We had a beautiful day here, in The Philippines. We started the day visiting the highest peak on Cebu island, and then headed back towards Oslob to check out Sumilon Island, where snorkeling was suppose to be good. All in all, it was a day full of beautiful views, lots of tourists and of course….selfies.
It was a pretty beautiful place to take a selfie!
Of course, those who know me know that I’m not much of a fan of tourists. I realize that this is silly, seeing as how I am one myself, but an abundance of tourist usually means I don’t enjoy myself very much. I was reminded of that today.
I find it amazing that I got any shots of Dave and I without other tourists in them. I managed…but only because I’m incredible patient (and incredibly determined!)
I believe that a selfie or two in a beautiful place is a great way to commemorate the time you spent there. Other people, as it would seem, will go to great lengths to get every pose, on every inch, of every rock….and then they’ll go back because they had a single hair out of place.
This is in the background of the Selfie Dave and I took. She was literally carrying her shawl in her mouth up onto that rock, so that she could get photos of herself with the shawl blowing in the wind.
This particular group of tourists was made up of young girls and a tour guide. Each girl got up on those rocks one by one and posed…and then they all went up again and again to get different poses and try to outdo each other. Dave and I eventually grew bored waiting, hopped on a different set of rocks, and get a couple of shots of our own.
Dave’s beautiful selfie. He didn’t have a shawl, or he would have carried it up the rocks in his mouth….
Later, on our trip Sumilon island, we saw more bad tourist behaviour. Now, I should begin by explaining that what I saw today was something I have seen many, many times before. Some tourists…for reasons unknown to me… go on boating tours…when they are TERRIFIED of both water and the sun. The result usually involves several locals needing to carry these tourists in and out of the water, and a lot of people refusing to get off the boat to snorkel ‘because it’s too deep and they don’t know how to swim’.
The woman in the long skirt at the left of the photo had to be carried on a Filipino man’s back because she was either scared of the water (like the woman before her had been), or she didn’t want to get her skirt wet getting back into the boat. The woman sitting next to her, is your average Asian tourist. They hate the sun. They hate it like a vampire hates it.
In case you need more proof…here’s a short and blurry photo I took of the second woman being carried onto the boat. One of the boat hands had to literally put her on his shoulders and carry her to the boat. He was walking barefoot on a lot of coral while he did this. I feel like that is important information.
So, today was a mixed bag. I really enjoyed some of the scenery we saw today (I’ll be writing more about our experiences later), but I was pretty fed up with people by the end of the day.
Tomorrow is our last day in the Philippines (for this trip, anyway!). I’ll be back with one more daily post, and then some detailed posts about our time on Cebu Island!
We live on an extraordinary planet. It supports so much life, and is so stunningly beautiful. I’ve been lucky enough to see that beauty on several continents and in many different countries. I’ve watched vibrant sunsets in Vietnam, stood atop gorgeous cliffs in Laos, explored ancient towns and rivers in China, and even admired desert landscapes in India. There hasn’t been a single place we’ve gone that hasn’t been spectacular in some way.
You can see where each picture was taken by opening the photo, or just scrolling your cursor over the photo.
Padar Island in Indonesia
Wheat Feild near Steinbach, Manitoba
Volcano on Sumatra, Indonesia
Rushing River National Park, Ontario
Sumatran Jungle, Indonesia
Sun setting in Phu Quoc, Vietnam
Bryce Canyon, Utah
A temple over the canal in Suzhou, China
Sun setting in Goa, India
A lone tree on a beach in Phu Quoc, Vietnam
Palm trees over a setting sun in Goa, India
Waterfalls in Laos
The view on the way to Luang Prabang, Laos
Vang Vieng, Laos
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada
The entrance to a Hong near Phuket, Thailand
Magroves are a beautiful sight
Rice Terraces in Guanxi, China
The Li River, Guangxi China
Of course, The Philippines is no different and has provided us with some great scenery! We’ve spent the last few days cruising along the south east coast of Cebu island, and I wanted to share some of our more scenic pictures with you.
Our motorbike for the week. She runs very well and has a comfy seat!
Overloaded trikes are part of the scenery in South East Asia
Overloaded motorbikes too!
Surprisingly…these trikes don’t always run perfectly…
We got some great shots on our way up to a waterfall (which I’ll be writing about in a future post, as soon as I have the time!)
The way to the waterfall was easy and downhill. The way back up was too steep and we had to hire motorbikes to take us back to our motorbike, that was left behind with all the other tourist vehicles
Beautiful and green!
