Hi, everyone! The past couple of weeks, I’ve spent majority of my time in Moalboal, but I’ve also been back to Cebu City, Manila, and Batangas before leaving the Philippines. I was able to meet up with some Queenstown friends, spend a lot of time snorkeling and diving, and also just… hanging out, relaxing. It is really nice to do absolutely nothing some days. I’m currently in a hotel room and aside from getting food, I don’t plan to leave here the entire rest of the day!

A few housekeeping things:

1) I have started a podcast on Spotify. Please check it out! I’m going to try to add new episodes every two weeks or so.
2) If you’re interested in my art, have a look at my merchandise on RedBubble!
3) I have recently finished the first draft of my latest novel, The Death of Duncan Lee. I’ve sent it out to some friends to get feedback and I’m really excited to have it done(ish) finally. If you haven’t read it already, the link to my first book, Eclipse Me can be found here.
4) I’ve added my Venmo info to the sidebar if you care to support the journey!

Journey to Moalboal

Southern Leyte… I was kinda sad to be leaving that place! It felt like an absolute paradise. With the dive resort right on the ocean, excellent diving, good food, and beautiful views… I really didn’t want to leave. And yet, daily dives add up, my room had no air conditioning (eek!), and I had more I wanted to see before my time in the Philippines was up. Plus, I had hit the jackpot with the whale shark sighting AND two bonus manta rays. What more could I ask for? (Side note: I had originally thought I might return to Coral Bay, Australia or Exmouth to try to see the trifecta – the whale sharks, manta rays, and humpbacks. Now that I saw two in one go, and I’ve seen humpbacks plenty, I think I will skip that. I may still go to Perth, though!)

I had mentioned last week that one of the whale shark groups that went the day after me… did not see a whale shark. And they also didn’t see any manta rays. They were out on the water for hours and hours with nothing to show for it. WHAT A BUMMER! One of them was my dormmate. She had come to Southern Leyte specifically to see whale sharks and wasn’t able to. That totally sucks. I never did find out her name, but we ended up traveling together the day I was heading to Cebu. She was heading there as well, so we shared a tuk tuk, grabbed lunch, watched each other’s stuff when we had to use the bathroom, and took the ferry together. Traveling is funny in that way – you meet so many people, but the experiences are often rather fleeting. Everything is ephemeral. So, in some ways, it’s almost not worth exchanging names. All we have is that day together. Sure, we could connect on social media, but in the end – are we really going to keep in touch? I supposed it depends on the connection and on the person, but if you only spend a couple of hours with someone… probably not. So, Unnamed Lady and I shared some nice conversation about travel and then parted ways.

Because the ferry from Southern Leyte to Cebu City didn’t get in until the early evening, I crashed at a hotel for the night. The hotels I’ve been booking are a little pricier than hostel dorms, but much cheaper than a proper hotel. I basically aim to spend $20 – $25 USD a night, checking reviews to make sure it’s not a TOTAL shitshow of an accommodation lol. Anyway – there were homeless people and skinny cats outside but the accommodation itself was just fine. Bare bones – a bed, a toilet, air conditioning, outlets for charging my things, and most importantly: no bedbugs. Success! It is really nice to just have some space to myself every now and again. Because I’m in Southeast Asia now and accommodation is cheaper, I’ll likely do a mix. Hostel for socializing, then some private time in cheap hotels, too. It feels like such a treat!

The next morning, I walked to the bus terminal to secure my transport to Moalboal. It was about a four hour journey. There was no exact timing for when the busses depart. It’s supposed to be every thirty minutes, but a couple I was talking to had been there an hour… and then they weren’t able to get on the air conditioned bus because there were too many people that lined up before them! Such a disorganized process. Maybe twenty minutes later, the next bus came, but it didn’t have air conditioning. I watched the two debate whether they should wait for the next air conditioned bus or if they should just pull the trigger. Well, they got on the bus without. I debated it as well, but then I thought – no, because if I do that, the next air conditioned bus will be here in literally five minutes. And it was!

The man sitting next to me on the bus was watching a video of a blues song guitar solo on his phone without headphones. It reminded me of my dad. Occasionally while stopped at intersections, the bus driver allows vendors to come on to see if anyone wants to buy food. The man next to me bought a box of coconut (buko) pies… and he offered me one. Thus started a conversation for the rest of the journey. We talked about what I’m doing in the Philippines, what he does for work (he works on a ship nine months out of the year), Filipino food, etc. His name was Byum. At a rest stop, he bought me a water and in turn, I bought him a pastry – which he refused profusely. I don’t understand that mentality, but my friend Yvonne explained it. Filipino people tend to do something kind, not because they expect anything in return, but just to… be kind. While I know he didn’t expect anything in return, I wanted to give him something as a thanks as well. I offered the pastry multiple times, but because he kept saying no, I just left it on the seat when I left haha. Forcing him to take it.

I took a tuk tuk from the Moalboal bus terminal to my hostel – Moana Beach Resort. And… while, yes, I had been bummed to be leaving Southern Leyte, I was rewarded with an equally as amazing place.

The hostel had a common area that was maybe ten steps from the water. AND the view was western facing, which meant: sunsets. Yes!

