Busses, Caves, Coffins and Dogs!

WHOAH! Hard to top the whale sharks huh?

After 5 weeks in country, Michelle turned to me and said the words I never thought I would hear come out of her mouth.... "I think I'm beached out." Meaning of course that since we had spent the better part of our honeymoon never more than a balut throw away from the ocean she was ready for some mountain time.

Sounds great to me so we set our sights for Northern Luzon. A quick flight to Manila, a cab driver who knew where the McDondalds was and we boarded a morning bus to the mountain town of Baggio. The bus ride took us through sprawling Metro Manila and gave us a real feel for how large this metropolis really is..... up to 15 million peeps!

With an evening to spend in Baggio before our next leg, we set out to explore the market. How different the climate was up here too and after the sun set we really needed those extra layers we brought! As we snaked through steep streets lined with fish, veggies, fruits, rice and slippers (Miche bought a pair to replace her blown out blue ones) it became obvious that this was a very agricultural area of the country. I had read of great coffee and strawberries and we were excited when we stumbled across another large street which contained a variety of food stalls, crafts and booths to benefit several local projects. Why.... It's the Baggio Flower Festival! Very cool and laid back and tons of students around too as Baggio is home to several universities.

The real treat came the next morning as we boarded a bus to head up to Sagada. Our aim was to get some time chilling out.... hiking, caving and make our way over to the 8th wonder of the world the Banaue Rice Terraces.

Here's the view from the bus about an hour or so in...



The road continued for hours, sometimes paved and sometimes not. Sometimes one lane, other times one and a half. Our bus driver knew the route well and the vistas we got in any direction were incredible. After arriving in Sagada, we checked into on of the LARGEST rooms of the entire trip..... great work Miche!

Next we headed out to Echo Valley to take in the limestone cliffs, hanging coffins and crisp mountain air...AHHH. The locals have a long tradition of putting their deceased in coffins in the caves and even sticking off the sides of walls like this!



Fantastic hike with a small local boy leading us through the valley. After such a journey we decided to check out a cafe for a cup of fresh local coffee..... BEST IN PHILIPPINES I say and found another charming pooch! (Note to reader: This image will be compiled into a Dogs of Philippines album at some point in the future)



Our next day was full of adventure as we headed out to explore Sumaging Cave. Known as the "Big Cave" in these parts, this is one of the highlights of the trip for me! Our guide, George, was excellent and briefed us on how the limestone helped form the caves and underground rivers.

Lit only by kerosene lamp we entered the slippery, muddy entrance to the cave and felt the cool air. So cold in face we could see our breath! Chilly, waist deep water gave way to tight squeezes and majestic formations of limestone "flows" My camera just didn't do the low light thing very well, so if you want to find more images, do a google search for Sumaging Cave Photos. Here are a few of the better ones!




After cruising around and looking at the golden formations 500 feet below the surface of the earth, it was time for a swim! Our guide George stayed dry and lit the way while we plunged 10 feet into a crisp dark pool..... Brilliant!

What better way to end a day of caving and hiking than with PIE. Oh, fresh lemon pie tastes so good, and check out that beard!



Up early the following morning, we caught a Jeepney into Bontoc. The views from up top (Thanks for the tip Brian) were stunning. Michelle took the warm route, but I sat on our comfy backpacks and took in the morning air. Clinging to the rails and leaning into the turns, I felt like I was on a diesel powered stagecoach!

Here's the view.....



And here's what it looked like behind me.....



Stay tuned for the world famous, 2000 year old rice terraces of Banaue.

Holy S*%#, Wow!

The title of this post represents my exact words in response to our next adventure.... whale sharks. This is a very difficult blog to write, because no matter what I say here I don't think there is any way I can describe the absolute and complete wonder of swimming next to these massive creatures. I had heard about them, seen pictures, video, I didn't get it, I even considered skipping over this part of the trip. Gabe said we had to go, I had to experience it. He was so right.

We flew into the town of Legaspi where Gabe immediately wrangled up a minivan and a couple of new friends for us to share it with on our trip to Donsal. Donsal is a tiny little fishing village that is speeding it's way into Philippines tourism fame due to the discovery of whale sharks in the neighborhood. The tiny Barangay consists of a single road with rice paddies and grass huts on one side and guesthouses popping up along the other. We settled into a room and made our way out to Barracuda with our new friends Kelly and Jeff for a night of pesto, Tanduay and incredibly out there stories from the extremely chatty bar owner.



Despite a late night we were all up with the sun the next day. The local government does a very good job of regulating the tourism and protecting the whale sharks and their environment. After an educational video we were assigned to a boat with 5 other marine explorers, 4 whale shark spotters, a guide and a captain. We spent a good hour trolling the open ocean and I was beginning to wonder if we were going to be disappointed when the boat slowed and our guide jumped in with a backwards shout of follow me!

