beauty salon is not the most enticing, right?

We were quite skeptical at first too.

Seating at the table, we were soon served a hot pot in which clear chunks of the jelly like translucent substance prized for its youth-giving properties was melting.

Wholly unappetizing in appearance, the tasteless concoction was then completed with a medley of vegetables and meat.

We were eating…collagen! And we have to say that the food was surprisingly tasty.

Our Japanese friends, Naoko in particular, strongly believe that drinking or eating collagen every day will result in younger looking skin. And she does indeed look very young 🙂

Well, I guess we just got our first non surgical facelift!

Drowning boat in a crocodile-infested river

by ozawapi · May 8, 2011

Australia, especially the Northern Territory, is not for the faint-hearted, that’s for sure.
I mean, it’s a place where you could die dehydrated under the boiling sun, suffer a fatal snakebite or be eaten alive by a crocodile!

Two different species of crocodiles can be found in Australia:

the freshwater crocodile (or freshie as called by Aussies)
the saltwater crocodile (saltie)

Freshwater crocodiles are not considered dangerous to humans if unprovoked. I wouldn’t bet my life on that, but that’s what every guide will tell you.

The saltwater crocodiles however are a lot less predictable.
If they eat mainly small reptile, fish, bird, dingo, pig, they can also kill and eat much larger prey such as kangaroo, cattle and careless humans!

The name saltwater crocodile is quite misleading. Indeed, saltwater crocodiles can live in the waters along the coastlines but are just as happy in freshwater rivers, swamps and billabongs.

Saltwater crocodiles are the world’s largest reptile and can grow up to 7 metres.
Australia’s killer crocodiles were once hunted to near extinction, but have become plentiful since they became protected species in the 1970’s. Nowadays, there are an estimated 80,000 crocodiles roaming the waterways of the Northern Territory.

That sums up petty much what our guide told us as we were making the first stop of our 3-day Kakadu tour to experience the Jumping Crocodile Cruise.
The Jumping Crocodile Cruise is a renowned boat cruise along the Adelaide River, home to one of the densest concentrations of deadly saltwater crocodiles in the world!

We were about to embark on our worryingly small restored boat, when we noticed a lot of agitation on the quay. The guide from the previous cruise rushed to leave the boat, holding his hand full of blood. Passengers told us that 2 of his fingers had just been chopped off by a crocodile.

Despite the fear and danger, we jumped on the boat. As we started our journey through the stunning beauty of the river, we noticed a little leak. But we tried not to think about what would happen if the boat started drowning into the murky croc-infested river…a certain death!

We quickly spotted some crocodiles sunning and lazing in the mud.

Our guide warned us to keep our hands well inside the boat. We were about to feed the hungry monsters from the “safety” of the boat!

The guide dangled some meat on the end of a stick above the river.

Soon, the first crocodile appeared on the surface and lunged out of the water to grab the meat.

Yep, crocodiles can jump.

It was a real shock to see how massive crocodiles can propel themselves all the way out of the water for a tasty reward.

As the guide repeated this action along the way, we also learned some interesting facts about crocodiles.

Did you now that crocodiles have the ability to keep their eyes open under water or that they kill and store their victims in river banks for several days before eating them? So if you get caught, you will probably die a painful slow death.
We also discovered quite surprisingly that crocodiles are cannibal and don’t hesitate to eat smaller members of their own species.

It certainly was very impressive to see these dangerous creatures up so close (we could have touched them but sorry, but we did not dare).

Beside the crocodiles, we also saw wild sea eagles flying by. We don’t have much stories about them, but they certainly were very impressive to watch.

This hour-long tour was certainly one of our most memorable wildlife spotting excursions.

If Northern Australia is on your list, we really recommend you to take a several-day tour to Kakadu National Park. We will tell you more about Kakadu National Park in a future post on Ozawapi.

Our scooters ended up on top of a train

by ozawapi · Apr 17, 2011

After a busy week contemplating the majestic Angkor Temples, we wanted to see more of the unspoiled rural Cambodia. Battambang seemed like the perfect place! The plan was to get there by boat for the way in and a local bus ride for the way back. Battambang however surprised us with a much more funky transportation experience.

If you visit Cambodia right after the raining season (from September to mid-October), the water level in the Tonle Sap lake is so high that you can do most of the travel from Siem Reap to Battambang by boat. It’s a great journey that will take you through several fishing villages. We liked it so much that we’ll write another article about it (stay tuned, it involves swamps, snakes, and a boat collision).

Battambang is a pleasant provincial town, mixing French colonial style and traditional Cambodian architecture. Angelina Jolie is the local star. The actress is indeed said to have purchased 6,000 hectares of land west of the city for the WildAid’s Maddox Jolie Pitt Project. She was unfortunately nowhere to be seen.

After dropping our bags at a hostel in Battambang, we met with Andy and Tom, respectively an English teacher and a monk student who also happened to be scooter-taxi drivers and tourist guides. They kindly offered to take us for an afternoon ride and we happily jumped on their bikes.

As we stepped on the roads, it quickly became clear that there are hardly any traffic rules around there. Driving in the city was rather chaotic. Vehicles were coming from all directions. Finding our way through was like playing Russian roulette. But somehow we managed to get out of the city in one piece.

We spent the afternoon driving across traditional villages, fertile farmland and beautiful rice paddies.

After a bumpy ride through numerous pot holes and bumps and an improvised detour to fix a flat tire, we arrived at a local farm owned by Andy and Tom’s friends. After a warm welcome and a visit of their garden, we all sat down to enjoy some locally brewed rice wine.

45 minutes later, we were back on the bikes, heading to a rail crossing where Andy and Tom wanted to show us a surprise.

Since destroyed during the Khmer Rouge regime, the Cambodian train system has remained very basic and rather unreliable. So Cambodians living and working along the tracks came up with a simple but ingenious form of transport: the bamboo train! Zipping across the beautiful countryside of Battambang, the bamboo train, also called norry, consists of a small motorcycle engine-powered bamboo platform placed on a pair of metal wheels on axles.

The bamboo train carries anything and everything from goods and people to…cows and motorbikes!

Our bamboo train reached up to 40km/h in full speed which felt fast considering there was little to hang onto and the rails hadn’t been repaired in decades.

While Simon and I were wondering what would happen if another norry, or worse a real train, were to appear on that single track. Our driver told us that we would quickly find out! And we did indeed! Five minutes later, the light of a big train could be seen running on to us!

The traffic rule is simple: “Bigger Gets Right of Way”. When two norries meet, the one carrying the fewer number of passengers, scooters or livestock has to give way. Clearly in that case, we had to move!

That’s when we realised an interesting fact: bamboo trains have no brakes! Oops! Our drivers could only cut the power off and hope that the platform would stop in time. Thankfully, the team had mastered the art of timing and we quickly jumped out of the norry to remove it from the rails. 40 seconds is all it took to stop, disassemble, and lift the structure from the tracks.

The other train passed peacefully, riding at a walking speed with its passengers waving at us from their seat on… its roof!
We re-assembled our bamboo train on the tracks in a couple of minutes, and continued our journey. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset over rice paddies as the night came falling down.

12 unexpected things we love about Thailand

by ozawapi · Mar 25, 2011

Renowned for its stunning white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, rich culture and flavored cuisine, Thailand is a Southeast Asian paradise.
But today we won’t talk about its scenic beauty, fabulous temples, lovely population and other common things people like about Thailand. Instead, let’s talk about the little things of day-to-day live that will surprise you.

The 12 unexpected things that stood out when travelling in Thailand:

1. You can stop for a nap anywhere anytime