My main objective of the day other than get to Moalboal was to reunite with Lucie, my French friend from Queenstown. We had met in Osaka and talked about how we would be in the Philippines at the same time – although we weren’t sure our itineraries would sync up. They did!

After getting situated, I met with Lucie for dinner. We chose a restaurant near the water, where we watched the sunset and enjoyed catching up. While Lucie and I had our fair share of conversations in Queenstown, we weren’t necessarily besties or anything. Being in the Philippines together opened up our friendship in a new way. We spent the next few evenings meeting for dinner and went on one big day trip together as well (to be talked about in the next section). Lucie is really cool and I’m super glad we were able to see each other again! We also did a podcast together – the link is at the top of this post if you want to check it out.

Moalboal Sardine Run

The next morning, I popped my contacts in and… went snorkeling! No fees this time, unlike Bohol. I was able to just walk into the water, steps from my hostel and SNORKEL! What an absolute dream.

Moalboal is famous for its sardine run – similar to the spot I went to in Bohol. Basically there is a shallow area that goes maybe twenty feet from shore and then suddenly there’s a very deep drop-off. The sardines kind of hang out in-between that drop-off. I swam over to the area where the sardines hang out and while it was still magnificent, I think I’d already gotten my fill in Bohol. Instead of spending too long with the sardines, I spent my time admiring all the other overlooked fish in the area. The one creature that stuck out to me immediately was… pipefish! They were everywhere! They are basically cousins of seahorses – tiny, tube-like creatures with long snouts, much like the seahorse. I was excited to see them.

There were also plenty of clownfish. I’ve snorkeled so much in my life but before the Philippines, I had only ever seen clownfish once – in Fiji. And that was a darker one, not the classic Nemo-looking clownfish. In the Philippines, they’re everywhere. Oh, and a Hawaiian triggerfish (AKA humuhumunukunukuapua’a if you nasty) bit me for the first time! They are very territorial. I’ve heard that can happen but I’d never had it happen to me. It didn’t hurt at all – more so just a funny experience.

I ended up going on two snorkels that first day. On my second, I was rewarded within my first three minutes. For the first time ever… I saw a sea snake! I believe it was a banded sea krait. It was swimming vertically, up to the surface to get air. I find snakes so beautiful and fascinating. Since being in the Philippines, I’ve kept my eyes peeled for land snakes but to no avail. But I was able to watch this sea snake for probably five minutes before I decided to leave it alone. The way they maneuver through the water is incredible. So sinuous and graceful. The sea snake was hunting for food, navigating through little holes in the coral. It would disappear for a minute and then come back out. I never was sure if it found something or not. My favorite part was seeing it come up for air, though. Later, I talked with an employee at the hostel, who spends a lot of time spearfishing. He said he’s only seen a sea snake once which I found kind of hard to believe, since the Philippines is known as being a good spot for sea snakes. (These sea snakes are also extremely venomous, more so than a cobra, but they are very docile and typically don’t attack unless you grab them.)

I spent other days snorkeling, too, but I think the sea snake was the definite highlight of the snorkel adventures for me. Oh, I did also spot a mantis shrimp one day, though! It was very near to shore and it wasn’t as colorful as the ones you might have seen in a nature documentary. I just looked it up and apparently they can blend slightly to match their surroundings. Mantis shrimp are renowned for their gorgeous colors, but also for their powerful punches – they can break glass underwater! It was much tinier than I imagined. Perhaps it was a juvenile and maybe that’s also why the colors weren’t particularly splendid.

There were also two days where I went diving. Look at me, not going diving for two years after getting certified in Cairns and then suddenly I’m doing five dives in two weeks?!

The first dive was a bit of a bust. I got on the boat and there was a mix of people – one person was freediving, two were fishing, two were doing (I think) a certification dive, and then there were the three fun divers – myself included. The couple were certified to the Advanced level but I’m Open Water. When the guide said that we’d only be going to 18 meters for my sake, I could tell the couple was a little annoyed. But in an interesting turn of events, it wasn’t me who spoiled the dive experience, but it was them! Upon descending the water, it was apparent immediately that there was a current. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a current like that before (and I also don’t think it was particularly strong – I just am used to no currents whatsoever). I remembered to stay calm, to just follow my guide and to breathe. We began to descend a little bit. I had some issues equalizing my ears but then I finally got the hang of it.

Just as I was finally able to feel properly calm and start to observe the critters around me… we had to start ascending. I wasn’t sure why but I just followed the guide. Then, suddenly, we were at the boat. WHAT? We must have been down for all of eight minutes. Only when we got to the surface did I find out that one of the other divers had been breathing too heavily while we were going through the current and had used up majority of her oxygen. I still had 150 bars, which, if you know anything about diving – you start at 200 bars and basically it’s time to go up once you hit 50. So… I was pretty bummed. I ended up going for a snorkel while we waited for the others to wrap up their experiences. I got stung by a jellyfish on the ankle and on the chin lol. Throwback to Busselton Jetty!

I was disappointed. I’d heard great things about Pescador Island when looking at dive sites around Moalboal. Oh, well. I considered going back another day but then I decided that I wasn’t really a fan of the current, either. Although I should get used to it just to get more comfortable with all kinds of diving conditions.

