Puerto Galera, Philippines – 28 January to 2 February 2025

Lunar New Years Eve has finally arrived (Tuesday 28 January 2025). I’m off to Puerto Galera in the Philippines for my annual CNY scuba diving trip. Can’t wait for warmth.

Kylie, Tim and family are flying out 20 minutes before me and kindly offered me a ride to the airport. I walk up the escalators to their place.

Such a luxury driving to the airport!

I’m surprised how quiet the airport is – while there are people around it’s definitely nowhere near as busy as I thought it would be.

Check-in, security and immigration were all basically a walk through.

Tim has lounge access so he and Charlotte go off and I take Kylie and Jack. We take the first-class lounge access (saves us walking). And after meeting them decide to head back to the first-class lounge. Duck confit for lunch. Yum!

We all leave the lounge together.  As my gate is closer to the other first class lounge we say goodbye and head our separate ways.

I jump on the train then head straight to the First Class lounge at gate 63.

 

My gate is a few down so I wait in the lounge until the screens show it’s boarding.  On arrival at the gate in straight through and onto the plane. Talk about timing.

I get chatting to my seat mate who is coming “home” for 3 days, from Saudi Arabia, to celebrate Chinese New Year with his family. We chat the whole flight about our travels.

The sunset is amazing!

On arrival into Manila it’s a fast walk to the APEC lane then straight through customs, after showing my QR code. Don’t recall having to do this when I was last here in November.

Bhong (dive master in Puerto Galera) had arranged a driver for me – Ronald. I message him as I’m walking out of the passenger only section and within minutes meet up. Great timing.

I exchange money then we are off to the car.

I’m amazed when Ronald says we are less than half an hour away from Batangas City. I fully expected us to have at least another 1 hour to 1.5 hours.

We pull up to the “hotel” 1.45 hours after leaving Manila Airport. Amazing!

I climb into bed after setting my alarm for 6.30am. Won’t be the most relaxing start to my holiday but hey ho! Probably should have thought about that before booking an 8am ferry. But in saying that I’m not sure I would want to be at this “hotel” for any longer.

I wake well before my alarm on Wednesday 29 January (New Years Day), it had been a short night. More sleep is absolutely needed!

Check out is nice and easy given I’ve paid for my room last night. They do require an inspection of my room though before they will let me leave.

Not sure why I had been worrying about getting to the Port. It really was a hop, step and jump from my hotel.

 

Once inside the terminal the fun begins trying to locate my ferry company. In the end someone helps me. After showing my booking confirmation I’m given a ticket then told to purchase a terminal fee. Zero idea what’s this for but I have it with today’s stamp on so I’m all set.

My first stop for coffee I’m told it will be at least 10-15 minutes as the machine hasn’t warmed up yet. Right, that’s a no. Time to go somewhere else.

Thankfully my next stop has a working coffee machine.

As soon as I get to the boarding gate I’m told to board. I decide 7.35am is too early, especially when we have assigned seats.

Finally just before 7.50am I walk down to the boat with another customer.

8.07am we push back from the wharf. Definitely not on German time here……

1 hour and 9 minutes later we arrive at Puerto Galera. Not sure what happened to the 45 minute journey. And I thought we were going pretty fast.

On arrival at the port we needed at pay 120 pesos to get onto the island. I thought I did that this morning but clearly not.

Bhong had told me the estimated cost for a 3 wheeler (Philippines tuk tuk) to the hotel. Made it nice and easy when I asked for one.

 

I’m able to go straight into my room when I arrived. Part of me wants to go back to bed, but the other part thinks that will be a waste.

I unpack, put togs on then head out for diving. Getting into a three wheeler. Along the way I realise I left my dive computer in my room so we head back.

Bhong meets us at the waters edge. We get straight onto the boat and zoom off to their much much bigger boat (which they are getting ready to start a live aboard).

 

I had a bit of an issue with my left ear on Dive 1 but it got there in the end. Some highlights that we saw were sweet lips, red snapper, school of yellow snapper, trumpet fish and a giant giant turtle!

When we surface at the end of dive 2 it’s bucketing down with rain. It’s at least warmer than we were a few minutes ago (under water).

