Apo Island

Apo Island is absolutely amazing! I feel like I have been taken back in time. No running water. Electricity run off a generator that is only on from 7:30am to 10:30am and then again from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. No motorized vehicles at all. The little village is so charming. The people here are honest and friendly. The air is clean, the ocean is clear. If it weren’t for the lack of ice cubes, I could live here forever! ...Hey, every once in a while a girl's got to have a gin and tonic with some ice cubes..
This morning after coffee and breakfast overlooking the turquoise sea, I decided to go exploring. This Island is not very big. You could probably see the whole thing in one day..by foot. I had been told about a lighthouse so I went to check it out. ‘Just up those stairs’ they said. They failed to mention that there were 62,423 or them…roughly. I started to count but I lost interest around 14. Nice hike though. Along my way I encountered a handful of small goats, 2 half starved cows..one of which I’m pretty sure was doing yoga..one very excited dog that thought it would be fun to run circles around me at lightning speed, a young Filipino boy carrying a giant bunch of bananas, an old Filipino man carrying 50ft of bamboo and a large ant colony that I accidentally sat in. I reached the top of the island. The lighthouse itself was not much to look at but the view from up there was breathtaking to say the least. I had a complete 360 degree view. Incredible. Back down the quarter of a million stairs and into the ocean to cool off and do some snorkeling. I can’t get over how clear this water is. Everywhere you look there are turtles and sea snakes and fish of every color. After snorkeling and a bit of lying around in the sun I went back to Liberty’s for some lunch and ginger tea. It was then that I realized that it was only 1 o’clock. I couldn’t believe it. I have already had a full day and it’s only 1 o’clock! I mustered up some energy and walked to the other side of the island and hiked up to a view deck at the top. I found two perfect trees to put my hammock in and laid and swayed till sunset. Perfect view from up there. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching the sunset. It is such a unique experience each time. After reluctantly hiking back down I met up with Zoe and the boys on the path and we all sat on the beach, drank rum and took pictures with the stars. What a perfect day. I love my life.