Instead, I did a shore dive! This time, it was just my guide and me. It was perfect. Before the dive, he told me it was good it was just the two of us – we could take our time, etc. He was my guide from the other day, and he said he could tell that I was calm, that I breathed the same way that he did. We ended up having such a lovely diving experience. We passed through the sardines, dove deeper and deeper… I saw some lionfish, a banded pipefish, what I thought was a porcupinefish but maybe was just an unusually spotted pufferfish, some interesting sea cucumbers (INCREDIBLY long), and also just some cool fishies that I’d never seen before. OH, and my guide spotted a stonefish! Two of them, I think. I wish I’d gotten a photo, but unfortunately they’re super well camouflaged and couldn’t be captured well on my GoPro. They’re super venomous, though.

It was a lovely dive. I was beaming when we were done and was really ready to go on another dive the following day, which was my final day in Moalboal. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans for me because I came down with a cold. You can’t go diving when you have a cold because it causes problems when trying to equalize your ears. I already have trouble enough equalizing at times, so I figured I’d skip it. BUMMER! Instead, I ended up what I did a lot of days in Moalboal. I hung out around the hostel, watched some shows, sat near the hostel dog, and ate food!

Also, honorary mention to this place that had THE best desserts. I had it three times because I wanted to try all the different flavors. Apparently the shop was featured on CNN for 50 best desserts around the world or something. Everything I had there was really yummy!

Bonus: the hostel dog (whose name I never found out) seemed to always appear out of nowhere and sit in proximity to me. One of my favorite moments was when I was laying on a bench in the shade with my hat over my head, letting my clothes dry after a snorkel. I sat up after a mini-nap and saw that the dog was laying just a foot or two away from my feet. Adorable!

Canyoneering with Lucie

I saved this section for last because it ended up being one of the most fun moments. On Lucie’s final full day in Moalboal, we ended up going on a canyoneering tour together. I had heard of it, had heard it was excellent, but I wasn’t sold. Sometimes with those organized tours, I’m like ehhh… but there is a reason for it – because it’s amazing! Lucie and I met up at the pick-up spot in the morning, hopped in the van, and drove about an hour to get to the canyoneering place.

What is canyoneering? No idea! All we knew ahead of the tour was that we would be jumping off some cliffs and into the water haha.

Our tour group was the two of us and then a bunch of people from the Netherlands who had the day off from volunteering in Cebu City, where they clean up the polluted rivers. Amazing! We ended up splitting up because their group wanted to do the zipline and we decided to do the hike instead. It was really nice to go on a proper hike because I hadn’t yet been anywhere in the Philippines where I could walk through the natural terrain – this day certainly provided in that regard!

We were given lifejackets, watershoes (which inevitably gave me blisters), and helmets. And off we went! Once we’d hiked to the first spot, we were eager to get in the water. It was a warm day and entering the canyon immediately offered some shade and relief from the sun – but not nearly as much so as the water. It was cold but refreshing. And such lovely colors throughout the day. At times, it looked like a milky white, sometimes it was crystal clear, other times it was a glacial shade of blue.

Our journey began by sliding down some boulders into a pool of water. The rest of the day was spent swimming, jumping off cliffs, diving into waterfalls… it was honestly incredibly magical. The day happened to be my 13th anniversary of being sober and I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day. I was laughing and smiling SO MUCH. Lucie and I truly had the best time.

I had to be very mindful when navigating through the canyon. After each jump/etc., we would then walk to the next spot. Occasionally that meant trapsing over slippery boulders, etc. I had seen someone who had a bandage on her ankle and was limping badly – so injuries absolutely occur on these canyoneering adventures. I did not want that to be me.

If you’ve been reading these blogs faithfully for a while, you might remember my cliff jumping experience in Perth. I… was… TERRIFIED to do it and I needed the help of a few 12-year-olds to count me down to get me to finally jump haha. I felt a little more confident this time. The first jump was seven meters high, so… twenty-one feet? I made Lucie go first because she was braver LOL and also I wanted to film her on my GoPro. The next jump was eight meters. The final one was ten. The worst one ended up being the eight meter jump for me. The way the cliff was angled, you had to make sure you really cleared the cliff wall. The angle was just kind of… not nice. I really needed some encouragement on that one. But I did it! Every time I jump, I can’t help screaming. It is a primal thing with me.

The final jump ended up being a piece of cake, which I found funny, because I thought it would have been the toughest. Essentially, we’re instructed to do a running jump. There is even a proper concrete slab to run across. I think that part of it helped – it almost seemed like a theme park attraction or something. So I ran, I jumped, I screamed, and I hit the water. What a fun time! I actually did that jump BEFORE Lucie, believe it or not.

For one of the final spots on the canyoneering adventure, we were able to nuzzle up behind a waterfall and then dive through it. I’ve never done that before! It was neat to be tucked behind the waterfall, watching the power of it as it thundered into the pool of water below. It was so strong that I had to look away from it because the water kept splashing into my eyes haha. But then Lucie and I were up. “Three, two, one!” the guides shouted, and I dove into the waterfall and out the other side.