At the bottom of the hills, you can see the ocean, where we’ll be spending tomorrow!
And of course, there are always the necessary selfies…
We were honestly just looking for a reason to pull over and stretch!!
The end of our day was pretty beautiful as well. We’re on the wrong side of Cebu island for seeing sunsets, but we do get to see the moon rise!
I got all 3 of these pictures with my Pixle (cellphone)
Our air Bnb host was so impressed he asked me to send them to him to use on his site!
And he asked me to get this shot with the pool in it. It’s a great shot 🙂
We’ve got a full day planned tomorrow that will include some more beautiful scenery, some snorkeling and more driving around on our sweet motorbike! Stay tuned!!!
Dave and I are very independent people. Some people don’t really know how we work, because we are so different. He is very science minded, and I’m all about the humanities. He loves reading about political science and current affairs, I’m all about the fiction. Dave’s a cat person, I love dogs.
Ok….I might be a dog person who also loves cats
But I mean…. Look at that derpy face!!!
But where it matters, we see eye to eye. Politics, religion… and coffee!!!
Unfortunately for us, the only coffee available in this part of the Philippines seems to be instant. It’s sugary, processed and tastes vaguely like marshmallows. Worst of all, I’m pretty sure it has negative caffeine in it. It’s upsetting, really.
Kopiko is slightly better than Nescafe… But this is what we see in every convenience store: a wall of individual portions of instant coffee mixture.
Today, we decided to go for a drive down to Oslob, and on the way, we ran into this sweet little place:
When we walked in and I saw canisters of actual beans you could choose from, I felt overjoyed. Our moods improved significantly from that point on, and we enjoyed the rest of our day!
It annoys me greatly that I didn’t turn that chocolate bar around. It was delicious, by the way (and if you’re in the weightloss challenge and reading this.. Dave and I shared it!!)
We were pretty stationary today. Between Dave being sick and the rain that wouldn’t let up, we spent most of the day reading, playing games on our phones and napping.
And hanging out with Happy, of course!
Eventually, the weather improved and we ventured into town to get some food to BBQ for dinner. Before leaving, we asked Karen, one of the staff at our Air BNB, where we should go. She told us the market would have everything we need.
It was busy when we arrived so we knew it was popular
And we did find what we needed….and then some.
In Asia’s markets, you can buy dinner for tonight AND dinner for 3-4 months from now!
The thing about Asian markets is that they would be SO illegal in Canada. They’d never pass health inspections and they just couldn’t exist.
Dried fish is a staple at any market in AsiaI’ve seen dried sardines, squid, and every type of fish you can imagineOf course, there’s plenty of fruit in these markets!In this shop, you can buy just enough ground pepper, chili, ginger or garlic for 1 meal. Groceries are bought on a need to have basis in many countries. People don’t just stock up on pay day the way we did in my familyTaken on my way up to the second floor. Dried noodles and a whole lot of scales. Everything is sold by weight.Even shampoo is bought on a day to day basis. Cell phone plans too, as I recently learned!!
We were careful to choose a vendor that had a decent set up (many vendors just hit their product with a plastic bag when you walk by so you can see they are keeping it insect-free). It took us 4 or 5 shops to get everything we needed (meat, vegetables, skewers, coal), but before long, we were on our way back up the hill to our little home for the week.
Their chicken didn’t have a weird purple colour to it like many of them did
I’ll be writing more about what we made in my post about the Bee Farm (coming soon!).
Every trip we take involves hours of me reading over blogs, checking out websites and comparing hotels. I’ve become pretty good at it, and although it might seem like a lot of work, for me, it’s part of the adventure.
I took a picture of our hotel door in Cebu because I was pretty sure I’d never remember which room we were in otherwise.
Dave and I have simple but specific tastes when it comes to hotels. We usually stay in middle range places, where we can rely on the hotels to be clean, safe and comfortable.
I decided to search for “funny hotel reviews”. I was not disappointed.
Sometimes we are lucky and are able to find really good deals in our price range. Usually, I book our stays on booking.com, but recently I’ve been searching Airbnb as well, and the extra options have been great!
We’re on the top of a hill, overlooking the ocean. It’s quiet, beautiful and very comfortable!!
This gorgeous pool is a perfect place to relax after a month of craziness!
There’s a nice lounging area too, where we can read, blog and enjoy the view
For $24 a night, I’d say this is a steal of a deal!!!
This is Happy…. The friendliest dog in the world!!!
