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In my single days....MILFs were always high on the list. The 35 to 45 band was always easy pickins'!!! Oh, wrong board....
Malaysia Philippines Tourist Bridge
- Thread starter World Wide Diver
- Start date
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shugar
Contributor
funny... i've always had a thing for the whole 18-22 age bracket...
yeah, you're right... wrong board
Jag
Gen San Chris
Contributor
At my age now they would be GGMILF's, wow, am I that old!
shugar
Contributor
GGMILF's?
what that mean?
geriatric grandmothers you'd like to......................................
oh good lord...
:dropmouth:
Jag
OP
World Wide Diver
Contributor
So now back in Davao and recovered after a very tiring trip.
The journey to Sandakan (Malaysia) from Zamboanga (Philippines) and back proved to be an adventure in itself.
Weesam use two craft for this trip; the Weesam 3 and the Weesam 5. Weesam 5 is the larger of the two, but is undergoing an engine overhaul at the moment.
Weesam 3 carries around 260 passengers in three compartments. Two compartments are on the lower deck and first class is on the upper deck. In addition, there is seating on plastic benches to the stern (covered outside). The ferry normally cruises at 28 knots and stops in Jolo and Tawi Tawi (for immigration).
The full trip should take around 14 hours.
For our trip, one of the two engines was broken, so we made around 16/17 knots which added 40% extra to this time.
Also bear in mind that summer is a busy time. Therefore, we can say that our trip was 'worst case scenario'.
Philippines to Malaysia
The Weesam schedule is as follows;
Zamboanga - Jolo 5.30am depart 9.00am arrival
Jolo - Bongao (Tawi Tawi) 9.30am depart 1.30pm arrival
Bongao - Sandakan 2.00pm depart 7.00pm arrival
Total: 13.5 hours.
Our actual schedule
Note: left 4 days late as ferry was cancelled after we sat on it for 3 hours (engine problem); Had to cancel hotel reservation in Sandakan (1 night charged) and rebooked for 1 night stopover instead
Went back to Lantaka Hotel for 4 days (great place and staff and food and pool):cool2:.
4 days later ...........
Arrived 5.00am at harbour and sat on ferry from 5.30am
Zaboanga - Jolo 7.00am depart 12.00pm arrive
Note: No aircon due to broken engine. Ferry full and like a sauna. No water for toilet after 3 hours!:redhot:
Jolo - Bongao 1.00pm depart 8.00pm arrive
Loads of people get on ferry due to previous cancellation. No space to swing a mouse. Felt like a battery hen (even though we were sat in first class!) We (and others) voice concerns about overloading:shocked2:
Note: Have to get off ferry for Immigration. Power cut in Bongao so had to go back to ferry for Immigration clearance. Philippine Immigration staff very good, but long queues and some 'pushing in'
Bongao - Sandakan 9.30pm depart 6.30am arrive
Note: Small bus 'cattle transporter' meets you at harbourside to take you to Immigration: cost 1 Ringgit each. Malaysian Immigration Officials very polite and organised.
Total: 25 hours travelling.:sleepy:
Malaysia to Philippines
The Weesam schedule is as follows;
Sandakan - Bongao 6.00am depart 11.00am arrive
Bongao - Jolo 12noon depart 4.30pm arrive
Jolo - Zamboanga 5.00pm depart 8.00pm arrive
Our actual schedule
Note: In/out of immigration, queuing, refueling then off again
On the ferry at 7.30am
Sandakan - Bongao 9.30am depart 5.00pm arrive
Engine part flown to Bongao, Tawi Tawi for repair, so overnight in Governor's hotel. Met some good people and also desperate for a few hours sleep. Blessing in disguise as we had the good fortune to meet a member of the Tawi-Tawi Dive Club and the ownner of a resort of the beautiful island of Sibutu. Got some very good information and contacts.
Arrive ferry 4.30am
Bongao - Jolo 6.00am depart noon arrive
Note: I actually got off the ferry here at the invitation of a fellow traveller and met some of the locals on the harbour. Everybody very pleased, friendly and happy to see a 'white' guy there. Did not feel threatened or at risk at all. These people are good people.
