The opening photo should say it all.

During my one hour flight from Manila to Cebu City, I flipped through my Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia on a Shoestring.

Where to next?

My original plan was to only stay in the Philippines for the three weeks citizens of most countries receive upon entry. I had already booked my flight to Bangkok by advice from Lonely Planet, as I was not sure whether I would be allowed in the country without proof of onward travel.

(Immigration never asked me to see a ticket proving I would leave in time, so most people may not need this.)

But I wasn’t ready to go to Thailand.

Maybe Singapore?

Too small.

Maybe Hong Kong?

Too cold.

I looked into Sumatra in Indonesia, various places in Malaysia and some spots in Cambodia.

I became discouraged reading the “Dangers and Annoyances” section for each country.

(Highly recommend travelers look at this section once, remember it, but keep it out of their mind.)

I looked through photos in the book and the picture of the main place I wanted to be for the next month or so was of Boracay in the Philippines. So I thought I’d give the country another look. Based on my first week in Donsol and other places in the country, I decided to stay.

On a boat pulling into Sun Splash Floating Bar for sunset and happy hour. Quite inviting, besides the guy in the front. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Some may think this is a bad call because there are so many other great countries and cultures to discover in Southeast Asia, there are places a lot cheaper than the Philippines in the rest of the area and the country is relatively small.

A few years ago, I would have agreed with those people. During my first backpacking experience, which was in Europe, I was content with spending as little as a day in some countries. I had the energy to keep going from city to city, country to country without a long break.

Maybe it’s that I’m getting older or maybe I’m just a different kind of traveler now, but I’m no longer interested in just scratching the surface. It’s not really about the sights or things to do, though I still do get off on that. Now it’s about actually getting to know the country and meeting the people in it.

So I extended my visa by 30 days in Cebu City. The process is quite easy, but can require a long wait. Those interested in an extension should visit the nearest Immigration Office. There are offices located in most major cities in the Philippines as well as some tiny resort islands. (Once your on one of these islands you’ll want an extension, trust me.)

I visited the Immigration Office in Cebu City located on the corner of Burgos St. and Mandaue Ave.(Location is according to Lonely Planet. I did not look at the street signs.) It was a Friday so people there were waiting for hours. But it’s an ideal place to meet other travelers and learn of other places. The extension costs P3,030 and requires a valid passport. The office does a background check on applicants, but if you’re passport clears then it’s most likely you’ll receive an extension.

Relaxing on Sun Splash Floating Bar off Malapascua Island with a Caipirina in front of me waiting for the sun to set, I’m positive extending my visa was the right decision.

Sitting on the floating bar off Malapascua Island writing this post. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Any time I would dine with other people in Donsol, Philippines they would ask the waiter or waitress, “Can you recommend more dishes like the local ones you did before?”

Bicol is the local culture and dialect in Legazpi, Philippines and the city’s surrounding area, including Donsol. This special culture includes quite a few unique dishes people may not be able to find anywhere else in the world, but definitely won’t be able to find better anywhere else.

It’s always a better idea to taste the local cuisine when traveling, not just to try something new, but also because those are the dishes the locals best know how to make. That may be why Amor Farm Beach Resort in Donsol has a sign in its Kawnkita Restaurant that reads, “Bicol cuisine at its best,” with four suggestions of key Bicol dishes listed underneath.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Kinunot P150

This dish features some kind of white flake fish, often sting ray or tuna, cooked coconut milk and malunggay, which is a popular tree that produces leaves similar to spinach. It’s very flavorful and can be quite spicy at times. A lot of dishes in Bicol cuisine are based in coconut milk and if you saw the endless amount of palm trees in the area, you would understand why.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Adobadong Manok P175

A good choice for the not-so-adventurous eater, this dish includes sauteed chicken with coconut milk and papaya. It’s a mild dish similar to other several sauteed chicken dishes, but with a slight taste that makes it special.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Laing P75

For the vegetarian, this dish has gabi taro leaves, which has a consistency similar to spinach when cooked leaves, cooked in coconut milk. The dish can also include ginger and taste very strong of it depending on whose cooking, Its quite a rich dish, so don’t be surprised if you can’t get through one serving.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Bicol Express P175

The name sounds westernized, but the tastes is like nothing outsiders have had before. They take pork and cook it in finger chillies and coconut milk. The mixture of spicy and sweet goes well with the meat, especially its fatty bits.

All dishes are served with rice.