Dive 2 was definitely COLD! Again the corals were amazing, always so many fish to look at. Some highlights were puffer fish, trumpet fish, nemo, many different schools and fish and mackerel.

Back to the boat for a bit of lunch.

Bhong’s manager gives me a ride back to the hotel. He lives here with his partner and they manage / oversea the hotel as well as the diving and diving boat.

A hot shower is needed!!! Finally hot water comes…..definitely not in a luxury hotel here.

I sit on the balcony listening to the waves for a while. Super relaxing!

Time to head to the restaurant / bar area.

 

Just as I decide to look at the menu for dinner (I’m surprised I’ve lasted so long) the lights go out. The guy tells me the generator will kick in in half an hour. Let’s hope it’s not that long.

It is peaceful listening to the waves in the dark though. Hopefully I’ll be able to hear them from my room tonight.

After a while the power comes back on. Dinner is ordered. It doesn’t disappoint.

Back in the room I can still hear the sea, great!!

Someone’s alarm woke me at 5.30am on Thursday 30 January. Thankfully I managed to go back to sleep for a bit. When I woke again and opened the balcony doors it’s cloudy and raining. What a shame!

There was no hot water for the shower this morning, definitely helped to make me feel awake!!

There is a decent coffee machine at breakfast – just what I need. And my view is, well amazing.

When Bhong arrives we make a rough plan for the morning / day. Such a shame it’s not sunny and warm, which is what I had expected.

I wait for Bhong at the top – definitely a work out walking up the steps. I think it’s around 110 steps.

First stop is the petrol station. In the Philippines you aren’t able to pump your own petrol, this has to be done by one of the workers.

Filled up with gas, we head off to the Ponderosa Golf Course where the views are amazing. Shame about the weather.

 

Back onto the motorbike we cruise off to White beach.

 

Wow White Beach is beautiful!  Shame about the weather though. And even more so as there aren’t hordes of people around.

 

We look for an ATM around White Beach and in the end ask someone.  It’s in the next town, great.

I wasn’t holding out too much hope as I’ve always had bad luck in the past. BUT this time I had success – amazing!!!

Back onto the motorbike, we head off to the Tamaraw Falls (waterfalls).  As we get closer the rain starts which is far from fun.

 

 

We stop for a photo on the way back at a beach. Thank goodness the rain has stopped. Let’s hope it stays like that.

 

Back at the hotel we head to the restaurant for a cold drink.

When Bhong leaves, I walk up with him and keep going to View Point restaurant, which Kat recommended to me. A couple of people that drive by offer me a lift – thanks but I’m ok to walk. Might be a different story on the way back.

The view is amazing! And thankfully the clouds are lifting.

I decide to walk back to the hotel (instead of getting a three wheeler / tuk tuk).

Soon after arriving back at the hotel the rain begins and just keeps going and going and going. I was enjoying life on the balcony but then became a hunting ground for those pesky mozzies. Time to close my doors and head inside.

I was supposed to be going out for dinner with Bhong and his family but the heavens absolutely opened! Amazing weather if you are a duck….! We postpone to tomorrow night. Such a shame.

I head down to the restaurant as day changes to night. With that the mozzies follow me. Aaah!!!

Dinner is the same as last night – beer with sweet and sour pork. Delicious!

Back in the room it’s so soothing listening to the waves. This really is the life. Let’s hope the rain stays away tomorrow!

Friday 31 January I finally wake just after 7am. It has been another short night. The random persons alarm went off twice in the night, not impressed. Then just before 5.30am the heavy rain woke me up.  Thankfully when I opened my curtains I could see a tiny amount of blue sky.

Coffee and two boiled eggs are for breakfast, then Bhong and I head off on his bike to where the small boat picks us up.

We went with the current for Dive 1 which was nice.  Some of the highlights were a large barracuda, sea snake, stone fish, nudi branches, a family of 3 nemo’s, rainbow fish, school of mackerel and long nose snapper.

As soon as we surfaced we were pushed around. It’s super choppy and bloody unpleasant! The current pushes me away from Bhong and within seconds of kicking I lose a fin. Buggar!

Dive 2 was a little more calmer!  Some of the highlights were moral eel, scorpion fish, school of goat fish, feather star fish and many more different schools of fish.