Jolo - Zamboanga 1.00pm depart 5.00pm arrive
Note: went to the Lantaka as had missed our PAL flight to Davao (a day late back).
More to follow.....
The journey to Sandakan (Malaysia) from Zamboanga (Philippines) and back proved to be an adventure in itself.
Weesam use two craft for this trip; the Weesam 3 and the Weesam 5. Weesam 5 is the larger of the two, but is undergoing an engine overhaul at the moment.
Weesam 3 carries around 260 passengers in three compartments. Two compartments are on the lower deck and first class is on the upper deck. In addition, there is seating on plastic benches to the stern (covered outside). The ferry normally cruises at 28 knots and stops in Jolo and Tawi Tawi (for immigration).
The full trip should take around 14 hours.
For our trip, one of the two engines was broken, so we made around 16/17 knots which added 40% extra to this time.
Also bear in mind that summer is a busy time. Therefore, we can say that our trip was 'worst case scenario'.
Philippines to Malaysia
The Weesam schedule is as follows;
Zamboanga - Jolo 5.30am depart 9.00am arrival
Jolo - Bongao (Tawi Tawi) 9.30am depart 1.30pm arrival
Bongao - Sandakan 2.00pm depart 7.00pm arrival
Total: 13.5 hours.
Our actual schedule
Note: left 4 days late as ferry was cancelled after we sat on it for 3 hours (engine problem); Had to cancel hotel reservation in Sandakan (1 night charged) and rebooked for 1 night stopover instead
Went back to Lantaka Hotel for 4 days (great place and staff and food and pool):cool2:.
4 days later ...........
Arrived 5.00am at harbour and sat on ferry from 5.30am
Zaboanga - Jolo 7.00am depart 12.00pm arrive
Note: No aircon due to broken engine. Ferry full and like a sauna. No water for toilet after 3 hours!:redhot:
Jolo - Bongao 1.00pm depart 8.00pm arrive
Loads of people get on ferry due to previous cancellation. No space to swing a mouse. Felt like a battery hen (even though we were sat in first class!) We (and others) voice concerns about overloading:shocked2:
Note: Have to get off ferry for Immigration. Power cut in Bongao so had to go back to ferry for Immigration clearance. Philippine Immigration staff very good, but long queues and some 'pushing in'
Bongao - Sandakan 9.30pm depart 6.30am arrive
Note: Small bus 'cattle transporter' meets you at harbourside to take you to Immigration: cost 1 Ringgit each. Malaysian Immigration Officials very polite and organised.
Total: 25 hours travelling.:sleepy:
Malaysia to Philippines
The Weesam schedule is as follows;
Sandakan - Bongao 6.00am depart 11.00am arrive
Bongao - Jolo 12noon depart 4.30pm arrive
Jolo - Zamboanga 5.00pm depart 8.00pm arrive
Our actual schedule
Note: In/out of immigration, queuing, refueling then off again
On the ferry at 7.30am
Sandakan - Bongao 9.30am depart 5.00pm arrive
Engine part flown to Bongao, Tawi Tawi for repair, so overnight in Governor's hotel. Met some good people and also desperate for a few hours sleep. Blessing in disguise as we had the good fortune to meet a member of the Tawi-Tawi Dive Club and the ownner of a resort of the beautiful island of Sibutu. Got some very good information and contacts.
Arrive ferry 4.30am
Bongao - Jolo 6.00am depart noon arrive
Note: I actually got off the ferry here at the invitation of a fellow traveller and met some of the locals on the harbour. Everybody very pleased, friendly and happy to see a 'white' guy there. Did not feel threatened or at risk at all. These people are good people.
Jolo - Zamboanga 1.00pm depart 5.00pm arrive
Note: went to the Lantaka as had missed our PAL flight to Davao (a day late back).
More to follow.....
OP
World Wide Diver
Contributor
The first question anybody will ask regards security in this area.
We had plenty of time to meet many people and talk to them about their impressions of the area around Zamboanga and Sulu. Especially as we spent almost 2 days with fellow passengers and some time on Sanga Sanga (Tawi Tawi).