Thanks to Amor Farm Beach Resort and Whaleshark Adventure and Tours for supporting my trip to Donsol.

Become a fan of Amor Farm Beach Resort and Whaleshark Adventure and Tours.

The banke boat speeds up and motor gets louder.

They must see something.

So I look back to Jun, the spotter for my butanding (which means whaleshark in Bicol) search, he points two fingers to his eyes to motion, “I see,” then in the air, “two.”

It’s time.

I and the other five passengers on my banke boat strip off our clothes, throw on our fins and snorkels and move to the front of the boat. About ten boats are heading to the same whaleshark so we don’t have much time before it gets scared and “kararom,” goes deep as the Bicol crew says.

That was a word I had heard two often here in Donsol. This was my third day searching for whalesharks. While a few had been spotted in the past two attempts, every time, “kararom” and the fish that has fascinated me for so long was gone.

But this time is different. I have a good feeling about Jun and he looks pretty determined staring ahead as our banke speeds up to join the others.

“Get ready on the right,” Jun says.

We all sit with our feet hanging off the right side of the banke. Then I the Dutch girl behind me gasps and points ahead.

Passengers on a whaleshark search await on the right side of their banke for the signal to jump. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

I see the tip of the whaleshark’s tail.

But we notice it too late. The banke goes over it, more than tapping it.

Great, I think. The closest I’ll probably ever get to a whaleshark and we kill it.

But Jun is still determined. The boat swerves and Jun screams, “Go!”

I don’t hesitate. My body flings from the moving banke right behind Jun’s. I follow him closely, but I am the only one. My head is in the water searching desperately. Then I see Jun’s hand in front of me pointing.

There it is. Everything I came to Donsol for. I could only see the whaleshark’s tail, but I saw it!

This photo is of the second whaleshark I saw. Photo by Neils Dekker

I come to the surface, smiling and shouting, “Yes!” to Jun, but he seems unfazed.

“It was hurt, so he swims away,” Jun says.

It’s amazing how fast that whaleshark swam. Every video I had seen showed the fish in slow motion, but this one is speedy.

Jun is even more upset that not everyone in the group saw it, so when he gets back to the banke he reiterates how important it is to follow his command.

We’re not in the banke long. Another whaleshark is spotted and Jun tells us to prepare. The banke moves towards what looks like the scene from “Titanic” when the boat sinks and everyone is splashing around at the surface.

Mayhem at the surface. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

At Jun’s command we all sit on the edge of the right side of the banke.

“Go,” Jun shouts.

I follow straight after him once again. This time is a bit more chaotic as about 30 people surround me, splashing around. But I keep close to Jun and watch his hand. Again he points to me underwater.

Finally, the whole whaleshark in all its glory. I knew it be amazing, but this was ten seconds of pure bliss.

I’m the only one completely underwater swimming above a six to seven meter graceful beast. I want to hold my breath just a little longer, but I can’t. I resurface, breathe deep and dive down again, but not without swallowing a mouthful of salt water. I catch up to the whaleshark, but this time it’s moving faster. I’m above it’s head, then it’s body and finally it’s massive tail. I watch it disappear, then resurface smiling.

Now I just need to find my group and my banke in this mess!

Jun, legendary spotter, and I after swimming with the whalesharks.

Snorkeling with a whaleshark was even more amazing then I thought it would be, but not nearly as easy.

I don’t know why I assumed I was guaranteed to see a whaleshark in Donsol the first day out. This is the best place to see the fish in the Philippines, but they’re still wild animals that live in a massive ocean.

My whaleshark saga started Sunday, January 30. It was season for whalesharks but not high season. I woke up at 7 a.m. grabbed a pair of fins as well as a mask and snorkel from Amor Farm Beach Resort then made my way to the Donsol Tourist Center, only a five-minute walk.

At the center, people must pay a P300 registration fee, which is good for five days, and P3,500 for the boat ride, which is split up among its passengers, a maximum of six per banke. After a short video explaining procedures, which also featured a Baywatch-like scene introducing Butanding Inspection Officers (BIO), passengers wait to be called.

On the banke, there are two designated spotters, one captain who runs the motor with a long bamboo stick and one person in charge of steering. Spotters look for shadows of the whalesharks. There is no radar system. So it’s easier to spot a whaleshark on a sunny day.

My first banke included four English people and one Chinese guy. As usual with a boat full of English, the experience was a good laugh, but a bit of a let down. A few bankes spotted a whaleshark, one’s passengers even jumped in the water. But our spotter said, “Kararom.” That was the only sighting in four hours at sea.