When we surface it’s nice and calm, a huge difference to the first dive!

After hanging out on the boat for a bit it’s decided we only do two dives. It’s the boat drivers 24th birthday so he wants to finish early. Hard to disagree, but…..

Back at the liveaboard boat I chat with the manager again. He ends up giving me a ride back to the hotel.

The first thing I do walking into the room is turn the a/c on then have a shower. Thankfully there is hot water! My hairs needs to be washed after being in the sea for so long.

I see day turn into night.

 

Bhong and his family pick me up in a tuk tuk at 7pm. It’s so nice to meet them after hearing so much about them.

We head around to View Point for dinner.

I had another short night and ended up getting up around 6.30am on Saturday 1 February. Someone’s alarm woke me, and before then at 3.50am there were at least 5 people near my room talking loudly, then the power came back on. Aaah! Hopefully I don’t have this tonight in Manila!!

There is blue sky when I open the curtains 😊

Breakfast is coffee and boiled eggs. Perfect way to start the day, and even better with the view.

 

Bhong meets me up on the street. There is definitely no rush here! Kind of nice, unless you are time pressured.

The first dive was amazing! Felt like diving in an aquarium – soooo many fish too look at. A couple of highlights were a giant barracuda, turtle, school of baby barracudas, box fish, puffer fish, mantis shrimp, moral eels, trumpet fish, nemo and sooo many schools of fish.

We had an hour on the surface before getting ready for dive 2.

Dive 2 was another great dive! A couple of highlights were seeing a giant turtle, sting ray, school of mackerel, electric clam, goat fish, trumpet fish, large puffer fish and many many different schools of fish.

Back to the liveaboard we go. It’s now 40 minutes to I need to leave the hotel. We are cutting it super fine!

 

Bhong dropped me back at the hotel. I had the world’s quickest shower before packing up the rest of my things and getting into a tuk tuk to the port. No time for the water to turn warm or even hot.

On arrival I’m told I need to check in first – aah ok. Check-in done, now I can go into the terminal (after paying the terminal fee of PHP 10).

2.29pm comes (55 minutes after I arrived) and 1 minute before the scheduled departure time and still no announcement. Zero idea why we need to arrive 1 hour before sailing time. And this is the exact reason why I’m going back to Manila today and flying out tomorrow. I don’t need the stress of not getting to the airport in enough time.

Finally at 2.40pm there is an announcement – everyone jumps up. Not sure the exact rush given we all have seats but hey ho.

Wow 7 minutes later we are pulling back from the wharf. Impressive! Now we hope and pray the driver Bhong and Airen arranged for me is waiting when I arrive.

We pull into Batangas just before 4pm. Definitely not a 45 minute ride. Such false advertising.

I call the driver as I walk off the boat. He’s still a few minutes away and tells me to wait at the 7 eleven. Done.

A few minutes later he arrives and we are off (4.22pm). Well after he had given a beggar boy some money, then a man comes and knocks on the window and he gives more money. A little scary.

Traffic is a nightmare! People really need to learn how to drive properly. Driving 60 km per hour on a 110 km road is asking for an accident.

I am shocked when we arrive at the hotel 1.50 hours since leaving Batangas. I honestly thought it would take at least 2.5 hours with that crazy traffic.

Check-in is super easy and even easier was getting a late check out to 3pm tomorrow.

A strong drink is now needed to calm my nerves after that drive.

I order the exact same dinner that I had when I was here in November – lamb chops and a dirty martini. It doesn’t disappoint!
 

 

Sunday 2 February I managed to have a sleep in. Annoyingly there had been a bit of noise in the night.

It’s a chilled morning at the hotel – between my room and the pool before ordering room service lunch.

Getting out of the room to depart is a little problematic – takes me a few goes and a call to the front desk before I can get out. Engineering definitely needs to replace the chain at the top of the door.

Check-out is super easy then I have a few minutes wait before the shuttle arrives. I decide 32 degrees is too hot to walk 10 minutes.

25 minutes after leaving the hotel I’m walking into the Cathay Pacific lounge. Super easy and relaxing!!

We push back from the gate 5 minutes early. Woo hoo.

Goodbye the Philippines, I will return.