As always, the reality of the situation does not always match people's perception. The media and (some others) often give inaccurate information.
Some facts and our impressions
- Less than 300 foreign tourists visit the Lantaka Hotel every year. This is a marked change from the 80's when the place was full of foreign visitors. Shame!
- Estimate is that less than 30 'white' people travel on the ferry to Sandakan every year. We were told that they had not seen any English in Tawi-Tawi for many years.
- Zamboanga has very friendly and hospitable people there and you are as safe as anywhere within the city. Just be cautious as you would be anywhere else. We met an American guy (and an experienced traveller) who stayed in a hotel in the city and his views are the same as ours. He wandered around Zamboanga freely for days (and at night) and had no trouble whatsoever. Indeed, he thinks Mindanao is a great place and hopes to return in the future [revolt_101; maybe you can say what your impression was]. The city is good and has nice culture and history. Thumbs up for Zamboanga.
- There used to be a dive shop there run by a man named Freedom Dellosa until the mid 90's when tourists stopped going there. He is a good guy and still teaches scuba (PADI Instructor). He is very knowledgable about the area around Zamboanga and in Sulu. We spoke today and we hope to meet him in the near future. We will pass information on if people are interested.
- The islands all along the Sulu Archipelago are absolutely stunningly beautiful; island after island of white sand, peaks and sea lagoons. The local peoples are (rightly) fiercely proud of this area. All people we met (many) were extremely friendly and very interested in us and why we were travelling. Many were from Jolo and Tawi Tawi. We found them to be very good people who are tired of the trouble that adversely affects most people's lifes in this region (same thing in Zamboanga).
- It is not advisable to go to Basilan or Jolo. This seems like an obvious thing to say, but the peoples there are also strongly advising this as they don't want innocent people to get harmed. Tawi-Tawi is regarded by all we met as a safe place with a entirely peaceful local population.
- At this point, I will point out that security measures are taken to protect the ferry passengers. Note that there is a state of emergency in the area at the moment. The main problem for travellers means no overnigh ferry crossings past Basilan and Jolo at the moment.
- It is not advisable to travel outside of Zamboanga City limits and be cautious there (as anywhere). Note that there is a problem caused here because many deportees from Malaysia are sent here - often without any money/without Gvt help. This means that some turn to minor crime. These people are generaly not from Zamboanga and the locals have to put up with this.
- While in Tawi Tawi, everyone we met were (again) good people. They were concerned to make sure that we were cared for and offered us security. We politely turned down their kind offer and walked freely in town a while with a good local contact who knew people (we met him on the ferry). People were extremely friendly (the police thought Jane was a West Point Officer though - must get her a uniform
).
- There is an organised and active local dive group who organise there own diving around the islands - including liveaboard diving!!!! (not sure which boat the use). Many people dive there - including Navy personnel, a few Americans based there and Marine Bios from Mindanao State University.
- There are three main hotels in Bongao. There is also resort on Sibutu Island (North Lagoon). Travel and accommodation can easily be arranged. Diving can also be arranged. There is a push to develop dive tourism in Tawi-Tawi. Interest to develop dive resorts has mostly come from Malaysian investors to date.
- There is an airport to which SEAIR flies to daily from Zamboanga. Their schedule is;
Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi; Tawi-Tawi to Zamboanga;
DG933 0925 1050 DG934 1110 1225
Mon, Fri Mon, Fri
DG935 1030 1145 DG936 1205 1320
Tues, Wed Tue, Wed
DG931 0800 0915 DG932 0935 1050
Thur, Sat, Sun Thur, Sat, Sun
Fare P3.556.00 inclusive of ASF, INS, Fuel Surcharge and VAT.
Contact: Office at Zamboanga International Airport Tel. 062 991 2225/992 7797
Tawi-Tawi station: 068 268 1255
Our Advice/Summary
You can travel safely on the ferry, but expect some delays. Try to avoid times of public holidays. The Aleson 'Danica Joy II' would offer travellers more space and comfort. It has aircon cabins (4 sharing).
If we do this again, we would fly to Tawi-Tawi with SEAIR then spend time there before taking the ferry to Sandakan/visa versa.