The very last main thing was a rope swing. We were able to swing off a cliff and jump into the water below. Some people were doing backflips once they let go of the rope. Crazy!

Lucie and I talked about how we would have liked to have spent the day there, practicing doing backflips off the rope and into the water. We were confident we could make it work, if we’d had more time.

We had one final place to visit before heading back to the van which was another little waterfall. Our guide warned that the jumping point was a little shallow but didn’t say not to jump. Other people had been jumping so I just did a little cannonball – and of course, hit my shin on a boulder lol. The very last jump and THAT’s the one where I get injured. It was pretty painful but there was no blood and even though I was sure there would be, I didn’t end up bruising much either. Thank God! The last thing I need on this tour around Asia is to get seriously injured!!!

Canyoneering with Lucie was a great bonding experience. After returning to our hostels and showering, we met up for dinner one last time. On the way, we bumped into Lucie’s friend Sofia on the street and she joined us for dinner. We got Thai food, played Jenga, and shared some laughs. Lucie and I decided to get dessert and Sofia passed. I later would bump into Sofia on the street not once but twice. We exchanged info and will potentially meet up in Indonesia.

Lucie treated me to a yogurt bowl as a congratulations for my sober-versary, which was very thoughtful and unexpected. Thanks, Lucie! Afterwards, we went to the beach and watched the heat lightning light up the sky.

Suddenly, after spending so much time together for a few days, it was time to part ways. Lucie was leaving for Siquijor the next morning. Once she leaves the Philippines, she will be meeting her parents in Vietnam and then returning to France. She has been traveling for eight years which is just incredible! I thought it was very sweet that her parents were coming to “take her home.” Bon voyage, Lucie!

Ferry to Manila

Even though I had extended my stay in Moalboal by two nights, I felt I could have stayed another week. Snorkeling, diving, being by the water… I really enjoyed it there. I’m not sure if I’ll ever have another experience where my hostel is just RIGHT on the ocean, where I can go snorkeling at any point. And yet, because I had a cold, I was also kind of ready to leave. I prepared to leave the Moalboal hostel and as I shook out my shoes before putting them on… a crab fell out LOL. What the hell?! There were actually a lot of little critters around the hostel.

I took the bus back to Cebu City, stayed overnight there, and the next morning… well, I was taking a ship from Cebu City to Manila. It was about a 30hr journey.

I don’t know why I decided to do it. I think I just kind of thought – I’m sick of airports, sick of planes. I have to get on a plane soon to leave the country anyway… let me just take the ferry and maybe I’ll see some cool islands along the way.

I’m really glad I chose to go on the ferry. Was it a long journey? Yes! But I had a cabin that I shared with three generations of Filipino women (grandmother, mother, daughter) and… well, the whole set-up was basically like a mini-cruise ship. It was fun and definitely a novel experience. They had a karaoke machine, so people were singing karaoke all day and night. A band came up to play and to supervise karaoke contests. Because I had a business class ticket (yes, business class!), I had an air conditioned room and (very basic) meals included. There was a smoking area, some viewing platforms, massage chairs, desks I could use for drawing, etc. It was an experience. And I was the only white person on board haha. A lot of eyes were on me during that adventure and one staff member even asked to take a photo with me. A few people asked me why I was taking the ferry and didn’t fly.

The first day was a lot of waiting around. I had to be at the ferry terminal four hours before departure time. So I sat and waited, sat and waited. Then I boarded the ferry and was like WHOA this is crazy. I checked into my room and thought – this room set-up is amazing! The doors were supposed to close an hour from departure so I laid down, keeping my fingers crossed I would have the room to myself. I was a little worried about having my things stolen.

3pm came and nobody was in my room. Yes, I was alone! And the boarding should be complete. So I left, got a snack, had a vape… and when I returned to my room, there were three women there haha. Russel, Queen, and the grandmother whose name I forget. They were so nice, especially Russel – the mother. I could tell she was mothering me a little bit, offering me food all the time, etc. They were definitely the best roommates I could have hoped for. Russel always made an effort to chat with me, help make me feel included. On the first evening, I was out vaping and when I came back into the common area, I noticed Russel’s daughter Queen was singing on stage with the band. I had to do a double take and then I saw Russel and sat near her. We high-fived.

After dinner that evening, I ended up sketching out a tattoo idea. When I’m in Bali with Kory, we have tattoo appointments. It has been, I think, 10 years since I’ve last gotten a tattoo! I have had this idea for years now, so I’m sure I definitely want this one. It’s going to be a surprise, but in a few weeks, I’ll share a photo on here.

I went to bed, was woken up at 6am (yikes!) for breakfast, then went back to sleep until 11am, when… lunch was being served hahaha.

After lunch, I worked on another drawing which I’ve shared below. During the process of making this piece, SO many people came up behind me to see what I was working on – mostly kids. I don’t think many of them spoke much English because they didn’t say anything to me, but they kept checking back to see my progress. It was really cute. I felt like a celebrity haha. I was trying to stay in the zone, but at one point I was very aware that there were four people crowded around me, watching me.