Living abroad, you meet people from everywhere. One of the best things of meeting new people when you’re abroad is that you know that at the very least, you have 1 thing in common: you have an adventurous spirit.
Seen Here: 4 Adventurers on a very small boat on a very wavy ocean.
Occasionally, you end up travelling at the same time, in the same place, as one of your friends. Sometimes it’s on purpose, and sometimes it’s by luck. By luck, 2 of our best friends had booked a holiday in the Philippines at the same time we were set to be there! A little bit of schedule juggling made it possible for us to meet up on the island of Bohol.
When they told us they would be on Bohol Island at the same time we were in Cebu city, we knew we had this make it work and meet up!
We didn’t have a lot of time together but we did a lot with the time we had! I have a special post planned for our time at The Bee Farm, but I wanted to share a little bit about our snorkeling adventure with Dedrick and Deb for yesterday’s recap. It was definitely the most memorable part of our day!
Photos of our morning adventure together
We were on a boat similar to this one
One of several turtles we spotted
The weather was a bit nasty when we woke up, but not nasty enough to cancel the trip, so at 7am, we head down to a little dive shop Dedrick had found, and set off on a boating adventure. The water was choppy and the sky looked like it might unleash rain on us at any moment, but before long, it calmed down and we were able to enjoy some snorkeling! The sun even peeped out before we left, and Dave and I both ended up with nasty sun burns too!
The captain of our first boat. Eventually we had to switch to a second boat. We had to pay for both boats individually. It’s a bit of a racket, but it was still a pretty good deal, so no one complained much
Here’s a short video on our way to the little snorkeling island. I’m actually quite bruised from all the bumping around on this boat. I was happy to get back on land when it was all over!
Our second day in The Philippines was spent traveling to and around the island of Bohol.
We reached Bohol via 2 hour ferry ride. They had the temperature so low in business class that I thought I might freeze to death!!! One passenger compared it to a meat cooler. I agreed fully!
I was starting to feel better so we rented a motorbike, and as anyone who knows us or reads my blog knows…. That’s when it really felt like our vacation starts.
This may come as news to the kitty sleeping in this picture… But motorbikes are not only useful as cat beds!
Motorbiking around a new areas is always an adventure. It’s a fast way to get around and it keeps us cool in the equatorial heat. It’s also a ton of fun!
Alternatively, you can hire a Tricycle to take you around. Everywhere we go these vehicles are called something different. In Thailand they’re called Tuk Tuks. Sometimes they’re just called taxis… But most countries have some variety of these nifty little vehicles.
We travelled around the city of Tagbilaran for a while and saw some of the countryside too. One thing was very obvious to us as we scooted around…. The Philippines is Catholic+++.
We visited Tagbilaran on a Sunday and the streets were empty. Today, on a Monday, it took 4x as long to get anywhere. We couldn’t even book our ferry tickets on Sunday because it was an unnecessary service. Sundays are a day of rest wherever possible.
We saw numerous churches and even a monestary. There were Bible quotes on all the taxis and every shop we went into had biblical quotes, paintings and status displayed. There were even reminders graffitied onto walls for people to be honest and good Christians.
I don’t think you can talk about the Philippines and not discuss Catholicism… So I figure this important part of Filipino culture deserves its own post.
I’ve really grown to love writing these mini posts while we travel. I prefer writing when things are fresh in my mind and I find these posts a perfect way to wind down for the day and to reflect on the day’s adventures.
And it gives me a chance to go through ridiculous photos I took throughout the day
Today it was hard for me to choose which mini topic to write about, because the first day in any new country is always hard for me. No matter how well I try to prepare myself and no matter how excited I am, I always suffer from a bit of culture shock when we first land. I suppose it makes sense, given that your first few hours in a new country are filled with firsts, but I always hate myself for being so overwhelmed. Dave often has to remind me to be easier on myself because I get so frustrated with my mind and body for not doing exactly what I want them to do!
2 hours of sleep is not enough to fuel me on my first day in a new country… But I still remembered to get the quintessential airport line up selfie
Although I spent a good deal of today resting, hydrating and trying to stay cool, I still did get some blogging material. 2 things really stood out on our first day in The Philippines.
#1 – Water Refill Stations
Our hotel didn’t give us plastic bottles to use while we are here. Instead, they offer a water dispenser and reusable mugs. I love this idea and strongly feel like this needs to be something practiced worldwide.
Because plastic doesn’t break down, every piece of plastic that has ever been made is still on the planet. This is a huge problem, especially for the oceans. It amazes me when I hear that wealthy countries like Canada and the US are doing so little to reduce the waste, but poor countries like Indonesia and the Philippines actually are.