However, if you want to meet people and see the beauty of the area, it is well worth taking the ferry.
You can dive in Tawi-Tawi but this will need to be arranged in advance. Better to be there over a weekend when the local divers have time to dive with you.
You can obtain Malaysian Ringgit currency/exchange Ringgits for PHP at the Weesam Office, Amil's Tower, Pilar Street, Zamboanga. Contact: 062 992 3756/992 3986. They also have a hotel in their building. The contact for Weesam in Sandakan is 0060 89 212 872/0060 16 509 0694
Take some time to stay in Zamboanga. There is still tourism here and a good person to talk to is Mrs Paciencia Tan Manalac, PTM Travel and Tours at the Lantaka Hotel By The Sea (28 years experience in tourism) : tel. 062 991 2033/34/35 There are banks, DoT Office, Western Union, travel agencies and shops next to the Lantaka.
Finally, we hope that this information is helpful to those with similar adventurous spirits wanting to travel a little bit off the beaten track. It's well worth it. We have more contacts which we are unable to pass on publicly, but would be happy to advise anybody considering travelling to Tawi Tawi. We hope to travel back there and dive as soon as we are able and will post more information about this as/when we are able.
WWD
We had plenty of time to meet many people and talk to them about their impressions of the area around Zamboanga and Sulu. Especially as we spent almost 2 days with fellow passengers and some time on Sanga Sanga (Tawi Tawi).
As always, the reality of the situation does not always match people's perception. The media and (some others) often give inaccurate information.
Some facts and our impressions
- Less than 300 foreign tourists visit the Lantaka Hotel every year. This is a marked change from the 80's when the place was full of foreign visitors. Shame!
- Estimate is that less than 30 'white' people travel on the ferry to Sandakan every year. We were told that they had not seen any English in Tawi-Tawi for many years.
- Zamboanga has very friendly and hospitable people there and you are as safe as anywhere within the city. Just be cautious as you would be anywhere else. We met an American guy (and an experienced traveller) who stayed in a hotel in the city and his views are the same as ours. He wandered around Zamboanga freely for days (and at night) and had no trouble whatsoever. Indeed, he thinks Mindanao is a great place and hopes to return in the future [revolt_101; maybe you can say what your impression was]. The city is good and has nice culture and history. Thumbs up for Zamboanga.
- There used to be a dive shop there run by a man named Freedom Dellosa until the mid 90's when tourists stopped going there. He is a good guy and still teaches scuba (PADI Instructor). He is very knowledgable about the area around Zamboanga and in Sulu. We spoke today and we hope to meet him in the near future. We will pass information on if people are interested.
- The islands all along the Sulu Archipelago are absolutely stunningly beautiful; island after island of white sand, peaks and sea lagoons. The local peoples are (rightly) fiercely proud of this area. All people we met (many) were extremely friendly and very interested in us and why we were travelling. Many were from Jolo and Tawi Tawi. We found them to be very good people who are tired of the trouble that adversely affects most people's lifes in this region (same thing in Zamboanga).
- It is not advisable to go to Basilan or Jolo. This seems like an obvious thing to say, but the peoples there are also strongly advising this as they don't want innocent people to get harmed. Tawi-Tawi is regarded by all we met as a safe place with a entirely peaceful local population.
- At this point, I will point out that security measures are taken to protect the ferry passengers. Note that there is a state of emergency in the area at the moment. The main problem for travellers means no overnigh ferry crossings past Basilan and Jolo at the moment.
- It is not advisable to travel outside of Zamboanga City limits and be cautious there (as anywhere). Note that there is a problem caused here because many deportees from Malaysia are sent here - often without any money/without Gvt help. This means that some turn to minor crime. These people are generaly not from Zamboanga and the locals have to put up with this.
- While in Tawi Tawi, everyone we met were (again) good people. They were concerned to make sure that we were cared for and offered us security. We politely turned down their kind offer and walked freely in town a while with a good local contact who knew people (we met him on the ferry). People were extremely friendly (the police thought Jane was a West Point Officer though - must get her a uniform
).- There is an organised and active local dive group who organise there own diving around the islands - including liveaboard diving!!!! (not sure which boat the use). Many people dive there - including Navy personnel, a few Americans based there and Marine Bios from Mindanao State University.