There was one kid who did ask if he could borrow a pencil. I told him he could have my extra one – but he ended up returning it without me knowing. How sweet is that? I do hope one thing – is that when people see me making art, they can feel inspired to create art themselves. Maybe one of those kids will have watched me make the drawing (not that it’s like a masterpiece or anything) and think – hey, I want to learn how to draw! And then get really good at it.

Otherwise, that day was a bit of a wash. I spent some time watching the hundreds of islands pass us by, played a bit of Zelda, etc. In the evening, I watched lightning striking off in the distance. That has been one constant in the Philippines – there is always a thunderstorm at night… but it’s never exactly where I am.

The ship stopped sailing around noon because it had a stop at Batangas City. I was slightly peeved because Batangas was technically my next stop – where I would be going to see Daisy & Dev, my Filipino friends. BUTTTT I wasn’t allowed off the ship because the stop was strictly for cargo. So, another twelve hours to get to Manila, and then another three hours to get to Daisy & Dev’s place another day. Oh, well.

Finally, at 1am, we arrived in Manila. My phone was nearly dead. I hadn’t booked a hotel yet because I didn’t have cell service on the ferry and I had thought maybe I would have been able to get off at Batangas. I also wanted to be sure that the place I was staying had a 24hr reception desk so I could check in at basically 2am.

I left the ferry, headed towards the street and… was immediately met by a deluge of drivers asking me if I wanted a ride. “Where are you going?” “Motorbike?” “Tricycle?” I had been cautioned about Manila by many people. Crime is common and so I was on high alert. As soon as these drivers saw me, they crowded around me like I was prey. They came too close, I felt overwhelmed (and was tired), and so I held out my arms and nearly shouted, “BACK OFF.” They listened and I continued to the street, where I ordered a taxi. I know that they likely just wanted to make some extra money off a foreigner but I did not like feeling crowded like that.

The hotel I had looked at did in fact have a 24hr reception. I got to my room, inspected for bedbugs (there were none) and preceded to finally sleep in a proper bed. Sweet relief.

Batangas

After spending a day in Manila (where, to be fair, I did hardly anything), I began the last leg of my journey down to Batangas to stay with Daisy & Dev’s family for a few days. Daisy hadn’t yet arrived in the Philippines, but Dev was going to be there to greet me and show me around.

With the two hour bus ride complete, I got to Lemery, bought some sweets for the family, and transferred to a tricycle to meet Dev. Daisy had requested that I put her on speakerphone to talk with the tricycle driver to make sure he didn’t rip me off haha. So sweet!

And then I had arrived – and there was Dev! We hugged and caught up, and then she guided me to the jetty where we boarded a small bangka boat. She wanted to show me the resort where I would (maybe) be doing a dive in the coming days. It was such a fun experience. The water was warm, clear, and calm. I was really excited to be getting in the water at some point while in Batangas.

As we took the boat through the area, Dev pointed out where her and Daisy’s old homes were. They were severely damaged by a typhoon a couple of years back.

At one point, Dev said, “sometimes there are dolphins” and not five minutes later, we saw a pod of them! “Welcome, Steve!” Dev said. How fun!

Once we’d finished our time on the boat, we headed back to our starting point and took a ride to meet Dev and Daisy’s parents. Dev had to pick up her electric scooter, so I sat with their mom and tried to make small talk. I don’t think she knew much English, but we were able to converse a little! Once Dev came back, I loaded up my things and she took me back to the family compound.

The compound consisted of five structures, with one family in each. Daisy’s family had Daisy, her husband Frances, and her two kids Jaisy and Maisy. Daisy’s sister Diann stays there, too. Dev’s home was her, her husband Choi, and her three kids Arden, Ardave, and Umi. Then there was Shania’s house – I can’t remember her parents names since I only met the dad briefly and the mom was working abroad. Allung, his wife, and his two kids Ally and Maddy. And then Mama June and Carl stay in a kubo hut on the property, too. I think I definitely probably misspelled some names. If you guys are reading this, sorry!

Dev gave me a tour of the compounds and showed me to the room I’d be staying in… which was Maisy’s. I felt bad for getting her kicked out but it was nice they let me have a room to myself since everyone else was sharing. There was a lot of that while I stayed with them. Daisy’s family making sure I was comfortable and had enough to myself.

In case you, the reader, might not be aware – hospitality is a huge cultural aspect for Filipino people. They are excellent hosts. I was constantly provided with home-cooked food for every meal (and sometimes snacks/sweets in-between!).

Once Dev had got me situated, she left me to my own devices to rest until dinner. To be honest, I hardly saw Dev at all the rest of the time I was there LOL. I think she was busy with errands – but all I know is that her meals were excellent!

I sat out on the balcony, where I spent a lot of time admiring the scenery and watching the colorful birds fluttering about.

A lot of Daisy and Dev’s family don’t speak fluent English and since I don’t speak any Tagalog other than “kamusta” (how are you?) and “salamat po,” (thank you) I was worried there would be a big disconnect. I think maybe some of the family was feeling the same.

I’d been relaxing on the balcony for some time, and then I heard the kids in the next room over talking. They were practicing how to say, “Excuse me, sir, can I ask how old you are?” It was so adorable. Needless to say, I was prepared for the question when Shania shyly came out of the room to finally ask me. “Guess,” I said. “Mmm… 27?” Shania was only nine years old, so I was goofing around a little bit. “30?” “Higher.” “31?” “Higher.” “33.” “Yep!” And thus began our friendship. Shania was my first buddy at the compound. We ended up chatting a lot that first day.

