the Philippines part2 - Moalboal & the Ocean

welcome to Moalboal!!  on the eastern coast on the island of Cebu in the Central Visayas of the Philippines lies the humble, but thriving fishing town of Moalboal.

The pic above is from the main strip where motorbikes, buses, and jeepneys hurry by.  off to either side, women sell fish, chicken, and pork freshly barbecued over charcoal.  men lean against their vehicles smoking cigarettes and recording all movement.  can't say i never felt a little ultra-aware of eyes on me as i entered / exited the pharmacy that hosted the ATM machine.  this is relevant since a few days in we discovered our hotel didn't accept credit cards (i think they have remedied this since). to the lodge managers' credit, they personally loaned me their motorbike so i could ride the 15 minutes into town, withdraw cash, and settle the bill in pesos.  ended up spending about 2% extra in ATM fees - could be worse.

LESSON learned: it's better to take cash with you, when traveling to less-developed foreign countries, and convert it to the local currency than rely on ATMs.  this means you travel with a bunch of cash with you - a little hard for me to get used to considering i used to use traveler's cheques to mitigate risk of loss/theft - seemed backward to me to travel with cash but clearly so much easier to hide your cash than to seek the elusive ATM.  along these same lines, wherever we stayed in the Philippines, if credit cards were accepted, they would tack on 4-5% as a surcharge.  to avoid this, we'd pay in cash, thinking we had plenty of cash…

...but then plans CHANGE.

you end up really enjoying a place you thought you'd just pass through OR

you find a gem of a restaurant and splurge on dinner therapy OR

you opt for a private car instead of waiting a few hours for the bus.

if you have cash, you can always convert it - though i check myself here recalling a Chinese merchant in Anda (on Bohol island) who agreed to convert my Chinese Yuan into Pesos at a nearly criminal exchange rate.  i just couldn't do it though i was desperate for cash and ended up going back to our former accommodation (La Petra) to arrange a cash for credit card charge transaction (which of course includes the 4%).  the resort owner was very kind to do this for me - thanks Ines!  enough business - onto the adventure & fun!!

THE BLUE ORCHID RESORT

every morning the locals would wade the low tide looking for sea urchins - not the black spiky ones - to collect & eat.  you chop off the bottom with a sharp knife and scoop out the raw, roe-like flesh inside - tasted 100% like the ocean - didn't ask for seconds, but finished my "plate."

our dive instructor, Dino Bustamente, a patient, informative, skillful, native diver and wonderful teacher - couldn't imagine anyone else navigating my family through the PADI open water course.  we did several lessons in the pool, then a couple in front of the resort, and finally by boat to Pescador Island and Panagsama beach to see the enormous schools of sardines - truly mesmorizing.

definitely one of the best experiences we've had while on family vacation!

boat rides to different dive sites were so fun - Jun Jun was a very responsible captain and amazingly strong for his size.  his sunglasses and friendly demeanor added a lot to the dive experience.  Kayl loved lying down at the very front of the boat, looking at the water going past / under, feeling the wind and the sun.  good times...

until they turn 15, the kids' maximum depth is 12 meters - however, since i'm an adult, i can go to 18 meters.  occasionally, i would swim under them for a "spacey" view.  here's Basil checking his SPG (submersible pressure gauge) to see how far he's down and how much oxygen he has left.

here Kayl practices clearing his mask.  he was relaxed and calm even though we were 10-12 meters below the surface.  i was so proud seeing my boys in such a surreal setting.  they never panicked, were respectful of the coral and fish, and showed great care for sticking together.

Dino could write underwater with a special pen & slate - he was a great teacher and Basil and Kayl were fantastic students.

everyone except Carly, who developed a middle ear barotrauma by re-surfacing too quickly during a dive early on, earned their PADI certifications on December 22, 2013 - Kayl's 10th birthday!

a big big thank you to The Blue Orchid Resort and especially the managers, Melissa and Servais, who made our stay feel intimate, comfortable, and truly unique (if you're ever in Suzhou, China or Vermont, U.S., i hope you'll be OUR guest).  the food was superb, our room - just right, the location - hard to beat (woke up each morning by walking to the edge of the reef and snorkeling - heaven).  if and when we get the chance to return to the Philippines, i can't imagine a trip without The Blue Orchid for a few nights of bliss!

thanks again!!

the Philippines part1 - China to Cebu

ok, jumping in…to set the stage for those who don't know, the water in the Philippines - gorgeous, the beaches - sandy and clean, the weather in December - warm, slightly breezy, a passing shower to cool things down a little, but otherwise heaven.

years earlier, Carly and I plan a trip to Costa Rica - first flight, VT--->NJ and then to CR from there.  problem was the first leg was cancelled due to snow.  who's been there?  middle of winter, you're working like a dog, there's light at the end of the tunnel, the smell of coconut magically appearing from your Cream of Wheat - and then a 24 hour delay, if the flight the next day isn't delayed also!  we couldn't handle that so we jumped in the car and drove through the night (thank you caffeine) to Newark - only had an hour or two to spare but it was worth it when the morning sunlight gave way to plumes of volcanic smoke out the sky-high porthole.

i mention this story because we had similar beginnings to the Philippines trip - proving that one can endure amazing strife if paradise awaits you.  flight to Manila leaves just after midnight - driver to show up in Suzhou 3-4 hours prior - despite email confirmations, it just didn't sink in that the car to Shanghai was scheduled for the same day as the flight - erroneously slated to pick us up 18 hours after the flight takes off!  i suppose this is fairly common to travelers who don't often fly at "red eye" hours.  no consolation at the time though as we realize a half hour later that no one's coming to get us.  then we realize why, then it sets in that we have to get to Shanghai on our own.

  

it's after 8pm as the four of us, each toting a large backpack, climb into a cab, heading for the train station.  from there, it's a fast train to Hongqiao station, a metro ride to the interchange which should take us to the airport - but the interchange is now closed - it's after 11pm now.  outside we find a taxi, get to the airport - wrong terminal - running through empty halls, we eventually arrive less than 1 hour prior to our flight!  a big thank you to Allison Mindel for helping us navigate the Shanghai transportation maze - mag lev vs. metro vs. taxi…

it's a plane ride to Manila, a taxi to the other terminal - found it interesting that the Manila taxi drivers love tips whereas in China, taxi drivers vehemently reject them.  a short flight to Cebu City…

...and a 4 hour car ride south across the mountains to the small town on the west coast of Cebu, Moalboal…

...and then to the Blue Orchid - we made it!!

Carly loved shelling during low tide out front - the cement walkway allowed for easy access to the reef which maintained up to about 4 meters of depth before dropping away, nearly straight down.  amazing...