A Whale of a Time

Location:

Oslob, Cebu, The Philippines

The wait is finally over! Time to board the lovely bird that's going to take us to the gorgeous 'Philippines'. Will it be as perfect as we imagined? I guess we will soon find out. How exciting.

After spending a couple of hours in the sky squashed as usual like a sardine, we eventually touched down in Cebu, Philippines. From the airport we caught a taxi to the bus station. First impressions are that it is very Asia in the sense of a lot of poverty. There's lots of shacks for shops on the streets but what is really strange is that there are lots and lots of American fast food places and large shopping malls mixed in. It's certainly an interesting world!

The bus to our destination took a few hours. Lucky for us we got the air conditioned bus. However, it seemed to take forever to get to our destination. The driver was forever stopping to let more and more people on. On top of that, we were wrecked.

We had hardly any food and we did so much travelling in one day. So, as you can imagine, we were so relieved when the bus dropped us outside 'Nordzee Hostel' where we are going to spend the night. Absolutely starving, we ordered a big plate of noodles. It was for one but it filled both myself and Jason and then some. Just what we needed. It was really good to. Very fresh which is always a bonus. And on top of that, the staff are very friendly and the place seems really nice. It's on a little private beach with lovely sea views. What more do you want? I'm loving life!

The next morning I could have done with more sleep so as you can imagine, having to get up at 5am really didn't go down too well. It was worth it as we got to swim with 'Whale-Sharks' which was an amazing experience. Once in a life time opportunity. They are such gracious creatures the way they glide effortlessly through the waters with schools of fish following them. I got a bit freaked out when two started to come towards me, with one of them hitting my foot. Thankfully they are harmless creatures. Between Orang-utans and Whale-Sharks, we are loving being back on 'The Big Adventure!'

Back at the hostel we got talking to 'Bayo' from 'Los Angeles.' Seems pretty sound. He joined us as we went to one of the local waterfalls. It took us two buses with crazy drivers to get there. From flying around bends to overtaking everything to beeping even at the traffic in front of him. Another experience for the memory bank.

Maybe we were a bit naive and maybe we should have done a bit of research before we came with our cameras and with no sandals. The waterfall is divided into five different levels so there is a lot of walking and climbing. Walking along tiny pebbles really is not good on your bare feet. Luckily our guide who happened to be called Andrew as well, was very patient with me. To get to one of the levels we had to climb up a large vertical wall which had holes taken out of it for your feet and hands. Unfortunately, Jason didn't join us as he wanted to take care of all our things. Poor Lason! It's a stunning waterfall. It's amazing how white it all is, including the water. Apparently all the calcium in the water is turning everything white. It's quite beautiful to see. The next level up we reached, we were able to jump off these really high rocks which was pretty cool. When we reached the fifth level we were greeted by a stunning waterfall. I got to enjoy a little swim. But for me, there wasn't much time to actually enjoy the water. It is really beautiful to see. As you know, what goes up must come down. At least it wasn't as bad as I imagined. To get back to the hostel, we got a Tuk Tuk and a bus back.

That evening at the hostel we got enjoy a feast of a meal. They spit roasted a whole pig which they had laid on a table. There was someone there to cut a piece of meat off for you. It was amazing and they had gorgeous fresh fruit among lots of other things.

Later on, myself, Jason and Bayo headed down to the beach where Bayo gave me a photography lesson and showed me how to take 'Long Exposure' photographs. We noticed a light at the edge of the horizon that looked really nice. We didn't think much of it. When Bayo went to get something, with in a minute, the moon appeared from nowhere in a stunning red colour. I thought it was something else. I couldn't get over how it came up so fast. It was definitely a feast for the eyes.

The best thing about 'The Big Adventure' is that it opens your eyes up to what's important in life and to all the amazing places you can visit, things you can do and people you can meet. And in the Philippines, everything gets a tick! Long live our 'Big Adventure.'

By Andrew

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