Articles from this Category
1 March 2013
Above: Mt Mayon from the Embarcadero waterfront. Following the successful sightings of the whaleshark, I was happy to leave Donsol. After a wash, I took a tricycle, van and another tricycle to the Ellis Ecotel in Legaspi for my last night in the Philippines. It was intended to be a change in scenery, located next to […]
1 March 2013
I had been of two minds as to whether to do the whale-sharks for a third time in Donsol today. On one hand, chances of a sighting are pretty slim. But on the other hand, I do have the time and it isn’t very much money for something that I could possibly never do again. […]
28 February 2013
Above: Mt Mayon faintly seen from the sea in the early morning before the clouds gather. Today I had my second attempt at Donsol for the whale-sharks. Our group comprised of John and Yvon from Netherlands, plus David and Jane from Singapore. We found a French man to make up the maximum party of six. […]
27 February 2013
Above: Manta on a poster. That’s the closest we got to any manta. I did a day’s diving with Bicol Dive Centre at Donsol, hoping to see mantas at Manta Bowl. Three Dives The dives were led by local dive masters who have better knowledge of the area. We did three dives as follows: One […]
25 February 2013
Swim with whale-sharks, not! I set the alarm for 0600 and forced some pancakes down before walking to the whale-shark (known locally as butanding) centre as it opened at 0700. It had rained heavily last night. The weather didn’t look promising. The Dutch couple I had met on the plane got together with me and […]
24 February 2013
Above: Rolling hills as we approach Legazpi; the perfect cone of Mt Mayon was shrouded in cloud and wasn’t worth the shot. I walked to the ATM after breakfast. There were still people sleeping on the streets. In the taxi to the airport, street kids (about 10 years old) peered into the vehicle; I put […]
23 February 2013
I expected a long day of travel ahead, so had set the alarm for 0600. My clothes were still wet and the only way to dry them was to wear them. I left the hotel soon after 0700 and went to the jeepneys. I found one that went straight to Solano without having to change […]
22 February 2013
It is so unlikely me to sleep badly but I did. My street front room was noisy with people chatting through the night. Then there was the gurgling of gutters from the rain. I woke at 0600 and had a light breakfast. Our tricycle driver dropped in and suggested we cancel our 0700 departure to […]
21 February 2013
I walked to McDonald’s for breakfast as it seemed healthier than doughnuts and other fried stuff. I got talking to two Canadians from Quebecistan (Quebec amidst talk of seccession from Canada); it all started with his Komodo t-shirt. They were headed to Banaue as well and were wanting to know where the jeepneys left from. As […]
20 February 2013
Above: Filipino buses are equipped with some of the best safety features. I guess this one is the dash-mounted collision avoidance system. After breakfast of muesli topped with mangoes, I took a tricycle to the airport for my flight to Manila. The Cebu Pacific flight left early and got us into Manila early too. It […]