The Philippines
Who: Maria Peters (4th grade teacher), Sarah Peters (Upper School Science teacher and younger sister of Maria), Virginia Blais (4th and 5th grade ESL teacher), and me!
What: Scuba diving, whale shark interacting, and relaxing
When: Chinese New Year break 2011
Where: Manila, Philippines to Ticao Island, Philippines to Donsol, Philippines
Why: Because they invited me and I really like them and I think swimming with whale sharks sounds AMAZING!
How: We flew China Airlines to Manila. This was my 3rd time flying CA. I like flying CA because they’re affiliated with Delta, so I get sky miles. But it’s not nearly as nice as Delta and the food is quite horrid. Think canned dog food. Anyway, from Manila, we flew Philippine Airlines to Donsol (45 minutes), where we drove 1 hour to a dive/boat shop, hopped on a small boat and rode 1 hour and 45 minutes to Ticao Island (SE of Manila). Then back the way we came! As for the daily activities, hotels, etc., it was all booked through Dive Central Asia.
Basic Background Information:
• Weather: Currently the temperature is in the mid 80s. It is very windy at our resort, even though we’re tucked away in a beautiful inlet. But it’s not a cold breeze, nor a stormy breeze - merely a strong breeze. It is supposed to be like this for 2 days. It may affect our visibility diving tomorrow, and the waters are rough, but neither of those things bother me much, so I’m looking forward to scuba diving for the first time in 10 years.
• Money: The currency here is pesos. This morning at the airport, I saw that the exchange rate was 43 pesos to 1 American dollar. Just this past October is was 50:1, so the dollar is dropping. As always, the money looks like monopoly money.
• Religion: This is one of the few countries in Asia that is primarily Catholic, due mostly to the 500 years of Spanish occupation.
• Language: The native language is Tagalog, a mix of Spanish and something like Malay or Indonesian. It sounds sing-songy. The more I travel around Asia, the more I like the sound of Mandarin. I can’t decide if that’s because it’s actually a more beautiful language or if it is because Mandarin sounds like home to me. It’s not as abrasive as I once thought it was, and somehow, it sounds more elevated and complex than other Southeast Asian countries. It’s growing on me. Anyways, back to Tagalog. Yes, it is the native language, but everyone here speaks English.
• The People: Filipinos, from what I’ve seen so far and from what Maria has told me (she lived here for 5 years), have an island mentality. They are very laid back and happy. They make jokes, smile all the time, and are rather slow to serve you. It’s one of the few places left in SE Asia that is still enamored with a large white person. Anyway, they are a happy and enjoyable people to be around, much as it was in Bali, and quite different than it is in Taiwan. Taiwanese people are extremely kind, generous, and helpful, but I wouldn’t say that they are fun. Oh, and the Filipinos love music and they love to sing!
• Safety: There was a bus bombing in Manila a week ago. But I don’t know what to tell you; that’s not the vibe I get at all. We went to dinner last night with friends of Maria’s who work at International School of Manila, and they said they feel perfectly safe here, and most of them have lived in places like Ethiopia, Lebanon, and Ecuador. Still, there are bus bombings here, no doubt.
• Random: From Ticao you cannot see any mainland. Right now, I feel like I’m on this tiny island at the edge of the earth. It’s really freakin cool.
I don't have pics of our place in Donsol; you wouldn't want to see it anyways. Ticao Island Resort was way cooler! Stay tuned...more to follow soon!!!!
What: Scuba diving, whale shark interacting, and relaxing
When: Chinese New Year break 2011
Where: Manila, Philippines to Ticao Island, Philippines to Donsol, Philippines
Why: Because they invited me and I really like them and I think swimming with whale sharks sounds AMAZING!
How: We flew China Airlines to Manila. This was my 3rd time flying CA. I like flying CA because they’re affiliated with Delta, so I get sky miles. But it’s not nearly as nice as Delta and the food is quite horrid. Think canned dog food. Anyway, from Manila, we flew Philippine Airlines to Donsol (45 minutes), where we drove 1 hour to a dive/boat shop, hopped on a small boat and rode 1 hour and 45 minutes to Ticao Island (SE of Manila). Then back the way we came! As for the daily activities, hotels, etc., it was all booked through Dive Central Asia.
Basic Background Information:
• Weather: Currently the temperature is in the mid 80s. It is very windy at our resort, even though we’re tucked away in a beautiful inlet. But it’s not a cold breeze, nor a stormy breeze - merely a strong breeze. It is supposed to be like this for 2 days. It may affect our visibility diving tomorrow, and the waters are rough, but neither of those things bother me much, so I’m looking forward to scuba diving for the first time in 10 years.
• Money: The currency here is pesos. This morning at the airport, I saw that the exchange rate was 43 pesos to 1 American dollar. Just this past October is was 50:1, so the dollar is dropping. As always, the money looks like monopoly money.
• Religion: This is one of the few countries in Asia that is primarily Catholic, due mostly to the 500 years of Spanish occupation.
• Language: The native language is Tagalog, a mix of Spanish and something like Malay or Indonesian. It sounds sing-songy. The more I travel around Asia, the more I like the sound of Mandarin. I can’t decide if that’s because it’s actually a more beautiful language or if it is because Mandarin sounds like home to me. It’s not as abrasive as I once thought it was, and somehow, it sounds more elevated and complex than other Southeast Asian countries. It’s growing on me. Anyways, back to Tagalog. Yes, it is the native language, but everyone here speaks English.
• The People: Filipinos, from what I’ve seen so far and from what Maria has told me (she lived here for 5 years), have an island mentality. They are very laid back and happy. They make jokes, smile all the time, and are rather slow to serve you. It’s one of the few places left in SE Asia that is still enamored with a large white person. Anyway, they are a happy and enjoyable people to be around, much as it was in Bali, and quite different than it is in Taiwan. Taiwanese people are extremely kind, generous, and helpful, but I wouldn’t say that they are fun. Oh, and the Filipinos love music and they love to sing!
• Safety: There was a bus bombing in Manila a week ago. But I don’t know what to tell you; that’s not the vibe I get at all. We went to dinner last night with friends of Maria’s who work at International School of Manila, and they said they feel perfectly safe here, and most of them have lived in places like Ethiopia, Lebanon, and Ecuador. Still, there are bus bombings here, no doubt.
• Random: From Ticao you cannot see any mainland. Right now, I feel like I’m on this tiny island at the edge of the earth. It’s really freakin cool.
 |
| Ticao Island Resort (9 huts, a dive shop, and a dining pavillion = heaven!) |
 |
| Our cabana on Tacao |
 |
| The view from our porch on Ticao Island |
 |
| Boarding the boat |
 |
| Sarah and Virginia on the boat ride out to Ticao |
Comments
Post a Comment