I later discovered that these dispensers are all over the city. You put coins in the machine and water is dispensed. Brilliant.
#2 – “Everything Stores”
We’ve learned over the last few years that having a usable cellphone while you’re traveling is about so much more than being on Facebook or Wechat. Having access to Google maps etc when you’re on the road really simplifies situations.
This is especially true in countries where you don’t speak the local language. Some apps work without the internet, but others don’t. The internet is an invaluable tool for the modern day nomad.
Best of all, when you’re in South East Asia, you don’t need to go find a cell phone provider to get set up. SIMS are sold pretty much everywhere, and prepaid phone cards are dirt cheap.
This bad boy cost under a dollar and it comes with a bunch of freebies that will get me through a few days. In total I’ll probably spend less than $10 to have a phone for the whole week
I was looking to stay close to the hotel due to reasons I mentioned earlier, but luckily, a little store right outside our hotel sells SIMs. And rice. And flip flops. And earrings. And is a bakery….
These little stores are very popular in Asia and it always baffles me how one store can possibly hold so much product, but they do.
Look closely at my pictures and see how many different items you can find in this one tiny store! Leave me a message about the item you found most surprising in the comment section.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more stories from The Philippines!
There are more than 17,000 islands in the country of Indonesia. In total, we were able to visit just 9 of them, but each provided us with new adventure. From the architecture on Java, to the volcanoes of Sumatra, each area of the country was different and interesting in its own way.
One of my favourite Sumatran moments
Though many people travel to Indonesia for a particularly beautiful island called Bali, our last 10 days in Indonesia were split up between 3 lesser known islands: Flores, Gili Trawangan and Lombok. Here’s a little about each.
Flores
Flores is a beautiful island south of the equator.
Our time in Flores was short, but it served a very important purpose: it where we flew in to see Komodo National Park. Although there is more to see on the island than just Labuan Bajo, it’s all we had time for. We spent the day before and the day after our trip cruising around LB and the surrounding area, enjoying the scenery and sunsets.
One of the two sunsets we saw there
Flores island from the top of a hill
The island is very lush and not as developed as many other areas of Indonesia.
We rented a motorbike while we were there so we could make the most of the short time we had. There are several great places to see sunsets, so we definitely did our best to check them out. I’m glad we did.
We also spent Valentines day cruising around the countryside. I can’t say the day was particularly eventful, but we met some very nice people and ate some beautiful and fresh avocados while we waited for a monsoon to pass.
I also made friends when I offered to take a picture for these nice people
A little pit stop
So green!
Lombok
Lombok is only a short boatride away from Bali. It isn’t quite as touristy as Bali, but it’s quickly rising in popularity.
Our next stop was Lombok, though the first time we were on this island, it was just to transfer to Gili. Unlike Flores, which was primarily Christian (we actually saw people leaving church on Ash Wednesday while we were there), Lombok is predominantly Muslim. When we took a daytrip onto the island, we drove out to see this beautiful mosque in Mataram city.
We weren’t dressed appropriately enough to visit, but we still wanted to see this beautiful building in person
It is so grand compared to the rest of the city
Other than our trip to the mosque, we spent the day driving around, picking up final souvenirs for people back home and then had back to Gili island, where we were actually staying. It was a nice day trip to break up the week of relaxation we were enjoying on Gili T.
The road we drove along was mostly shaded too, so that was nice!
Of course, the ferry to and from Gili was quite the experience!
Of course, we did have to go back one more time, because we flew back to Shanghai (via Malaysia) from Lombok airport. Our final moments in Indonesia were spent on that pretty little island.
The nice people at the post office
The last picture I took in Indonesia. A storm coming in over a rice field
Gili Trawangan
There are 3 Gili Islands in total, and they’re all off the coast of Lombok. They’re very small islands, without any cars or transportation aside from bicycles and horses.
Of the 3 Gili Islands, Gili T is the most popular and busy. We chose this island because we thought there would be more to do there, and although our goal for Gili T was to relax….we knew we’d get stir crazy before long.
Gili has very famous parties. We didn’t attend any ourselves, but it still looked like fine
Lots of live music was there to enjoy
We did enjoy some sangria with dinner one night!
Like on most islands, seafood was abundant
our meal at Egoiste was very memorable!