Gabe on the lookout, beneath the lookout.


We are so ready!




The seven of us splashed in after him but I didn't see anything...then our guide grabs my hand and points directly underneath me. Out of the blue abyss a massive spotted shape forms. It was like staring at a magic eye picture the way it suddenly appeared just a few feet beneath me! I ducked down and swam with the gigantic beast, no thought of my need for oxygen as I kicked alongside in absolute wonder. When I realized that I didn't have gills and I had better make my way up I burst to the surface, took a deep breath and shouted "Holy S*%#, wow!" Gabe got a really big kick out of that :)



We all got back onto the boat with grins lighting up our faces, adrenaline pumping through our veins. The next trip into the drink brought a shy shark who quickly exposed his belly to me as he dove sharply into the deep. Following him was the massive beast that nearly surfaced directly beneath me! We were the first boat out on the water but slowly more and more joined the chase until we counted 17 others in hot pursuit. We searched for the tell-tale shadow, jumped in, swam along an immense gentle creature until it chose to leave us for more exciting adventures down below, then back in the boat and over again. Our final dip brought it all home when we left all the other boats behind and joined a 40 foot giant for a languid swim. It was bad ass.

Kelly's face say's it all.


Our dreams fulfilled in Donsal we left that very afternoon. On our way to North Luzon...

Diving and the Critters of Bohol

When we last left you we were near Bohol. Bohol holds many surprises for those land based, but we started our adventures here on board a dolphin watching boat.

Now for those of you who have seen them in Hawaii, you know they tend to be very acrobatic and get right up near the boat. Not the case here as a pod of maybe 20 was being chased around by 25 or so loud bangka boats for the better part of the morning.

We weren't too impressed with the tour, but we were able to spend the rest of the morning at Balicasag Island. This small island has some amazing snorkeling and a nice beach to relax on. Michelle read her book and walked around the entire island while I chose to snorkel a bit (twist my arm) with our new friend Payal. Since she had never been snorkeling before I'm sure she was stoked to check out the amazing variety of fish and corals that were showing off just below the surface. Here are a few shots from our snorkel adventure... Come visit us in Hawaii Payal and we'll get you certified to scuba dive in no time!






Our day was cut short as rain began to fall, but no worries. The following morning I had a two tank dive booked and had a great time with Alona Divers. A great boat, good divemasters and intense drift dives were exactly what I was looking for. Too bad it was pouring rain! Here are some of the highlights from my final dives of the trip including a batfish, clownfish and some colorful reef shots.







With my thirst for underwater thrills quenched and Michelle's desire to read her book on the beach, we set out for a day of land exploration. Bohol is home to a variety of wildlife including snakes, amazing birds, and our favorite the Tarsier.

Our day began with a great driver who told us a lot about Philippines in general, the history of Catholicism in their country and the unique wildlife of the region. Greg took us first to visit Prony, a 25+ foot python that eats a small pig or two small goats every month!

Next up was a journey into the interior of the island. Chocolate Hills is a region of almost Mario Brothers like humps that rise up out of the land. It's hard to describe them but they vary in size however all have the same haystack shape. Michelle got this photo from the viewpoint...



When we came down from the grueling 100+ step climb to the viewpoint, we noticed this strange creature.....



From what we had read of the Philippine Tarsier this one was way too big, they fit in the palm of your hand, was exposed to direct sunlight (they hide in the jungle during the day and hunt at night) and had of all things, a beard?

Something just wasn't right here so we jumped in with Greg and headed for the Tarsier Center about an hour away in Corella. The guidebook we used described these little guys as a cross between a Gremlin and ET or a real life version of Furby. With their HUGE eyes and heads that can swivel almost 180 degrees this was sure to be a fun afternoon.

Since we had heard that their numbers are dwindling due to habitat destruction, we didn't feel right just pulling off to the side of the road to see these little guys in a cage. We both thought it was best to support an organization that was doing something to help protect the critters. At last, we arrived at the Tarsier Center, a quiet and lush stretch of Bamboo forest. Our guide says that about 10 of these guys come and go in their sanctuary and took our crew into the massive area. In a matter of minutes we had spotted one..... SO SMALL! His head swiveled around and the tiny hands stayed clutched to the branches. Because they have such massive eyes, they can barely see during the day but mainly hunt at night!

We kept our voices down so as not to disturb them and saw about 4 or 5 in our half an hour. You just can't imagine how small they are and they could really fit in the palm of your hand! Michelle claims she wants one for a pet now.... In fact, our backyard might be just the place.... hmmm?



Our time in Bohol was coming to a close, but the trip was great. Michelle was back to full strength and our next adventure was sure to be amazing. As we headed out on an early ferry to Cebu it was hard to think that we were already at week 5 of our trip! Michelle will have more on the next leg of our adventure, but for now you may want to check out this link...... Whale Sharks on Wikipedia