Travel Journal

Live the adventures of Dan Walker's travels through reading his travel journal. The travel journals are listed below in descending order of date. To search the travel journals, use the keyword search at the bottom of the page.

Journal Entry:

Trips | Philippines 2013

Saturday, June 01, 2013 19:57:37
Philippines 2013: 12 - Sanya, China to Manila, Philippines Monday, May 27, 2013 Hotel employees said there are no English speaking guides in Sanya, but a friend in Beijing found an untried one , so we booked an area tour. He was late, but got us to the Big Buddha. When I was there in 2004 only the foundation and temples had been built, but I wanted Marilynn to see the completed complex. Admission is 150 Yuan, but seniors are admitted free. Another 30 Yuan pays for electric carts for internal transport. There are additional fees to enter the statue base, ride an internal elevator and for the temple with the golden Buddha. The main temples and causeway to the base of the statue are included. The statue is 108 meters (355 ft) high and well worth seeing. / Alec Wong, a guide to avoid at all costs, was rude, arrogant, condescending and totally uncooperative. He didn't pick us up until well after 10 AM, and had us back at the hotel to end the supposed full day tour by 2;30 PM. According to him everything else worth seeing is too far away, and he wouldn't contact his agency to arrange a snorkeling tour we wanted for the following day. We'd had it with him, so when he asked if we wanted him the following day Marilynn said she hoped never to see him again, and he said he would be happy never to see her again! I think he has missed his calling; his attitude is more suited to evicting elderly tenants, repossessing cars or as a military drill instructor. After a swim in the super warm water (much hotter than Yalong Bay) we drank beer at the beach while watching the passing flow of humanity. Marilynn likes the Chinese beer and has been keeping up with me beer for beer. Tuesday, May 28, 2013 We are disappointed that we have no way to go snorkeling, as the water clarity is said to be amazing, but to kill time we went to another department store - this time a high end one that was air conditioned and accepted credit cards. I bought a shirt, but the prices were high so we returned to the hotel before long. In the evening it was beer and beach followed by dinner in the hotel Chinese Restaurant, where they now know us and spoil us totally. Unless there is prepayment at the desk for restaurant meals they cannot be charged to the room, so we paid the restaurant. Wednesday, May 29, 2013 This morning we took the fast train to Haikou. It makes the 300 km trip in 1 ½ hours. There were few attendants at the station, but we were lucky that the young girl buying a ticket ahead of us spoke some English and helped us purchase the right tickets. The train reached speeds of over 200 kph with a very smooth, comfortable ride and lots of leg room. Snacks & drinks including beer were available. In Haikou we climbed into a taxi, but of course the driver didn't speak a word of English. An attempt to explain that we wanted a city tour through hand signals didn't go well, but he phoned someone with just a few words of English and who helped us negotiated a price of 200 Yuan ($34) for the 2 ½ hours we were there. We walked into a park and while Marilynn was taking photos of a river with traditional Chinese bridges I was invited to drink tea with a couple of young fellows sitting in a gazebo near the river. We had a good time - communication was assisted by phoning the father of one who is a teacher and speaks a few words of English. The tour ended after a drive around the clean, green city of wide treed boulevards and a walk through the zoo. The zoo could be missed, but all and all we had much more fun and saw more than with the so call professional guide. The ongoing narration for the tour was entirely in Chinese! Returning it was 25C degrees inside the train and 36 outside. Back at the hotel we had a last beach beer night followed by dinner and good Chinese wine in the hotel. We have had fun watching the chef who samples everything he carves! We know we won't be poisoned with the built in food taster. Thursday, May 30, 2013 Check out was desperately slow even with no one else there. We took a taxi to the airport and had comfortable flights to Manila via Guangzhou. China Southern Airlines does a great job - there was a comfortable private bus for business class when departing and arriving and we were accompanied through security and to the lounge in Guangzhou. On board food and service were great. In Manila we took a taxi to Manila Hotel, where an hour massage each night was included with the room. No dinner was necessary after the excellent airborne meals.

Saturday, June 01, 2013 19:57:37

Philippines 2013: 12 - Sanya, China to Manila, Philippines

Monday, May 27, 2013

Hotel employees said there are no English speaking guides in Sanya, but a friend in Beijing found an untried one , so we booked an area tour. He was late, but got us to the Big Buddha. When I was there in 2004 only the foundation and temples had been built, but I wanted Marilynn to see the completed complex. Admission is 150 Yuan, but seniors are admitted free. Another 30 Yuan pays for electric carts for internal transport. There are additional fees to enter the statue base, ride an internal elevator and for the temple with the golden Buddha. The main temples and causeway to the base of the statue are included. The statue is 108 meters (355 ft) high and well worth seeing.

Alec Wong, a guide to avoid at all costs, was rude, arrogant, condescending and totally uncooperative. He didn't pick us up until well after 10 AM, and had us back at the hotel to end the supposed full day tour by 2;30 PM. According to him everything else worth seeing is too far away, and he wouldn't contact his agency to arrange a snorkeling tour we wanted for the following day. We'd had it with him, so when he asked if we wanted him the following day Marilynn said she hoped never to see him again, and he said he would be happy never to see her again! I think he has missed his calling; his attitude is more suited to evicting elderly tenants, repossessing cars or as a military drill instructor.

After a swim in the super warm water (much hotter than Yalong Bay) we drank beer at the beach while watching the passing flow of humanity. Marilynn likes the Chinese beer and has been keeping up with me beer for beer.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

We are disappointed that we have no way to go snorkeling, as the water clarity is said to be amazing, but to kill time we went to another department store - this time a high end one that was air conditioned and accepted credit cards. I bought a shirt, but the prices were high so we returned to the hotel before long.

In the evening it was beer and beach followed by dinner in the hotel Chinese Restaurant, where they now know us and spoil us totally. Unless there is prepayment at the desk for restaurant meals they cannot be charged to the room, so we paid the restaurant.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

This morning we took the fast train to Haikou. It makes the 300 km trip in 1 ½ hours. There were few attendants at the station, but we were lucky that the young girl buying a ticket ahead of us spoke some English and helped us purchase the right tickets. The train reached speeds of over 200 kph with a very smooth, comfortable ride and lots of leg room. Snacks & drinks including beer were available.

In Haikou we climbed into a taxi, but of course the driver didn't speak a word of English. An attempt to explain that we wanted a city tour through hand signals didn't go well, but he phoned someone with just a few words of English and who helped us negotiated a price of 200 Yuan ($34) for the 2 ½ hours we were there. We walked into a park and while Marilynn was taking photos of a river with traditional Chinese bridges I was invited to drink tea with a couple of young fellows sitting in a gazebo near the river. We had a good time - communication was assisted by phoning the father of one who is a teacher and speaks a few words of English.

The tour ended after a drive around the clean, green city of wide treed boulevards and a walk through the zoo. The zoo could be missed, but all and all we had much more fun and saw more than with the so call professional guide. The ongoing narration for the tour was entirely in Chinese! Returning it was 25C degrees inside the train and 36 outside.

Back at the hotel we had a last beach beer night followed by dinner and good Chinese wine in the hotel. We have had fun watching the chef who samples everything he carves! We know we won't be poisoned with the built in food taster.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Check out was desperately slow even with no one else there. We took a taxi to the airport and had comfortable flights to Manila via Guangzhou. China Southern Airlines does a great job - there was a comfortable private bus for business class when departing and arriving and we were accompanied through security and to the lounge in Guangzhou. On board food and service were great.

In Manila we took a taxi to Manila Hotel, where an hour massage each night was included with the room. No dinner was necessary after the excellent airborne meals.