However, the English were determined to find one that day as it was their only full day in Donsol, so they asked the captain how much it would be to take a banke out that afternoon. They paid P2,000 under the table for two hours on the boat and they came back with nothing.

The next morning I tried again, which went pretty much the same as the day before. That afternoon, a German and I decided to do a bit of “snorkeling” via banke boat and if the spotter on board happened to see a whaleshark then hooray.

Again, nothing.

The following day, I was scheduled to go on a land tour of Mt. Mayon and Legazpi city. While I wanted to give the whaleshark search another try, I think a day off the sea and away from the sun was just what my over-tanned skin needed. I came back that night to hear from two guests at my resort that they saw five whalesharks and swam with all of them.

Was this some kind of cruel joke?

Then came my third and final day at sea. The day I had originally planned to leave Donsol for Cebu, but at the last minute changed my flight.

Obviously the extra day in Donsol was worth it. I swam with two whalesharks and while I may not have a photo to prove it, (I’ll be shocked if the photos I shot on my disposable underwater camera came out considering all the poor visibility due to plankton) that image will stay with me forever.

And the feeling is one that will be quite hard to top.

Thanks to Amor Farm Beach Resort and Whaleshark Adventure and Tours for supporting my trip to Donsol.

Become a fan of Amor Farm Beach Resort and Whaleshark Adventure and Tours.

This was posted from Legazpi Airport, which is a free wifi zone.

“You dance with the tide,” Ruby Lita, operations manger at Whaleshark Adventure and Tours , which operates out of Bicol Dive Center in Donsol, says during a dive briefing for Manta Bowl.

Then she pulled out the hook on a string.

Divers hook onto a rock or hard piece of coral, then wait for something big to pass by. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

How strong is this current?

Lita says five knots on average. The dive plan is to descend in a group, find a hard piece of rock or dead coral attached to the ground and hook in.

Why do it?

To dive the Ticao Pass, which Lita also calls, “Big boys’ alley.”

San Miguel, located above Ticao Island alond Ticao Pass, also known as "Big boys' Alley."

The pass, located between Luzon and Ticao Island, is known for its large fish, in particularly manta rays, hence the name Manta Bowl. People also see sharks and sometimes even whalesharks.

It was clear by Lita’s look and questioning, “What is your experience? Have you drift dived before?”, that this wasn’t the easiest of dives. Still divers ranging from open water-certified with eight dives to rescue diver-certified with countless, boarded the banka boat for the dive companies full-day, scuba tour.

Crew and divers board the banka boat in Donsol, Philippines. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

The banka boat departed from a short walk from the dive center, which is located across from Donsol Tourist Center just minutes away from Amor Farm Beach Resort, where I’m staying. The first destination was San Miguel Island, located above Ticao Island, about an hour banka ride from Donsol.

On the way out, the sun came out and a blue flying fish landed on board. First spot of the day! This dive was already shaping out to be a lot better than some of my previous ones. The island looks like two massive mountains coming from the water with a deserted beach in between.

A flying fish landed on our banka on the way to San Miguel.

Upon arrival Reynado De Castro, our divemaster, briefed us all again. This site was to see a few things, but also to get sorted with weights and test everyone on a slight drift before heading to Manta Bowl. With that my group of six divers and two divemasters geared up. While getting ready, Ray told me the dive site is named “Bobby’s Wall,” like me, but with a y.

And what a beauty my wall was.  Within five minutes of descending, Rey spotted a stone fish, followed by several lion fish, a sea snake, marble ray and two nudi branks. I was quite relaxed on the dive, thinking this drift time thing is easy, when boom! Literally, BOOM! Then again and again. Rey turned around and signed with his hands to relax. Once on the boat again, he said it was dynamite fishing, which is illegal in the Philippines, but still occurs.

One lion fish Rey spotted at Bobby's Wall. Photo by Tobias Loechner

After an easy first dive, I felt quite relaxed on the hour-long journey to Manta Bowl. But my confidence and calmness disappeared as I saw on the side of a rocking boat, about to roll back into unforgiving currents. Rey and the rest of the staff were extremely attentive to every diver. In spite of all calamity at sea, Rey kept everyone in order and together.

As I descended 18 meters in waters with 10-meter-visibility at Manta Bowl, it was hard to even noticed the current. Then I caught a glimpse of the bottom and realized just how strong it was. The group hit bottom and all looked to Rey. He motioned for us to keep drifting, then pulled out his hook.

