Busuanga

We just got back from our first vacation of the year and we are already dreaming about repeating our itinerary next year. We went to Busuanga which is the northernmost part of Palawan which is the most undeveloped and beautiful island in the Philippines. Both of the resorts that we stayed at had their own island so there were no cars or noisy inhabitants (except the monkeys). First we stayed at the Sangat Island Resort which was our favorite spot. It was so quiet and peaceful. Even the water was almost always still with no waves. Our daily routine was to get up and observe the animals. Usually we would walk to a tree where monkeys were eating breakfast but one day we kayaked to some natural hot springs in some mangroves. On our way, we got a great view of monkeys eating on a limestone cliff wall rising up from the water where we were floating. Some monkeys tried to join us in the hotsprings too. After our morning monkey watching, we would eat breakfast. Sangat's food was the best we've had at a resort in the Philippines. After breakfast we would retire with our books to hammocks near the water and read/sleep until lunch approached. After lunch we would go kayaking or snorkeling. The reef near the resort was surprisingly good. On our kayaking trip we often saw the most colorful bird that we have ever seen in the wild. We think it is the stork-billed kingfisher that is in the picture above that we took from the internet. Then after a cold shower (the only major downfall of Sangat) we'd play games at the restaurant, play with some of the eight puppies at the resort or chat with some friends we made who are also rooted in Massachusetts.

After about five days at Sangat we transferred to the posh El Rio Y Mar resort where we traded rustic relaxation for a very comfortable room with beautiful ocean views right from the bed. Our favorite part of the room was the window in our shower that gave us a great view of the ocean and green hills of Palawan. The highlight of this part of the trip was spending a few hours of each day at their sister resort (at a different island) where the snorkeling was excellent. Our main goal was to see sea turtles. The first day we saw one and were surprised at how big they are (maybe about 4 feet long). We got to swim with it for a while and could get very close. The next day we saw six or seven sea turtles. One tried to surface for air right where Matt was floating so he had to face off with the turtle. Matt earned his status as the alpha male though this may not have been a great accomplishment since just a few minutes earlier we saw a two inch clown fish scare the giant turtle away from the fish's anenome bed. This trip has really made us wish we had an underwater camera case.

The other cool thing we saw from our porch at sunset one night was a giant school of fish make three successive jumps from the water in a serpentine motion. There were so many of them that as they jumped, they made a loud "whaa, whaa, whaa" sound. It almost looked like a lochness monster moving through the water. The last noteworthy sighting was of a (really ugly) eagle ray when we were snorkeling.

Butanding: The Whale Sharks

This photo was found on google images - we didn't take it.

Last weekend, Heather and I took a trip to Donsol to swim with Whale Sharks. The Whale Shark is the largest of living fish species. The Whale Sharks are sharks (not whales). The area we visited in Donsol is rich in plankton making it a great place to view the fish. Click here to watch a short video about the whale shark.

We landed in Donsol on Thursday and got up bright and early on Friday to board our boat and search for the Whale Sharks. Another couple from our school joined us on the boat. The four of us were chatting and enjoying the sunshine when our guide suddenly said, "Ok, get ready- sit on this side." We immediately stapped on our fins, goggles, and masks and lined up sitting on the side of the boat. He said, "Jump, when I say jump." Almost immediately after, he jumped in and said, "jump!" Then, one after another we jumped into the ocean. This was Heather's favorite part. It did kind of feel like we were in the Coast Guard on some sort of mission where we had to fall in line jumping out of the boat. Our tools- fins, snorkels, and masks. Upon entering the water, we swam closely behind our guide scanning the water for the giant fish. A few seconds passed and then suddenly a massive sparkling creature with a huge mouth emerged swimming right towards us. The adrenaline definitely surged through the body. We let the giant creature pass and started swimming hard so we could keep up with it. It was enormous and we were so close that you could reach out and touch the fish (we didn't though, that is not good for the fish). The Whale Shark's movement was slow, methodical, and easy to predict. The size was impressive, but almost as striking were the beautiful markings that shimmered in the sun. It was a beautiful animal! We followed the whale shark until it went down too deep in the ocean for us to see. We all came up, a bit out of breath, and totally psyched to continue searching for more whale sharks.