We did a few things on Gili T, like silver making, and our trip to Lombok, but mostly, we just relaxed. We stayed at a beautiful little hotel called Marigio, which is owned by an Italian woman named Alessandra. Her hotel was impecably clean and each day we ate an incredible Italian breakfast. I spent a lot of time by that pool, working on my tan, finishing several books, and catching up on my journal.
Of course, sunsets on the Gili Islands are world famous. There are a series of swings set up around the island where tourists can get pictures. Dave and I aren’t big into selfies, but I loved the way the swings looked in the fading light.
There were other props set up as well
My favourite swing. I was lucky to get this shot before someone else went and sat on it
A swing to show couples in love…..
The night market was also a pretty cool experience. It was packed with people (a good sign) and all the vendors seemed to make a lot of the same stuff, but we could have probably eaten there every night we stayed on the island and tried something new each day. The selection was great, and from what we saw, it was pretty clean!
The night bbq had an array of salads, seafood and other dishes to enjoy
And of course, ice cold Bintang (and beer…and coconuts, which are my favourite!!)
My favourite experience on Gili T however, was not the sunsets or the food. My favourite moments spent on Gili were spent in the ocean, ‘stalking’ sea turtles. There is a sanctuary on Gili T and the turtles are protected in this part of the country. So, if you are patient, you can often find these giant creatures chewing on seagrass near the beach of Gili T.
Pictures can’t do these beauties justice…
This little guy was in the sanctuary on Gili T.
Sea turtles are very endangered at the moment, so sanctuaries and protected zones like this are extremely important to the ocean’s health. After all, sea turtles keep reefs healthy and are an important part of the ocean eco system!
Dave even got this really cool video where you can see how close we were and how big this guy was! We watched him for close to an hour. What amazed me most was how he could stay underwater for so long without air!
So, this is how we spent our last 10 days in Indonesia. We saw some beautiful sunsets, enjoyed some great food and had fun with local wild life. I can’t think of a better way to finish a holiday!
I’ll be back soon with an overview of our experience in Indonesia, as well as tips for anyone looking to travel there soon!
After leaving Jogjakarta, we flew to the city of Labuan Bajo. We already knew we wanted to see Manta Rays in Indonesia, if possible, but when we learned that they can be found in Komodo National Park, there was no doubt we were going to visit this area of the country.
For those of you who have been following along, we started in the north of Sumatra, then down to Java. Our 3rd stop was Komodo National Park
About Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park is more than 1,700km square and consists of 3 major islands as well as many smaller ones. It was founded in 1980 to help protect the very rare Komodo Dragon, but since then has become a protected zone for many other animals as well. Roughly 4,000 people live in the park, and many of them work in the tourism industry.
We visited both Komodo and Rinca Island, but Padar Island took the cake
The park itself is pretty undeveloped and Dave and I were both pretty disappointed that more of the very high entrance fees weren’t used to keep the parks looking a bit nicer, but I wouldn’t say our visit was a waste of money…and it definitely was worth the trip to this area of Indonesia.
This display was effective enough to show what the Komodo Dragons eat, but I feel like some write ups about the Dragons in a learning center would have been nice. All of the information we learned about the park came directly from the employees, which was a problem if you couldn’t hear them because you fell behind getting photos etc.
The Dragons
The dragons are what bring most people to Komodo, and they’re quite the sight to see! I can’t say I have a lot of love for them, but definitely respected them enough to keep a safe distance.
Yeah….that’s blood on his face…
They’re clearly fed by locals because as soon as you arrive on Komodo Island, you see them all huddled around the restaurant where locals eat.
We saw plenty of other dragons along the way, and we learned about some of their rather nasty habits. Did you know Komodo Dragons spend their first few years living up in trees? They need to hide from other Dragons because these giant lizards are cannibalistic. They’re also terrible mothers, and do nothing to care for their young after they hatch.
Perhaps their poor manners have to do with their non-existent upbringing!
As I’ve been researching for this blog, I’ve been learning more about these animals and sadly, I’m seeing that at least some of the information provided at the park was false. We were told multiple times that what kills animals from Komodo bites is the various types of bacteria in their mouths. Scientists recently discovered though, that a dragon’s mouth is no dirtier than any other animal’s. What kills their prey is a venom that they release when they bite.
It’s a very slow acting venom that can take a week to fully kick in. It’s not good to be a deer or buffalo on this island…
This is actually why I enjoy when there is posted information available at parks and animal reserves. We had the same thing happen in India, and I’ve learned to fact check things before posting them in my blog. Apparently, you can’t trust everything local guides tell you about the animals native to their countries!
