A Travelling Sprout

A Sprout Splashes Around in Coron
By Shelley Banks

Sometimes you take a flight that’s so short, you spend more time in the airport than you do in the air. This flight, from Manila to Francisco B. Reyes Airport in Coron (on Busuanga Island) was 40 minutes. It was so quick the flight attendants were pushing the snack trolley at speed trying to get water bottles and chocolate muffins to the passengers in every row before they had to take their seats again for landing.

One private transfer later (in a car with no seatbelts and struggling air conditioning) and we arrived at Tag Resort. The first thing we noticed was the massive Christmas tree in the porte-cochère. It stayed up for the duration of our stay and each night, the lights would come on, so many of them that we wondered how there was any electricity left for the rest of the resort.

After checking in, a golf cart transported us to our pool-access room, which featured three doors: one at the front to enter the room, and two at the back—the first providing direct access to the pool, and the second providing direct access from the pool to the bathroom. That last door was very handy as we could get straight into the shower without dripping water all through the room.

It was afternoon by this time, so we decided to spend the remaining daylight hours in and around the pool before having dinner at the resort. Even though it was technically ‘winter’ in the Philippines, the sun didn’t set until almost 7pm.

Each night, dinner is set up around the main pool (the resort features three), with lights strung above the tables and a live band on a stage near the bar. It was a different live band every night, which was great until it was time to go to sleep—the music was so loud you could hear it wherever you were in the resort. There were other forms of entertainment too including fire dancers which were wonderful to watch until one of them decided to make me part of the show. The performers were accomplished but still, I didn’t need to have fire that close to me.

The reason we’d added Coron to our itinerary was to check out Kayangan Lake. So, the following morning, we headed out on a full-day tour, which included the lake as the second stop on the itinerary. We joined the tour at Coron Harbour where there were traditional boats as far as the eye could see, bobbing about on the water. Ready to board those boats were hordes of tourists. And swarming around the tourists were multitudes of locals selling their wares. We didn’t buy anything, but we did rent a kayak, which was carried down to our boat. We were the only Australians aboard which wasn’t surprising because we hadn’t seen any other Australians, either in Coron or Manila (our first stop in the Philippines). The tourists we’d come across were mostly European.

Before leaving the harbour, we had to put on life jackets. As soon as we moored at our first location, Sunset Beach, our guide for the day said that if anyone was a confident swimmer, they could take their life jackets off before getting in the water. Ours came straight off. Our fellow passengers kept theirs on. We were also the only ones who jumped in, with the others gingerly climbing down the ladder and then staying within proximity of the boat. There was a lot of coral as well as fish to see so, goggles and snorkels firmly in place, we set off to explore as much as we could in the time we had. It wasn’t the first time that day that we were grateful that we knew how to swim, especially since the whole day would be spent on, or in, the water.

After exploring the bay and the coral, it was back on the boat and off to the spot we wanted to see—Kayangan Lake. Known as the cleanest lake in the Philippines, it’s worth the 367 steps to get there. Surrounded by mountains, the turquoise water the perfect temperature, it was an amazing spot to bob around in. And bob was all we could do because life jackets are mandatory at the lake and have been since two tourists drowned in 2017. We’d forgotten how hard it is to try and swim with a life jacket on. You can’t really, which was frustrating because we wanted to explore the lake not just the area where we’d jumped in (with all the other tourists).

On the way back down the steps to the boat, we stopped to get a photo. There’s a vantage point with the best view of the bay and harbour and while it makes for a great photo, you need to join the queue and wait for your turn.

The next stop was Barracuda Lake. Not as many steps to get to this one and the water is cobalt blue rather than turquoise. The same beautiful setting though, with the lake surrounded by mountains. Life jackets are required here as well. Which is probably not a bad thing considering the lake is about 40 metres deep.

From there we navigated to Shipwreck Bay to snorkel in the crystal-clear water, with the name giving away what you’ll see through your goggles. The bay was also our lunch spot and while we were in the water, our guide set a table on the shore and laid out an array of food including fish, chicken, rice, noodles and sugar-fried bananas. And some prawns that hadn’t been refrigerated so we left those alone.

Next on our itinerary was CYC beach where we got to use the kayak we’d hired. We’d tried kayaking before, and it hadn’t been a success. But, after going in circles for a few minutes, this time we got the hang of it. We’d hired a clear kayak so we could see underneath us as we paddled.

The sky had become overcast, and we were hoping it wouldn’t rain, although, as we were already wet, it probably didn’t matter. But the scenery was prettier in the sunshine. The overcast sky didn’t stop our guide from jumping in the water and swimming after us to take photos. I’m not sure how many he thought we needed but when he gave me back my phone, there were 23 photos. I picked the best one and deleted the rest.

Our last stop of the day also featured the kayak as we made our way around Twin Lagoon. The first of the lagoons, where the boats anchor is quite large so if you want to explore it, you’ll need a kayak. The other lagoon is only for swimming. But we’d done enough of that during the day, so we were happy to keep kayaking. Up to a point that is.  While the scenery was stunning, it gets uncomfortable in the kayak and there’s only so much you can take of sitting in that position.

By the time we finished, it was late afternoon so we headed back to Coron Harbour with all the other boats and all the other tourists, having thoroughly enjoyed our day on the water, possibly slightly more than those who couldn’t swim.