Later, I heard Jaisy and Diann playing volleyball outside down below. I went to the railing to watch them from above. Mama June sat with baby Maddy in her lap, watching them as well. Eventually, I decided to join. So what if I can’t speak Tagalog? I can still hang out with them. Eventually, Diann had tired of playing and so I played with Jaisy for a few minutes. Later, he ended up telling me that he loved playing volleyball and has a local team that practices most nights.

Throughout the day, Daisy messaged me to make sure I was doing okay and to coordinate certain activities (I told the kids to take you out for sunset, etc.). I was excited to be seeing Daisy the following evening!

After dinner, the whole group of kids and I took scooters and motorbikes down to the beach to watch the sunset. This is where they started to open up, asking me where I’m from, why I came to the Philippines, how long I’ve been here, etc. It was really cute and I felt very happy to be spending time with them. I wasn’t expecting it and yet suddenly I was surrounded by a family, who all had tight connections with one another.

(Featured above: Umi, Ally, Diann (behind), Maisy, Jaisy, Shania

Once we’d admired the sunset for a bit, we took the motorbikes to a local food market to try some Filipino street food. To be honest, I hadn’t really tried much yet despite having seen street food everywhere in the Philippines. I wasn’t sure what exactly the food was so I was hesitant haha. I’m glad I was given the peer pressure by the kids, because otherwise I might have left the Philippines never having tried it!

So, I tried… a balut – which is an egg with a semi-fertilized baby duck inside it. I tried fried gizzards, liver (which I actually really liked), and blood pork. The kids got a kick out of my hesitancy to try some of the dishes. Maisy was filming my reactions to the food but it was all yummy. The only thing I was really scared to try was… chicken feet. But I tried it. It was incredibly hard to bite into, but I did it. Remember when I was vegetarian for five years? LOL. Not anymore, baby.

When we’d finished our food, we drove back home. Jaisy pointed out the local fruit bats flying around. I hadn’t noticed them but suddenly they were EVERYWHERE! It was so exciting to see, since I hadn’t seen flying foxes since leaving Australia. Yahoo! I had such a smile on my face, riding on the back of a scooter, bats all around, experiencing the Philippines in a way I hadn’t yet before… with locals. For dinner, we had chicken adobo. I LOVE ADOBO!

In the evening, I talked with Allung about his experience as a dive instructor. He shared his pathway to certification, becoming an instructor, marine life in the area, etc. We were planning to do a dive but were waiting for Daisy’s arrival first.

The next day, I had a lazy morning. In the afternoon, the kids and I went to the nearby swimming hole to catch a break from the heat. While it was very near to their compound, some of the kids had never been there before. This surprised me since it was only a ten minute walk away – but the pathway to getting to the swimming hole was a bit of a mission. Jumping from boulder to boulder, etc. But we made it! Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures since I didn’t want to drop my phone in the water or something. It was nice, though. We were all swimming, laughing, chatting. The kids wanted me to mimic all these Tagalog words that I wish I could remember but cannot for the life of me.

At the deeper sections, we tried to touch the bottom with our toes but couldn’t. Some other locals were jumping into the water but I was forbidden to do so, lest I got injured under their watch hahaha. And to think, only a week prior I was jumping off ten meter cliffs!

This ended up being the day where Jaisy and I formed our bond. We talked a lot. He was feeling excited to see his mom after nearly a year. As we talked about the geographical distance between them, he got a little emotional. It is a difficult situation. Jaisy called Daisy his “superhero mom,” which I thought was so touching. I had to share that with Daisy. She and Dev ARE superheroes. They are both making huge sacrifices by being away from their families… but they’re doing it to provide a better future for their children. So while Jaisy misses Daisy, and Daisy misses Jaisy… it’s for Jaisy, really. Major kudos to Daisy and Dev.

A little bit before sunset, a bunch of us went over to the main street to watch a local parade. I haven’t really mentioned it before but literally EVERYWHERE I have been in the Philippines, there are posters promoting politicians to be voted into office. It is kind of obscene haha. Anyway – this parade was organized by one of these politicians. While it was short, it was really fun to see. People dressed up in giant paper-mâché puppets, dancing, bands playing, etc.

When the parade finished, we walked back home and had dinner. Later, Jaisy, Shania, Umi, and I sang karaoke for a little while. As it got late, the girls went to bed. Jaisy and I stayed up, waiting for Daisy’s arrival. She got in just around midnight. We hugged, caught up for a few minutes, and then said we’d talk in the morning.

The next day, Daisy and I had a couple of things to do. She wanted to take me up to “the top of the hill,” where a giant Jesus statue stood, and then if we had time and if the ocean was cooperating, we would go diving in the afternoon. Daisy, Ally, Jaisy, and I all headed up to the hill. Jaisy took his motorbike, while the rest of us walked. It was a steep incline but it was nice to be getting some exercise in. There were statues of the “stations of the cross” along the way.

