I took some advice from a Swedish guy early in the week and decided to stop at Sablayan and look for a local boatman to take me to Pandan Island. It was a risk as I hadn’t booked any accommodation or done any research on hotels on the island. As it was Chinese New Year everything was very busy and rooms were at a premium all across the Philippines although at the time I didn’t know this. It was miraculous therefore that there was one hut left on the island which was available for one night – just what I wanted. I handed over the 2,400 for the family hut.
I was pleased I had invested in a mask and snorkel earlier in Puerto Galera and with some flippers I rented from the dive shop I went in search for turtles grazing on the sea grass. That’s what the dive shop said anyway – I was bound to see turtles – guaranteed! Of course I didn’t see any turtles but I did see some magnificent fish, sea horse and starfish. 
As the sun went down, the few tourists who lived in the other huts on the island came out to sit on the white sand and watch the sun go down. Pandan Island is a very peaceful tranquil place but I think I wold get very bored after a couple of days. Snorkeling, diving and sunbathing seem to be the only pursuits. If that’s all you want, then great but there are no locals there, it’s a private island foreign owned so there’s little to hold my interest apart from the bright fish. And there’s only so many times I can go snorkeling without getting bored with it.
