No signal, no problem
A couple from France on a private boat, learning a few words of Filipino and leaving the starfish where they found them.
Léa and Jonas M. is a made-up traveler. We wrote this from what real visitors report, to show what trip stories will look like here. The photos are real, but they aren't this traveler's own.
Photo: Vishe Artiztry / Pexels 
Photo: Ervin Malicdem / CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo: Vishe Artiztry / Pexels
We'd read that Balabac was hard to reach, and it is. But the moment we left Buliluyan port, our phones went quiet and stayed that way for three days. After a week of Manila traffic, it was exactly what we needed.
Our boatman spoke a little English and we spoke almost no Filipino, so we learned. Salamat for thank you. Maganda for beautiful, which we said a lot.
At Candaraman the tide went out and left a sandbar dotted with starfish. Our guide showed us how to look without lifting them. Keeping them in the water keeps them alive, he said, and a lot of visitors don't know that.
The camps are simple: a cottage, a mosquito net, fresh fish for dinner. It isn't luxury, and it isn't trying to be.
What we'd tell a friend
- Bring enough cash for the whole trip. There are no ATMs in Balabac.
- A small padlock for your bag is worth packing.
- Leave starfish, shells and coral where they are.
- Learn a few words of Filipino. People light up when you try.