At the top of the hill, Daisy had a lot of family and friends she wanted to catch up with. We met with her grandma’s sister, where we chatted for some time. They got us shaved coconut ice which was DELICIOUS. Then we went across the way to meet some other friends and were given fresh bananas. These may have been the best bananas I’ve ever tasted. They were small, but SO sweet.

We stopped at another place to sit with more of Daisy’s friends, and then eventually made it to the statue, which offered lovely views of San Luis and the surrounding area. There had been some light showers a few minutes prior, and off in the distance, the sea seemed to blend seamlessly into the sky.

Our last stop was Daisy’s cousin and his family. We stayed by them for a while. They offered us candied tomatoes (delicious), citrus juice, and before leaving, Daisy was allowed to pick Indian mangoes from the tree. Later, we had the Indian mangoes with shrimp sauce. SUCH a yummy snack!

Not five minutes after we got back to the compound did it start pouring rain. And I mean pouring. I sat on the balcony, enjoying the vibe. After so many evenings of seeing distant lightning in the distance… finally, I was getting a payoff for it. I love the rain.

Later, the kids, Daisy, and I traveled to Lemery so Daisy could take us to dinner and get some things for the kids. Maisy’s 18th birthday is in a couple days, so Daisy was looking at jewelry for her. Maisy didn’t end up liking any of that, though. Jaisy was asking Maisy what she wanted him to get for her birthday, and Maisy half-jokingly pointed to a shirt on a mannequin at a store one floor below. I suggested we go look at the price, but Jaisy explained that it was an expensive store. Well, maybe let’s go look? It ended up being only $10 USD or so, so after checking with Daisy, I bought it for Maisy. Maisy was really grateful and asked to take a picture to commemorate. Really sweet. I think she was pretty shocked by the act of generosity – even though for me, it was something so small and easy to do.

After spending some time shopping, we went to Mang Inasal for dinner. It was delicious and a fun family affair. We got ice cream sundaes after – mine was mango with graham cracker. Super yum! And then we returned home. It was already 9pm at this point and everyone was exhausted. While karaoke was originally in the plans, we ended up nixing it.

I was supposed to leave the next morning to take a bus back to Manila to get to the airport, but Daisy said we would try to go diving. After breakfast, Jaisy explained that there wouldn’t be enough time for diving but that we would go snorkeling instead. Perfect! I love to snorkel.

We went back to the spot that I arrived at the first day, took a bangka boat to the snorkeling spot, and proceeded to snorkel for maybe an hour. My final underwater adventure in the Philippines. The water was so calm! Daisy brought some bread for us to feed to the fish before. I’d never done something like that, but it was interesting to see how different of an experience it was. The fish were swimming right in front of me, a few accidentally bit me (no teeth), etc. They were all around!

The highlight of the snorkel was finding a stone scorpionfish that was camoflauged very well. It was in a shallow area, so we were able to duck-dive down and get a good look at it. I also briefly saw a school of jackfish which I wish I’d gotten video of, but it was so brief. They are very interesting because they would open their mouths to eat… plankton? and, when open, their mouths actually looked like they were made of titanium. Really weird and cool.

It was around 11.30am by the time we left. I had to kind of hustle back because I wanted to make sure I could make my bus to Manila. After having a shower and packing up my things, off we went. Daisy, her mom, Diann, and Maisy all hopped onto a tricycle together. They had to go into Lemery to do some errands.

I really wanted to get Daisy a gift as a thank you for letting me stay with her family but because I was with them every moment, I never really had a chance. While I’d brought sweets upon my arrival, and was granted permission to buy Maisy the shirt for her birthday, I was always shrugged off when I offered to pay for something. “It’s free,” Diann said when I asked how much I owed for the street food. But still – I wanted to try to really insist ahead of leaving.

Daisy stopped somewhere to buy me some farewell mangoes (so delicious) and then our next stop was, unbeknownst to me, where we were parting ways. “We’re going to get off here, but the tricycle driver will take you to the bus terminal.” It all happened very suddenly. “But wait, I wanted to… how can I repay you?” Daisy tried to deny it (as she had a number of times when I’d suggested it already), but I said – for the kids, though. Daisy allowed me to give her some cash, which she then passed along to Diann and Maisy. Back at the house, I had left behind a thank you note for Daisy and Dev, and some drawings of mine for the kids to have. Jaisy later sent me a really, really sweet message. On behalf of all the kids, he thanked me for staying at the house, hoped I liked the food, and apologized for his English mistakes. He said, “thank you for coming. We want a guest and because you came, we had happy and good memories. When you first came here, I thought, ‘Oh shit – foreigner – maybe you arty, you don’t like our lifestyle. But I realize that you are not arty and you are a good person and again thank you. I hope we can see you in the future. From: all the children.” How sweet is that? I’m not sure what arty is, but I’m guessing “artsy-fartsy”.

Daisy and Dev, if you’re reading this… thank you so much. My time in Batangas was among my absolute favorite and most valuable memories while in the Philippines. It was so amazing to be able to spend time with local people, learn more about the culture, and just to BE with your family and community for a while. You were all so kind, attentive, and gracious towards me and I will never forget that. One day, if I ever have a home somewhere (lol) – I will be certain to take good care of you. Sending you all my love and I hope all the blessings for you in the days to come. Salamat po. Thank you po.