The guides did point out this Komodo egg den for us. That information seems legit 🙂
Rinca and Komodo were virtually identical in most ways. Both islands had dragons…and both islands were incredibly hot. We were marched around by guides who told us about the flora and fauna in the area (sorta…). We saw 1 massive buffalo, but the guide chased it away before most of our group even knew it was there. We also saw deer, birds and even some monkeys. I was already suffering from some heat exhaustion, so I only took 2 or 3 photos on Rinca, which is pretty regrettable. It was definitely the nicer of the two islands.
There wasn’t a whole lot of shade on Komodo Island either…and given that it was well over 40 degrees celcius, that was a problem for me….
Heat exhaustion began early…
Some of our group, walking ahead
Padar Island
Padar Island was actually our second stop (Komodo Island was #1 and Rinca was #3). We arrived on the island shortly before sunset. Now, I should add that nothing was really explained beforehand on this tour…we would just arrive and do things. Any time I asked what was next, our guide would tease me for ‘worrying too much’. So, when we arrived on the beach of this little island, I figured we’d be spending some time watching the sun set from the pink sand. As it turns out, we were climbing a small mountain…
The island from far away
The trail….beautiful, I know
Dave giving me an opportunity to rest
Now, I should also explain why this small hill was a big deal for me. I mean…I did a much harder climb than this in Kuala Lumpur and our Jungle Trek was WAY more intense. The problem was, at this point, I was suffering from pretty bad heat exhaustion. I was having a hard time catching my breath and I was completely and totally exhausted. If our guide had told us we’d be climbing, I probably would have stayed in the boat. So, I guess it’s lucky I didn’t know what to expect because….
It was absolutely stunning
Each part of the sunset offered new beautu
When we arrived at the peak, we sat around, sipping beer and cold water, and chatting about life in Indonesia. Before we knew it, the sun had set and we had to climb down the ‘mountain’ in the dark. We all used our cell phones to light the way and it was probably pretty dangerous, as the path wasn’t really much of a path. But…at least it wasn’t all done in the sun!
Padar Island in Indonesia
Dave chatting with Archer, our French tour guide
Our Indonesian guides, along with a fellow tourist.
Time In The Water
Dave and I were both really excited about snorkeling in Komodo National Park because we’d heard that it’s home to so many sea animals and beautiful coral reefs. The rumours were true, and it was a beautiful place to both dive and snorkel, but what I didn’t know was that about 30% of the sea life in Komodo National Park seem to be jelly fish!! If I didn’t get stung 50 times, I didn’t get stung at all!!!
A boat similar to the one we were on
Full speed ahead!
I was so hopeful at the beginning of this trip…
The snorkeling was good, but as my heat exhaustion worsened, my tolerance for jellyfish lessened. Soon, I made the decision to stay out of the water until there was something REALLY interesting to see.
I didn’t want to be a total party pooper, so I did go out into a tiny boat to check out some mangroves and look for some salt water crocodiles. We did find mangroves…but no crocs were to be found
After spending most of the day on the boat, I was happy to get out a little bit though!
Of course, the real reason we were in the area wasn’t for the dragons, or even for Padar Island (we had no idea it was going to be that beautiful!). The real pull for us was the chance to see Manta Rays.
And of course, our trips aren’t complete unless Dave has had a chance to do some diving!
Vibrant and healthy reefs
Manta Rays are intelligent and curious and we heard from many people that swimming with them is quite the experience! They’re huge, gentle and majestic and I was very much looking forward to seeing the giants in person. This was actually at the top of Dave’s bucket list too, so it was important to me because it was important to him.
Of course, things didn’t turn out the way I’d wanted. I woke up the day of our trip to Manta Point and ended up fainting in the shower….twice. I was so sick from the heat that if the sun touched my skin for even a moment, I became too dizzy to stand. So, while Dave and everyone else went swimming with the mantas…I sipped Sprite under the comfort of my over-sized hat, and tried not to throw up….
With
The mantas in Komodo National Park were beyond beautiful
I was lucky enough to see 1 Manta right near the front of the boat. It came up to the surface and I was able to watch it from the safety of shade. Mostly, I’m just happy Dave got to see them, because it is truly an incredible experience.
Dave loves diving as much as I love the jungle!
So, I didn’t quite have the experience I’d hoped for in Komodo National Park. I hope to go back some day, to see the sea life and maybe do that discovery dive. Until then, I’ll just have to hang onto the memory of that 1 kind Manta who swam along the surface so that I could admire it’s graceful beauty.
Check back soon! This won’t be my last post of the week!
