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.