Musings

Goodbye Wind Tunnel
By Shelley Banks

After twenty-three years of working in the Brisbane CBD, the time has come to say goodbye. A new work location awaits (my home office as I switch from full-time corporate life to full-time author life).

There are many things I’ll miss about being in the CBD—the sights, the sounds, how close the shops are if I need a last-minute birthday gift.

But there are many things I won’t miss. People who are in a hurry and push by you without even acknowledging your presence, the long queues to get a morning coffee, paying $16 for a chicken and salad wrap. And the wind tunnel that is George Street.

For most of the year, George Street is just like any other in the city, but come winter, all the wind in the southeast corner of our state seems to get bundled up and funnelled down this one throughfare.

At times, when I needed to walk along that, the wind was so strong that it almost bowled me over. And I’m not the only one. The other poor pedestrians pushing through the wind tunnel are in the same predicament as me, something that shows clearly on all our faces as we swap knowing looks.

I have no idea why this occurs only there and not on any of the other streets I need to frequent. I’ve never bothered to investigate it. What I do know is that I find other ways to reach my destinations without entering the wind tunnel. My dresses and my hair don’t like it.

Short Stories

Missing the Sunshine
By Shelley Banks

As Holly stared through the window, all she could see was darkness, and it was only 4 p.m. Even though she’d lived in London for the past five years, she still wasn’t used to the winters. Just the thought of how cold it would be when she left the office made her shiver, even though she was still inside in the warmth. Thank goodness for central heating.

But she was meeting a friend at 5.30 pm so she pushed the thoughts about the weather away and concentrated on finishing the work she needed to get done before she left for the day.

When the time came around to leave, she’d rug up and plod through the grey, dirty, melted snow on the footpaths until she reached her destination. And then, after catching up, she’d need to brave the weather again, twice. The first time from the pub to the Tube station and the second to her flat after she’d disembarked at the end of the journey.

As she’d predicted, just over an hour earlier, she didn’t enjoy a single moment of trudging along the footpath, wishing the whole time she’d put on another layer. When she finally arrived at the pub and walked through the door, she was thankful for the warmth that enveloped her. In the corner, near the fireplace, she spotted her friend. It was hard not to. Chrissy was waving both hands in the air to attract her attention.

‘You made it,’ Chrissy exclaimed as she hugged her. ‘Oh, my goodness, you’re freezing.’

And then she grinned. ‘Still not liking the cold, are you.’

Holly shook her head vigorously as she started to pull off the layers. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy this weather. There’s not much difference between the winters I’m used to at home and your summers, remember.’

‘Then how will you cope with next winter, and the ones that follow?’

Holly shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea. And then a thought she’d had several times lately swirled around in her head. Did she have to?

As much as she loved everything she’d experienced since she’d arrived, lately, she’d been thinking more and more about home.

For now, she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and focused on catching up with Chrissy, enjoying the conversation and the wine.

Later that night though, after a trip back to her flat rugged up against the biting cold, those thoughts came back as she looked around at where she was living. It was tiny, the flat being about the same size as two rooms in the house she was living in before she moved to London. But it was all she could afford on her own. If she wanted more space, she’d have to share with someone, and she didn’t want to do that.

As winter continued and the darkness came earlier each day, she tried to lift her mood, but she couldn’t manage to do it. All the excitement she’d felt about moving to this vibrant, bustling city had waned. She’d explored its streets, made countless day and weekend trips across the country and visited the continent several times.

She couldn’t deny the move had been good for her career and she’d made some wonderful friends. But she missed the sunshine, the early morning walks in only a T-shirt and shorts, swimming at the beach, digging her toes into the sand.

Maybe it was time to go home and replace the grey clouds and biting cold with the warmth of the sun, blue skies and gentle afternoon breezes.

Something Light

Don’t Fall Off the Wall
By Shelley Banks

Many years ago, I visited China for the first time. There was a lot to take in—the culture, the traditional architecture, the different food, the different smells, the terrible air quality, and the weather. Winter was still a couple of weeks away, but it was freezing—cold like I’d never felt before.

On the must-see list was the Great Wall. And after catching the first glimpse of it on the journey out there, I was glad I’d made it a priority and couldn’t wait to see it up close.

I’d come prepared with sturdy walking shoes but what I hadn’t come prepared with was an extra layer of clothing as I thought the four I had on would be sufficient.

It turned out they weren’t, and the cold and wind went straight through me. So much so that I had to buy another jumper, which luckily was easy as there was a market at the entrance. Sigh. It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, you always enter or exit through a place where you can spend your money, even if you weren’t expecting to do so.

So I bought a jumper, the only one available. If I needed t-shirts, postcards, hats, snacks or socks, there were plenty to choose from. But when it came to getting something more temperature-appropriate, there were no other options. The jumper was far too big for me and on the front it said, ‘I climbed the Great Wall’. I hadn’t yet but I was about to, so I guess the jumper predicted my next move.

When I finally got onto the wall, the wind was so strong that it wasn’t just an extra jumper I needed. It was a harness to attach me to the wall, so I didn’t get blown off and crash to the ground below. At least there were other tourists up there and we were all looking at each other thinking ‘What have we got ourselves into, and how are we going to get back down safely’.

Another one of the joys of travel. And I’ve still got the jumper and wear it every winter.

Books

If you like my short stories I’ve published ten books.