seasons greetings!

just thought i'd say hi, been staying in LOTS of little villages that dont even have phones or electricity for that matter all day, so internet has been a total no no!!!

so since manilla i have re-discovered the delights of beaches, jungle and of course mosquitos! but hell what festive season would be complete without a few thousand mossies? so i flew into puerto princesa which is about the size of most industrial estates in england and serves as the main city on palawan, parts of it even resemble an english ind. estate not the most pretty place i've been to but the only place on the island with a) shops and b) BANKS! so had to stock up on peso's before heading off! not to mention mossie repellant!

went to sabang last week, met up with 2 german girls on the jeepney (basically run down truck impersonating bus with as many people clinging to inside and out as possible) who proceeded to be bad influence in the form of too much rum that night, its a well known fact i dont drink so felt a wee bit sensitive the next day!

but sabang was great and home of the worlds longest underground river, which in turn hosts a billion bats! very cool and incredibly funny when done with 3 philippino 18 year olds, i felt very old but had a great laugh! unforetunetly spent too long on the beach and in my hammock, shock horror, so unlike me! so went to river on the day i was leaving, its a 5k walk to cave and 5k back! up and down ALOT of hills, reasonable proud of myself though managed it in under 4 hours which considering i thought my lungs were going to burst at points on the ridiculous steep climbs, i thought was pretty good for an old girl!! maybe i will be fit enough for this silly moonwalk again after all!?! anyway collapsed onto jeepney and made it back to "civilisation". course couldnt move that fluently the next day but hey you cant expect miracles!

so stocked up with cash again ventured to port barton today for my christmas present to myself. i'm actually staying in a place that has "resort" in the name and not hostel!!!! pushing the boat out and spending 4 pound a night rather than 1.50!! the rooms gorgeous it has the closest thing to a power shower i've seen over here, even if it is cold water! and a mossy net WITHOUT holes!!! major step up in my accommodation levels! :o) it even has shelves to put my clothes on, will have to try and remember not to throw them all over floor like normal! and no cockroaches!! in sabang i was woken up at silly o clock by what i thought was the dog (that seemed to adopt me there) scratching at door when i switched light on though i discovered cockroaches the size of small mice having a party on my floor! hmm nice! not alot i could do so switched light off and ignored them! or tried to!! anyway none of the little darlings here so result!

so just to say HAPPY CHRISTMAS to everyone and lots of seasons hugs to you all i miss you (well some of you! ;o) hee hee joke!! have a great day and everyone have extra christmas dinner just for me will you i'm having withdrawls from the christmas feasting!!! love you all lots BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XXXXXXXX

P.S Col Happy birthday gorgeous! xx :o)