The trip ended up being a bit of a process this time. I paid for the Tubbataha portion of my trip back in December. I had planned on going on the M/V Southern Cruise. That boat ended up not going out and I was switched to the M/V Borneo Explorer.
This necessitated some adjustments in my original plans (since I couldn't change the international portion of my tickets). I ended up spending extra time in Puerto Princesa and received a longer trip to Tubbataha. I only got one dive day in El Nido (due to boat schedules) and 3 dive days in Coron (due to available flights). I would have liked to return to Anilao for a few days but ended up cutting it altogether.
For this trip I decided to buy a new laptop. A HP Mini 1137NR. I'm constantly looking for ways to save weight when I travel. With all the photo and dive gear that I carry on a dive trip, it's already impossible to stay under the 10 kilo limit that is placed on me for some of the smaller commuter turbo-prop airplanes that I sometimes end up flying in.
I was looking for something low-weight, that I could write on, download photos too, and maybe have a few games to kill time with. Also wireless capability that allow me to check email and stay in touch while traveling. The HP Mini fit the bill in all these respects.
During my last trip, I took a 40 gig Photobank to download memory cards too. This time I brought the Mini plus a 320 gig external hard drive. I loaded Photoshop Lightroom onto the external hard drive. I downloaded photos directly from the camera. I normally shoot JPEG fine plus RAW. I had more than enough memory for a 3 week trip. This also allowed me to begin editing photos while still on my trip and gave me place to keep notes for my trip report.
I've also been looking for ways to save weight with dive gear. I switched from a conventional BCD to BP/W configuration with that in mind. I chose a Dive Rite aluminum plate with a simple hogarthian harness. With the Oxycheq Extreme V wing that I chose for it's toughness and durability, my whole setup is barely one kilo. Add in a 3mm wetsuit, mask, fins, snorkel, and assorted small accessories and staying under my weight limit would be relatively easy.
It's the camera gear that puts me over
My camera is a Nikon D300. For lenses I brought a Nikkor 60mm Micro; the Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye Zoom; and the Nikkor 18-200mm Zoom. I use an Ikelite Housing (with dome and flat ports), along with my Ikelite DS125 and Ikelite DS160 substrobes.
The strobes weigh 1.3 kilos each. The housing without the port weighs 3.24 kilos. I haven't weighed the ports, but I estimate another kilo. The 8" dome port is fairly heavy. Total for underwater photo gear comes to approximately 6.84 kilos.
The camera itself weighs 825 grams, plus the weight of the 3 lenses. The 60mm weighs 425 grams, the 18-200mm comes in at 560 grams, and the Tokina is 350 grams. All this together adds up to another 2.16 kilos.
That's almost 9 kilos total weight for camera gear and another kilo for my computer. Throw in the 1.85 kilos for my Lowepro Fastpack 350 camera bag I'm at almost 11 kilos before even getting to dive gear. I'm only allowed 7 kilos for carry-on and 10 kilos for checked for my flight from Busuanga to Manila due to the size of the aircraft.
The end result of all this is that it's impossible for me not to be forced to check at least part of my photo equipment. The housing and accessories I took in a Pelican Case. The dome port and strobes I wrapped in bubble wrap and put in my dive bag using my wetsuit for extra padding.
At Narita I still ended up being 11 kilos over (about the weight of my camera gear without the pelican case). I was charged 29, 400 yen (around $300 US) by Japan Airlines for 11 kilos! I'm sorry that is just highway robbery! The airlines have become very adept at gouging their customers!
I don't know what the answer is, but the actual costs of flying someone and their luggage to a destination, is mostly in how much that individual and their luggage weigh. This means that I paid 29, 400 yen more than one of those people (who I'm sure were on my flight) who outweighs me by 11 kilos. I know they have to place some restrictions on it, and I would not really be opposed to paying a reasonable charge, but to charge me over 60% of my ticket price for excess baggage amounting to 10 % of my body weight just isn't reasonable.
Anyway, I went and had something to eat and a couple of beers and made a decision that I wasn't going to allow it to ruin my vacation.
Unfortunately I had put all my electrical cords and accessories in my check-in bags. Turns out there are several plugs located in the waiting area. (this was true in Manila also) I could have plugged in and topped off my battery for the flight. Something to keep in mind for my next trip.
It was a bumpy flight all the way from Tokyo to Manila. They were late loading and late leaving about 30 minutes. Food was decent. I had the hamburger steak and a couple of Kirins. Took a small nap, but was mostly awake. Read a book on the flight and watched part of a movie. We landed about 1030.
