14 Sept 2012 Lapu Lapu

14 Sept 2012 Lapu Lapu Friday morning Grant, the Guest House joint boss with wife Violet, kindly takes me downtown in his car to a money exchange booth where I get a good rate for my pounds. The booth is in a bustling complex of tiny market stalls surrounding a supermarket. Looks to be a mutually beneficial arrangement for the big and the small. Grant buys some dvds. We chat with some of the stallholders. All very relaxed and friendly. Then a Starbucks iced raspberry coffee. Interesting. I enjoy chatting with Grant in the car. He is rural Canadian, the manager of a large call centre here in Lapu Lapu, employing 1600 Philippine people who he describes as the most hard working dedicated workers he has encountered in his extensive working travels. Also interesting. Lunch, pasta, chicken and vegetables, excellent. I linger, chatting with Violet and the girls who work for her in the Guest House. She and Grant have two children, Jackson 3 and Matthew 1, they are playing all around us. Just such a very pleasant place to be. This afternoon I walk to the harbour again. On the way a bunch of early teenagers invite me to play basketball with them on an improvised court on waste-ground. Tempting because I am taller than most of them. But I decline, with thanks. I am intending to book an island-hopping trip with Kon-Tiki. But they only do groups, or I can pay for the whole boat trip for just me. I don't think so. Next door is the Dive booking centre where I can join a dive trip to one island as a passenger. $69. Not sure about this either so leave it for now. So next I walk to Hadsan Beach. 50 pesos entrance, must be good, about 75p. Hadsan is a pretty inlet, with stone walls and piers, and divers' skiffs moored in the harbour and on the beaches. There are chalets, divers' shops and restaurants. At the end of one pier is a little village of palm thatched shelters with tables and benches for picnics and bar-b-ques. A delightful setting. But neglected and seriously run-down, this potential paradise is deserted. There is nobody to be seen except a couple of sleeping boatmen. Pity. I walk back to Green Gate and have the most amazing baby back ribs so tender and beautifully cooked, wow I have definitely struck gold booking here. Early night, Good night to you all, John