The first day we were able to swim with 8 whale sharks. It was a great workout as you swim as hard as you can to keep up with them. Our longest swim was about fifteen minutes. I must admit, I was the weakest of the four swimmers. (Heather has been swimming in the mornings and she easily outswims me) However, the guide on our boat was some sort of super hero swimmer that helped me keep up. One time when we jumped in and spotted the whale shark, I swallowed a mouth full of water. This put me behind the crew even more than usual. I spotted our guide at the head of the whale shark. I was trailing behind the whale shark by about 6 feet. The guide swam back to me and launched me forward so that I was now leading our crew. It was like revisiting childhood when adults used to lunge you ahead in the water. So much fun- even as an adult! I mentioned this on the boat and the guide took pleasure in giving me turbo boosts to keep up with the whale sharks.

The next day we went out it was a bit cloudy and we were only able to swim with 4 whale sharks. But, it was still a lot of fun! The photos in this post were taken by our friends who had a nifty underwater camera.

This was definitely another experience you should come visit us for!

Nice Terraces

We just got back from another vacation and figured it was time to update the blog. Nothing too exciting happens in Manila--hence the lack of posts. We went up north this time to a non-beach destination with our friends Mike and Sara. It was a long 13 hour bus ride but worth the trip. It was a little like New England with cool weather, pine trees and camp fires. The highlight of our trip was a trek through some caves. Matt had some brushes with death while dangling from the rock face but the guides helped carry him through the rough patches and he survived. It required a lot of scrambling on all fours. Luckily it wasn't until the last ten minutes that we realized the mud all over our hands was actually bat poop.



Another highlight of our trip was a dinner buffet at the Log Cabin. Once a week the french chef prepares a wholesome buffet and invites us into his kitchen to serve ourselves. The kitchen was beautifully rustic as was the dining room. It was kind of like a dinner party where no one knows each other.



Our first destination was Sagada where we did the aforementioned things. Sagada is known for its hikes and atmosphere of relaxation. Also the area has lots of traditional Filipino tribes people and those people sometimes bury their dead in coffins in caves. We saw a bunch of coffins and it was eerie because when you look through the cracks in the coffins you could see the bones.





It was also amazing how many beautiful rice terraces there are to see in that area. For the last two days of our trip we went to Banaue and Bataad where the most striking rice terraces are. To get to Bataad, we hired a private jeepney and a guide and then balanced along the terraces to visit a waterfall. We ended the day with a nice lunch in Bataad that featured fried dough.



It was a cool trip that showed us that the beauty of the Philippines doesn't just lie in its coastline.

El Nido

We got back from our vacation to one of the most beautiful places in the Philippines (the world?). The lonely planet write up was right on. With some help from dramamine I survived my first flight on a small plane onto a dirt runway (see video below). As part of our resort package we got a private boat trip each day to a place of our choosing. The first day we went to two lagoons that the area is known for. The small lagoon was the best. We don't have pictures because we had to swim through a hole in the limestone to get to it. Inside there was blue-green water and tall limestone walls with jungle vegetation. There was some cool stuff to see via snorkel along the sides of the rock.

The next day we weren't as excited about our destination but it turned out to be beautiful as well. It was called Snake Island and it is the white strip of beach in the picture to the right. We also went to some caves (Cathedral Cave below).

Day 3 was our favorite day. It was the first day where we didn't see other boats with people. We went to Helicopter Island (video below) which was a deserted island with a white sand beach, jungle, blue green water and coral for snorkeling. We felt like castaways. Then we went to another lagoon (Cadlao Lagoon video below) where we saw all sorts of cool wildlife like birds, crabs and a 5 foot long lizard.

Day 4 we went to some other deserted beaches and then back to helicopter island. The best thing about the trip was observing nature. We saw lots of flying fish in the water. There were tons of crabs on the beach with beautiful shells. The limestone cliffs and lush jungle were homes to all sorts of tropical birds. We were really sad to leave (and even more sad to have to get back in the small plane). Check out the picture slideshow for more photos!


Plane Landing in El Nido



Helicopter Island



Cadlao Lagoon

Excited for our Holiday Break!

2 School days left and we have a nice two and a half week break!!!

Heather and I are very excited. On Thursday, we will be flying to El Nido to explore the Bacuit Archipelago. This is what Lonely Planet says about our destination:

"The Bacuit Archipelago is a fantastic seascape where Mother
Nature appears to have let her imagination run wild. It is a collection of
jagged limestone islands that leap skyward from the crystal-clear waters of Bacuit Bay. The archipelago is similar to Vietnam's Ha Long Bay, or the Krabi and Phi Phi area of southern Thailand, only- dare we say it- more beautiful. Many of the islands have sheltered bays that conceal white sand beaches, stunning lagoons, and vivid coral gardens."

