Clockwise: Me all set to go, MV Koon, a friend about to do the giant stride.
I could hear someone enthusiastically banging his tank and I instantly knew there was something major up ahead. I examined my surroundings and there it was, gracefully gliding through the great expanse of the sea, coming toward our direction. Yes, this was what we came here for. And suddenly the exhaustion vanished. A sense of calm never fails to envelop me whenever I encounter this gentle giant gliding through, perhaps enjoying the attention too.
Strong currents hit us when we reached Ko Bon Pinnacle from the blue. It pays to be fit because just reaching the Pinnacle is a work-out all its own. This near vertical slope is where manta rays are frequently spotted playing. There are a couple of cleaning stations on the reef and manta sightings are almost guaranteed.
This occurrence will continue until the next day, in different dive sites, mostly in the northern part of Similan. It was awesome and is always a privilege being with them in their domain.
The Similan Islands was declared a national park in 1982 and is rated top ten among the world’s dive destinations. The impressive boulder formation also continues below the surface with diverse landscapes of canyons, boulders, coral gardens, caves and walls. It is also home to an amazing variety of marine life.
The southern coast consists of those smaller islands (described on previous posts) that are numbered from one through nine and is balanced by the larger northern islands of Ko Bon for its beautiful piece of landscape, Ko Tachai with her attractive sandy beach above and plateaus beneath with probably the most colorful coral gardens in the park. Richelieu, the 3rd island of the south was also a highlight of our dive trip.
A relatively small dive site and a bit too crowded with divers all vying to see the huge extent of marine life in the area. Whale Sharks are usually sighted during the months of April and May but for some reason, they elude me once more. And so my pursuit of that elusive butandings continues.
Here’s some underwater snapshots to take pleasure in:
I am blessed. Blessed to be able to explore the world, albeit not as extensive as I want to but I’ve had some fair share of adventure and fun last year. So I’m not complaining. Last year was a good mix of local and international travels, small and big trips. Rounding them up, there were highs and lows, great satisfactions and some disappointments. Here’s a run down of my best and not so best experiences of 2008.
The Disappointment
Donsol – in pursuit of the elusive whale sharks (Feb)
We were ready to jump anytime but the whale sharks were scarce. There were way too many boats, way too disorganized and so we caught a glimpse of its… tail. Oh well… this calls for another trip sometime in the future.
One Miserable Climb
Mt. Pulag – rained out! (Feb)
We started the trek with just overcast clouds, then it drizzled and when we reached the campsite, it poured. It let up a bit just so we can go to the loo and cook our dinner. Then it started again. Rained the whole night and the whole day, next day. Needless to say, the summit was foggy and really, really cold! No sunrise, just slippery, flooded trails. Good thing this was not my first time here and I’ve seen a glorious sunrise in 2002. But we still had fun.
My Favorite Asian Destination (thus far)
Luang Prabang, Laos (Mar)
The jewel of Indochina and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Surrounded by mountains at the junction of the Mekong and its tributary, the Khan River, Luang Prabang to me is a city where time stood still.
It was a wonderful 5 days of various adventures. One day was spent trekking to the Kwang Si falls, another learning to cook Lao dishes. There were a lot of walking, eating (Lao and French meals), sunset cocktails and we even had a taste of a traditional Khamu massage. It was fantastic.
A Delightful Road Trip
Viaje del Sol (Apr) – a blend of good food and the arts. From Kusina ni Salud (for dinner) to Ugu Bigyan (for lunch and his potteries) to Carlito’s (for coffee, mangoes and his sculptures) in one weekend resulting to another follow-up weekend. This time, we stayed in Casa San Pablo, checked out Kinabuhayan Café, and had a satisfying lunch at Sulyap Gallery Café, a restaurant cum antique gallery. There definitely will be a 3rd trip to this Viaje del Sol sometime in the future. Perhaps we’ll try a meal at Kinabuhayan Café, try that famous buko pie locals are raving about and do an overnight at Sitio de Amor.
