Isla Verde - Home and Away (by Tatay Ross)

So there I was, at Isla Verde and fresh off the boat from Batangas, following my friend along a concrete path by the shore.

It wasn't long before the pathway took us a short distance away from the beach and we began walking past the homes of some residents.  There were nods and greetings and smiles.  Something I didn't take much notice of at the time, although I began to realise it more later on, was that some of these houses had lovely gardens.

After a short distance we were walking through farmland and then very soon the block of land which would soon become the Isla Verde Tropical Friendly Resort came into view.  It didn't look much like a resort on that first day.  it was simply an overgrown piece of land with a concrete house on it.

But it would be home for my stay on the island and although the accommodation was very basic, the welcome was warm and friendly.

It was here I got my first look at a kubo.  It had been damaged in a storm and had become neglected, but I was interested in the simple economical style and architecture of the thing.  Basic and functional  Being a sailor and used to living aboard a small yacht, I like basic and functional.

What I really admired was the sleeping accommodation for my first night at Isla Verde.  Yes, that really is a bed made from bamboo slats under a mango tree for a roof.  Again, simple and functional, a concept I was to notice over and over in the Philippines.  And our first and most popular accommodation at the resort seems to be kubos.  And they also have the slatted bamboo beds.  However the resort beds have mattresses!

Don't forget to visit the Isla Verde Tropical Friendly Resort Blog and the Website for more information about this beautiful Philippines holiday spot.

The resort also has its own FaceBook  Page so you can  Like us on FaceBook

All The Best - (Tatay Ross) 

isla Verde - "My First Impressions" (by Tatay Ross)

Isla Verde is one of those places where life moves at a sedate pace. At the moment there are no cars or trucks on the island and as I mentioned in my last post, while I was there I was aware of one small motorcycle, although I imagine there are more.

Travel around the island is mostly on foot, and by boat. There are some hardy little Filipino ponies on the island and a few people ride bicycles. But generally land travel is on foot over a network of paved narrow pathways and dirt tracks.

The fishermen travel in locally built 'bankas' or 'bangkas'. The spelling seems to differ depending on whom you are talking with but they are basically a vee shaped canoe with long outriggers supporting floats consisting of a bamboo trunk. Smaller bancas are paddled, but the fishermen's bancas are usually about 20 feet long and powered by what looks like a Chinese four stroke single cylinder motor. No gears, no clutch. 

These slender craft get around at impressive speeds with their 'put put' style motors and occasionally you can see a couple of fishermen returning at the end of the day obviously having a friendly race home.

As well as the smaller bancas some people on Isla Verde have slightly larger bancas which are used more for island to island transport. Island Hopping is a favourite pastime for Filipinos and I'm not surprised. The Philippines is made up of more than seven thousand islands! There are pristine beaches on most of them and some of the cleanest, clearest seas in the world.

Walking on Isla Verde is a worthwhile experience on its own. From pleasant farmlands, coastal villages and beaches, to steep mountain trails leading to more isolated villages with incredible views along the way, this small island has them all. I didn't have the chance to get there, but I'm told there's even a decent waterfall. 

Don't forget to visit the Isla Verde Tropical Friendly Resort Blog and the Website for more information about this beautiful Philippine holiday spot.

The resort has its own FaceBook Page.  Like us on FaceBook

All The Best - (Tatay Ross)

Isla Verde Resort – ''The Threshold of a Dream'' (by tatay ross)

 

This story began on the main IslaVerde Resort blog as 'Part 1 - The Beginnings'. 

In November 2012 I was invited to travel to Isla Verde in the beautiful Verde Island Passage.

 I'm an Aussie and I was staying in Manila after meeting Jo for the first time and visiting Pagsanjan and doing the Pagsanjan Falls canoe trip and seeing a few other places. I had previously seen some photographs of part of an overgrown block of land, but had no idea of the surprise in store

At some ridiculous hour of the morning, Jo woke me and we walked to the bus terminal and boarded a coach. The coach journey was an adventure in its own right and will be the subject of another post. I will say though it was interesting. All transport drivers in Manila have skills that the average Aussie truck, bus or taxi driver could only envy. Having been all of those I was amazed at the precision of these guys in traffic. It took around an hour and a half to get through the city and arrive at Batangas Port. Once there, we did some shopping then Jo found us a Tricycle Cab (Trike in Thailand) and off we went to what I think was Leah Beach.

 When we arrived there, we had some light breakfast at a little shack on the beach and waited to board our Banca. A banca in the Philippines seems to be more or less the generic name for any boat from a river canoe to a very large outrigger ferry. These ferries are really just like huge outrigger canoes with houses built in them to cover the passengers.

 Eventually cargo was loaded and we passengers were taken aboard by a small banca with a single outrigger, which I suppose is so that the craft can be brought alongside the boarding plank leading up to the deck of the ferry. A short time later we were off on a trip that would seal the Philippines as one of my favourite places and experiences – and make me want to retire there.

I live in The Whitsunday Islands in Queensland in tropical Australia. So Imagine my surprise as we were approaching Isla Verde. Other than a few small coastal villages with the buildings constructed from local stone and cement, or from bamboo and thatched palm, this island looked just like say, Whitsunday Island or Hook Island where I usually live on my yacht.

Ashore, the beaches are rock, coral rubble or lovely sand. And I only ever saw one road vehicle, a small motorcycle. Verde Island is only about seven and a half kilometres long and about four kilometres at its widest point.

Why Holiday in The Philippines?

Why on earth would an Aussie who lives in one of the most beautiful places in Australia, choose to travel overseas to stay in a place that is just like the Whitsunday island where he lives?

It is a question I have been asked on occasion, and there's really no logical answer.  I mean, I love my Whitsundays.  I have a yacht in the Whitsundays and the first thing i felt as we approached Isla Verde, which is in Batangas, only a couple of hours from Manila, was "Wow! I'm Home!".

Here is a link to the resort web page:

http://www.islaverderesort.com/

This is how the bay where the resort has been built looked the moment I first saw it.    (click  'Read More'  to continue)