-
Boat ride to Malapascua
Turns out the boat was going to take-off from the newer ferry wharf, too far away for us to drag the 4 suitcases by foot, so we booked another private drive for the day after (all arranged by our dive op via Whatsapp, super reactive).
Once there, you meet an official to pay for envrionmental fees (P120 per person) and you have to pay porters, who will take your bags to the boat regardless. There didn’t seem to be an offical rate for porters, but we gave them P200 to share amongst the 3 of them, for the large 4 bags they helped us get onboard, walking in a very narrow footbridge.
One note on the ferry: you have to walk-down on a slippery bridge, and the footbridge really is narrow. The crew did hold a long bamboo stick for us to use as a handrail. We loved our trip, but getting in/out of boats (all bangkas) would be a challenge for anyone with mobility issues.
I’ll pause now, will return a bit later for the crossing.