- There are three main hotels in Bongao. There is also resort on Sibutu Island (North Lagoon). Travel and accommodation can easily be arranged. Diving can also be arranged. There is a push to develop dive tourism in Tawi-Tawi. Interest to develop dive resorts has mostly come from Malaysian investors to date.
- There is an airport to which SEAIR flies to daily from Zamboanga. Their schedule is;
Zamboanga to Tawi-Tawi; Tawi-Tawi to Zamboanga;
DG933 0925 1050 DG934 1110 1225
Mon, Fri Mon, Fri
DG935 1030 1145 DG936 1205 1320
Tues, Wed Tue, Wed
DG931 0800 0915 DG932 0935 1050
Thur, Sat, Sun Thur, Sat, Sun
Fare P3.556.00 inclusive of ASF, INS, Fuel Surcharge and VAT.
Contact: Office at Zamboanga International Airport Tel. 062 991 2225/992 7797
Tawi-Tawi station: 068 268 1255
Our Advice/Summary
You can travel safely on the ferry, but expect some delays. Try to avoid times of public holidays. The Aleson 'Danica Joy II' would offer travellers more space and comfort. It has aircon cabins (4 sharing).
If we do this again, we would fly to Tawi-Tawi with SEAIR then spend time there before taking the ferry to Sandakan/visa versa.
However, if you want to meet people and see the beauty of the area, it is well worth taking the ferry.
You can dive in Tawi-Tawi but this will need to be arranged in advance. Better to be there over a weekend when the local divers have time to dive with you.
You can obtain Malaysian Ringgit currency/exchange Ringgits for PHP at the Weesam Office, Amil's Tower, Pilar Street, Zamboanga. Contact: 062 992 3756/992 3986. They also have a hotel in their building. The contact for Weesam in Sandakan is 0060 89 212 872/0060 16 509 0694
Take some time to stay in Zamboanga. There is still tourism here and a good person to talk to is Mrs Paciencia Tan Manalac, PTM Travel and Tours at the Lantaka Hotel By The Sea (28 years experience in tourism) : tel. 062 991 2033/34/35 There are banks, DoT Office, Western Union, travel agencies and shops next to the Lantaka.
Finally, we hope that this information is helpful to those with similar adventurous spirits wanting to travel a little bit off the beaten track. It's well worth it. We have more contacts which we are unable to pass on publicly, but would be happy to advise anybody considering travelling to Tawi Tawi. We hope to travel back there and dive as soon as we are able and will post more information about this as/when we are able.
WWD
DevonDiver
N/A
Thanks for the info...this is a good idea for those who need to cart heavy dive equipment around...especially as the budget airlines give such pitiful baggage allowance. I came from KK to Manila by Air Asia last year and I only got a 15kgs allowance...and had to pay excess on all my technical and recreational dive gear and instructor materials
jigo
Contributor
actually, WWD, my first question would be about the diving. was it any good? what did you see?
OP
World Wide Diver
Contributor
No diving yet - this was not the intended pupose for our travelling!
Purpose of our trip was to spend a few days in Malaysia and check out the logistics for travel between here and there. Also to find out for ourselves what the area and peoples are like.
As it happened, things went wrong but some good came from this (more time to talk to people on the ferry and a night in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi).
Tawi-Tawi needs to be researched and arrangements need to be made with some people there before we go diving.
I've just spent today speaking with several people from Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga to begin planning our stay/diving and began research by reading various reports to get a feel for the place and areas to dive. Slight problem is that few people have internet/email accounts there (none so far!!!).
If people are interested to know a bit about the marine life there/area, then click this link:
Atlas of Philippine coral reefs - Google Book Search
By chance, other reefs in Southern Mindanao are also covered.
Note the reference to tiger sharks.
Hope this clarifies things
dingho
Contributor
which Dive shop to dive with in TawiTawi? do people in Sandakan speak Cantonise? hows the diving in Sandacan area only? is it expensive to see the Orangudan.