It’s really frightening at the moment. I attempted to latch onto one piece of rock, but it was not attached. I quickly grabbed onto another and while I was hooked in, it didn’t seem like a comfortable position. I tried once more and finally felt somewhat safe. All the while I was nervous of bumping into other divers behind me, but even more concerned about completely passing the group.

I was in constant motion down there.

Holding on as the water swung me around the bottom. Photo by Tobias Loechner

Once hooked in divers just wait for something big to pass by. To be quite honest, I was more focused on staring at the rock that was holding me. Waiting there I started picturing myself coming undone and having to grab onto something again. Then I wondered if my knees were positioned anywhere close to a sea urchins or something else that could really hurt me. Finally, I realized I was the one doing the hurting as I looked back to see my knee on a piece of coral.

My body flew side to side, while my right hand clung to a short rope completely straightened. We moved once more, but no big fish passed by. In fact, the only cool thing I saw was a puffer fish who I think was taunting me.

The group ascended hand-in-hand to a safety spot. Rey released his safety sausage connected to fishing line, so the boat could come pick us up. Then everyone boarded for lunch. Lunch was a simple marinated chicken with rice and string beans. The boat offered us endless water and cookies.

The third and final dive went about the same as the second. No big fish, but I actually enjoyed the current. It was quite a rush to be in the middle of water that strong. Plus, the way Rey handled the previous dive and kept us all together made not worry about the last.

While I didn’t see any Manta Rays, the whole experience was thrilling, yet relaxing. Just the boat was something special and the rides to and from offered some beautiful sites. I saw things in the first dive that I have not anywhere else in the world, which gets me pretty excited for diving the rest of the country.

Whaleshark Adventure and Tours

Located in Bicol Dive Center across from the Donsol Tourist Center in Donsol, Philippines

Underwater Manta Bowl Tours

P4,500 for three dives, P3,500 for two dives

Contact Ruby R. Lita
+63 921 929 3811
reservations_donsol@yahoo.com

http://donsolwhaleshark.net

Thanks to Amor Farm Beach Resort and Whaleshark Adventure and Tours for supporting my trip to Donsol.

Become a fan of Amor Farm Beach Resort and Whaleshark Adventure and Tours.

This was posted from Quick Access Internet in Donsol Proper. Internet costs P20 per hour.

I wasn’t exactly in my prime arriving in Manila after three flights over a 22-hour period and a heartbreaking goodbye in Australia. To make matters worse, I was about to face one of my worst fears traveling, no money.

I came to the conclusion a long time ago that it’s pointless to carry mass amounts of cash for travel to most destinations in the world. In fact, I found I never need to exchange money at counters and that using an ATM or cash machine is actually cheaper, easier and safer.

I was proved wrong yesterday at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport when five ATMs denied dozens of my  attempts to withdraw money at various sums. Not declined, in fact I could check my balance and it stated I had finds well over what I was asking to withdraw, still-denied.

My American cash card flat out was not working. Airport security was extremely kind and supportive as I went a bit frantic and I’ll say it, shed some tears. One guard recommended I use another card. The only other cash card I had was from a bank in Australia that had only enough money in its account to keep the it open for tax purposes.

Luckily, it had that much, because it worked and was pretty much the only thing that saved me.

With very little Filipino cash and no idea where the hotel I booked actually was, I headed to the tourist information desk for advice. They said my hotel was not too far and to take a taxi there. Too tired to bother with shuttles or public transportation, I went straight for the cab. I’m still getting used to the money here, so I explained to them that I had limited funds and needed an estimate of how much it would be.

Rodger's Place Hotel located is located only a five-minute drive from Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

My driver, who I won’t name, was kind, but saw I was a bit upset and unsure. He recommended I stay at Rodger’s Place Hotel as it was closer to the airport than the hotel I booked and in a complex with several food options. In a bind and worried the hotel originally booked was too far away, I said yes. I was a bit worried as the only Rodgers I’d heard of was that schmuck from Nickelodeon’s “Doug” and the driver told just about every other cabbie in the car park that we were going to Rodger’s Place as we changed directions.

My driver didn’t lead me astray though. The hotel is only a five-minute drive from the airport and well priced. The only mistake I made in haste and desperation yesterday was overpaying my driver, which I always expect with cabbies, wasn’t even that much and almost wanted to do since he got me to a hotel and working shower.

