Malalison

After nine days, I’ve had enough of the overcrowded Chinese mall of Boracay. The magic of the Philippines lies elsewhere. It’s a two-hour bus journey south through the windswept green seas of rice paddies and crops drying by the roadside. In Culasi, I take a banka to the small fishing island of Malalison near the coast of Antique.

The satellite images promised waves in front of and shallow water behind a small sandbank directly in front of my Nipa hut on the beach. The receptionist at my accommodation Casa Preta provided me with good information over the days via Facebook. On arrival, he turned out to be the warm pole of the village community, which is apparently a legal requirement in the Philippines.

Malalison is genuine and simple. There is no running water, just buckets and ladles. The sign on the door proudly proclaims “Comfort room”. The residents carry the water over a kilometre from the island’s only spring to the village. Electricity has only been available since 2015 thanks to new solar panels, and 4G internet since this year. For the first time in years, my world adapter doesn’t fit – the helpfulness of the only cookshop with a suitable adapter is all the greater.

The old people doze in the shade of the trees. Goats roam freely through the village. Roosters crow and cats cuddle with puppies. Children play in the water and fishermen build their bankas with handsaws. Young people play basketball on the village square. Every five metres there is a sign against drugs. Nobody wants to talk to me about it. I fall asleep briefly to the sound of the waves until a strong gust of wind wakes me up.

While I’m setting up, a group of small children inspect my kites very closely. The fishermen warn me about the wind. Due to the high mountains of Antique, which are only slightly to the north-north-east of the Amihan, a strong change would be normal here. After a short briefing, one of the fishermen helps with the launch. I can immediately confirm his warnings.

During my 45 minutes on the water, the wind is not only very variable between 17 and 27 knots – it also shifts by up to 30 degrees every ten minutes. On the windward side of the sandbank there is only minimal standing room – and the waves are quite powerful. It takes a while to get into the deeper water. Now at high tide everything is fine – but some coral blocks are still close to the surface in the wave troughs.

When the wind turns more to the east, it whistles almost at right angles over the waves, which means perfect ramps for big jumps. A few times, the gusts sweep me over the waves much higher and further than expected. I miss a few landings far too close to the beach in a violent shorebreak. The kids cheer.

My main reason for coming to Malalison was the shallow water in the lee of the 40 metre long sandbank. I head over briefly. The wind becomes very weak. 100 metres further downwind, large concrete crosses have been sunk in front of the small bay as protection from the waves of the winter Habagat. Even at high tide, 30 cm of them are still sticking out of the water. Further down the beach there are more concrete crosses between some bankas. Anchor ropes point from the bankas towards the sea. Drifting off is not an option.

I only dare to make a few quick high jumps in my favourite shallow water, then I pull back onto the windward side to land. Unfortunately, my helper is gone. I try to land the kite myself, but the wind is too strong. On my second attempt, the kite turns abruptly again and a gust of wind pulls it towards the lee on landing – right onto an overlooked small anchor sticking out of the sand. The 40 cm cut is not bad – but there are only a handful of kite repairers on the 7,000 islands of the Philippines. The next one on my route is four days away.

In terms of wind, Malalison really is Russian roulette, and quite dangerous even without an anchor – although there is a fantastic selection of conditions on both sides of the sandbank. The spot is absolutely unsuitable for beginners. On the second day, after eleven days of non-stop good Amihan, I’m happy to have a day of calm. I hike across the island with a little Philippina as my guide. Work on several websites from the paradise office on the beach. Compose the soundtrack for the next big film and write about magical kite spots.