There was a huge line at immigration. I made conversation with a couple of tourists from Vancouver. They had paid half what I paid (without the excess baggage charge!) a perfect example of why the industry should be regulated.
After waiting almost 30 minutes to get through immigration, it was probably another 15 minutes before my bags came out at baggage claim. After getting waved through customs, I visited the money changer where I got 48.60 pesos to the dollar. I asked at the information counter about nearby hotels since I was flying so early and found out that there was a dayroom at the airport. I opted to pay 860 pesos, rather than leave the airport and pay 3 times that. The day room turned out to be to the left (coming from the gate) just past the duty free shops, before passing through immigration. I checked in, filled out the registration, showed them my passport (so they knew I had already passed through immigration) and paid for six hours in advance. They didn't have change then, but promised it to me later. I was beat as it was after midnight now, so I just went to my room.
I was up at 5:30AM. I had put my laptop on charge before going to sleep. After visiting the wash room and cleaning up, I decided on shorts and flip-flops. I knew it would be hot. I packed away my long pants and shoes. My change had been slid underneath the door during the night. I should mention that the walls were very thin, it's really only a cubicle with a bed. It was not absolutely quiet until after everyone from the last flight had gone. I recommend earplugs!
When I stepped out with my bags, the entry area was quite a contrast from the night before. The entire immigration, baggage claim, and customs areas were empty with the exception of a few security guards, and people coming to work. As I exited the security guard who had helped me the night before remembered me and said good morning. I asked directions and was told to just go out and turn right.
It was about a 15 minute walk to the other terminal pulling my two bags. I showed my passport and ticket to the security guard outside and passing through the first security checkpoint, I headed to the ticket counter. This time I was 20 kilos over, another 2500 pesos later, I was given my boarding pass.
They couldn't change my return flight at the ticket counter, I needed to go to the Philippine Airline Office. This was simple enough to do, I left my boarding pass and photo id with the security guard and exited. After passing through another security checkpoint I entered the PAL office. After a short 5 minute wait, I spoke with an agent. I couldn't change my flight to 4 May because both flights were full. I got on the standby for the 4th and changed my ticket to the first available flight which was on 2 May.
I grabbed some coffee and a sandwich for breakfast near the gate. They started loading the flight around 8AM. I normally just wait for the line to go down first. After about 15 minutes I went to find out why the line didn't seem any shorter. It turned out they were loading two flights at the same gate and the crowd standing around the entrance were waiting for a flight to Cebu.
I walked right on the plane and was one of the last ones to board. This worked out well, since I was able to walk pretty much straight to my seat, stow my bag and sit. Checking in early had worked to my advantage. The agent had given me an emergency row seat, which gave me plenty of leg room
After a short (1 hour) ride to Puerto Princesa, the plane arrived only a little late. I opted to allow a porter to help me with my bags. The baggage crates were pulled right up to carousel. I stood and watched as they unloaded them. Just as I suspected, A fragile tag really has no meaning to a baggage handler
My bag was buried along with everyone elses, with bags stacked on top. Luckily everything was well padded!
I was checked in at the airport. I had to show my passport and it was written in a book. Didn't ask why. Maybe I should have. I figured if they wanted to write me in this book, who was I to say no
After exiting the airport I caught a trike to my hotel. I was told everyone leaving the airport had to pay 50 pesos I don't know how true that was, but later that day I went a considerably farther distance for only 10 pesos!
When I arrived at Moana Hotel a couple of minutes after leaving the airport, I was met by Nerizza who I had corresponded with prior to my trip. My room was ready. I also met Paolo the owner of the hotel who was my divemaster and guide during my stay in Puerto Princesa.
Paolo who is from Italy, had lived in the Philippines for 8 years and is married to a Filipina whom he has a 15 month old son with. He was very personable and likeable guy. I of course was ready to hit the water. He explained that there were some problems with the boat. He could set me up somewhere else but the boat would be fixed by the next day.
I opted to relax the rest of the day. Caught a trike to GCCC the local shopping center for 10 pesos. Bought a t-shirt and a pair of board shorts and then caught a trike back. Ended up paying 15 pesos coming back. The going rate was supposedly 8 pesos, but I didn't feel like arguing over 10 cents
When I got back, I checked in with Paolo and set a time for the next morning. Headed over to the hotel bar. Met Sheila who took care of the bar and waited table for the PM shift. Che was back and forth helping Sheila and taking care of the office in the evening. I also met an American expat using the pool and another guy from the Netherlands there on vacation. We had a couple of beers together before they called it a night. I had a pizza that was so good I ordered a second one! I called it a night.
