Puerta Galera, Oriental Mindoro

I needed to get away from Manila, so I took a bus and a ferry to the island of Mindoro just south of Luzon. I stayed in Puerto Galera, which is supposed to be one of the better diving locations in the Philippines. Based on the number of resorts on the island, I assumed that there would be places to swim and hang out on the beach, but that turned out to be a bit like staying in a ski resort to make snowmen. The resorts exist to offer an easy way for people to dive two or three times a day. I got a lot of odd looks when I said I wasn't diving, and I was informed that the only way to go to a beach is to pay a boat driver to drop you off on one of the nearby islands.

I had a pretty relaxing time, either way. Puerto Galera has the major amenity of not being Manila. It isn't crowded, there's no traffic on the roads, and everything is somewhat affordable. I rented a scooter so I could ride around and explore. There's enough natural beauty on the island that no one is particularly concerned about preserving pristine nature. Despite the lack of public beaches, you're always in sight of the ocean. You can cross the street at a gas station and be right on the ocean shore.

While exploring the island, I eventually found a sandy beach near a resort, but swimming wasn't allowed there.

I finally tried durian. Anyone traveling through Southeast Asia will recognize its spiky exterior from the signs banning durian that are as common as the signs banning smoking. Durian is famously stinky. People say it smells like rotting flesh.

I brought my durian back to my hotel and asked the staff if they would cut it open for me so I could share it with other guests. I half expected the kind of tearful refusal that I experienced in Manila ("But siiiiiiir, we don't serve durian, siiiiiiiiiir.") but luckily people don't behave that way outside of the city. They were amused and happy to oblige. Two of the young women who worked in the restaurant had never tried durian, either, and were a little reluctant.

Durian has the most interesting texture I've ever seen in a fruit. It comes apart like a custard. I'm actually surprised it's not blended further and served as a mousse. I suspect that the foul smell is something genetic, like how some people experience cilantro as tasting like soap. I didn't find the smell objectionable at all.

The hotel restaurant is a big thatched roof patio with a pretty view of the hills and the bay. The staff kept my durian covered and refrigerated for me, so when I found a few young couples on the patio later that evening I convinced everyone to try the durian. I was the only fan.

Sabang is one of the villages of Puerto Galera. I hung out there a few times because it's a short ride away from the hotel I stayed in. Motorized vehicles aren't allowed on the street, which is an unusual restriction in Asia. It makes the area much nicer and more walkable. There's also a nice promenade with many dive resorts and restaurants overlooking the harbor. Unlike the area I stayed that mostly had young couples, this neighborhood is almost entirely old single men. You'll see some of the old fat Germans who exist all over Asia, but the majority of the tourists are Korean. After dark, the area becomes a very open red light district. Even Bangkok seems more discreet since the number of normal people living their lives substantially outnumbers sex workers and sex tourists.

While exploring another village, I paid one of the boat drivers to take me on a little tour of the islands. It wasn't terribly special, but I was glad I got out on the water.

Next stop: Manila. I'm not looking forward to Manila, but I'm looking forward to spending time with Alicia. If we're going to go the distance and start a family, we'll have to spend a lot of time waiting to be together, so the moments in person are pretty special. Even though Manila sucks.