I managed to get the bus to Manila, got to the airport, and spent the next, like, nine hours there. I didn’t want to get a hostel because it didn’t make sense to get one only for a few hours. Luckily, while at the airport, I was able to get Jollibee one last time. I was really hoping there would be a Filipino bakery there because I was craving those damn addictive pastries, but to no available. I got some polvoron instead… but it wasn’t the same. And unfortunately, no final halo halo for me. Damn it! I had already consumed my last halo halo and didn’t even know it!!!

Many hours later, I boarded my flight to Bali.

Goodbye, Pinoy! And salamat po for everything.

Rose, Thorn, Bouquet

The Rose

I’m breaking this into two parts. Number one is, reuniting with friends. Seeing Lucie in Moalboal and then Daisy/Dev in Batangas was so, so wonderful. I have been really lucky to have reconnected with so many people in my <3 months of travel! And also… of course, the wildlife. I guess, the best for me was seeing both a whale shark and sea snake for the first time. Such special experiences!

The Thorn

There are a few things for me and mostly it has to do with the poverty. I’ve mentioned all this in my last post. The polluted air, the garbage everywhere, the stray animals – some of whom are in awful condition. The children begging, which is heartbreaking. Tuk tuk drivers asking every second if I need a ride. And then there’s little things like nowhere having enough change for me lol. I feel like this answer makes it seem like I’m saying, “hey, Philippines, stop being poor!” or something – but that’s not it. I understand it’s a complicated thing. I can’t change it. No one person can change it. I just wish things were different. The Filipino people I’ve met here (and have met prior to coming to the Philippines) are lovely, incredible, kind, generous people. I wish they were afforded a better quality of living here. I wish their minimum wage wasn’t 600 pesos (~$10USD) a day. I hope one day things can improve.

The Bouquet

This has been my answer time and again, and somehow I always surprise myself with it. But… it’s the people. From Jimar, Rodnell, and Gloria, and the Veganize Bohol owners in Bohol to my dive instructor Dino in Southern Leyte, to Byum on the bus, to Russel on the ferry to Manila – and anyone I forgot to mention… it just was really nice to be able to chat with locals. I haven’t yet experienced that in Asia and I think the reason it worked out so well in the Philippines is because so many people here speak English. I was able to connect in ways I wasn’t able to in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. It made the experience so special! But especially, ESPECIALLY my time in Batangas with Daisy and Dev’s families. I won’t ever forget that. Thank you to Daisy, Dev, Frances, Allung, Mama June, Carl, Jaisy, Maisy, Diann, Shania, Ally, little Maddy, Arden, Umi, Ardave. Salamat po!

Miscellaneous

Everywhere I go, I am called “sir.” At a restaurant, “How are you, sir? Here’s your food, sir. Thank you, sir. Here’s your change, sir.” I think it is just totally engrained in the culture but it’s kind of funny. I’m thinking to myself, “I’m 33, I’m NOT OLD ENOUGH TO BE SIR, YET! I’m still a kid!” And then they’d probably be like, “yes, whatever you say, sir.”

Another thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned about the Philippines yet is that there are security guards outside a lot of establishments. Some with shotguns! (or maybe that’s just the police). Outside of fast food restaurants, banks, grocery stores, malls, etc. Seeing that makes it very apparent that crime is an issue here.

Also, honorary mention for calamansi juice and for the bakeries. YUM. I miss them already.

Every single place has felt like a journey to get to in the Philippines. From Cebu to Bohol, Bohol to Southern Leyte, Southern Leyte to Cebu City, Cebu City to Moalboal and back. Moalboal to Manila. Manila to Batangas. PHEW. It has been an adventure.

I celebrated 13 years sober on the 26th of April. Yay!

Art of the Week

This is the drawing that made me feel like a celebrity on the cruise ship! I wanted to make an homage to the sardine runs in both Moalboal and Bohol, and this is what I got. I am really awful at repetitive, texture-ish stuff, so drawing the fish was monotonous and boring for me. BUT I’m pleased with how it turned out, especially the face. I think I have finally gotten to a place where I understand what I need to do in order to construct a face in the way that I want to. I also can’t help myself – I love a pink face!!! That deep shade of pink (called “plum”, so maybe it’s purple technically?) is one of my favorite skin tones while drawing. Absolutely love it.

Reflections

As of this morning, I have arrived in Bali, Indonesia. And I like it already. It’s also such a difference from the Philippines – although, I suppose maybe it’s too soon to say since I only walked around for all of thirty minutes. The rest of the day has been napping and blogging.

Reddit is blocked here which is bizarre to me.

Kory arrives in two days. I don’t have much planned before then. I maybe, maybe, maybe will go on a snorkel tour tomorrow but I’m not sure yet. I have to really sort out my plan because Kory and I have appointments to get tattoos but I realized today that I can’t really be in the water for a couple of weeks after that. Which hinders my plans here. However, I can extend my visa from 30 to 60 days. And I also can leave and come back. So maybe the first month will be chill and on land-exploration, then the next month will be underwater adventures. We’ll see.

Until next time, sending you all my love. x