To be continued:
This necessitated some adjustments in my original plans (since I couldn't change the international portion of my tickets). I ended up spending extra time in Puerto Princesa and received a longer trip to Tubbataha. I only got one dive day in El Nido (due to boat schedules) and 3 dive days in Coron (due to available flights). I would have liked to return to Anilao for a few days but ended up cutting it altogether.
For this trip I decided to buy a new laptop. A HP Mini 1137NR. I'm constantly looking for ways to save weight when I travel. With all the photo and dive gear that I carry on a dive trip, it's already impossible to stay under the 10 kilo limit that is placed on me for some of the smaller commuter turbo-prop airplanes that I sometimes end up flying in.
I was looking for something low-weight, that I could write on, download photos too, and maybe have a few games to kill time with. Also wireless capability that allow me to check email and stay in touch while traveling. The HP Mini fit the bill in all these respects.
During my last trip, I took a 40 gig Photobank to download memory cards too. This time I brought the Mini plus a 320 gig external hard drive. I loaded Photoshop Lightroom onto the external hard drive. I downloaded photos directly from the camera. I normally shoot JPEG fine plus RAW. I had more than enough memory for a 3 week trip. This also allowed me to begin editing photos while still on my trip and gave me place to keep notes for my trip report.
I've also been looking for ways to save weight with dive gear. I switched from a conventional BCD to BP/W configuration with that in mind. I chose a Dive Rite aluminum plate with a simple hogarthian harness. With the Oxycheq Extreme V wing that I chose for it's toughness and durability, my whole setup is barely one kilo. Add in a 3mm wetsuit, mask, fins, snorkel, and assorted small accessories and staying under my weight limit would be relatively easy.
It's the camera gear that puts me over
My camera is a Nikon D300. For lenses I brought a Nikkor 60mm Micro; the Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye Zoom; and the Nikkor 18-200mm Zoom. I use an Ikelite Housing (with dome and flat ports), along with my Ikelite DS125 and Ikelite DS160 substrobes.
The strobes weigh 1.3 kilos each. The housing without the port weighs 3.24 kilos. I haven't weighed the ports, but I estimate another kilo. The 8" dome port is fairly heavy. Total for underwater photo gear comes to approximately 6.84 kilos.
The camera itself weighs 825 grams, plus the weight of the 3 lenses. The 60mm weighs 425 grams, the 18-200mm comes in at 560 grams, and the Tokina is 350 grams. All this together adds up to another 2.16 kilos.
That's almost 9 kilos total weight for camera gear and another kilo for my computer. Throw in the 1.85 kilos for my Lowepro Fastpack 350 camera bag I'm at almost 11 kilos before even getting to dive gear. I'm only allowed 7 kilos for carry-on and 10 kilos for checked for my flight from Busuanga to Manila due to the size of the aircraft.
The end result of all this is that it's impossible for me not to be forced to check at least part of my photo equipment. The housing and accessories I took in a Pelican Case. The dome port and strobes I wrapped in bubble wrap and put in my dive bag using my wetsuit for extra padding.
At Narita I still ended up being 11 kilos over (about the weight of my camera gear without the pelican case). I was charged 29, 400 yen (around $300 US) by Japan Airlines for 11 kilos! I'm sorry that is just highway robbery! The airlines have become very adept at gouging their customers!
I don't know what the answer is, but the actual costs of flying someone and their luggage to a destination, is mostly in how much that individual and their luggage weigh. This means that I paid 29, 400 yen more than one of those people (who I'm sure were on my flight) who outweighs me by 11 kilos. I know they have to place some restrictions on it, and I would not really be opposed to paying a reasonable charge, but to charge me over 60% of my ticket price for excess baggage amounting to 10 % of my body weight just isn't reasonable.
Anyway, I went and had something to eat and a couple of beers and made a decision that I wasn't going to allow it to ruin my vacation.
Unfortunately I had put all my electrical cords and accessories in my check-in bags. Turns out there are several plugs located in the waiting area. (this was true in Manila also) I could have plugged in and topped off my battery for the flight. Something to keep in mind for my next trip.
It was a bumpy flight all the way from Tokyo to Manila. They were late loading and late leaving about 30 minutes. Food was decent. I had the hamburger steak and a couple of Kirins. Took a small nap, but was mostly awake. Read a book on the flight and watched part of a movie. We landed about 1030.
There was a huge line at immigration. I made conversation with a couple of tourists from Vancouver. They had paid half what I paid (without the excess baggage charge!) a perfect example of why the industry should be regulated.