Wonderfully Surprised
Dolphins Galore at Puerto Bay (May)
Didn’t even know that they had a lot in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. There were tons of ’em. What we didn’t see in Donsol, these dolphins made up for. We didn’t even need a spotter as they were all over the place. Never saw so much in my life. Tons and tons of them. Hope to dive there someday.
A Junk Experience
Cruisin’ Halong Bay, Hanoi (Jul)
When in Hanoi, one must experience cruising along Halong Bay in a junk at least once. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the bay features calm water and thousands of limestone karsts and islets in various shapes and size. Something like Palawan.
Even if he wasn’t around, I was excited to be there. Totally am infatuated with this celebrity chef of Travel and Living’s World Asia Café series. And the food did not disappoint. Maybe because I’m so infatuated. Hee Hee! Expensive but superb. Sorry but no photos of the food and the place except from across the street. It was a treat from DBF to cap our Hanoi adventure and we agreed no cameras, besides the place was too dark to get even one decent photo.
Great Amusement
Watching the traffic of Hanoi at the Old Quarter (Jul)
We spent hours atop a restaurant sipping beer, relaxing and watching the traffic below with amazement. The chaos of Vietnam traffic just amused us no end. Watch and be amused.
The Best Reunion Ever
A San Francisco get-together with my high school buddies (Aug)… some I haven’t seen in 26 years. It was a trip down memory lane but more importantly, it was literally a food trip as well. Our friend and classmate, JT, now a chef cooked a superb dinner for us! They’re actually planning another one this year… a US trip 2 years in a row is out of my budget if I want to explore other new places as well, so boohoo for me.
A Cove Truly Breathtaking
Anawangin Cove (Sep)
This could pass as my runner-up for the Most Miserable Climb too. I am a clumsy person and more often than not, I fall and hurt myself. So during the trek I was already asking “why do I do this to myself”? when I banged my knee in the course of what I thought was an easy trek. I’ve seen beautiful pixes, read and heard so much about this “not so secret” place and finally am hours away from it. Thrilled and excited as I started the 7.3 km trek to Anawangin Cove, I was 3rd to arrive at the saddle (which had an awesome view of the cove, by the way). Not bad, if I may brag… Many months of lifting, walking on a machine (that goes nowhere), puffing and pushing is finally paying off. THEN… without warning, I slipped and fell about 30 minutes through our descent, all because I was not paying attention to the trail. It was agony from then on. Let’s just say that I trudged downhill, passing rocky streams for another 2+ hours before I reached the camp… From 3rd to last! Thirsty, tired and in pain but dampen my spirits it did not as it was indeed so BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL! Picture this, Agojo (imagine pine trees as it looked so much like it) forest on the beach with a meandering fresh water stream that flows out to the sea. And that is why I keep doing this to myself.
An Adrenalin-filled Birthday Weekend
Rafting the Chico (Oct)
Been doing this for almost a decade but never on my birthday. So that’s new. If you’ve never tried this, you should! You will experience one heck of a weekend, a totally worked out upper body, and the thrill of a lifetime. Contact Anton Carag of AEPI for bookings.
An Incredible Underwater Experience
Mantas and Sharks up close in Yap (Nov)
Amazing… is all I can say. An experience of a lifetime. Read more about it here.
It was 3 AM (1 AM Manila time) when we arrived at a small, simple looking airport in Yap (looks like one of our small city airports back home). We were met by Dave, a soft-spoken, burly man who runs Beyond the Reef and who briefly advised us on pick-up times and what to dos for the next few days. We were tired but elated for what lies ahead. There were only a handful of us that got off the plane en route to Guam (so you think that it would be quick and easy getting through? We had to wait for one of our friend’s luggage as it did not get off the plane and was on its way to Guam… which they say is a normal thing — Yikes!). The 5,000 visitors last year were mostly divers. With a population of only 13,000, this sleepy town is known mostly for it’s marine life, more specifically for Manta Rays. Sightings are almost always a sure thing. And so we travelled a long and winding route to this Federated State of Micronesia hoping for some encounters with the Mantas. Because the flights do not connect, we had to stay the night in Palau both ways, which allowed us practically 2 days to kill. And killed we did by shopping till we dropped. Not that we don’t have those PX goods and those dive paraphernalia back home BUT um I rarely go shopping when I’m home. A lame excuse ya?