Talking to a friend later, who visits here often, he explained that a lot cab drivers, especially around Manila are known to rip tourists off. He explained the average monthly income in the Philippines is around between P2,000-4,000 (exchange rate is currently P44 for $US1), so paying my driver P540, which ended up actually being P700 as he shorted me on change, for a ten-minute ride, was definitely too much. To avoid it, ask for a metered-cab and make sure the driver has his meter on.

The armed guards walking around the gated strip mall probably should have made me a bit scared, but for some reason I felt fine. I was only there for a night and not in the mood to deal with another cab, nor able to as my money situation was still unsolved.

While some reviews on the internet say otherwise, Rodger’s Place is just okay accommodation. Besides two rude receptionists and one hotel worker, unsure about his role, who only looked up to tell me to move out of his view of the television, the hotel staff was extremely helpful and happy. The hotel accepts American Express, which is a safety card I recommend to all travelers. A standard room costs $US56, which included a television and air-con. And to top it all off, FREE WIFI!

I hopped straight on skype to call my bank in the States and explain my situation. The operator explained the system was undergoing maintenance, which was the most likely reason I could not withdraw cash. She did something magical and within an hour I was withdrawing money from a Metrobank ATM.

I can’t complain about the bank as maintenance is just bound to happen. On my end, I did everything right by calling them a week prior to my departure to tell them I would taking out money in this country. Inevitably, it was just a matter of bad timing. To make sure it doesn’t happen again, I’ll be opening another bank account with a cash card, so at least I have a back up if my primary account doesn’t work. I may even start keeping a small amount of US dollars on me in case of emergency.

With my money problems sorted I could conquer my next problems, but not my last of the night, cleanliness and hunger.

My standard room at Rodger's Place Hotel became a mess as soon as I entered it due to distress.

After an amazing shower, I walked around the complex to find a place for dinner. Trying to avoid fast food chains and pick something at least somewhat cultured, I landed at Jet Black Cafe. A tiny coffee shop with large menu, I ordered chicken in yellow curry and an iced tea by suggestion of my smiling waiter. The food was good. The tea was amazing, so I ordered another, which they gave me on the house. My meal came to P235.

I asked the waiter if people tip in the Philippines. He said sometimes, but when I offered, became giddy and said, “No you don’t have to,” multiple times. They were the nicest people i met that day and it was a rough one, so I was happy to tip. As a rule of thumb, it’s not customary to tip in the Philippines, but people sometime will if they receive amazing service.

Now that everything in my life was right again, all I wanted was to make the most out of my room until my departure to Legaspi at 6:30 the following morning. I emptied my backpacking looking for my favorite sweater to bundle up in and found it wasn’t there, nor was my Cliff Lee Phillies shirt or a lot of my other t-shirts for that matter. Yup, I had forgotten to pack an entire drawer full on clothes in Melbourne. No wonder my bag was only 15 k. It was at that moment I thought about how I was going to wake up at 4 a.m. the next day and realized I forgot an alarm clock as well.

After traveling to about 30 countries, one would think I’d have this packing thing down by now. So I’m just going to call my prep for this trip an epic failure. After already misplacing a Highland cow stuffed animal named Alberta who smelled like my boyfriend in Sydney Airport, also leaving behind my favorite sweater from home made me a little sad, but I’m just going to call it another obstacle to getting over my obsession with things. As for the alarm clock, thank God for wake-up calls.

The next morning I used the hotel’s free shuttle back to the airport for my 6:30 a.m. flight to Legaspi. The airport seemed hectic, but was quite easy. It only took me about 20 minutes to check in and go through security. I booked my one-hour flight with Philippine Airlines for $US43 a few days prior. The same fight and class was priced at about $US70 on Expedia. Those traveling out of the airport should be prepared to pay a P200 terminal fee before security. Terminal two contains a few well-priced cafes.

I made a lot of mistakes my first day here, but a few friendly locals, all of which spoke perfect English, got me through it. I heard from a lot of people that the Philippines is an easy and well-visited place for Americans. It’s true. I’ve met quite a few Americans already in one day and less than two miles of the airport, which has been unusual in my travels. Philippines was once and American colony and a huge base for American military during WWII. From what I’ve heard and seen a lot of Americans do business here. It’s a friendly relationship between the two countries and from what I gathered, a presence Filipinos are used to.

But that’s not my purpose here. En route to Donsol, the one thing on my mind is whalesharks.