After waiting almost 30 minutes to get through immigration, it was probably another 15 minutes before my bags came out at baggage claim. After getting waved through customs, I visited the money changer where I got 48.60 pesos to the dollar. I asked at the information counter about nearby hotels since I was flying so early and found out that there was a dayroom at the airport. I opted to pay 860 pesos, rather than leave the airport and pay 3 times that. The day room turned out to be to the left (coming from the gate) just past the duty free shops, before passing through immigration. I checked in, filled out the registration, showed them my passport (so they knew I had already passed through immigration) and paid for six hours in advance. They didn't have change then, but promised it to me later. I was beat as it was after midnight now, so I just went to my room.
I was up at 5:30AM. I had put my laptop on charge before going to sleep. After visiting the wash room and cleaning up, I decided on shorts and flip-flops. I knew it would be hot. I packed away my long pants and shoes. My change had been slid underneath the door during the night. I should mention that the walls were very thin, it's really only a cubicle with a bed. It was not absolutely quiet until after everyone from the last flight had gone. I recommend earplugs!
When I stepped out with my bags, the entry area was quite a contrast from the night before. The entire immigration, baggage claim, and customs areas were empty with the exception of a few security guards, and people coming to work. As I exited the security guard who had helped me the night before remembered me and said good morning. I asked directions and was told to just go out and turn right.
It was about a 15 minute walk to the other terminal pulling my two bags. I showed my passport and ticket to the security guard outside and passing through the first security checkpoint, I headed to the ticket counter. This time I was 20 kilos over, another 2500 pesos later, I was given my boarding pass.
They couldn't change my return flight at the ticket counter, I needed to go to the Philippine Airline Office. This was simple enough to do, I left my boarding pass and photo id with the security guard and exited. After passing through another security checkpoint I entered the PAL office. After a short 5 minute wait, I spoke with an agent. I couldn't change my flight to 4 May because both flights were full. I got on the standby for the 4th and changed my ticket to the first available flight which was on 2 May.
I grabbed some coffee and a sandwich for breakfast near the gate. They started loading the flight around 8AM. I normally just wait for the line to go down first. After about 15 minutes I went to find out why the line didn't seem any shorter. It turned out they were loading two flights at the same gate and the crowd standing around the entrance were waiting for a flight to Cebu.
I walked right on the plane and was one of the last ones to board. This worked out well, since I was able to walk pretty much straight to my seat, stow my bag and sit. Checking in early had worked to my advantage. The agent had given me an emergency row seat, which gave me plenty of leg room
After a short (1 hour) ride to Puerto Princesa, the plane arrived only a little late. I opted to allow a porter to help me with my bags. The baggage crates were pulled right up to carousel. I stood and watched as they unloaded them. Just as I suspected, A fragile tag really has no meaning to a baggage handler
My bag was buried along with everyone elses, with bags stacked on top. Luckily everything was well padded!I was checked in at the airport. I had to show my passport and it was written in a book. Didn't ask why. Maybe I should have. I figured if they wanted to write me in this book, who was I to say no
After exiting the airport I caught a trike to my hotel. I was told everyone leaving the airport had to pay 50 pesos I don't know how true that was, but later that day I went a considerably farther distance for only 10 pesos!
When I arrived at Moana Hotel a couple of minutes after leaving the airport, I was met by Nerizza who I had corresponded with prior to my trip. My room was ready. I also met Paolo the owner of the hotel who was my divemaster and guide during my stay in Puerto Princesa.
Paolo who is from Italy, had lived in the Philippines for 8 years and is married to a Filipina whom he has a 15 month old son with. He was very personable and likeable guy. I of course was ready to hit the water. He explained that there were some problems with the boat. He could set me up somewhere else but the boat would be fixed by the next day.
I opted to relax the rest of the day. Caught a trike to GCCC the local shopping center for 10 pesos. Bought a t-shirt and a pair of board shorts and then caught a trike back. Ended up paying 15 pesos coming back. The going rate was supposedly 8 pesos, but I didn't feel like arguing over 10 cents
When I got back, I checked in with Paolo and set a time for the next morning. Headed over to the hotel bar. Met Sheila who took care of the bar and waited table for the PM shift. Che was back and forth helping Sheila and taking care of the office in the evening. I also met an American expat using the pool and another guy from the Netherlands there on vacation. We had a couple of beers together before they called it a night. I had a pizza that was so good I ordered a second one! I called it a night.
To be continued:
Get back to work on that report!!!!!
You've brought this on yourself. If you didn't write such great reports, we wouldn't give a darn if you went to sleep or not! But you do... So go get yerself some cofee and get cracking!!!!!
I wanted to write up a report about my trip like that, but there was simply too much to write about and I didn't have the time! I can't wait to read about Tubba!