Yeah! We are excited! We are staying at the Dolarog Beach Resort for 5 nights.

Originally, we had flight arrangement complications (Of course!). We wanted to fly directly to El Nido, but one of the big resorts ($300 per person per night) has a monopoly on all flights and you can only fly with them if you stay with them. The flight we had paid for brought us two hours south- but no longer exists. Luckily, the flight that goes directly to El Nido opens up there plane to other passengers 5 days ahead of travel time and we got on! So, on Thursday morning we fly out at 11:30 AM and should be on the beach by around 1:00 to 1:30 PM.

The only catch is I have to sneak some anxiety drugs in to Heather that morning. She freaks on big flights- our flight is smaller and lands on a dirt runway. Here is a link with photos. I am super excited about the flight as well! (as long as Heather is somewhat medicated:-)

We will post pics for you all when we return! As excited as we are to be travelling, we are very sad to be missing time with friends and family during the holiday season. We hope everyone has a fantastic holiday!

Beach Paradises

Last week, we got our first vacation. We finally had some time to explore the Philippines but mostly we needed time to relax and not work. So of course, we headed to the beach. First we went to Apo Island which was our favorite stop. To get there, we flew, took a van ride and then took a boat. Once we were on the island, the only way to get around was on our own two legs. There was a town with about a hundred people and a path went down the middle of it. At the end was a marine santuary in a cove and it had the best snorkeling we've done. There was lots of colorful coral, tons of interesting fish and even a sea snake or two. We would just float and watch everything for a couple hours until we got cold each day. Then we would go back to doing pretty much nothing. Our room was just a few meters from the beach and we had the resort and cove all to ourselves for most of our stay. The only drawbacks were no running water, electricity only a couple hours of day and our resort's food. On day two they ran out of fruit. On day three there didn't seem to be any vegetables left and by the end there wasn't any pork or chicken left. Luckily we discovered that the other resort on the island had really good food. The only thing lacking was chocolate. That was the hardest to live without. By the last day, we were shoveling down this dessert that was basically low quality hot chocolate mix, mixed with water and rice.



Next we went back on a boat to the main island where we hunted for breakfast at a weekly market. This was the real Philippines--nothing touristy about it. The market was like a fair in that they brought all sorts of live cows, bulls, pigs and goats to sell. I almost became a vegetarian after seeing how much the pigs at the market were resisting being brought to an eventual death. It was awful to see how aware they are of their fate. At this point in the story Matt likes to jump in by noting how long my vegetarianism lasted. Yes, it only lasted until breakfast the next morning when I ate bacon. However, I'm going to make an effort to eat a lot less pork from now on.



Then we went to another island with a really nice resort and excellent cakes and frozen drinks. However, the snorkeling wasn't as good and we had a moldy room that made both of us sick in the end. Plus there were some really annoying children there. So the first place is the one we'll return to.

Sonya's Garden

Last weekend Matt and I celebrated our anniversary at a bed and breakfast outside of the city. The hotel was great. Our "room" was huge with three double beds, lots of antique furniture, two bathrooms with various nice touches and a separate bedroom with another bed. There were windows all around which was great because there was jungle surrounding us on several sides and flower gardens on the other. It's cooler in that area so the windows let the breeze pass through and at night we could hear various fountains running outside of our window. We really wish we had more time to spend so we could just relax in our room reading and napping.

The reason we didn't have much time at the hotel was that what we thought was an hour and a half trip to get there ended up being over three hours. We took the bus there and regretted that choice pretty quickly into the trip. It was not airconditioned so it was extremely hot and sweaty. Also it was a non-stop traffic jam. At one point we were in the same spot for at least ten minutes. That was the low point because we began to doubt that we would ever get there. Sweat was pouring off of us and just when Matt was about to explode with man-rage, the guy next to him started smoking. I didn't even notice because the diesel exhaust coming in my window masked all other smells. We eventually made it to our destination but the next day my eye that was closest to the bus window was swollen up like it had been punched because of the pollution.

Here's a link to the bed and breakfast if you want to check it out: http://www.sonyasgarden.com/

My favorite thing was that at night, there were lanterns and little lights throughout the gardens. The other nice thing was that they didn't give you a choice of food at meals. They brought out multiple courses of really good food so we never had to make a decision or wonder if we should have chosen a different dish.

Those teachers at our school came out with another music video. You can check it out at the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l9HJrmOSd4

Keep in touch! Hope to talk to you soon.