Not too hot…
divers weaving through
Of course we went to several dive sites but I have 2 favorites that I will rave about later. First, let me briefly acquaint you with some of the “not too hot” sites. Not that they’re a real disappointment but perhaps we just weren’t there at the right time. The first would be Yap Cavern, had fun weaving in and out (as it was my first time in a cavern) but kinda disappointing coz we missed the schools of jacks and the barracudas that usually hang out at the end of the cavern. What we had was a rare episode, I heard So I wouldn’t generalize this one experience. It still is a pretty site even without the schools. Next was Miil Channel and likewise a let down for us, as the Mantas were nowhere in sight, while the reviews raved of schools of Mantas (sometimes reaching up to 8 at a single sighting) when in season. We thought that we perhaps brought some bad luck with us? We found out after, that we were a month shy of the season. No wonder, no mantas! While Fanif looked like a ghost town underwater with just a smattering of reef sharks (am I spoiled or am I spoiled???),Magic Kingdom on the other hand boasts of beautiful coral beds — reminding me of Twin Rocks in Anilao but pales in comparison to my 2 favorites so hang in there, stay with me and read on.
Vertigo
sharkies lined up
School of sharks — black tips and gray reefs everywhere. Babies, teenagers, full growns, fat ones, thin ones– all sizes just below our boat. We didn’t even have to swim far. At one point, I counted 23 sharks. TWENTY THREE! It’s like watching a 3D movie with front row seats. Amazing!
We came back on our last day to cap off a great dive trip. Good visibility, no
currents, beautiful reefs, plenty of other fishes — sweet lips, surgeons, wrasse, etc. A no brainer. We just had to have our group shot here, and we did.
The second time around, I counted only 7 sharks wandering around but they were swimming so close, we could almost touch them. Well, that really isn’t a good thing, is it? But I’m still alive so I guess it can’t be such a bad thing. 🙂 Ok, there are some rules to be followed like stay on the reef, always face and never swim out to the blue (that’s the deep blue water where the sharks are). And for as long as you follow those rules, you’ll be okay. I got to see the sharks up close and personal. Love the black tips with white borders the most. A perfect finale indeed.
Valley of the Rays
swimming so low we could touch them if we stretch long enough
Love the name, and the rays love this place. It succinctly describes this place. Here, manta rays abound because here, planktons and remoras are aplenty. They come for the cleaning (from the remoras) and the feeding (the planktons). I think that is why it is called a cleaning station ya? Now I wonder if it is also called a feeding station? 🙂
For three days, our schedule looked like this… up by 6, breakfast at 7, on the boat by 8, and at “The Valley” by 9. The mantas are there early, we were told. And they were indeed. As soon as we approached the station, they were there, at least 2 if not 3 at a time (except for the first day when they appeared 7 minutes before I had to deco, read: I only had less than 7 minutes before I have to ascend, or else! hehe!). And they did not disappoint. These gentle giants with wingspan of approximately 10-12 feet wide, were swimming, gliding gracefully above us, in front of us, all around us. Sometimes playing hide and seek, sometimes posing for the camera, sometimes just watching us, hovering so close above us we had to stay close to the ground or risk getting hit. An experience hard to top, eh?
up close and personal
It’s Sooo Worth It!
an underwater group shot in Vertigo
We came to Yap primarily for the Mantas, and we got Mantas. E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y! The sharks were a a pleasant surprise and a bonus. Despite some disappointments, Yap in my opinion is money well spent. If Mantas are what you’re after, I recommend Yap. If you want to see more than just Mantas, Palau would be more practical where Mantas aren’t guaranteed but you’ll encounter a whole lot of pelagics. Best if you can do both. Close encounter with the Mantas (and sharkies). Check!
Clockwise: Me all set to go, MV Koon, a friend about to do the giant stride.
Huge Batfish
Cuttlefish
Yellow fusilier
Harlequin Shrimp
Lionfish
Moray eel
Puffer fish
Seahorse
Shrimps
This is either a squid or another octopus
Tomato Clownfish
Us, posing for the cam during a safety stop.
my adventure odyssey 